Chapter 4: The Public Unveiling and the Shockwave at Table Four
"Dad?" Liam choked out, his voice cracking violently as he scrambled up from his chair so fast his tuxedo jacket caught on the mahogany table edge, nearly knocking over a silver water pitcher. Amber looked up next, her smug smile freezing instantly on her lips like cracked porcelain as her eyes darted from Nico’s calm, imposing face to mine. "Luna? What... what are you doing here?" Amber stammered, her voice suddenly shrill and defensive. She stood up beside Liam, clutching his arm again as if needing physical anchoring against the reality unfolding before her eyes. I didn't even deign to look at my sister; my attention remained fixed on Liam’s trembling hands and wide, terrified eyes.
Nico stepped forward, completely ignoring his son, and looked down at Amber with a look of clinical, devastating disdain. "Ah. The sister," Nico said smoothly, his voice carrying easily across the hushed, attentive silence of the surrounding tables. "Liam has mentioned in passing that he has atrocious taste in women, but seeing it demonstrated so vividly in broad daylight is truly fascinating." Liam swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing violently as he stared at his father with sheer horror. "Dad, you... you can't be here with her. You don't understand what's going on—Luna is unstable, she's—" "Quiet, boy," Nico interrupted with a single, slicing word that commanded absolute obedience. The authority in Nico’s tone made Liam snap his mouth shut instantly, shrinking back like a scolded child.
"Luna is not unstable, Liam," Nico continued, turning his gaze back to me with a faint, genuine warmth in his eyes before addressing the entire table. "In fact, I find Miss Harper to be one of the most brilliant, resilient, and captivating women I have had the pleasure of dining with in years. It is my absolute privilege to escort her tonight." Valentina Rossi, who had remained frozen in her seat with her diamond-encrusted fingers gripping her pearl necklace, finally found her voice. "Nico! Have you completely lost your mind? Parading around with this... this nobody while your own son is standing right here?" Nico didn't even glance at his ex-wife. He simply smiled coldly. "Valentina, my son lost his privilege to dictate my company the day he decided to behave like an alley cat. If you have an issue with my guest, feel free to leave through the rear exit." The entire section of the ballroom was plunged into dead silence. No one—not even his ex-wife or his business rivals—ever spoke to Valentina Rossi that way. But tonight, Nico Rossi made it unmistakably clear that the rules no longer applied.
