Chapter 4 - The Viper's Strike
"How touching," Victoria purred, her heels clicking sharply against the hardwood floor. "A charity dinner for the help."
Elena immediately stood up, the old habits of servitude pulling at her spine, but Nathaniel caught her wrist, holding her firmly in her seat.
"Victoria," Nathaniel said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy register. "You didn't call."
"Why should I call to visit my own fiancé?" Victoria walked over, tossing a tabloid magazine onto the table. The cover featured a blurry photo of Elena carrying Nathaniel out of the burning manor, with the sensational headline: THE BILLIONAIRE AND THE BURNING MAID: TRUE LOVE OR PR STUNT?
"My father is furious, Nathaniel," Victoria hissed, leaning over the table. "The Vance-Ashford merger is supposed to be signed next month. Our stock dropped two points today because the public thinks you're having a sordid affair with a kitchen girl while your family estate burns down. This little... distraction needs to leave. Tonight."
Elena felt a cold dread settle in her stomach. Victoria wasn't just angry; she was calculating.
"Elena goes nowhere," Nathaniel said, standing up, ignoring the pain in his leg. "And as for the merger, Victoria, you might want to check the clause regarding abandonment. When the fire broke out, your security team cleared a path for you while you left my staff—and me—inside."
Victoria laughed, a brittle, ugly sound. "Who do you think the board will believe? A traumatized tycoon or the woman who holds forty percent of your logistical supply chain? If you break our engagement for this," she pointed a manicured finger at Elena, "I will dismantle Ashford Enterprises piece by piece. I'll start by ensuring this little charity case is blacklisted from every employment agency from here to the coast. She won't even be able to get a job scrubbing toilets, Nathaniel."
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Elena looked at Nathaniel's tight jaw, the pressure of a multi-billion-dollar empire weighing visible on his shoulders. She knew what she had to do. She couldn't be the handle the world used to pull him down.
"I'll pack my things, Mr. Ashford," Elena said quietly, reverting to the formal title. It felt like a physical blow to both of them.
