Part 2: The Flash of Silver
Chapter 2: The Line No One Crosses
She crossed the ballroom in three long strides, grabbed Evelyn’s wrist, and twisted her hand off her daughter so fast the older woman gasped. Victoria stepped between them, shielding Lily with her body, her voice low and deadly calm.
“Take your hands off my child. Now.”
Evelyn rubbed her wrist, face flushing dark. “This is none of your concern—she’s clearly not fit to be here. I was doing you a favor.”
“You were humiliating a six-year-old girl because you’re too small to fight me fairly,” Victoria said, loud enough for the nearest guests to hear. “You’ve spent weeks trying to bury my project because I didn’t inherit my money—I earned it. And now you think you can take it out on her?”
The hum of the room died completely. Glasses paused halfway to lips. Heads turned.
Evelyn drew herself up, voice ringing with icy fury. “How dare you speak to me that way! I built this society! I decide who belongs!”
“Then you decided wrong,” a deep, steady voice cut through the silence.
All eyes turned to the staircase. Silas Vance—Evelyn’s own nephew, one of the wealthiest men in the room, and the only person who’d ever dared stand up to her—was walking down, his expression grim.
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