Chapter 7 - The Elevation
Julian turned his back on his mother, treating her horrified silence as if she had ceased to exist. He knelt down into the puddle of coffee and dye, ignoring the fact that his expensive black trousers were soaking in the dark liquid.
He reached out his gloved hands, gently wrapping his fingers around Clara's wrist and upper arm.
"Get up, Clara," Julian said softly. His tone was night and day compared to the icy blade he had used on his mother; it was warm, protective, and unyielding.
Clara looked up at him through her swollen, tear-blinded eyes. "Mr. Julian... I... I broke the china..."
"The china is garbage," Julian said firmly, pulling her up with effortless strength until she was standing on her own feet. He didn't let go of her hands; he held them firmly, shielding her shivering frame behind his broad shoulders as he turned back to face Victoria. "You don't kneel in this house anymore. In fact, nobody kneels in this house ever again."
Victoria stood frozen near the bottom of the spiral stairs, clutching her glowing phone to her chest like a shield that had lost all its power. The red wine stain on her trousers spread slowly, making her look messy, broken, and remarkably small against the towering glass walls.
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"You're destroying our family for a servant?" Victoria spat, her voice cracking as tears of pure, impotent rage welled up in her eyes. "You're throwing away our legacy for a nobody?!"
"She isn't a servant," Julian replied quietly. "She's the witness who is going to sign your eviction papers."
