Chapter 4 - The Defiance
Clara did not drop her gaze. She didn't lower her head, stutter an apology, or offer the trembling excuses that every master of this house expected from their subordinates. Instead, she squared her shoulders, her spine straightening into a line of absolute, unyielding defiance. Her eyes met Richard’s head-on, cold, dark, and utterly devoid of fear.
"She was going to hit me," Clara said, her voice steady, crisp, and chillingly composed. "And I don't let anyone touch me."
The sheer audacity of her words hung in the air like a physical blow. Richard blinked, a flicker of genuine shock crossing his features. In his world, servants apologized even when they were innocent; they groveled to protect their meager wages. They certainly did not look a billionaire in the eye and state their boundaries as if they owned the deed to the estate.
