Beatrice Ashworth had spent decades perfecting the art of intimidation, and tonight, standing beneath the soft golden glow of the Windermere Hotel's grand chandeliers, she saw no reason to hold back. Her hand struck sharply across the face of a young waitress in a simple grey and black uniform, the sound cracking through the elegant lobby before she gripped the girl's wrist with unrelenting force. Sophia gasped, more from shock than pain, her eyes flashing with something far more dangerous than fear.
Nobody in the lobby moved. A few guests glanced up from their drinks, uncertain whether to intervene in what appeared to be an ordinary dispute between an entitled guest and hotel staff. Beatrice's velvet purple gown caught the chandelier light as she leaned closer, her grip tightening around Sophia's wrist, clearly expecting the young woman to crumble the way service staff always did when confronted with her wealth and fury.
Sophia didn't crumble. She yanked her wrist free with surprising strength, and before Beatrice could react, delivered a sharp slap directly across her cheek. The sound rang out even louder than the first, silencing the lobby entirely. Sophia's eyes remained locked on Beatrice, unwavering, her voice steady and unmistakably firm. "You will not touch him again," she said, though nobody nearby yet understood exactly who "him" referred to.
Beatrice recoiled, her hand flying to her stinging cheek, her composure shattering into pure, unrestrained fury. "You insolent girl!" she screamed, her voice echoing off the marble floors and gilded columns surrounding them. "I will have you thrown out of this hotel so fast you won't even have time to collect your last paycheck." Guests nearby exchanged uneasy glances, several already reaching for their phones, sensing that whatever was unfolding was far from over.
It was at that exact moment that Edmund Castellan entered the lobby, his brown suit understated against the room's opulence, his expression darkening instantly as he registered the scene before him. He walked directly to Sophia's side, positioning himself firmly beside her, his voice carrying an authority that immediately shifted the entire atmosphere of the room. "You are threatening my daughter," he said calmly, "in her own hotel?" Beatrice's face went pale, her mouth falling open as the devastating weight of his words settled over her, the true, catastrophic scale of her mistake finally becoming clear.