Chapter 4 - The Shadow of Ethan Voss
My mother rushed after my father, hysterically sobbing and yelling threats at the police officers, leaving Lila alone in the center of the ruined fitting room.
Lila looked around at the blood-stained silk, the broken mirror glass, and the cold, disgusted faces of the six witnesses. She looked at me, her eyes filled with tears of humiliation and panic.
“Claire... please,” Lila whimpered, taking a timid step toward me. “We’re sisters. You can’t let them do this to Dad. If he goes to jail, the family name is ruined! Ethan will cancel the wedding!”
“The wedding was never yours to lose, Lila,” I said, turning away from her.
Before Lila could respond, the sound of heavy, rapid footsteps echoed down the hallway outside. The crowd of boutique staff parted instantly as a towering figure strode into the room.
It was Ethan Voss.
He was dressed in a dark tailored suit, his tie slightly loosened, his dark hair disheveled as if he had run straight from his executive helicopter. His sharp, hazel eyes scanned the room in a single second—taking in the broken glass, the blood on the marble, and finally landing on me.
When Ethan saw my bloody face, the air in the room temperature plummeted to absolute zero.
“Claire,” Ethan breathed, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that sent a chill through everyone present.
He crossed the room in three long strides, taking my face in his large, warm hands with extraordinary gentleness. His thumbs brushed softly against my uninjured jaw, his eyes tracing the severe cut running down my cheekbone.
“Who did this?” Ethan asked. His voice wasn't loud, but it held a terrifying, lethal authority that made even the police officers in the hall freeze.
“Robert Vance,” Mr. Harlan answered from behind us. “He struck her with a hammer.”
Ethan’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek. He looked down at the blood-soaked ivory lace hanging off my body, then turned his gaze toward Lila, who was shrinking back against the broken mirror.
“Ethan...” Lila squeaked, her voice trembling as she forced a pitiful, practiced smile onto her lips. “It’s not what it looks like... Claire was being crazy... she attacked Dad, and Dad was just protecting me—”
“Shut your mouth,” Ethan commanded, his tone dropping like a guillotine.
Lila snapped her mouth shut, tears spilling over her mascara.
Ethan turned back to me, his eyes softening instantly with deep, unyielding devotion. He unbuttoned his custom wool overcoat, slipped it off his shoulders, and wrapped it carefully around my shivering frame, covering the torn silk and protecting me from the chill of the room.
“I’m sorry I wasn't here three minutes earlier,” Ethan whispered, kissing the crown of my head gently, avoiding my injuries.
“You’re here now,” I said, resting my head against his chest, listening to the steady, strong rhythm of his heartbeat. “And it’s time to take everything back.”
Ethan turned to his chief of security, who was standing at the doorway with three private security operatives.
“Inform our legal team,” Ethan ordered coldly. “I want every asset, every account, and every contract associated with Robert and Beatrice Vance seized by nightfall. If they owe a single dollar to any bank in this country, call in the debt immediately.”
May you like
“Yes, Mr. Voss,” the security director replied, turning to execute the command.
Ethan looked at Lila one last time. “And tell the district attorney that Ethan Voss will personally fund the prosecution of Robert Vance for attempted murder.”
