Carrying my eight-month pregnancy felt like an unbearable weight as I held a scalding porcelain bowl, forced to serve like a maid in my own home.

Thomas, Richard’s younger brother, tried to act brave, stepping forward with a blustering, indignant flush on his face. "This is completely illegal! We have corporate lawyers, we have political connections, we—"

Kael didn't even break his stride. He flicked his hand out with blinding speed, grabbing Thomas by the lapels of his designer Italian suit and slamming him against the mahogany-paneled wall with enough force to rattle the antique wall sconces.

Thomas gasped for air, his feet dangling six inches off the ground as Kael pressed the cold steel barrel of a suppressed sidearm gently beneath his chin.

"Shut your mouth, little man," Kael whispered, his voice like grinding stones. "Or the next sound you hear will be your own skull cracking against the plaster."

Jessica let out a piercing, high-pitched scream and bolted toward the rear kitchen exit.

"Stop her," I said quietly.

Before Jessica could reach the swinging double doors, Jax moved. He covered twenty feet in less than a second, catching her by the back of her expensive silk dress and spinning her around so hard she lost her footing, collapsing into a heap on the marble floor.

"Ah-ah-ah," Jax clicked his tongue, standing over her. "Where are you going, sweetheart? The party is just getting started. You wanted to wear that dress so badly. It'd be a shame if it got ruined."

Eleanor pressed her back against the dining room entrance, her aristocratic poise completely shattered, tears streaming down her powdered cheeks. "Please... please don't hurt us. Take whatever you want! Take the cars, take the bank accounts, just leave us alone!"

"We don't want your money, Eleanor," I said, walking down the grand staircase step by slow step, my heels clicking rhythmically against the stone. "We want something much more valuable."

Richard pushed himself up onto his knees, his hands trembling as he stared up at me with sheer, unadulterated terror. "Sarah... baby... please. It was a joke. I was stressed about the merger, Jessica meant nothing—it was just a moment of madness! You know how much I love you!"