The heavy oak doors of the ballroom swung open just as Beatrice fled Into the hallway.
Connor stood in the doorway. He had just retumed from smoking a cigarette inthe gardens. He reeked of cheap tobacco and the half-bottle of bourbonhe had consumed in the last hour
He watched his mother run past him tears streaming down her face, clutching her wrist. He looked up and saw Anissa standing by the bar, looking like an untouchable goddess in emerald velvet, surrounded by a crowd of stunned silent guests.
The alcohol in Connor's bloodstream ignited The crushinghumiliation of the past few days, the loss of his money, his status, and now the sight of his mother cryingit all boiled over into pure, unadulterated madness.
His eyes turned bloodshot. He let out a guttural roar and shoved his way throughthe crowd
“Get out of my way!" Connor screamed, violently pushing a wealthy socialite aside.
He charged across the marble floor like a wounded bull headingstraight for Anissa The guests scrambled backward, knockingover chairs in their desperation to get out of his path.
Instantly, two of Harding's elite security guards materialized from the shadows, their movements fluid and decisive They interc epted Connor before he was ten feet from Anissa each grabbingan arm and slamming himto a halt. He thrashed like a wild animal, but their grips were like iron manacles.
“Let himgo," Anissa said, her voice cutting throughthe chaos like a whip. The guards froze, lookingat her, then back at the struggling Connor, their expressions questioning
“I said, let him go" she r epeated, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Some things need to be settled in the light."
Reluctantly, the guards released his arms. Connor stumbled forward, stoppingbarely three feet away from her, his chest heaving He pointed a shaking sweaty finger at her face.
“What kind of sick voodoo are you usin?” he bellowed, spit flying from his lips. "How did you bewitch my uncle? Tell them the truth! Tell them you're blackmailing him"
Cu uyên 8 +120 Points at most Anissa calmly placed her empty champagne flute onto the marble bar. The glass made a sharp clack. She looked at his wrinkled suit, his «crooked tie, and the wild, pathetic desperation in his eyes.
“Bewitched him?" Anissa r epeated, her voice drippingwith mockery. "You pushedme away, Connor. Youthrew away your own life for a cheap thrill. Dont stand there and play the victim when you're the one holding the. knife"
The truth hit Connor's fragile ego like a sledgehammer. He jumpedas if she had physically burned him.
“It was a mistake! he shrieked hysterically, his voice cracking "You were nothing You were a pathetic little orphan that nobody wanted! | was the only one who pitied you | gave you everything!"
The surroundingcrowd murmured in disgust To air such dirty, private laundry in the middle of a highsociety gala was the ultimate social suicide
Anissa’s eyes narrowed. The air around her grew dangerously still. She ‘was done playing with this insect.
She turned her back on him, pr eparingto walk away.
Seeing her dismiss him Connor's rage mutated into violence. He lunged forward. ‘Don't you walk away from me, you bitch” he screamed, reaching out with his large hands to grab the bare skin of her back and the delicate velvet of her dress.
He never made contact.
Sensing the shift in the air behind her, Anissa planted her left foot. She pivoted her entire body, using the momentum of her tun to generate. maximum torque through her hipsand shoulders.
Her righthand whippedthrough the air.
SMACK.
The sound of the slap was like a gunshot It echoed off the crystal chandeliers and bouncedagainst the highceiling
Anissa had put every ounce of her strength into the blow, The impact caught Connor flush on his left cheek The sheer physical force snapped hishead violently to the side.
He stumbled sideways, his legs tangling together. He crashed heavily intoa tall cocktail table.
The table flippedover. A dozen crystal martiniglasses shattered against the marble floor. Connor went down in a heap of broken glass, spilled vodka, and crushed olives. The alcohol soaked instantly intohistrousers. The entire ballroom gasped in unison The silence that followed was so profoundyou could hear the ice cubes metting on the floor,
355% 1607 wa
Am 8 +120 Points at most Anissa stood over him. She slowly rubbed her right paim, which was stingingand flushed red from the impact. She looked down at him her eyes as cold and unforgivingas a Siberian winter "That," Anissa commanded, her voice slicingthroughthe dead air, was to remind you of your place Connor lay in the puddle of alcohol, completely stunned He slowly raised his head, his left cheek already swelling into a massive, angry red vielt. His lips trembled, trying to form words that wouldn't come. "Lam the Matriarch of the Snow family," Anissa declared, st eppingcloser. so the tip of her heel was inches from his hand. ‘I am your Aunt. If you ever try to lay a hand on me again, | will have the security team break both of your legs."# The words Aunt and Matriarch crushed the last remaining fragments of Connorspride The crowd began to whisper frantically . They looked at Anissa with a newfound terrifying respect. She wasnt just a pretty face; she was a predator Connorsat in the brokenglass, lookingup at the faces of the people who used to worship him. Now, they were looking at him with pure disgust A cold, suffocating despair wrapped around his throat. Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the edge of the crowd. The guests scrambled out of the way, practically climbingover each other to clear a path A wave of crushing dark energy rolled into the center of the room. The. true apex predator had arrived.