Chapter 4 - The Fall of the Queen
For one impossible second, time stood completely still in Whitmore House.
Vanessa was balancing on one silver stiletto heel, her face frozen between triumph and terror.
Naomi stood completely still, her strong hand wrapped firmly around Vanessa's expensive silk ankle.
The grip was like iron, locking Vanessa into place with terrifying ease.
Naomi slowly turned her head and looked directly into the terrified heiress's eyes.
"Please don't make me finish this," Naomi whispered quietly.
But Vanessa was too proud and too stupid to listen to a warning.
She panicked and tried to violently yank her leg out of Naomi's grip.
That was a catastrophic tactical mistake.
Naomi simply let go and smoothly stepped out of the way.
With her momentum completely unchecked, Vanessa lost her balance entirely.
She flailed her arms wildly, letting out a loud, undignified screech.
She fell backward, crashing directly into a massive five-tier display of champagne glasses.
The sound of hundreds of crystal glasses shattering echoed like a bomb going off in the ballroom.
Sticky champagne soaked Vanessa's custom silk gown, ruining it instantly.
She lay on the floor, covered in broken glass and sweet wine, completely utterly humiliated.
Three hundred elite guests gasped in absolute shock.
Nobody rushed forward to help her up.
Ethan pushed his way through the stunned crowd, his face pale with alarm.
But he didn't run toward his crying fiancée lying in the mess of broken glass.
He walked straight past Vanessa and stopped right in front of the housekeeper.
"Naomi, are you hurt?" Ethan asked loudly, his voice filled with genuine panic.
Vanessa stopped crying and stared at Ethan in pure disbelief.
"Ethan!" she screamed from the floor. "She assaulted me!"
Ethan slowly turned around to look at the woman he was supposed to marry.
"I saw the whole thing from the stairs, Vanessa," Ethan said, his voice turning cold and hard.
"You tried to kick her from behind like a coward."
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He looked at the security guards standing near the doors.
"Clear the room," Ethan ordered firmly. "This party is over."
