Chapter 3
The tension in the room snapped as Ethan Cole pushed his way forward. He shoved his smartphone into the hands of his eight-year-old son, Noah, who was standing quietly near the edge of the dessert spread. Noah nervously clutched the phone, his small fingers wrapping tightly around the device as he watched the adults with wide, fearful eyes.
"Hold this, Noah. Keep it steady," Ethan commanded his son before turning his full, aggressive attention toward Sebastian.
Ethan stepped directly between Sebastian and Natalie, his chest puffed out in a textbook display of false bravado. At twenty-eight, Ethan still carried the arrogant swagger of a man who had never faced real consequences in his life. He looked at Sebastian, trying desperately to match the older man’s intimidating aura, but failing miserably.
"You need to back the hell up, Sebastian," Ethan threatened, pointing a finger directly at Sebastian’s chest. "You don't talk to my sister like that, and you definitely don't disrespect my father in this house."
"This is my house, Ethan," Sebastian replied, his voice deadly calm. He didn't even blink at the finger pointed at him. "And you are currently trespassing on my patience. I suggest you collect your father, your son, and walk out the front door before I decide you shouldn't be allowed to walk at all."
Natalie gasped. "Sebastian! Are you threatening my brother?"
"It’s not a threat, Natalie. It’s an itinerary," Sebastian said coldly.
"You think you’re so tough because of your money?" Ethan sneered, closing the distance until he was inches from Sebastian’s face. "You think you can just bully us? I’m not scared of you, you arrogant prick. You're nothing without your bodyguards."
"Ethan, don't," Victor warned, finally sensing the absolute danger radiating from his son-in-law.
But it was too late. Fueled by adrenaline and misplaced pride, Ethan pulled his arm back and violently punched Sebastian squarely across the face. The sickening thud of knuckles hitting bone echoed through the massive living room. Natalie screamed, clapping her hands over her mouth, while Victor froze in horror.
Sebastian’s head snapped to the side from the sheer force of the blow. The room held its collective breath.
Slowly, methodically, Sebastian turned his face back forward. He absorbed the hit completely, not stumbling, not stepping back, not even raising a hand to touch his jaw. His fair skin showed a slight redness where Ethan had struck, but his expression remained a mask of absolute, chilling indifference. He looked at Ethan not with anger, but with the hollow pity of a predator observing a very stupid prey.
"Was that supposed to hurt?" Sebastian asked softly.
Ethan swallowed hard, the color draining from his face as he realized his punch had done absolutely nothing. He instinctively took a step back, his hands trembling.
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"You just made the biggest mistake of your very short life, Ethan," Sebastian whispered.
Before Sebastian could move, a small, terrified voice broke through the heavy, suffocating silence of the room.
