Chapter 6

Violette's POV

"The truth is right there on the security footage," I said, pointing toward the camera mounted in the corner of the private room. "Whether Mr. Fraser harassed her or not, the police will know the moment they review it. William, could you please use your brain for once?"

"Security footage means nothing! Are you saying Isabel's tears are fake?" William yanked Isabel forward, positioning her in front of him like a shield.

Isabel was gasping through her sobs now, hands covering her face, her thin shoulders trembling continuously.

"William... please stop fighting..." she choked out, her voice so feeble it seemed she might faint at any moment. "This is all my fault... I shouldn't have spilled the wine... Miss Morrison is right, we can't afford to offend Mr. Fraser... It doesn't matter if I suffer a little..."

Her words, ostensibly meant to defuse the situation, only threw fuel on the fire.

William's eyes reddened as he listened.

He pulled Isabel into his arms protectively, then turned to glare at Andre and me with undisguised hostility.

"Did you hear that? Do you have any idea how much Isabel has suffered?" William spoke through gritted teeth. "Violette, not only are you refusing to help Isabel, you're forcing me to apologize? I'm telling you right now—absolutely not!"

He thrust his finger toward Andre, his tone reaching peak arrogance. "Not only will I not apologize, but you're going to apologize to Isabel right now! Otherwise, the Grant family will make sure you regret this!"

Isabel remained in his embrace, tears streaming down like broken pearls. Her picture of wronged innocence was executed to perfection.

Far from calming the situation, her peacemaking act had completely ignited William's hero complex.

When William saw me standing unmoved, regarding him with the kind of look one reserves for the mentally deficient, his rage intensified.

He released Isabel and strode toward me, arm muscles tensing as he raised his hand high.

"You cold-blooded witch—I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

His palm came whistling through the air.

I didn't dodge.

After three years clawing my way through the business world, I was no longer the fragile heiress who could only cry behind his back.

I shot my hand up and caught his wrist cleanly, then followed through with a backhand swing.

The sharp crack of flesh meeting flesh rang out again.

William's right cheek took the full force of my second slap.

Before he could recover, I stepped forward and delivered another backhand strike—this one landing squarely on Isabel's supposedly pitiful face with a resounding smack.

Isabel shrieked and tumbled onto the sofa, clutching her rapidly swelling cheek, staring at me in disbelief.

"Violette!" William completely lost it, his eyes bloodshot.

"Shut your mouth!" I cut him off sharply, pointing at Andre, who sat on the sofa observing coldly. My voice was razor-edged. "William Grant, open your damn eyes and see clearly! This is Andre Fraser—Grant Corporation's largest raw materials supplier! Without his signature, the cargo ships in Nottingham Harbor won't even leave port! If the company's production lines face supply disruption in the second half of the year, the entire corporation won't last two weeks before facing bankruptcy liquidation!"

I turned my death stare on Isabel, my voice cold as ice. "Isabel, drop the act. Right now—immediately—apologize to Mr. Fraser and clarify that he never harassed you. Otherwise, the day the Grant family goes bankrupt, I'll throw you and that baby in your belly out on the street!"

My vicious words terrified Isabel completely.

She clutched her face, trembling all over, tears and snot smearing her features as she desperately tried to hide behind William.

"William... I'm so scared..." she sobbed, nearly hyperventilating.

Seeing the handprint on Isabel's face, William's rationality shattered entirely.

He charged forward and shoved both hands hard against my shoulders.

"How dare you threaten her?!"

Caught off guard, I staggered backward several steps. My high heel twisted, and my lower back slammed hard into the unforgiving marble bar counter.

Sharp pain exploded through me. I let out a muffled groan, gripping the counter edge to barely keep my footing.

William positioned himself in front of Isabel like a rabid guard dog protecting its young.

"Violette, you're completely unreasonable! For a few dirty dollars, you've abandoned every shred of human decency, haven't you?"

While shouting, he pulled out his phone and dialed 911 directly.

"I'm calling the police right now! I'm having them arrest this perverted old man, and I'm charging you with being an accessory! Neither of you is getting away with this today—I'll make sure you both pay!"

The call connected quickly, and William bellowed into the phone, demanding officers be dispatched immediately to the Sapphire Club.

Leaning against the bar counter, watching him rage and spray spittle everywhere, I suddenly found the whole situation absurdly hilarious.

I couldn't help but laugh, my shoulders shaking slightly, the sound oddly conspicuous in the quiet private room.

His stupidity had actually made me laugh.

I looked at this man before me—his features still familiar, but his head filled with nothing but straw.

I couldn't understand how the proud, confident Violette of the past had been so blind as to fall deeply in love with such a brainless, responsibility-shirking fool controlled entirely by his lower half and cheap emotions.

Just because in high school he'd chased off a few punks who'd cornered me? Looking at his behavior now, he was more pathetic and ridiculous than any street thug.

I took a deep breath, wiped the smile from my face, and tucked loose strands of hair behind my ear.

Since he wanted to blow this up, I'd oblige him.

Ignoring William still bellowing into his phone, I turned toward Andre.

Andre remained seated on the sofa, the blood on his forehead now congealed. He held the bloodstained towel, watching William's police call with icy eyes.

"Mr. Fraser," I said, softening my tone while maintaining professional courtesy. "The police will arrive shortly. Until then, please rest. I will give you a completely satisfactory resolution to this matter."

Andre gave a cold snort but said nothing, though the tense line of his jaw relaxed slightly.

I turned to the club manager who'd been cowering outside the door, too afraid to enter. "Pull up the security footage from this room and display it on the screen."

The manager nodded frantically, as if granted amnesty. "Yes, Miss Morrison, right away!"

At the word "security," Isabel—who'd been sobbing in William's arms—suddenly froze rigid.

Her crying stopped abruptly, panic flashing visibly in her eyes.

She instinctively tugged at William's sleeve, her voice tight with guilty fear.

"William..." Isabel looked up, attempting to force a reasonable smile. "Maybe... let's just forget it. Involving the police would be bad for everyone's reputation, and if this gets out of hand, your father will definitely be angry. It won't be good for your image either."