Chapter 2 - The Red Wine Glass
Vanessa stopped mid-laugh, her polished crimson lips parting in pure disgust. She lowered her flute of vintage Bordeaux and glared at the child as if a stray rat had crawled onto her designer hem.
"What is that grotesque thing?" Vanessa sneered, her voice carrying across the quiet perimeter of nearby tables.
Grant didn’t even look up from his phone. "Take it, Vanessa. Send the girl back upstairs to Isabella."
Vanessa reached out. Her manicured nails, painted the exact shade of arterial blood, snatched the little yellow star from Mia’s palms. She inspected it between two fingers with theatrical revulsion.
"A plastic star?" Vanessa mocked, her tone sharp and venomous. "You brought me a two-cent piece of street garbage?"
Mia flinched, her large dark eyes welling with instant tears. "It’s... it shines when the sun comes out..."
Snap.
The sound was sharp, brittle, and merciless.
With a deliberate flick of her thumbs, Vanessa broke the plastic star clean in two. Mia gasped, clutching at her chest.
Before the child could breathe, Vanessa dropped the broken halves straight into her wide-mouthed glass of red wine. The jagged plastic sank through the crimson liquid, settling heavily at the bottom of the crystal goblet.
"Worthless piece of trash," Vanessa spat, leaning forward so her perfumed breath struck the child’s face. "Just like mother, like daughter. You think bringing your mother’s pathetic beggar habits into this lounge makes you special? You belong in the gutter, little girl."
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Mia’s chin quivered. A silent tear traced a path down her pale, sweat-sheened cheek. She reached out toward the glass, but Grant finally looked up, his eyes cold and devoid of warmth.
"Stand straight, Mia," Grant commanded softly, a venomous edge beneath his calm tone. "Don't embarrass me in public. Stop sniffling and go sit in the corner."
