Chapter 7 - The Fallen Petals
Before the patrons could scream, Massimo took a single, fluid step toward the banquette.
Vanessa’s smirk vanished into pure, paralyzing terror. She raised her hands, trying to shield her diamond-clad neck. "Don't you dare touch me, you animal—!"
Massimo’s open palm struck her across the face with the force of an iron beam.
The backhand cracked through the lounge like thunder. The momentum ripped Vanessa off the velvet couch, sending her spinning through the air until she slammed violently into the central floral display table.
The six-foot crystal vase at the center toppled. Two hundred white orchids, lilies, and gallons of murky flower water crashed down on top of her.
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Vanessa hit the floor in a heap of soaked silk, tangled stems, and crushed petals. Her cheek was already swelling into a grotesque crimson welt, her five-strand diamond necklace snapped and scattering hundreds of gems across the wet carpet. She coughed, spitting blood and orchid petals, cowering in absolute horror beneath the ruins of the display.
The lounge was dead silent save for Grant’s ragged wheezing and the drip of red wine from the overturned brass cart.
