Harrison’s fingers clenched tightly around the contract, leaving deep, jagged creases in the paper.
Leo’s voice was cold and calm, but it left Harrison powerless to resist.
“Your father clearly failed to teach you properly.” The words hit like a hurricane, shattering every bit of pride Harrison had built up over the years.
He was the head of the Vaughn family, the one who had steered Vaughn Enterprises for years, the man everyone looked up to and followed without question.
Harrison always thought of himself as a king, untouchable and unchallenged.
He never imagined that the gods above him would ever see fit to punish him.
Suddenly, even breathing felt difficult.
“Uncle, we’re not outsiders–you remember me, don’t you? Natalie and I met you at the Vaughn family estate once…” Felicity tried to bridge the gap, to find some common ground.
Leo’s presence wasn’t overtly oppressive, but his looks were so striking that standing just a few feet away and trying to speak to him, Felicity found herself stumbling over her words.
After Felicity spoke, Victor Thompson quickly chimed in, eager to back her up. “Mr. Vaughn, we’ve met before, too, and I’m Selene’s father. We’re her family–surely that counts for something?”
Only then did Leo’s frosty gaze settle on Victor.
The look he gave was like a blast of winter air outside the laws of nature, making Victor feel as if his blood had turned to ice.
“Who threw her out of the house if not her own family?”
Selene’s heart thudded in her chest.
How did Leo know that she and Daph had been cast out by the Thompsons?
Victor’s throat went dry as he scrambled for an explanation. “It’s not like that, there
were circumstances-
“Enough.”
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Leo’s voice was soft, yet it sealed Victor’s lips as surely as if he’d been gagged.
Leo nodded toward Harrison. “See them out.”
Victor hardly dared to breathe. In all his years, he’d never been treated like this.
Halfway through dinner, their whole family was being thrown out?
Felicity looked at Harrison, desperate.
Harrison offered only his usual implacable, handsome face, cold as stone. “Please leave.”
Ever since Leo had shown signs of genius at the age of seven, the Vaughn family had lived by one rule: nothing was more important than keeping Leo happy.
Victor wrapped an arm around Matilda, ready to lead her out.
“But I’m not finished eating,” Matilda mumbled under her breath.
Victor soothed her quickly, “It’s alright, sweetheart. I’ll take you out to eat.”
Matilda made sure to snatch up the designer dress that had been resting in its box.
Selene didn’t care. Anything Harrison gave her might as well be a rag.
Harrison was annoyed but curious–he wanted to see if Selene would regret letting a dress worth tens of thousands just slip through her fingers.
As much as Felicity hated leaving, she had no choice but to obey.
Natalie had once told her that even her own grandfather deferred to Leo.
Back when she was still in grade school, Felicity had noticed that Leo, though barely older, was already living in a completely different world from the rest of
them.
Even young Dames looked at Leo with a kind of nervous awe.
“I… do I have to leave, too?” Dames looked pleadingly at his father.
Harrison nodded to Felicity. “Take Dames with you.”
A five–year–old didn’t belong anywhere near Leo.
“Flick, wait for me!” Dames scrambled down from his chair, grabbing Felicity’s hand in panic.
With the outsiders gone, Harrison finally let out a breath.
Surely, this would be enough to please Leo.
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Leo turned to Selene. “Let’s find somewhere else to eat.”
After the Thompsons and Felicity left, the dining table looked like a battlefield, and Leo, arriving at the scene, lost what little appetite he had left.
Harrison’s face was grim.
He finally understood why everyone in the Vaughn family lived in fear of Leo.
Anyone who crossed paths with Leo was liable to be crushed, plain and simple.
At this moment, Harrison doubted everything–how could he have made such a mess out of something as simple as inviting Leo to dinner?
“Uncle, let me arrange a private room. I’ll have the kitchen make you something fresh-”
“No need. You managed to ruin even a simple meal.”
Leo didn’t spare Harrison another glance, not even the courtesy of a disappointed
look.
His assistant wheeled him toward the main entrance.
Selene and Daph followed without a word.
If it weren’t for the chance to have dinner with Leo, Selene wouldn’t have spent
another second in a room with Harrison.
As Leo’s wheelchair paused at the doorway, he spoke over his shoulder to Harrison. “For what happened today, write an apology to your
