Page 17 of Seen Knot Heard

My hands clench into fists at my sides.

How can Vivian sit there, sipping champagne and basking in luxury, knowing what she’s condemned her daughter to? The level of her narcissism is almost unbelievable. Yet, here she is.

I navigate through the throngs of race attendees, their chatter fading to a dull roar as I lock in on my target.

Vivian’s tinkling laugh grates on my nerves, her smile as false as the rest of her facade. She’s the picture of privilege, untouchable in her designer dress and sky-high heels.

But beneath the polished veneer lies a mother who sold her own child, a woman so consumed by status that she sacrificed Chloe’s safety and happiness.

I take the stairs to the top and flash my license at the man who guards the door. The Sterlings have a box here, and by the way he waves me through, I’m either not on the restricted list or he doesn’t care.

With measured steps, I approach Vivian’s private box and slip inside.

The cloying sweetness of her pheromones fills the air, mingling with the sharp tang of alcohol that clings to her twenty-four-seven.

I paste on a smile, the muscles in my face straining with the effort.

“Mrs. Sinclair.” I incline my head in a show of respect I don’t feel. “Might I have a word?”

Vivian turns, her pink eyes narrowing as they rake over me from head to toe.

“Dominic.” Her lip curls into a sneer as she drops my last name. “I’m surprised to see you here, considering your… current circumstances. I believe we’ve already discussed what you came for, so be a good boy and run on home to that sorry excuse for a pack that you’ve formed.”

The intended barb misses its mark. I don’t care that I gave up my inheritance and accepted exile from the Sterling pack. They’re all vipers, and I was close to turning out just like them before Blake knocked some sense into me.

Ignoring her obvious dismissal, I stand my ground. “I’m here on behalf of Chloe. I’m concerned about her well-being.”

Vivian takes a delicate sip of her champagne. “Spare me the theatrics. Chloe is exactly where she needs to be. Louie is a good match for her, and their arrangement is beneficial for all involved.”

Anger surges through me, hot and potent. How can she be so cavalier about her own daughter’s suffering?

“The only one benefitting is you,” I growl, the Alpha in me wanting to snap her slender neck like a twig. “Chloe doesn’t want this courtship, and you’re sitting here, acting like it’s all some grand social game.”

Irritation flashes across Vivian’s face, her mask of civility slipping. “You always were a naïve little boy. You have no idea what it takes to maintain our position, the sacrifices that must be made. Chloe will learn, in time, just as I did.”

I shake my head in disbelief, disgusted by the woman in front of me. “Is that what you call selling your daughter to a man twice her age? Sacrifices? Chloe deserves better than to be a pawn in your social climbing schemes.”

“Careful, Dominic, you’re treading on thin ice.” Vivian’s lips tighten, her knuckles white around the stem of her glass. “Chloe is my daughter, and I will do what I believe is best for her. Your approval means nothing. She is being courted by a wealthy man who will protect and elevate us, which you arenot.”

I step closer to Vivian, the bitter scent of alcohol assaulting my senses. The woman is damn near pickled with the amount she drinks. I don’t know how she keeps such a level head when one empty champagne bottle sits on the table beside a second one already opened.

“At Chloe’s request, Grady filed a restraining order to protect herself from you, her own mother,” I say, my voice measured despite my frustration. “You threaten her, make her life hell. Your own daughter. This was her response.”

Vivian blinks in mock surprise, pressing a manicured hand to her chest. “A restraining order? Against me? I had no idea.”

My hands ball into fists at my sides. “This ends now, Vivian. You’re going to release Chloe from whatever sick arrangement you’ve trapped her in. No more threats, no more using her. It’s over.”

“Or what? You’ll sic your little pack of nobodies on me?” She rises and walks to the sideboard to open a crystal decanter, releasing the sharp scent of vodka. “Please. I’m not afraid of you.”

Rage pulses through me, hot and insistent. I take another step forward until I tower over her. “If you don’t back off, I’ll use every resource I have to keep Chloe safe from you. Every. Single. One. This is your only warning.”

The words leave me in a near growl, reverberating in the space between us.

For a moment, fear darts across Vivian’s beautiful features, but it vanishes just as quickly, replaced by a sneering mask of superiority. “Love? Loyalty? Is that what this is? Pretty illusionsfor the lower classes to cling to, but they won’t get you far in our world.”

Vivian laughs then, a cruel, mocking sound. “All your posturing is just idle threats from a lovesick pup. You have no idea who you’re dealing with. Louie Santaro always gets what he wants, and so do I.”

She steps closer, invading my space, her saccharine scent of flowers mixed with alcohol churning my stomach. “You think you and your little band of misfits can stand up to someone like Louie? He’ll crush you like the insignificant insects you are.”

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