She’ll leave. Don’t ruin your evening. Ethan reached for her hand. She’s already ruined enough. Clare’s friends began collecting their bags. Too ashamed to speak. Clare stammered. They pushed me into it. I didn’t mean. He cut her off. You didn’t need help to show cruelty. The projection froze on an image of Ruth kneeling.
Ethan walked over and switched off the screen. Light returned, but warmth did not. The air carried that strange quiet before a storm breaks. He turned to Ruth. You won’t serve another person in this house again. Clare rose, voice shaking. You can’t do this to me in front of them. He looked at her once. I just did.
No one touched dessert. After the guests left, the penthouse sat heavy with silence. The city glowed outside the glass walls, but inside every sound felt sharp. Clare paced near the bar, her heels clicking like gunfire. “You humiliated me,” she snapped. Do you realize what people will say? Ethan leaned against the table, voice low.