Adelbert's eyes hardened. The demotion hadn't moved Katrina at all.
He turned his head slightly and locked eyes with Alistair, the head butler. "Bring me the blackwood cane."
Coleton's breath hitched. His face went completely white. He knew exactly what that meant. It was the ancient, brutal method of physical discipline reserved for the worst offenses in the Meyer family.
Coleton scrambled onto his hands and knees. He crawled toward Katrina, his bloody face twisted in panic. "Katrina, please! Tell him to stop! Please!"
Katrina took a step back. She turned her head, looking out the large window into the pitch-black night. She offered him nothing but absolute, freezing indifference.
Alistair walked back into the room. He held a heavy, dark wooden cane in both hands. The tip was capped with solid brass. He handed it to Adelbert with a solemn bow.
Adelbert gripped the cane. He looked down at Coleton. "On your knees. In the center of the room."
Coleton's legs shook violently. He shook his head, trying to back away. Rocco stepped forward, his massive frame casting a shadow over Coleton. The unspoken threat of violence was enough.
Coleton swallowed a sob and sank to his knees on the rug.
Adelbert didn't hesitate. He raised the heavy blackwood cane high above his head. The wood whistled as it cut through the air.
THWACK.
The brass tip slammed into the center of Coleton's back.
Coleton let out a blood-curdling scream. His entire upper body collapsed forward, his hands slapping the floor as he gasped for air.
Brandin stood to the side, watching. A cruel, satisfied smirk formed on his lips.
Jovani squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away, unable to watch the brutal physical punishment.
Adelbert raised the cane again. He looked directly at Katrina. "Look closely, Katrina! This is how the Meyer family answers an insult! I will keep striking him until I am satisfied that the debt of honor is paid in full!"
Katrina's pupils contracted. The trap was instantly clear to her.
This was a vicious, calculated psychological game. If she begged for mercy, she was accepting his apology and staying in the marriage. If she didn't, they would paint her as a cold-blooded monster to the press.
Katrina took a slow, deep breath. Her spine straightened. She refused to play her assigned role in this sick script.
She walked over to a plush, French velvet armchair. She smoothed the fabric of her skirt and sat down gracefully.
She crossed her legs. She folded her hands neatly in her lap. She looked up at Adelbert with a chillingly calm expression.
"Please," Katrina said softly. "Continue until you feel your honor is restored."
Adelbert's arm, still raised in the air, twitched. He stared at her, genuinely shocked by the absolute ice in her veins.
But he had made the grand declaration out loud. To lower the cane immediately after just a few strikes would make his 'debt of honor' look incredibly cheap in front of both families. He was riding a tiger and couldn't get off.
Adelbert gritted his teeth and swung the cane down again.
The second strike hit Coleton's shoulder blade. Coleton rolled onto his side, violently thrashing against the floor. Tears and snot ran down his face.
The third strike tore through the expensive fabric of Coleton's shirt. A thick, angry red welt swelled instantly against his bare skin.
Eleanor screamed. She slapped both hands over her mouth, her body trembling violently as she backed into the wall.
Delmus frowned deeply. He stared at his daughter, searching her face for a single flinch, a single tear.
Katrina didn't blink. She slowly lifted her left wrist. She glanced at the diamond-encrusted Patek Philippe watch.
She looked back up at Adelbert. "How much longer is this medieval theater going to take? I have a schedule to keep."
Coleton lay on the floor, gasping for air. He looked up at Katrina through his tears. His eyes were filled with the shock of total betrayal. He couldn't believe she was letting this happen.
Jovani couldn't take it anymore. He dropped to his knees right at Katrina's feet. "Katrina, please! Have some mercy! You're going to let him kill him!"
Katrina looked down at Jovani. Her face was a mask of stone. "Adelbert is holding the cane. I am not forcing his hand."
Adelbert's face flushed with pure, humiliated rage. He raised the cane and brought it down for a fifth, devastating strike.
