The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on.
Augustus broke the suffocating silence. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, desperately trying to salvage a shred of his dignity and control.
"Elly, you are taking this way too far," Augustus said, his voice strained. "There are dozens of guests downstairs. Addi's cousin Cody is here. If you kick her out now, you're going to cause a massive scene."
He tried to use the weight of social pressure and the physical threat of Cody to force Eleonora to back down.
Eleonora stared at him. The corners of her mouth slowly curled up into a cold, wicked smile.
She looked at Augustus as if he were the punchline to a very bad joke. "Are you talking about the loudmouth idiot who tried to mug me in the foyer?"
Augustus and Isaac both froze. They had been upstairs the entire time. They had no idea what had happened on the first floor.
Eleonora dropped the bomb with terrifying calmness. "Ten minutes ago, I had my security drag that piece of trash out the front gates by his armpits."
Addisyn gasped, clapping both hands over her mouth in horror. "You threw Cody out? He was my VIP guest!"
Eleonora's eyes snapped to her, cold and dead. "In my house, a guest is only someone I invite. Everyone else is a trespasser."
Augustus was completely stunned. The reality finally crashed down on him. The Eleonora standing in front of him was no longer the fragile, accommodating girl who cared about his opinions.
She was a drawn blade. Cold, decisive, and wielding absolute power.
He looked at her pale, resolute face, and something deep and suppressed inside his chest gave a violent, painful throb.
His shoulders slumped. He raised both hands in the air in a gesture of total surrender. "Okay. You win. We're leaving."
Isaac's jaw clenched so hard his teeth ground together, but under the crushing weight of Eleonora's authority, he had no choice. He turned on his heel and marched toward the door.
Seeing her two massive pillars of support crumble, Addisyn panicked. She didn't want to leave the master bedroom. It was her ultimate symbol of status in this family.
She reached out, her fingers brushing the sleeve of Isaac's jacket.
Isaac flinched and pulled his arm away before she could grab it. The word "thief" was still ringing loudly in his ears.
Addisyn's hand hung suspended in the air. The rejection sent a wave of burning shame through her entire body. She started to shake uncontrollably.
Eleonora glanced at the slim watch on her wrist. She delivered her final order. "Alistair. Watch her pack her trash. If there is a single pink item left in this room in ten minutes, burn it."
Alistair, who had been standing silently by the door like a shadow, bowed his head. "Yes, Miss Eleonora."
The old butler stepped fully into the room. He stared at Addisyn with eyes like chips of ice and extended his arm toward the closet. "Please."
Addisyn bit her lower lip so hard she tasted copper. Humiliated beyond words, she frantically directed her two makeup artists to start throwing her clothes and cosmetics into suitcases.
Eleonora didn't spare her another glance. She turned her back on the room and walked toward the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
Outside, the manicured lawns stretched into the darkness. The heavy bass from the pool party still rattled the windowpanes, a mocking soundtrack to her homecoming.
Minutes later, the chaotic sounds of zippers closing and the harsh grating of suitcase wheels rolling across the floor signaled Addisyn's retreat.
The heavy doors clicked shut. The room was finally empty, save for Eleonora and Alistair.
Eleonora closed her eyes. The adrenaline that had kept her standing suddenly vanished. A violent wave of dizziness washed over her, a harsh reminder of her recovering body.
She reached out and gripped the wooden window frame. Her knuckles turned stark white as she fought to stay upright. She pressed her hot forehead against the freezing glass, forcing her breathing to slow.
Alistair took a quick, worried step forward, his hands reaching out to catch her.
Eleonora raised one hand, stopping him in his tracks. She wouldn't show weakness. Not even to him.
She opened her eyes. The cold, sharp light returned to her gaze as she stared down at the flashing neon lights by the pool.
"Alistair," she commanded, her voice weak but laced with steel. "Go downstairs and end that circus. I need absolute silence."
