Chapter 15 - The Wrath of a Father
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The atmosphere in the room shifted from shock to a heavy, suffocating dread. The President stood at his full height, his broad shoulders squared, emanating a level of dangerous authority that made the air in the room feel incredibly thin. He carefully took off his expensive, tailored suit jacket and knelt back down for a brief second to gently drape it over Nora’s trembling shoulders, covering her torn and milk-stained blouse.
He then turned his attention to the two people standing paralyzed near the staircase.
He walked slowly toward Arthur and Eleanor. Every step he took on the marble floor echoed like a judge’s gavel sealing a death sentence.
“Are you the husband?” the President asked. His voice was no longer thick with tears. It was a low, deadly baritone, dangerously calm.
Arthur swallowed a massive lump of fear lodged in his throat. He tried to speak, but his voice cracked, betraying his absolute terror.
“Mr… Mr. President,” Arthur stammered, taking a cowardly step backward, hiding slightly behind his mother’s shoulder. “I… I swear, I had no idea. We didn’t know she was your daughter. We thought she was just an orphan…”
The words hung in the air, a pathetic, damning confession. He hadn't protected her because he thought she was a nobody. He thought there would be no consequences for abusing someone who had no family to avenge her.
The President’s eyes narrowed, a lethal fury burning in his gaze.
“You didn’t know she was my daughter,” the President repeated slowly, testing the weight of the pathetic excuse.
May you like
Arthur nodded frantically, desperate for any shred of mercy. “Yes! Exactly! If we had known, we would have treated her like royalty! It’s all a massive misunderstanding!”
The President stopped directly in front of Arthur. The silence was deafening.
