Chapter - 206
Geoffrey, taken aback by the suddenness of the intervention and the sting of the slap, stood frozen, his rage momentarily replaced by shock. His face, now bearing the red imprint of the matriarch's hand, turned towards her, eyes wide with a mix of pain, betrayal, and a dawning realization of his overstepped bounds.
The old matriarch, her breathing slightly accelerated from the sudden exertion, fixed Geoffrey with a look that could freeze boiling water. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was calm yet carried an undercurrent of steel. "We will not succumb to barbarity," she said, her gaze not leaving Geoffrey's face. "Control yourself. Our guest has yet to answer, and we will hear him out. Is that understood?"
