Meanwhile in Castiglione manor, the sound of ceramic shattering reverberated through the grand dining hall. The shards of a broken vase littered the polished marble floor, glinting like jagged crystals under the warm light of an elaborate chandelier.
Emilio knelt amidst the wreckage, his head bowed low, blood trickling from a fresh wound above his temple. His dark locks clung to his forehead, damp with sweat and crimson streaks, his breathing was shallow and strained as the voice of Marquis Marcello di Castiglione boomed like thunder.
"You lied to me!" Marcello's violet eyes blazed with fury. His hands trembled with barely contained anger as he pointed an accusatory finger at his son. "You said they were still considering the deal. What is this I'm hearing about Lady Claudia choosing that disgusting lowborn as her fiancé and not you?!"
