Chapter 4 - The Queen's Throne
Chaos erupted.
"You can't do this!" Michael yelled, lunging forward before stopping dead as three massive, armed security guards pushed through the front doors. "We're your blood!"
"You're parasites," I corrected him coldly. "And your ride is over."
I turned to the terrified crowd of socialites and hangers-on who had been enjoying the lavish feast. "The party is over. Everyone out of my wife's house. Now."
They didn't need to be told twice. The guests scrambled toward the exit, completely abandoning Margaret, Ashley, and Michael in the center of the ruined dining room.
"Daniel, please!" my mother sobbed, her sophisticated facade shattering completely. "Where are we supposed to go? You pay for everything! We don't have anywhere to live!"
"Then I suggest you learn how to wash dishes," I said, my voice devoid of a single ounce of pity. "I hear it builds character."
I nodded to Marcus. "Escort them off the property. If they try to take anything other than the clothes on their backs, have them arrested for theft."
The screams and protests of my family echoed through the grand foyer as security physically dragged them out the front doors. I didn't watch them leave. I didn't care.
I turned back to Emily. The entire house was finally quiet.
She stood in her soaked clothes, staring at me with wide, awe-struck eyes. The fear was completely gone, replaced by a radiant, beautiful disbelief.
"You gave me the house?" she whispered.
"I gave you the empire," I corrected softly. I reached into my other pocket and finally pulled out the velvet box. I popped it open, revealing the brilliant, flawless diamond necklace resting on the dark silk.
I stepped behind her, gently sweeping her damp hair over her shoulder, and clasped the cold, heavy diamonds around her neck.
"You stayed with me when I had absolutely nothing, Emily," I murmured, pressing a kiss to the bare skin of her shoulder. "You believed in me before the money, before the success, before any of this existed. They thought they could break you and push you into the shadows."
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I turned her around to face me. The diamonds sparkled brilliantly against the harsh contrast of her ruined, soaked shirt, but she had never looked more beautiful.
"But you aren't the maid, Emily," I vowed, pulling her flush against me and kissing her with five years' worth of suppressed passion and devotion. "You're the queen. And from now on, you're the only one who wears the crown."
