Shattered Pride

Valerie sprinted out of the dim club corridors, her heels clicking against the floor. Panic gripped her chest as her face turned pale with anxiety. She had seen the raw reaction on Gideon’s face and knew his past infatuation with Audrey might reignite at the sight of her misery. Before Valerie could even attempt to intervene, the deafening roar of an engine cut through the freezing night air. A gray Ferrari skidded to a halt right in front of the grand entrance.

The driver's door swung open. Dominic stepped out into the bitter cold, his dark eyes instantly locking onto Audrey’s collapsed form on the floor. His brows drew together in displeasure as he closed the distance between them.

"What is wrong with you? You have been working here for half a month, and you still do not know how to greet a guest properly?" Dominic barked out the harsh reprimand.

A wave of nausea washed over Audrey from the forced liquor. She pushed herself off the freezing ground, her limbs shaking from the biting chill. Clumsily, she dipped into a bow.

"Good evening, Mr. Caldwell."

Dominic stepped closer. He caught the sickening scent of alcohol radiating from her uniform. His gaze turned ruthless.

"You dare to drink on the job?"

"I am sorry. I..." Audrey trailed off, her body trembling.

Gideon stepped forward, placing himself between them in an attempt to intervene. He leveled a steady look at the new arrival.

"Mr. Caldwell, what brings you here tonight?"

Dominic stood like an immovable wall of ice. He cast a disdainful glance around the lobby.

"I am merely inspecting the operational standards of my property. It appears my employee has upset a valued guest. Did Nadine fail to teach you how to properly apologize?"

The sheer weight of the situation crushed the remaining breath from Audrey’s lungs. Swallowing the fragile fragments of her pride, she slowly turned toward Gideon. She dipped into a deep bow.

"I am sorry, Mr. Langdon. Please forgive me."

Gideon offered no response. His expression darkened further, his features locked in stony silence.

Dominic noted the lack of reaction with a malicious smirk. He casually adjusted his cuffs, his voice dripping with malice.

"It seems he is not going to accept your apology anytime soon. You will kneel down on this hard floor until he does."

Audrey felt her heart plummet. Dominic was intentionally pushing her back against the wall, leaving her zero avenues for escape. The terrifying specter of what this man could do to the Vance Family flashed through her mind, forcing her compliance.

Tears welled in her exhausted eyes. Under Dominic's calculating gaze, she slowly sank to her knees. The freezing marble bit into her bare skin. She looked up at Gideon, desperate for an end to this humiliation.

"Mr. Langdon, I beg for your forgiveness."

Gideon stared at her kneeling figure, his chest heaving with disgust. He grabbed a full glass of red wine from a nearby passing waiter's tray and splashed the dark liquid directly into her pale face. The cold wine dripped down her chin, staining her uniform.

"It has been two years, Audrey. I cannot believe you would still abandon every ounce of your pride for a man."

Leaving her frozen in a traumatized trance, Gideon turned on his heel. He walked away into the night, swallowed by his own bitter disappointment.

Dominic stared down at her pathetic form, his face a mask of indifference. The dramatic spectacle and the wine dripping from her hair did not move him in the slightest.

"Since my guest chose not to forgive you, you will continue to stay on your knees."

Without another word, Dominic turned his back. He began to walk away, his polished shoes echoing sharply against the floor.

An unfamiliar coldness washed over Audrey, freezing the tears in her eyes. The pain and degradation stripped her voice of all emotion. She stared at his retreating back and called out the one question that had haunted her every waking moment.

"Dominic, do you really love Chloe that much?"