Chapter 6 - The Chill in the Room
Preston Hale blinked against the glaring chandelier light, trying to summon the arrogant veneer that had protected his family name for decades. "Hey, pal, you're ruining the vibe," Preston slurred, leaning back in his leather chair with a lopsided grin. "If you're looking for a table, the waitlist is about three months long, unless your daddy owns a real estate firm." Dominic Vale did not stop walking. His polished leather shoes clicked rhythmically against the marble, a sound that carried the ominous weight of a ticking clock. He stopped three feet from Table Twelve, his towering presence casting a long, dark shadow over Preston and his terrified companions. Grant Whitaker and Nolan Pierce instinctively shrank back into their seats, the alcohol instantly draining from their systems as they looked into Dominic’s expressionless face. There was no visible rage, no shouting, and no grand threats. There was only a terrifying, abyssal calm—the look of a apex predator evaluating how best to dismantle its prey. "Who are you supposed to be? Her uncle?" Preston sneered, standing up to assert his height, though he quickly realized Dominic towered over him by half a foot. "I asked you a question. Get out of our way before I call the owner and have you thrown out on the street." Dominic slowly turned his gaze away from Preston, lowering his eyes to the clumps of dark hair resting on the floor between his boots. He crouched down, extending a large, steady hand, and picked up a single strand of Elena’s hair, rolling it gently between his fingers. When he stood back up, his gray eyes locked onto Preston with a freezing intensity that made the young heir’s breath hitch in his throat. "You touched what belongs to me," Dominic said. His voice was remarkably quiet, yet it carried across the entire penthouse without the aid of a microphone, striking every ear with the force of a falling anvil. Preston swallowed hard, his false bravado fracturing under the immense psychological pressure. "She... she's just a waitress. She had an attitude. We were just teaching her some manners."
