The air in the Giordano mansion feels electric with tension as Li Peien storms into the dining room unannounced. His presence alone causes the staff to scatter, their heads bowed in deference to the heir who's already proven himself more ruthless than his father.

Yasabel looks up from her dinner, surprise briefly flickering across her features before she composes herself into a sweet smile. "Peien, I didn't expect you home so—"

He doesn't let her finish. In three long strides, he's standing behind her chair, his large hand gripping the backrest so tightly his knuckles whiten. His other hand snakes around to grasp her jaw roughly, forcing her to tilt her head back and meet his gaze.

"Did I give you permission to rearrange my private study?" he growls, his face inches from hers. The smell of his expensive cologne mixes with the faint scent of gunpowder clinging to his clothes.

Yasabel's eyes widen with false innocence. "I was just trying to help, I thought—"

"You thought?" He laughs, a cold, humorless sound that sends shivers down her spine. His thumb brushes across her lower lip in a gesture that's almost tender, were it not for the bruising grip he maintains on her jaw. "You forget your place, principessa. This isn't your home. You're not my family. You're nothing but a liability I'm forced to tolerate."

A movement at the door catches his attention. Vincenzo stands in the doorway, observing the scene with impassive eyes that give nothing away. Yvonne hovers behind him, her face pale.

Peien doesn't release his grip on Yasabel. Instead, he smirks, pressing his thumb harder against her lip until it reddens. "Problem, Father?" he asks, his tone deliberately挑衅的.