CHAPTER 54

At that moment the room stood still, the weight of the moment hanging heavily in the air. No one moved. No one breathed. It was as if time itself had frozen in shock at what had just unfolded before them.

Sebastian lay crumpled on the floor, his hands trembling as they hovered over his bloodied face, his fingers brushing against the empty space where his teeth once were.

A sharp, pained gasp escaped his lips, but the sheer humiliation hurt more than the injury itself.

However Bernard, who had been standing firmly moments ago, took an instinctive step back, his legs buckling slightly.

He didn't even realize he was moving until his back nearly hit the wall. His eyes, wide with disbelief, flickered from Sebastian to Raymond, as if trying to make sense of reality.

At that moment Valentina's father's jaw clenched, his fists tightening on the armrest of his chair.