The Stolen Heiress: Claimed by her Father's Ruthless Enemy. novel Chapter 56

Chapter 56: The business party (accident).

I hated it. I hated that I always let her words get into my head. I shouldn’t have. Her words were empty. They were meant to pull a reaction from me. And yet, I gave her that power every time.

At the end of it, I found an empty table and sat down. I didn’t even think about why a table would be empty in such a crowded room. My head was spinning, and I needed a moment to breathe before I faced Alexander again.

From where I sat, I could see him across the room, standing tall and composed, surrounded by high-end guests. He was calm, gesturing lightly as he spoke, his face holding that same faint smile. It was strange watching him like this. I never knew he could talk that much to people. He was a man of few words. And until now, we had never had a conversation that lasted more than five minutes. But here he was.

I dropped my bag on the table, trying to focus on something else, but I couldn’t. I just hoped that we could really set our differences aside and make progress on my mother’s case. But if not... I didn’t know what else to do.

Suddenly, the bubbling atmosphere shifted. I could hear the sound of people murmuring around me, and with time, it grew louder and more frantic.

I glanced up, confused, and noticed people staring in my direction. Some were pointing at me, their expressions a mix of fear and alarm.

"What is going on?" I whispered to myself.

That was when a pale woman nearby shouted in panic. "Look up! Above you!"

*Above me?* I thought, and slowly tilted my head back.

And my heart stopped, dropping into my stomach the moment I saw it.

Above me was a huge chandelier swaying unnaturally. The bolts holding it seemed to be out of place. One of them had already torn loose, and now the chandelier was dangling precariously, as if it would drop in the next second.

My body went still like a statue. I couldn’t think or move. It was as if my feet were glued to the ground, refusing to obey my mind’s desperate screams to *move.* I just sat, paralyzed, watching in horror.

Another bolt gave way, then another. The chandelier creaked loudly as it strained against the last bolt.

Just as the final bolt began to give in, I felt a hand grab my arm, yanking me away with so much force that it knocked the remaining air from my lungs. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Suddenly, a deafening crash shattered the air as the chandelier smashed into the table where I had been sitting, sending shards of glass and metal flying in different directions across the room.

For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything except for the ringing in my ears. My chest heaved heavily as I tried to process what had just happened, until I heard a familiar irritated voice.

"You were just going to sit there and let that thing crush you? Do you even have any adrenaline in you?"

It was Alexander. His tone was sharp, and a frown creased his brow as he glared at me. He was still holding my arm.

I took a step back and subduedly pulled my arm from his grip.

"Don’t touch me," I quietly said, loud enough for him to hear but not for the crowd that had gathered around us, watching in amusement. Some even had their phones out, recording. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Alexander’s expression turned cold. "Is that the first thing you say to someone who pulled you away from death?"

Of course not. I just couldn’t do that right now. There were a lot of people recording, and the last thing I wanted was to end up on a headline with him.

So, instead of answering, I turned around and walked away.

****

Alexander scoffed, amazed, as he watched Anna walk away. He couldn’t understand what exactly was wrong with her. Telling him not to touch her, when she had just sat there waiting to be crushed.

What if he hadn’t turned around when he heard people murmuring? Only heaven knew what would have happened.

Alexander exhaled sharply, forcing himself to calm down. There were other important things he needed to focus on tonight, like having Vanvik explain how a damaged chandelier could still be in the hall. The old hag would definitely have some compensation to pay, he thought, turning to leave.

But something caught his attention. A figure dressed in all black was standing on the upper floor, leaning against the railing.

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