While My Husband Cheated I Married His Powerful Brother novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Chapter 26 A Discovery Worth Lives

The room froze.

Dorian pushed off from the window. He walked across the room. His footsteps were slow. The sound of them echoed off the marble.

He stopped in front of his grandmother’s wheelchair.

"Grandmother," he said. "The bet was made. The terms were clear. Eleanor lost. She owes Veyra an apology. In front of everyone."

The old woman’s face hardened. "Dorian—"

"An apology," he said. "Or Eleanor leaves this house. Today. And she never comes back."

The room gasped.

Eleanor’s face went white. "You can’t do that."

"I can." Dorian’s voice was cold. "This is my house. My grandmother is a guest here. You are a guest here. And you will treat my wife with respect. Or you will leave."

He turned to look at Eleanor.

"Apologize," he said. "Now.”

Dorian’s voice was still echoing off the marble walls.

Apologize. Now.

Eleanor stood frozen beside the old woman’s wheelchair. Her face was white. Her hands were shaking. She looked around the room for someone to save her. No one stepped forward.

Celeste looked away. Marcus studied his shoes. Richard suddenly became very interested in the pattern on the carpet.

The old woman’s jaw was tight. Her eyes were fixed on Dorian.

"You would humiliate your own aunt in front of the servants?" the old woman said. "In front of strangers?"

"I would hold her accountable," Dorian said. "The same way you taught me to hold myself accountable."

The old woman’s face flickered. Something passed through her eyes. Memory, maybe. Or regret.

"When you make a bet," Dorian said, "you must accept the outcome. If you cannot bear the consequences, you should not have gambled in the first place."

Eleanor’s voice was shrill. "She set a trap. She planned this whole thing. She wanted me to humiliate myself."

Dorian did not even look at her. "No one forced you to accept the bet. No one forced you to call my wife a liar. No one forced you to dump her belongings on the floor. You did those things yourself."

Eleanor opened her mouth but closed it.

"The Old Madam has always valued keeping one’s word," Dorian continued. He was still looking at his grandmother. "That’s what you taught me, Grandmother. That a Thorne’s word is their bond. That without honor, we have nothing."

The old woman said nothing.

"Eleanor gave her word," Dorian said. "She agreed to the terms. Now she must fulfill them. Or she is not worthy of the Thorne name."

The room was silent.

The old woman’s hands were gripping the arms of her wheelchair. Her knuckles were white. She looked at Eleanor. Then she looked at Veyra.

Then she looked away.

"Do what you must," the old woman said.

Eleanor’s face crumbled. "Auntie—"

"I said do what you must."

The old woman’s voice was cold. Final. She turned her wheelchair toward the door. Celeste rushed to push her. The old woman held up her hand.

"No," she said. "I’ll wait. I want to see this."

The room went very quiet.

Eleanor was cornered now.

Her back was against the wall. Her eyes were darting everywhere. Looking for an exit. Looking for a miracle.

"I won’t do it," she said. "I won’t. You can’t make me."

Dorian nodded. He raised his hand.

Two bodyguards appeared. They were large men in dark suits. Their faces were blank. Professional. They walked toward Eleanor.

"Don’t touch me," Eleanor said. "Don’t you dare touch me."

The bodyguards kept walking.

"I said don’t—"

They each took one of her arms. Her struggles were useless. They held her steady. Her feet barely touched the ground.

"The bet," Dorian said quietly. "Fulfill it."

"I won’t. I won’t. I WON’T."

Dorian looked at the butler. The butler was an older man with silver hair and a face that had seen everything. He had worked for the Thorne family for forty years.

"Mr. Chen," Dorian said. "If my aunt will not honor her word, you will honor it for her."

The butler nodded. He walked toward Eleanor.

His hand drew back.

Eleanor’s eyes went wide. "No. No, you can’t—"

The slap came down and the sound of it cracked through the room like a whip.

Eleanor’s head snapped to the side. Her cheek turned red. A thin line of blood appeared on her lip.

The room was silent.

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