Tears welled in Ethan’s eyes as he held his injured wife, his breathing rapid and shallow as he looked down at her pained expression. The melancholic reality of the situation washed over him, filling his heart with a terrifying mix of grief and white-hot fury. He looked up toward the top of the grand staircase, where Victoria stood completely frozen under the bright glow of the crystal chandelier. Her arrogant demeanor had vanished, replaced by a look of sheer horror as she stared down at her trembling hands and the helpless woman lying on the floor below.
"Oh my God..." Victoria whispered, taking a slow step back as she realized the catastrophic consequences of her actions. Ethan stood up slowly, shielding his pregnant wife with his body as he fixed a lethal, unforgiving gaze on his sister. "If anything happens to them, you are dead to me," Ethan declared in a voice that shook the foundation of the estate. Security personnel immediately rushed into the foyer, detaining the horrified heiress on the upper landing as paramedics flooded through the front doors, setting the stage for a bitter legal and emotional war that would fracture the Sterling empire forever.