All the color drained from his face. Even his ears went pale. His lips parted, trembling slightly, but no sound came out. The muscles in his throat worked as if he were trying to swallow something sharp.
“What…?” he finally forced out, the word scraping past his dry lips. He could barely breathe. “Are you serious?”
No one answered him.
The guards had already grabbed the three and were dragging them toward the stairs.
Joseph struggled wildly, his shoes scraping uselessly against the marble. Curtis twisted his body, trying to grab the railing. Violet kept crying, her fingers clawing at the guards’ sleeves.
“Wait—wait!”
Joseph’s foot suddenly slipped.
His body lurched forward, and he slammed hard into Curtis, knocking them both off balance. Violet shrieked as someone’s elbow hit her. The next second, all three of them went down.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
They hit one step after another, bones striking against sharp edges, their bodies rolling in an ugly, helpless mess.
The guards didn’t move to catch them.
Instead, one of them walked down calmly and kicked Joseph in the ribs, sending him tumbling the rest of the way like garbage being swept aside.
At the bottom, Joseph let out a broken groan. He tried to crawl, palms slipping on the polished floor, but a hand fisted into the back of his collar.
He was yanked upright so violently his head snapped back.
The three were dragged forward again, their feet barely touching the ground, hauled like sacks of trash toward the party hall.
Gasps burst from the guests below.
Some covered their mouths. Others took a step back, afraid they might somehow get involved.
Arthur hurried after them.
His heart slammed against his ribs so hard it hurt. Each beat felt louder than the last. His breath came fast and uneven, and his palms were damp, but his face remained stiff, almost numb.
“Arthur, save me!” Curtis howled, stretching his arm toward him, fingers shaking. “They’re lying! I swear they’re lying!”
“Arthur!” Joseph shouted hoarsely, panic cracking his voice. “It’s a misunderstanding! You can’t let them treat us like this!”
Arthur’s fingers curled tightly into fists.
The tendons stood out against his skin.
But he still said nothing.
His eyes were dark. His jaw was locked. Step after step, he followed.
The grand hall fell silent the moment they entered. The music cut off mid-note. Conversations died as if someone had pressed a switch.
Every head turned.
Under the crystal lights, the three of them were dragged straight into the center of the crowd and thrown down hard. Their bodies hit the floor with dull, painful sounds.
