Dante's question hung in the air like a knife ready to fall.
My heart stopped beating for a second. I could feel Dante's sharp gaze piercing straight into my eyes, as if he were dissecting every lie I had hidden. Under the table, Jax's muscular leg was still pressing against my thigh with overwhelming force. The heat from his skin penetrated the thin fabric of my dress, creating a burning sensation that spread to my toes.
I gripped the edge of the teak dining table so tightly that my knuckles turned white. My inner voice screamed for me to shout, to point at Jax as the perpetrator of this abuse. But my mouth was locked by fear of a scandal that could destroy my father.
"I... I just feel a little cold, Dante. The AC in this room might be too low," I whispered hoarsely, my voice trembling violently.
Dante didn't immediately look away. He continued to stare at me for a few extra seconds—seconds that felt like torture. He seemed to be weighing whether I was lying or really cold. Then, slowly, Dante shifted his gaze to Jax, who was still sitting calmly, sipping his whiskey.
"Jax," Dante called. "You seem to be really enjoying this dinner. Do you have something you'd like to share with us?"
Jax chuckled softly. His wild, hoarse voice filled the silent room. Instead of pulling his leg back, Jax deliberately kicked my chair under the table, creating a small thud that startled me. He looked at Dante with challenging eyes, full of provocation from a younger brother who wanted to take his older brother's throne.
"I was just thinking how interesting our position is right now, brother," Jax replied in a sickeningly sweet tone. "One table, five brothers, and one... beautiful bride. Isn't this the beginning of a long party?"
Dante placed his napkin on the table with a very measured movement. He leaned his sturdy back against his throne-like chair, his eyes sweeping over each of his siblings present, from the wild Jax, Joan who stared coldly from behind her glasses, the giant Hunter at the end of the table, and Leo who smiled sweetly but suspiciously.
The atmosphere in the dining room suddenly became very heavy, as if the oxygen had been sucked out by Dante's presence.
"Since we are all here, I will read Grandfather's final mandate regarding the trillion-dollar inheritance you are all after," Dante began. "The renovation of this mansion is a symbol of transition. But the main condition remains unchanged. The rightful heir must be born from my wife Reia's womb within one year."
Dante turned to look at me, his gaze now feeling more possessive than before, yet still devoid of affection.
"Anyone among you who tries to interfere with this asset, or does anything that damages the image of our marriage, will be immediately removed from the list of heirs and kicked out of the family without a penny. That includes you, Jax."
Jax suddenly removed his leg from my thigh, as if he had been electrocuted by Dante's threat. He set his whiskey glass down so hard that some of the liquid spilled out. His tattooed face tensed, holding back his explosive anger.
"Are you threatening us, brother?" Jax hissed.
"I'm just setting the rules," Dante replied flatly. "And the rules are simple. Don't. Touch. What's mine!"
The atmosphere at the teak dining table suddenly became a silent battlefield. I could feel the room temperature drop dramatically, or maybe it was just my fear freezing me.
Joan, sitting at the other end of the table, slowly sipped her red wine. Her movements were very calm, but her eyes behind her silver glasses kept moving, scanning my reaction and Dante's reaction alternately. Joan was the only one who held the key to this family's medical secret. She was the one who whispered to everyone that Dante was actually sterile—a dark secret that made Dante's announcement about his legitimate heir sound like a big joke to their ears. To Joan, Dante was just a masterful deceiver who was trying to maintain his throne by exploiting my womb.
Next to Joan, the giant Hunter didn't touch his food at all. His large, calloused hands gripped the silver fork so tightly that the metal bent slightly under his strength. The massive muscles in his arms tensed beneath his tight shirt. He stared at Dante with pure hatred, occasionally glancing at me with a wild, possessive gaze. To Hunter, the impotent Dante had no claim on me.
"Interesting rule, sis," Leo's voice broke the suffocating silence.
The youngest smiled sweetly, but his nimble hands under the table were playing with a cell phone that was directly connected to secret cameras throughout the mansion. He didn't need as much inheritance as his older brothers, he just needed their destruction as his personal entertainment.
Jax released his foot from my thigh, but instead of moving away, he did something even more reckless. He deliberately kicked my chair again with such force that my body jerked forward, almost hitting the edge of the table.
"Oops, sorry. My foot is a little... restless," Jax grinned, openly challenging Dante.
Dante put down his knife. The clang of metal against porcelain sounded like an explosion in the silent room. Dante didn't look at Jax. Instead, he reached for my trembling hand on the table, gripping it with his long, cold fingers. This was Dante's first physical contact with me since he returned, and strangely, his grip felt very strong, as if he were locking handcuffs on my wrist.
"Reia is my wife. Anyone who dares to cross the line will have to deal with me directly," said Dante.
I swallowed hard. My chest felt tight. I was caught between Dante, who was holding my hand with a deadly coldness, and Jax, who continued to stare at me with brutal passion from under the table.
Suddenly, Joan cleared her throat softly. "Speaking of heirs, Dante... as your personal doctor, I suggest Reia undergo a thorough examination tomorrow morning. We have to make sure the seed you plant will grow in a healthy womb, right?"
Joan emphasized her words with a very subtle mocking tone. She was baiting Dante in front of all of us. She wanted to see if Dante would falter knowing that he was actually infertile.
Dante was silent for a moment. His grip on my hand tightened, until I groaned softly from the pain. Dante turned to me, his icy eyes staring deeply into mine, as if searching for traces of another man in my soul.
"The examination isn't necessary, Joan," Dante replied without taking his eyes off me. "Because I know exactly what happened in this house while I was gone."
My heart skipped a beat. Did Dante know? Had he seen Leo's recording or heard Joan's whispers?
Just as the tension reached its peak, Jax suddenly stood up from his chair, knocking it backwards. He pointed at Dante, his face flushed with anger and alcohol.
"You think you can fool us forever, bro?! You're barren! You'll never be able to produce an heir!" Jax shouted, his voice booming throughout the dining room.
Dante remained seated calmly. He wasn't surprised. Instead, he slowly let go of my hand, stood with the grace of a king, and strode toward Jax. The entire room held its breath. Hunter was already getting up, Joan was glaring at him, and Leo was recording the moment with his phone.
Dante stopped right in front of Jax, their height difference adding to the intimidating atmosphere. Dante reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a small brown envelope, and tossed it into the center of the cluttered dining table.
"Then let's see who's really barren here," Dante said coldly.