Zade and Austin, who had been sitting quietly on the smaller velvet sofa, immediately stood up in absolute, sheer fear. Zade moved so fast that a sharp spike of pain shot through his broken ribs, but he did not even dare to groan. His face went as white as a sheet of paper. Austin’s knees were physically shaking, knocking against each other under his trousers.

All the wonderful, attentive services stopped at once. Every single person in the room was looking directly at the three men who had just entered through the heavy wooden door.

The silence in the room was so thick and heavy that it felt hard to breathe. The air had turned freezing cold.

Kade looked at the six half-naked, heavily muscled men standing around Lady Camilla. He looked at the wine, the grapes, and the foot oil. He instantly realized that this was a massive, life-threatening disaster. He wanted to save everyone from the General’s wrath.

Kade took a very slow, careful step backward toward the hallway.

"It seems we were given the wrong room," Kade spoke softly, his voice tight. He reached out and grabbed the brass door handle, trying to pull the door shut to hide the scene. "My apologies. Let us go find the correct room."

But Damon did not move an inch. He stood as solid as a mountain, stopping the door from closing.

Syrus, however, was not reacting at all. He looked past Damon’s broad shoulder. He looked directly at the six spectacular, gorgeous men standing around the sofa. He let out a low whistle of pure appreciation.

Syrus looked at Damon and smiled a wide, highly amused smile.

"Damon," Syrus chuckled lightly, completely ignoring the deadly aura surrounding his friend. "Your wife really has good taste."

Over by the wall, the well-dressed host of the establishment was standing frozen. He heard Syrus say the word "wife." He looked at the terrifying man in the dark uniform. He immediately recognized the famous, brutal Tyrant General.

Hearing the General’s name, the host shivered violently. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead. His entire professional career, and possibly his life, was about to end.

The host slowly turned his head to look at Zade.

"She’s the General’s wife?" the host whispered to Zade. His voice was carrying pure panic. His eyes were wide with terror. "Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Lord Kennedy, do you want to have me killed?"

Zade could not answer. He was too busy staring at his furious brother-in-law.

Beside Zade, Austin was completely falling apart. The young lord tugged frantically on Zade’s dark purple sleeves.

"We are going to die, right?" Austin whispered rapidly. His voice was high and squeaky. "I haven’t even written a will! My gold, my horses... who will get my horses? Why am I always in trouble whenever I am with you, Zade? Why?"

Zade grabbed Austin’s shaking hands and pulled them off his sleeves.

"What’s the panic?" Zade whispered back to him, trying to sound brave, even though his own heart was beating a thousand times an hour. "I’m trying to figure out a solution. Don’t rush me. I can’t think well under pressure."

Zade looked around the room wildly, desperately searching for an excuse, a window to jump out of, or a magical spell to make him disappear.

In the center of the room, Camilla was having her own internal crisis. She had just been caught red-handed in a secret male club by her powerful, grumpy husband.

She closed her eyes for two seconds. She inhaled a deep, steady breath of air. She exhaled slowly. She forced her racing heart to calm down. She had faced down armed mobs and corrupt politicians. She could handle one angry General.

She opened her eyes. She turned her head slightly to look at Zade and Austin, who were currently shaking like wet dogs.

"It’s okay. It’s okay," Camilla whispered softly to them. She raised her hand in a calming gesture. "Don’t panic. I will handle it."

She turned her full attention back to the doorway.

Camilla put on a brave face. She took a slow, confident step forward. She walked gracefully away from the six half-naked men, leaving the red velvet sofa behind.

She walked toward Damon.

As she walked, the dim crystal light hit her beautiful, sapphire-blue dress. The fabric flowed smoothly around her legs.

Damon stood perfectly still in the doorway, watching her approach. His eyes immediately took in her appearance. He had never seen her wear a dress like this before. The neckline sat very low, sitting just off her pale shoulders.

Damon could clearly see her delicate, elegant collarbone. He could see her smooth, bare shoulders. And he could clearly see the soft, rounded top of her chest.

It was a very revealing, very beautiful dress.

Damon swallowed hard. The sudden sight of her bare skin hit him like a physical blow. His throat felt incredibly dry. A sudden, unexpected wave of heat rushed into his stomach. But he was a master of self-control. He tightened his jaw. He forced his facial muscles to remain completely frozen, maintaining his cold, angry expression perfectly. He would not let her know that her dress affected him.

Standing right beside Damon, Kade also saw Camilla approaching.

Kade was a highly respectful, highly trained military aide. Seeing Lady Camilla showing so much more skin than usual, Kade immediately reacted.

He quickly averted his eyes. He snapped his head straight up, staring very intently at the beautiful wooden carvings on the ceiling. When his neck hurt, he quickly looked down, staring with absolute fascination at the pattern of the red carpet near his boots. He looked everywhere, anywhere, except where Camilla was walking.

Syrus just leaned comfortably against the doorframe. He crossed his arms over his chest, enjoying the show. He was practically eating imaginary popcorn, watching the drama unfold between the married couple.

Camilla stopped walking. She was now standing just a few inches away from Damon. She had to tilt her head up slightly to look into his dark, furious eyes.

She decided the best defense was a strong offense. She was going to flip the script entirely.

Camilla’s face instantly completely changed. The confident, relaxed woman vanished. She pulled her delicate eyebrows together. She made her eyes look incredibly sad and watery. Her face showed deep, profound, emotional hurt.

"My Lord," Camilla said. Her voice shook with fake sadness. She looked at him as if he had just broken her heart into a million tiny pieces.

She raised a trembling finger and pointed at the luxurious walls of the establishment.

"You came to a place like this," Camilla accused him softly, letting a single tear form in the corner of her eye. "Are you here to see a woman? Is this where you go when you say you are busy at the military camp?"

She placed her small, pale hand flat against her own chest, right above her heart.

"What can she give you that I can’t?" Camilla asked, her voice cracking perfectly. She let out a few soft, pathetic sobbing sounds.

Sniff. Sniff.

"Am I not a good enough wife for you? Why must you wander to these secret places?"