My Cruel Husband Paraded His Mistress In Front Of 500 Guests To Ruin Me—Until I Stepped Into The Ballroom In Scarlet Beside His Greatest Enemy!

The Vance estate on the north shore stood like a fortress against the howling winter blizzard.

Inside the grand library, a massive stone fireplace crackled warmly, throwing dancing amber light across walls of leather-bound books.

Nora sat on the plush sofa, dressed in a warm woolen sweater, sipping hot chamomile tea.

Across the room, Elias stood by the French doors that opened onto the snow-covered terrace, his eyes scanning the tree line beyond the manicured lawn.

"You should get some sleep, Nora," Elias said softly, turning to look at her. "You haven't rested in forty-eight hours."

"I can't sleep while he's out there, Elias," Nora replied, setting her porcelain teacup down on the saucer with a faint clatter.

"Gabriel won't accept defeat. He would rather burn everything to the ground than admit I outsmarted him."

Suddenly, the security console on the desk began beeping with a steady, urgent tone.

Elias crossed the room in two strides, his fingers dancing across the keyboard to bring up the perimeter camera feeds.

On the northern fence line, four thermal silhouettes were cutting through the heavy iron security gate, their assault rifles equipped with heavy suppressors.

"Viktor’s mercenaries," Elias muttered, his jaw setting into hard lines. "Gabriel must have emptied his emergency reserves to hire Russian muscle."

Nora stood up immediately, her face pale but completely composed.

"How many men do we have stationed on the grounds?" she asked.

"Six of your father's best guards," Elias answered, checking the monitors. "And me. That's more than enough."

Before Elias could draw his sidearm, the heavy French doors exploded inward in a shower of splintered oak and shattered safety glass.

Two heavily armed men in black tactical gear burst through the billowing snow, their rifles aimed straight at Elias.

Elias reacted with terrifying speed, diving behind the heavy mahogany desk as a hail of suppressed gunfire chewed through the leather chairs and antique bookcases.

Books exploded into confetti, and plaster dust filled the air like a suffocating fog.

From beneath the desk, Elias fired three controlled shots through the wood paneling, catching the first mercenary in the torso and dropping him to the floor.

The second gunman lunged forward, but Nora seized a heavy bronze statue of a horse from the side table and swung it with all her strength.

The heavy metal struck the side of the gunman's helmet, knocking him off balance just long enough for Elias to sweep his legs out from under him.

The mercenary hit the floor hard, and Elias neutralized him with a swift, decisive strike to the temple.

"More are coming from the main hall!" Nora shouted, pointing toward the open library double doors.

Gunfire erupted down the grand hallway as Thomas Vance’s security guards engaged the remaining attackers in the foyer.

Shouts in Russian and English echoed off the vaulted ceilings, accompanied by the sharp concussive thuds of flashbang grenades.

Out of the smoky haze in the corridor, a lone figure stepped into the library doorway.

It was Gabriel.

His eyes were wild, bloodshot, and burning with psychotic fury, a heavy snub-nosed revolver clutched in his trembling right hand.

"Nora!" Gabriel screamed, aiming the barrel directly at her heart. "Did you really think you could replace me? Did you think you could just erase five years of your life?"

Elias stepped instantly into the line of fire, shielding Nora with his entire body.