The Almighty Dominance

Old Henny glared venomously at Sophia. She had despised the girl from the moment she'd laid eyes on her.

When the Montclair family-one of the Five Lords of Chicago-fell from grace, panic rippled through the city as their empire began to crumble.

They desperately searched for their next matriarch.

Clarissa Montclair, Henny's granddaughter, was the natural successor until Betty Montclair, that slippery snake, returned from her long exile.

Not only did Betty reappear unexpectedly, she brought with her Sophia, the potential next governor of Paris, sending the entire Montclair clan scrambling to curry favor with Betty.

Henny's bitterness turned to rage as she watched her granddaughter's birthright being snatched away.

Without informing Betty, Henny dragged Clarissa to confront Sophia directly.

Sophia stood speechless, struggling to grasp the nonsense spewing from the old woman's mouth.

Did she just hear something about kneeling?

What century were they living in, demanding respect from strangers?

Clarissa eyed Sophia with envy, bitterness tainting her voice as she sneered, "Hey, you! Are you blind? My grandmother stands before you!"

"Kneel and show some respect, you arrogant brat! You clearly don't deserve to lead the Montclairs."

"Grandma, we can't let someone like her become matriarch-or governor of Paris, for that matter!"

Alex's brow furrowed deeply.

He knew full well the Montclairs had lost nearly everything when their former matriarch fell from power, dragging the family into scandal after scandal.

Lyra, the new governor of Chicago, had a reputation for ruthlessness and was itching to punish the five disgraced families for their corruption.

Sophia's friendship with Lyra was the Montclairs' last lifeline.

They desperately needed Sophia to become governor of Paris, to preserve what little prestige remained.

Yet here were these two vile women, playing their manipulative games as if people were fools.

Alex's fists tightened, ready to put the old witch in her place, when Florence suddenly rushed to Sophia's side.

"Sophia, dear,” Florence cooed nervously.

"This is Madam Henny, an elder of the Montclair family. It's our tradition for younger members to kneel before their elders. Just kneel, alright? Please don't cause trouble."

Alex nearly slapped his own forehead in disbelief.

Florence had clearly been seduced by the false allure of status.

Sophia hesitated, confusion and doubt clouding her expression.

Kneeling before someone she didn't even know felt humiliating. Yet her mother kept pressing, panic evident in her eyes.

Alex stepped forward decisively, his voice echoing clearly for everyone to hear.

"Sophia, you are the acting governor of Paris. You don't need to kneel to anyone except the king himself. If you kneel to this woman, you might face severe consequences. Think carefully about what you do next."

"Shut your mouth, Alex!" Florence snapped hastily. "If you know nothing, then don't speak nonsense! Sophia should respect her ancestors; there's nothing wrong with that!"

"Florence," Alex snapped, his voice sharp as a blade, "if Sophia is stripped of her position or punished by the king for this foolishness—she's a governor, and only the king has the right to receive her kneel; to kneel to anyone else is treason-will you take responsibility?"

Florence fell silent, cornered by his blunt truth.

Sophia drew a steady breath, standing firm as she faced Henny.

"It's an honor to meet you, Madam Henny, but I'm afraid I cannot follow the Montclair tradition to kneel. As acting governor of Paris, my loyalty is to the crown."

She had disliked Henny from their first encounter, sensing the older woman's hostility immediately.

Henny's cold stare and dismissive attitude made it clear she was someone best avoided.

Henny scoffed loudly, her voice dripping with arrogance. "Bring me tea."noveldrama

"Quickly, serve Madam Henny some tea!" Florence frantically motioned to the maid.

The maid nodded swiftly, poured tea into a delicate cup, and placed it respectfully before Sophia and Henny, who sat opposite each other.

"Is this how your family serves guests? Have you no manners at all?" Henny snapped harshly.

Sophia blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Grandma, don't expect too much from such low-class people. They wouldn't recognize proper etiquette even if it hit them in the face," Clarissa sneered maliciously.

"Sophia Lancaster, don't you realize that in the Montclair household, elders are always served first? How dare your servant offer tea to you before Madam Henny. It's utterly disrespectful!"

Without hesitation, Clarissa grabbed the teacup intended for Henny and hurled

the hot tea into the maid's face.

The girl shrieked in pain, tears streaming down her scalded cheeks.

"Tell me, you worthless maid, did

they instruct you to insult our family elder? Is this your idea of

hospitality? You're all despicable and unworthy of the Montclair name!" Clarissa shouted venomously.

“No! No, that's absolutely not the case!" Florence rushed forward, bowing deeply.

"She's just a new maid who doesn't understand our ways. I'll dismiss her immediately!"

Florence scrambled to remedy the situation, hastily grabbing another cup and offering it respectfully to Henny with trembling hands.

"Please, Madam Henny, forgive our ignorance. Allow me to serve you tea personally."

Henny regarded Florence with utter disdain.

"And who exactly do you think you are, daring to serve me tea?"

Florence froze, her polite smile faltering as humiliation filled her eyes.

Feeling trapped, she turned pleadingly toward Sophia. "Honey, quickly, please serve Madam Henny her tea. It's only proper for the younger to show respect to the elder."

Sophia's jaw tightened in irritation.

She glanced desperately at her mother, reluctant but unable to refuse.

Frustration burned in her chest as she picked up a fresh cup, silently wishing the

old woman would vanish and free her from this ridiculous charade.

She had no patience for games of status and ego.

Taking a deep breath, Sophia served the tea with both hands, her movements steady as she fought to keep her composure.

"Hmph! If you'd shown this respect earlier, we wouldn't have had to suffer your family's embarrassing display," Clarissa mocked loudly, making sure every ear in the room heard her clearly.

Henny sneered as she eyed the cup disdainfully.

"What kind of tea is this?" she demanded harshly.

Sophia hesitated, unable to answer. She'd been too occupied with her responsibilities in Paris to concern herself with such trivial details.

Florence hurried forward once more.

"This is Heaven Black Tea, Madam, extremely rare and reserved for special

occasions only."

"Come closer," Henny commanded sharply.

Florence approached obediently, her anxious smile masking the humiliation she

felt.

Without warning, Henny smashed the cup, tea and all, into Florence's face. "How

dare you offer me this inferior tea! Who do you think I am?"

Sophia surged to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury.

She couldn't bear seeing her mother disrespected in such a vile manner, anger consuming her as she stared defiantly at the haughty old woman.