The moment Natalie Pierce pushed back so openly, right there in front of everyone, Thomas Pierce felt the authority of the Pierce family patriarch being challenged head-on. His expression darkened instantly. Rage flared in his chest, and he slammed his palm hard against the table.
“Outrageous!”
His voice echoed through the hall, sharp and thunderous.
“You dare speak to me like that? Do you have even the slightest respect left for me as your grandfather?”
Ryan Pierce hurried to interject, his tone carrying a forced calm that barely concealed his irritation. “We’re all doing this for your own good. Do you have any idea how many women in this world would give anything for the chance to be connected to the High Jarl? Most of them don’t even get an opportunity to be seen. We went to great l
