The music ground to a screeching, dissonant halt as the attention of the ballroom whipped toward the VIP section.
The drunk investor, still grinning foolishly with his clammy hand hovering near Aria's waist, turned his head toward the sound of the shattering glass.
"Whoa, buddy, watch the—"
He never finished the sentence.
Damien crossed the space separating them like a phantom.
Before the investor could even blink, Damien's hand shot out, grabbing the man by the lapels of his suit jacket. Damien lifted the grown man entirely off his feet and violently hurled him backward.
The investor flew through the air, crashing hard into a high-top cocktail table. The table splintered beneath his weight, sending champagne flutes and ice buckets crashing to the floor.
But Damien wasn't finished.
He didn't give the man a second to recover. Damien was on him instantly. He grabbed the man by the collar, dragging him halfway up from the wreckage, and drove a fist into the man's face.
CRACK.
