Jane looked at her with wide, shining eyes. Nicholas's face hardened.
"How much more do I owe you?!" Livia cried. "What more do you want from me?"
Nicholas was so stunned by her yelling that, for one suspended second, he simply stared at her.
Then his hand moved. The slap cracked through the room. Livia's head snapped to the side, and the force of it sent her stumbling back. Her heel caught against the edge of the rug, and she fell hard to the floor, one palm striking the floor to break the fall.
Jane took one sharp step forward. "Mr Beaumont—"
"Stay where you are," he snapped.
Jane froze. Livia remained on the floor, one hand pressed to her cheek. The sting spread hot and immediate across her skin. Tears sprang to her eyes.
