Nathan pushed open the double doors.

The noise of the party died down instantly when the guests saw his face.

“Nathan, darling, you’re back early,” Vanessa said, taking a step forward with a fake smile.

“Get out,” Nathan said.

“What?” Vanessa chuckled, looking around at her guests.

“Everyone, get out of my house,” Nathan said, his voice low and dangerous.

Julian stepped forward, putting a hand in his pocket. “Nathan, let’s talk about this in the study.”

“Get out before I call the sheriff,” Nathan said.

The guests began to whisper, grab their mink coats, and hurry toward the exit.

Within ten minutes, the grand room was empty, save for Nathan, Vanessa, and Julian.

“You have no right to embarrass me like that,” Vanessa hissed, her face contorted in anger.

“My daughters were eating moldy bread in the basement,” Nathan said, throwing the green crust onto the polished floor.

“They need to learn discipline,” Vanessa said, crossing her arms.

Nathan did not answer her.

He walked to the main smart-home control panel on the wall.

“Iris, shut down all guest access,” Nathan said.

The screen flashed red.

*Access denied,* a synthetic voice replied.

“What did you do?” Nathan demanded, turning to Vanessa.

Vanessa smiled. “Julian helped me update the security protocols while you were in Denver.”

“It’s our house now, Nathan,” Julian said, tapping his phone.

Nathan pulled a physical silver key from his pocket.

He unlocked the manual override box beneath the touch screen.

He flipped the heavy red breaker switch.

The entire mansion went pitch black.

The music stopped, the chandeliers died, and the heating blowers groaned to a halt.

“Nathan!” Vanessa screamed in the dark.

For three seconds, there was only the sound of the howling wind outside.

Then, the backup generators kicked in.

The emergency lights glowed a soft, deep blue along the baseboards.