~LAYLA~
The world turned into a mix of bright lights and loud voices.
"Grandfather!" I called, my hands clutching the lapels of his velvet tuxedo. He was very still.
"Back up! Give him air!" Axel's voice boomed above the chaos.
He was beside me in an instant, dropping to his knees. He placed two fingers against the Duke's neck as he tried to read his pulse.
"Is he..." I couldn't finish the sentence.
"He has a pulse," Axel said, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "It's thready. We need a medic now!"
Isabelle appeared at the edge of the dais. Her face was pale, her makeup streaked with tears, but her eyes were darting around the room, assessing the crowd, the press, and the damage.
"You did this!" she shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at me. "You and your demands! You pushed him too far! I told him his heart couldn't take the excitement!"
