CHAPTER 51 TROUBLE IN PARADISE

Daniel's eyes were wide with disbelief, his mouth gaping like a fish pulled from the water. "You can't be serious," he stammered, his words tripping over each other in his haste to understand. Juliet didn't even spare him a glance. Instead, she turned to her grandfather, her posture straight and proud, her eyes full of determination. "With your permission, sir," she said, her voice steady and clear. "I would like to go home. Now." The room was filled with the kind of silence that could choke a man, the air thick with the collective shock of everyone present. Even Caleb, who had been expecting some sort of reaction from Juliet, was stunned by the sheer ferocity of her words. He could feel his jaw working, as if searching for some response, but he found himself coming up empty. Across the room, Emily stared at Juliet with a mix of horror and fascination, her fingers digging into the fabric of her dress as she watched the scene unfold. Emily's eyes glinted with a malicious pleasure