Chapter 8 - Stripped of the Crown
Chloe fell to her knees beside the table, begging uncontrollably. "David, please! I have debts! My clothes, my car—"
"Your car has been repossessed," I said without a trace of pity. "Your husband is facing ten years in a federal penitentiary for grand larceny and attempted murder. You can get a job, Chloe. You have a college degree that I paid for. It's time you used it."
Eleanor stood frozen, her eyes wide, staring at me as if I were a complete stranger.
"You are destroying your own family for a nobody," Eleanor whispered, her voice laced with venomous hatred.
"No," I corrected her, standing up from my chair and buttoning my coat. "I am cutting out a cancer to protect my family. You have one hour to clear your personal belongings out of the Greenwich mansion before the locks are changed. If you set foot in Manhattan or attempt to contact Maya or Liam ever again, Viktor will handle you through our family's traditional channels."
The threat hung in the air, heavy, lethal, and absolute.
Eleanor knew what "traditional channels" meant in my world. It meant complete erasure.
She swallowed hard, her face drained of all color. She grabbed her sobbing daughter by the arm, turned around, and walked out of the conference room without saying another word.
I watched the heavy oak doors close behind them.
The weight that had rested on my shoulders for years—the constant burden of pleasing an ungrateful, manipulative mother—instantly evaporated.
I walked out of the conference room and headed down the quiet corridor toward Maya's suite.
Outside her door, the sun was shining brightly through the floor to ceiling windows, illuminating the snow covered city below.
I opened the door gently.
Maya was sitting up in bed, wearing a soft pastel robe. She was holding Liam in her arms, gently rocking him while giving him a bottle.
The color had returned to her face. She looked peaceful, radiant, and whole.
When she saw me step into the room, a warm, genuine smile broke across her lips.
May you like
"Hey," she whispered softly.
"Hey," I smiled, walking over to the bed and sitting beside her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
