Chapter 6 - The Gathering Storm
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Three months passed, and the atmosphere in the mansion grew from cold to incredibly volatile. The family business, a massive logistics and shipping firm, was hemorrhaging money. Decades of poor management by Eleanor and cowardly decisions by Arthur had finally caught up with them. The only hope they had left was a massive infusion of capital from a government-backed restructuring fund, a deal that required a pristine public image and relentless lobbying.
The financial stress turned Eleanor into a monster. She targeted Nora with renewed, vicious energy, blaming her for everything from the cold coffee to the fluctuating stock market.
“If Arthur hadn't married a penniless orphan, he could have married the daughter of the banking CEO,” Eleanor screamed one afternoon in the drawing room. “We wouldn't be begging for pennies if he had married into proper wealth! You are a curse on this family!”
“I have never asked you for a single dime, Eleanor,” Nora replied calmly, bouncing a fussy Liam in her arms.
“You breathe my air! You eat my food! You exist in my space!” Eleanor retorted, stepping dangerously close. “You contribute absolutely nothing! You are a dead weight dragging my son to the bottom of the ocean!”
“I am his wife,” Nora said, though the words felt like ash in her mouth.
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“Not for long, if I have any say in it,” Eleanor sneered, her eyes flashing with a dangerous, calculating light. “Once this government deal goes through and our finances are secure, I will personally see to it that you are thrown back into the gutter where you belong. You can take this screaming brat with you.”
Nora tightened her grip on her baby, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She knew Eleanor was not making an idle threat. The woman was capable of profound cruelty, and Nora realized with chilling certainty that she needed to find a way out before Eleanor destroyed them both.
