2026-03-15 08:00:39AN AMBITIOUS MAN
The city lights blurred into long, sharp flashes of bright lights as Leslie sped away from the Smith estate, her hands gripping the steering wheel so hard the leather groaned.
The interior of her car, usually a sanctuary of luxury and soft climate control, felt like a pressure cooker.
Her mother’s words...the col
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CHAPTER 144
Leslie looked physically drained, her eyes still swollen and heavily shadowed from her hysterical breakdown, her hand resting protectively against her lower abdomen. Robert walked slightly ahead of her, his hand placed gently against the small of her back, guiding her steps with an unshakeable, protective focus.When they reached the bottom of the stairs and looked into the main living area, they saw Bernard eating in the dining room and Linda also eating in her armchair. They didn't need to ask questions; they already knew there was food in the house. The sight of the matriarch eating in silence signalled a temporary truce in the domestic warfare.Robert didn't say a word. He quietly guided Leslie toward the seating area, and then he went to sit in the living room, collapsing into the sofa across from the dining archway, his body aching from the long hours of valet labour. Leslie, driven by the instinct to care for both herself and the child she was carrying, turned away from the
CHAPTER 143
The illusion of choice had been completely stripped away. When even Julius Vane, a man who had eaten at their dinner table, a man who had accepted millions in retainer fees over the decades, had hung up on them without a backward glance, it meant the social quarantine was absolute. They were toxic assets. The entire city knew that Jack Rothwell was holding the axe, and no one was going to risk their own throat to stand beside the Smiths.The master bedroom, once a sanctuary of absolute control, now felt like a cage shrinking around its prisoner. Linda sat down quietly in despair on the edge of her mattress, her hands resting limply in her lap as she thought about the entire situation.The weight of Julius Vane’s final words hung in the air like a physical fog. Every avenue they had mapped out, every aggressive strategy she had desperately clung to over the past twelve hours, had been systematically dismantled by a man who understood the brutal architecture of power in this city fa
CHAPTER 142
The revelation felt like a physical blow, leaving Linda leaning against her vanity table for support. The legal system, the media, and now her own trusted counsel, every single pillar of her reality had collapsed in the span of a single day. The world she knew had locked its gates against her, leaving her outside in the cold."Then what are we supposed to do, Julius?" Linda asked, her voice cracking completely, the last remnants of her pride dissolving into a desperate, hollow plea. She sounded no longer like a queen but like a defeated prisoner asking her executioner for a lighter sentence. "If we cannot sue, if we cannot fight, and if you won't represent us... what do you feel we are supposed to do to survive?" Linda asked himJulius didn't hesitate. He didn't offer a single word of comfort, nor did he attempt to soften the blow with diplomatic legal jargon. He told Linda point-blank, his voice carrying the finality of a judge passing a life sentence."Linda, the best thing for
CHAPTER 141
The silence in the master bedroom grew heavy enough to suffocate, broken only by the rapid, shallow sound of Linda’s own breathing. Her reflection in the vanity mirror looked like a caricature of the woman she used to be… pale and desperate, clutching a smartphone as if it were a lifeline rather than the instrument of her execution."What do you mean by that, Julius?" Linda asked, her voice cracking slightly before she forced it back into a cold, defensive rigidity. "You are our family attorney. You have been for two decades. What do you mean it is an impossible route?"On the other end of the line, the rustle of papers signalled that Julius Vane was already packing up his desk, completely unbothered by the rising panic in his client’s voice. When he spoke, his tone was entirely devoid of professional warmth, replaced by the flat, clinical calculation of a man who no longer saw any financial benefit in being polite."I mean exactly what I said, Linda," Julius replied, his voice ech
CHAPTER 140
"Linda", Julius said, his tone perfectly professional, yet carrying a distinct, weary edge that suggested he was already packing his briefcase for the weekend. "I am assuming you are calling to give me the final feedback regarding the options we outlined this morning. My assistants are waiting to draft the documents or close the file," Julius said.Linda stopped her pacing, standing rigid in front of her vanity mirror. She looked at her reflection, at the deep lines of stress etched around her mouth, and forced her voice into a cold, commanding register."Julius, before we finalise the directional feedback, I need to clear up a tactical variant," Linda stated, her tone mimicking the executive authority she used to possess. "I want you to analyse a different legal avenue. First of all, tell me: how much would it cost us, hypothetically, if we decided to bypass the standard asset nondisclosure claim and instead completely pursue the case by suing Jack for a fundamental breach of the m
CHAPTER 139
Linda was left completely stunned, standing entirely alone in the centre of the fading light. For the first time in her life, her words had not commanded authority; they had commanded an exit. She stared at the empty doorway, her lips parted slightly in absolute disbelief, her mind struggling to process the total insubordination of her eldest daughter. She wondered, with a rising sense of internal panic, what was happening to her reality. Her kingdom was not just losing its wealth; it was losing its obedience.But the final, crushing blow to her dignity did not come from Leslie or Robert.Slowly, Bernard rose from the edge of the velvet sofa where he had sat silently throughout the entire domestic war. He didn't look at his mother. He didn't offer a word of comfort or defence for her strategy. Instead, he simply tucked his scribbled legal pad under his arm, turned toward the exit, and began walking out of the living room.As he crossed the threshold, he began whistling a nonchalant
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