Chapter 11 - The End of Protection
|
He desperately shifted his tactics yet again.
“My mother just got too involved,” Adrian pleaded. “She is under an immense amount of pressure right now. My father’s loans have been incredibly difficult to manage. I made terrible mistakes, but I was only trying to protect everyone.”
“You were not protecting everyone, Adrian. You were feeding them.”
“I love you, Isla.”
“No,” I stated, entirely unaffected by the words. “You love the comfortable, prestigious life that my hard work allowed you to perform in front of your friends.”
His voice finally broke into a sob. “Please, Isla. Don't destroy my family.”
I looked down at the massive stack of hard evidence covering the conference table and felt something deep inside me finally settle into absolute peace.
“I am not destroying your family, Adrian,” I said quietly. “I am simply removing the protection that allowed your family to destroy me.”
I hung up the phone.
Later that evening, Genevieve called me.
The polished, aristocratic elegance had completely left her voice. What remained was pure rage, thin, sharp, and desperate.
“You ungrateful little climber,” Genevieve hissed through the phone. “After everything we allowed you to become in this city.”
I almost smiled. “Genevieve, I built my company from the ground up before I even knew your son existed.”
“You married into a family with significant history,” she countered arrogantly.
“Yes. Unfortunately, the vast majority of that history appears to be massive financial fraud.”
She inhaled sharply, the sound a hiss of fury.
“You think you’re so very clever,” she snarled.
“No,” I replied. “I think I was incredibly patient.”
“If you dare to make this public, you will deeply regret it.”
May you like
“Genevieve, empty threats only work best before the federal documents are actually filed.”
For the very first time since I had met her, she had no immediate, cutting answer. I ended the call.
