Chapter 12 - The Mother-in-Law's Threat
While Marcus was sweating in an interrogation room, his parents were attempting a desperate, arrogant counter-offensive.
The next morning, as I sat in the penthouse suite drinking a cup of chamomile tea, the intercom buzzed. My father’s head of security spoke through the speaker.
"Mr. Vance, Eleanor Sterling is in the hotel lobby. She is demanding to speak with you and Clara. She claims she has a proposition."
My father looked at me, raising an eyebrow. I took a slow sip of my tea and nodded. "Let her up. I want to hear what she has to say."
Five minutes later, the private elevator doors opened, and Eleanor Sterling stormed into the penthouse. She looked exhausted, the dark bags under her eyes poorly concealed by heavy makeup. She clutched a designer handbag like a shield.
"Arthur. Clara," Eleanor said, her voice dripping with venom. "I am going to make this brief."
"Please do," my mother replied coldly, not offering her a seat.
Eleanor pulled a thick, sealed envelope from her bag and tossed it onto the glass coffee table.
"There is a cashier’s check in there for five million dollars," Eleanor stated, lifting her chin haughtily. "And a guarantee that Marcus will resign from the joint venture entirely. All you have to do, Clara, is retract your police statement, claim the audio was a misunderstanding, and drop the charges."
I stared at the envelope, feeling a wave of absolute disgust. She really believed a check could erase the bruises, the fear, and the countless nights I had spent crying on the bathroom floor.
"You think you can buy his freedom, Eleanor?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm.
"I am offering you a way out of a messy, public trial that will ruin both of our families' reputations," Eleanor sneered. "Take the money, Clara. If you don't, we will hire the best defense team in the country to destroy your character on the stand. We will drag your name through the mud."
I stood up slowly, walking over to the coffee table. I didn't touch the envelope. I looked Eleanor dead in the eyes.
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"You can keep your money, Eleanor," I said, my voice sharp as broken glass. "And you can hire whoever you want. But know this: I am not just going to destroy your son. I am going to destroy the entire corrupt empire that raised him. Get out of my suite."
Eleanor glared at me, her face pale with fury. She snatched the envelope off the table and marched back to the elevator, realizing for the first time that she was entirely powerless.
