Chapter 12 - The Ultimatum
Vanessa arrived at the house an hour later, slamming the front door with a resounding crack. She stormed into Lucas’s office, her ruined silk dress still damp, her face flushed with indignation and entitlement.
"How dare you humiliate me in front of your partners, Lucas!" she screamed, throwing her designer clutch onto the leather sofa. "You treated me like a criminal over a little spilled water! You coddle that child to a pathological degree, and I will not stand for it!"
Lucas sat perfectly still behind his desk, swirling the whiskey in his glass. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
"You grabbed her wrist so hard you left marks, Vanessa," Lucas stated, his eyes locking onto hers with the predatory intensity of a cornered wolf. "You called her a brat. You threw away her mother's blanket. You tried to hire a nanny to remove her from my sight."
Vanessa scoffed, crossing her arms. "Because she is out of control! You let her run this house like a ghost of your dead wife. I am supposed to be your partner, Lucas! I am the one you are marrying. It is time you prioritize me. It is time you put me first!"
"Priority," Lucas murmured, setting the glass down.
"Yes, priority!" Vanessa demanded, stepping closer to the desk. "I am done playing second fiddle to a six-year-old. Either we send her to a boarding school where she can get proper discipline, or I am walking out that door. You can either be a billionaire CEO with a beautiful wife, or a pathetic, lonely widower raising a spoiled brat. Make your choice."
Lucas looked at her. He saw the vanity, the cruelty, the absolute emptiness behind her beautiful features. He thought about Grace’s letter resting against his heart.
"You want me to choose?" Lucas asked, his voice deathly calm.
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"Yes," Vanessa said, a victorious smirk touching her lips, entirely confident that the wealthy, powerful man wouldn't risk the scandal of a canceled wedding.
"Get out of my house," Lucas said.
