Chapter 2: Echoes in the Dark
By midnight, the storm outside matched the tension inside the villa. Elena was resting upstairs, cleared by a private doctor who confirmed the baby was safe, though Elena’s nerves were shot. Marcus sat in his dark study, staring at a stack of financial documents.
A soft knock came at the door. Victoria stepped in, stripped of her fierce red suit, now wearing a simple silk robe. For the first time, she looked her age.
"Marcus, let us be reasonable," she pleaded, sitting across from him. "This villa, the family foundation... it belongs to the Sterling name. You cannot throw your own mother onto the street over an accident."
"It wasn't an accident, Victoria. You’ve hated Elena since the day we met because she doesn't carry a trust fund," Marcus said, not looking up from his paperwork. "You thought if she was gone, I’d come back to the family business under your thumb."
"I did what was necessary for our legacy!" Victoria snapped, her true colors flashing. "She is a leech!"
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"She is the mother of my children," Marcus replied coldly. He slid a single piece of paper across the desk. It was an immediate revocation of her power of attorney and a formal eviction notice. "Sign it, or the police get the security footage from the pool deck."
Victoria stared at the paper, her hands trembling with a toxic mixture of rage and fear.
