Chapter 15 - Claudia’s Last Stand
The rain was drumming a relentless tattoo against the windows of my penthouse when the intercom buzzed again. This time, it wasn't David, but the front desk security team.
"Madam Chairwoman, apologies for the interruption," the head guard said, his voice tight with controlled irritation. "There is a woman in the lobby demanding to see you. She refuses to leave. She’s causing a disturbance."
"Name?" I asked, sipping my herbal tea.
"Claudia Prescott. She claims she’s family."
A cold, humorless smile touched my lips. Family. The word had a bitter taste when used by people who measured human worth by imported marble and silver domes.
"Let her up," I instructed. "Bring her straight to the private suite."
Ten minutes later, the double doors of my penthouse opened. Claudia Prescott strode in, wrapped in a damp, faux-mink coat that had clearly seen better days. Her hair was windswept, her face hardened into a mask of bitter, unrepentant fury. She looked around the multi-million-dollar estate with a mixture of raw envy and bitter disbelief.
"Elowen," Claudia spat out, her voice sharp as broken glass. "I always knew you were a scheming little parasite, but to orchestrate a corporate coup against your own husband... have you no shame?"
I didn't stand up from my velvet armchair. I simply turned my head, looking at her with absolute, chilling indifference.
"My name is Madam Chairwoman to you, Claudia," I said quietly, the words dropping like lead weights into the room. "And as for your son, he wasn't my husband when I legally dissolved the union this morning. He was an underperforming asset that I chose to liquidate."
May you like
Claudia stepped forward, her eyes blazing with blind rage. "You ruined him! You took his company, his home, his dignity! We raised him to be a leader, and you dragged him into the gutter!"
"No, Claudia," I corrected, standing up slowly and letting the height of my presence command the room. "I didn't drag him into the gutter. I simply stopped carrying him on my back."
