Chapter 8 - The Ultimate BetrayalA heavy, suffocating silence fell over the ballroom. Guests held their breath, waiting to see how the billionaire would react to his mother publicly humiliating his bride-to-be.
Ethan stepped forward, his eyes blazing with a terrifying, absolute fury.
"Mother," Ethan spoke, his voice dangerously low, carrying a lethal edge that made even Elizabeth step back a half-step. "You have crossed every line of decency. You brought reporters into my home to ambush the woman I love."
"I am saving you from a colossal mistake!" Elizabeth shouted, losing control. She turned to the crowd. "Look at her! She has no pedigree! No wealth! No class! She is a servant, nothing more!"
Before Ethan could explode, Richard Blackwell pushed his way through the crowd from the back of the room. He looked older, tired, but entirely resolved.
"Enough, Elizabeth," Richard said loudly, stepping up beside his son and Lily.
Elizabeth stared at her husband in disbelief. "Richard? Are you siding with this nobody against your own wife?"
"I am siding with truth and decency for the first time in thirty years," Richard declared, looking directly at the crowd of reporters and elites. "And as the primary stakeholder of Blackwell Development Group and co-owner of this estate, I have an announcement to make."
Flashbulbs popped frantically as reporters shoved microphones forward.
"Effective immediately," Richard continued, his voice ringing clear through the ballroom, "Elizabeth Blackwell is formally stripped of all executive voting rights within the Blackwell family trust. Furthermore, her residency at Briar Glen is permanently revoked."
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Gasps erupted across the room. Elizabeth stumbled backward, her face draining completely of color. "You... you can't do that! I am a Blackwell!"
"You were a Blackwell," Ethan corrected coldly, stepping forward to wrap a protective, possessive arm around Lily's waist. "Now, you are just an uninvited guest making a scene in my home."
