Chapter 4 - THE WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHINGThe sun had barely crested the horizon when Matthew’s silver utility truck pulled up to the grand iron gates of the Belmont estate.

The sprawling colonial mansion sat on five acres of prime Savannah real estate, its white pillars gleaming in the morning light like a monument to old money and fading glory.

Rebecca sat in the passenger seat, her hands trembling slightly in her lap. The shock of yesterday’s revelation at the Mercer fortress still hummed in her veins. The man beside her—her husband—wasn’t a destitute laborer. He was the economic titan who controlled the very shipping lanes her father had spent a lifetime building.

“Are you sure about this?” Rebecca asked, glancing sideways at him.

Matthew killed the engine, turning to face her with a calm, steady gaze. “Your mother called an emergency board meeting for ten o’clock this morning. She intends to vote you out as primary heir, declare the company bankrupt, and sell the remaining assets to Samuel Whitmore for pennies on the dollar.”

Rebecca’s jaw tightened. “She wouldn’t dare. That company was my father’s life.”

“She already has,” Matthew replied smoothly, pulling a leather-bound folder from the dashboard. “Here is the proof. Every signature, every offshore transfer, every bribe paid to the board members. We are going to walk through those front doors together, and you are going to show your mother what a real businesswoman looks like.”

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Rebecca took a deep breath, the last remnants of her hesitation burning away, replaced by a cold, hardened resolve.

“Let’s go see mother,” she said.