2025-01-21 16:35:54The matriarch's eyes widened. Her wrinkled face drew further into an ugly scowl as she rose from her throne-like seat.
She pointed her trembling slender fingers in Emily's face.
"How dare you object to my command? You've become such an insolent and spoiled lady! You are truly not deserving of the family business," the matriarch spat in annoyance and disgust.
Emily's tears fell in large pellets. "Grandmother, I worked hard for this. It was very little when it was handed over to me. You can't take it away," she passionately pleaded. "Please. It's all I have, and I love it so much."
The matriarch's eyes softened slightly as she patted Emily's cheeks.
"My darling, you've always been a good girl from your childhood, and I've always loved you for that," she deadpanned.
"Keep being a good girl now by handing over the company to your brother. Choose the best interest for your family. The family business will do better in Cullen's hands, don't you know?"
Emily wiped her tears away. The old woman's greed and manipulation would never cease to amaze her. Her eyes blazed as she shook her head.
"I will never give up the family business," she gritted out, moving away from her grandmother.
"You are a woman like me, yet you've had more rights and privileges in this family than I've ever had. You're always choosing my brother over me because I'm a lady. Isn't it hypocritical and shameful?"
Her grandmother's face grew hard, and she clenched her palms into an indignant fist.
"You don't know how much shame you would be pulling our family into if you keep handling the company. This isn't just about you being a lady. It's about keeping our family name in the mud along with yourself. Do you know how much your name has been muddied already? Will you let the business also follow you into the shame?"
There were nods of approval from the rest of the family seated at the table.
Emily shook her head in self-pity. "You put my name in the mud, grandmother. Because you're just a cruel, old witch!"
A loud smack echoed in the room as her grandmother's palms connected with her cheeks sharply.
Emily’s cheeks stung from the contact. She turned to her grandmother in disbelief. The woman had never raised her hands on her before. Has it really come to this?
"My decision is final, you silly child. You will hand over the family business to your brother and join the family group to assist him, or you can also consider yourself a bastard because we will sever all ties with you!" Her grandmother stated emphatically, heaving in rage.
Cullen, Emily's brother, walked over to her. He took her by the hand and led her back to her seat, shooting Emily a disapproving look.
"Look what you're doing, Emily. How stubborn can you be? Do you want grandmother to die because you're too selfish to hand over the business to me? If you ever loved this family, you would do what is right for the family. You will give me the family business, not stand here, trying to send grandmother to her grave early!"
"Thank you, Cullen. You've always been a responsible boy. You really deserve the family business, my son," grandmother stated warmly, patting Cullen's cheek fondly.
Cullen smirked, sneaking a mocking glance in Emily's direction. "I just want to see you happy, grandmother. You deserve all the happiness in the world."
A sad, sarcastic smile spread across Emily's cheeks as she watched their theatrics, her heart heavy with sadness.
Her mother watched from the other end of the table as she offered Emily a sympathetic smile.
"Emily, you are a disgrace already. Please save our family business the shame of being headed by you and your crippled husband. Hand it over to Cullen," an uncle who had flown into town for the meeting spoke up, and others concurred.
"Yes. Do something right for once in your life. Just go home and stay with that disgrace of a husband or something." Another uncle interjected. "You did choose him, after all."
From there, snide and mean remarks continued flying around the room, each word striking Emily's weak heart like a dagger.
She caught her brother's eyes as he pacified their grandmother. He gave her a knowing smile and mouthed, "Just leave already!"
Emily knew he had always been jealous of her from their childhood. He never let an opportunity to mock her for being born slip past him. Left to him, he would be the only child of his parents.
The pressure weighed down on her, but she plastered a fake smile on her face, refusing to bow to their desires.
"I don't care what anyone thinks. You'd have to kill me to get the company because you can't make me step down. After all, that's how I was able to grow the business to the heights it is now." She stated pointedly, emphasising every word in her last sentence.
Her uncle slammed his palm on the table in rage, ready to explode, but was suddenly cut short.
Emily wondered why he had gone silent all of a sudden. She was getting ready to hear his mean words.
She found him staring right behind her. Everyone in the room was looking behind her with confounded faces. Her brother's jaw nearly touched the ground.
Curiously, she turned around to see the object of their view. Before she saw who had come in, her heart skipped a beat at the familiar voice that firmly stated:
"I insist that my wife will not be handing over the control of the family business to any one of you! Anyone who dares lay a finger on her would be digging their graves."
It was Sylvester. A mild feeling of exhilaration pumped in her veins at his presence and support, and she felt tears of relief spring up in her eyes.
Her husband was saving her, like the superhero she wanted.
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Cullen paced the darkened alley, his fingers twitching with impatience. The stranger had told him to come alone.That alone should have deterred him. He could be robbed here. Stabbed and killed. No one would ever find his body.Yet, here he was. Bravery fueled by the craving for power and revenge.Was this even healthy? He wasn’t sure. But one thing was certain. He was going to get his revenge. If this fell through the roof, he would look for an alternative.He had done underground deals before.But nothing like this.He had handed envelopes under tables, sent hush money, even done deals where he had to bury transactions and randomize his mail. But what he was seeing? This felt…strange. Truly, he was face to face with the black market.At first, it seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. Just a dark shady alley way.But the eyes of the people passing by…when they met his, had a certain knowing that he knew was not of the world he was used to.A shadow moved at the far end of the al
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Sylvester stared at the dot on his screen, blinking against the coordinates and lines.It was the tracker he had put on the boy, and the boy had already started moving, having finished his end of day sales, perhaps.Now, Sly just needed to find where he lived, so that he could begin paying the boy regular, more constructed visits, not like the cold standoffish conversation they had in the alleyway. He needed to make the boy see that he could fight for a better life, not just for himself, but for whatever was keeping him on the streets.The dot stopped moving.Not completely, just…around a particular point."An abandoned construction site?" he muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes.This couldn’t be the boy’s final destination. It was either he was remitting money to his suppliers, or taking stock for the next day’s sales. Or he was being jumped.There was the excuse that this could have been his home, since he did look like a runaway, but most runaways would have taken shelter in mor
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Cullen slumped over the bar counter, his fingers gripping the sweating glass of whiskey like it was his last tether to reality. And indeed, it was.The dark circles around his bloodshot eyes were only further emphasized by the dim light of the bar that cast at his face from a menacing angle. His tie was loosened, his blazer crumpled in a heap beside him, and the bitter stench of alcohol clung to his clothes. The bartender was used to these kinds of people, so he just gave Cullen space instead of trying to make the usual small talk that he usually did for customers who lingered too long."Emily... Sylvester..." Cullen slurred, his voice barely rising over the soft hum of jazz playing from the speakers. He let out a hollow laugh before taking another swig. "They think they’ve won. Think they can just...just ruin me. Take everything. I built my name from the ground up. As a man! Emily got to that top by whoring herself. And Sylvester? I’ll kill him. I’ll kill them all..."A chuckle c
Chapter 51
Emily sat in her car, staring out of the window as the darkened streets blurred past. The night was quiet, but her mind was anything but that. Her thoughts kept circling back to the dinner, to the way the matriarch had so easily cast Cullen aside. It wasn’t just the rejection itself that disturbed her, but the immense betrayal behind it. Cullen was a prick, and an insolent little brat that deserved to be tossed aside, but he was theirs. For years, he had done no bidding but theirs. He was useless and spoiled, but he was their useless, spoiled Cullen.Her pocket buzzed, pulling her from her reverie. She fished out her communication device and glanced at the name flashing on the screen.“Mother”Of course, she’d call.With a resigned sigh, she accepted the call.“Oh, Emily!” her mother’s joy felt baseless. “You heard what your grandmother said, right? I know you’re still angry, but…you just have to give this proper thought. It’s wonderful news! You’re never going to have to worry abou
