« Good! Then get on the flight! »
« I ran into Evelyn, » I continued smoothly. « And Leo. And Julian. »
The line went dead silent. The noise of the airport terminal seemed to vanish completely.
« I don’t know what you think you saw, Marcus, » my mother said, her tone shifting into a cold, defensive command. « That girl chose to walk away years ago. Whatever she is telling you— »
« I’m looking at my signature on a forged custody waiver, Mother, » I interrupted. « And I’m looking at two five-year-old boys who carry my father’s face. »
« She was a distraction! » Eleanor snapped, her aristocratic composure completely shattering into arrogance. « She was a common coordinator with no background! She would have ruined the brand, ruined your standing, and drained our estate! I did what was necessary to protect the legacy of this family! Their mother needs to know her place! »
Evelyn flinched at those words, but I reached out and gently took her cold hand in mine.
« You’re right, Mother, » I said, my voice ice-cold and unyielding. « She does need to know her place. Her place is with me, running this family. »
« Marcus, don’t you dare— »
« I just canceled the New York acquisition, » I said. « And as the majority owner and Chief Executive of Vance Hotel Group, I am invoking the morality clause in our corporate charter. As of five minutes ago, your board seat is revoked, your trustee allowance is frozen, and our legal team is filing formal charges for document forgery and fraud against the estate. »
« You can’t do this to your own mother! » Eleanor shrieked.
« Watch me, » I said, and ended the call.
I slid my phone back into my pocket, lowered my laptop, and knelt beside the two small boys who were now awake, rubbing their eyes and looking up at me with dark, familiar eyes.
Leo reached out, his tiny hand brushing against my sleeve, touching the gold cufflink that had once belonged to his grandfather.
« Are you the man from Mommy’s picture? » he asked softly.
I looked up at Evelyn, whose face was illuminated by a quiet, unburdened hope for the first time in six years.
« Yes, buddy, » I whispered, pulling both of my sons into my arms. « I’m your dad. And we’re all going home. »
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