Chapter 8 - The Price of Treason
"Sir, if you just let me explain—" Daniel tried again, desperate to regain control.
"I said, silence," Charles repeated softly.
He gestured to the lead security officer beside him.
"Call Dr. Vance. Have the private pediatric surgical team waiting at the west wing clinic immediately. Clear the roads."
"Right away, Mr. Whitmore," the officer replied, stepping aside to make the call.
Charles turned his full attention to Celeste Arden.
Celeste, who had spent her entire life hiding behind her family’s prestige, suddenly looked small.
She smoothed the front of her ruined silver gown, trying to project composure.
"Charles... surely you aren't listening to this," Celeste said, forcing a nervous smile. "The child spilled juice on a seventy-thousand-dollar custom piece. It was an instinctive reaction—"
"You struck a five-year-old child," Charles said flatly. "And you, Daniel... you shoved my daughter to the floor to shield the woman who did it."
"She ruined the Arden contract presentation!" Daniel blurted out, a desperate edge taking over his voice. "We were minutes away from signing the merger! Nora ruined everything with her incompetence!"
Nora slowly stood up, cradling Lucy firmly against her chest.
She looked at her husband—the man she had given six years of her life to, the man whose career her father had quietly funded behind the scenes.
"The contract," Nora said, her voice shaking with quiet, devastating realization. "That’s why you were with her tonight. Not for the company. For yourself."
Daniel turned on her, his eyes flashing with bitter resentment.
"You never cared about my position, Nora! You wanted to stay hidden in your quiet little world while I did the heavy lifting! Celeste understands what it takes to build an empire!"
May you like
"An empire built on my capital," Charles interjected smoothly.
Daniel froze.
