Haleigh Delaney pushed open the double doors of the CEO's office. She wore an absurdly expensive, tight-fitting couture suit and six-inch heels.
She carried a cup of black coffee, swaying her hips as she walked up to Cassius's massive desk.
"Sir," she purred, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.
Cassius was staring at a merger acquisition file on his monitor. He didn't look up. His brow twitched in annoyance.
Haleigh leaned over the desk to place the cup down, deliberately pushing her cleavage into his line of sight.
A wave of cheap, synthetic vanilla perfume hit Cassius's nose.
Bile rose in his throat. He kicked off the floor, rolling his chair back violently.
"Get that cheap trash out of my office," Cassius snarled, his eyes dark with disgust. "Get out."
Haleigh's face drained of color. She bit her lip, forcing tears into her eyes. Her hand flew to her neck, directly touching the silver rose necklace.
"I'm sorry," she whimpered, her voice trembling. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me that night."
Cassius saw the necklace. He forced the nausea down. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Leave the coffee. Get out."
Haleigh turned around. The second the office door clicked shut, her fake tears vanished, replaced by a triumphant smirk.
She walked into the executive restroom, pulled out her phone, and dialed Ayleen.
Ayleen was sitting on the floor of her empty apartment, packing her clothes into a cheap suitcase. She answered the phone.
"Looking for this?" Haleigh's mocking laughter echoed through the speaker.
"Where is my necklace, Haleigh?" Ayleen demanded, her knuckles turning white around the phone.
"It's mine now," Haleigh sneered. "Just like the Doyle empire will be mine. I'm going to be the lady of the house."
Ayleen's body trembled violently with sheer rage, but not a single word could escape her throat. Call the police? Who would even listen to her? She couldn't even protect her own basic freedom right now, let alone fight back to retrieve her mother's only relic. A profound, suffocating sense of powerlessness dug its claws deep into her chest.
Haleigh hung up.
Ayleen threw her phone against the mattress. She had lost her family, her freedom, and now her only memory of her mother.
Back in the CEO's office, Adrian knocked and entered. His face was grim. He held a red-stamped document from the legal department.
"Sir. We have a massive problem," Adrian said, his voice tight. He handed the file over with both hands.
Cassius snatched it. He flipped to the first page.
His eyes locked onto the "Spouse" line.
Ayleen Avery.
Stamped right next to it was the Doyle Family Trust's absolute seal of authority.
Cassius shot out of his chair. The heavy leather seat flew backward and smashed into the floor-to-ceiling window with a deafening crack.
He grabbed Adrian by the collar, lifting the man onto his toes. His eyes were bloodshot with pure, unadulterated rage.
"Who did this?" Cassius roared. "Who the hell authorized a marriage certificate?"
Adrian swallowed hard. "Madam Matilda, sir. She used the emergency mandate left by your grandfather. It's legally binding."
Cassius threw the document onto the floor. His chest heaved. He let out a dark, terrifying laugh that chilled the room.
He kicked the glass coffee table. It shattered instantly. Hot coffee soaked into the Persian rug.
Cassius pulled out his phone and dialed his private lawyer. "Draft divorce papers. Now. I don't care what it costs."
The lawyer's voice trembled through the speaker. "Sir, the trust stipulates that if you initiate a divorce, you forfeit thirty percent of your controlling shares."
Cassius's jaw locked. He hurled his phone at the wall. The device exploded into pieces.
He planted both hands on his desk. The veins in his arms bulged against his skin. He wanted to tear this Ayleen Avery apart with his bare hands.
He stood up straight and violently adjusted his cuffs.
"Get the car," Cassius ordered, his voice dropping to a lethal calm. "I'm going to the estate. I'm going to kill that old witch."
Adrian scrambled out of the room. The storm had broken.
