The black Maybach didn't even slow down. It smashed straight through the wrought-iron gates of the Doyle estate. The tires screamed against the pavement as the car drifted to a halt in front of the main house.
Cassius kicked the door open. He marched up the marble steps, radiating pure, murderous intent.
Mr. Watts stepped forward to intercept him. Cassius shoved the butler aside so hard the man crashed into a stone pillar.
Cassius slammed both hands against the heavy double doors of the living room, throwing them open.
Matilda sat on a velvet sofa, calmly sipping her afternoon tea. She didn't flinch at the noise. She slowly placed her bone china teacup onto the saucer and looked up.
Cassius crossed the room in three strides. He slammed the crumpled marriage certificate onto the table right in front of her.
He leaned over, his face inches from hers. "Do not test me, Matilda," he hissed through his teeth.
Matilda chuckled. She picked up a silk napkin and dabbed her mouth. "You are making a fool of this family over a club waitress. The board is furious. You need a respectable wife to stabilize the stock."
"You want a puppet," Cassius sneered. "You want a spy in my bed so you can steal the company for your own son."
Matilda's eyes hardened, but her face remained smooth. "The ink is dry, Cassius. You will accept Ayleen."
Cassius stood up. He buttoned his suit jacket. "I will dump every share I own onto the open market tomorrow. I will burn this company to the ground before I let you control me."
Matilda's fingers stopped playing with her prayer beads. She stood up, walked to the wall safe, and punched in a code.
She pulled out a faded velvet box and opened it.
Inside lay a sapphire pendant. It was his dead mother's most treasured possession. The one thing Cassius had been hunting for ten years.
"If you break this marriage," Matilda said coldly, "I will smash this into dust right in front of your eyes."
Cassius's fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white. A violent, bloodthirsty urge surged in his chest. He wanted to wrap his hands around her throat.
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
Cassius closed his eyes. He forced the rage down into his gut.
When he opened his eyes, they were dead. "Three months. A trial period."
He stepped closer. "If she asks for a divorce within three months, the trust clause is void, and you hand over the necklace."
Matilda calculated quickly. Ayleen's father's life was in her hands. The girl would never dare ask for a divorce.
"Deal," Matilda smiled.
Cassius didn't waste another second. He turned and walked toward the door.
He stopped at the threshold, looking over his shoulder. "I am going to make that woman's life a living hell."
He walked out.
An hour later, Ayleen stood outside the same iron gates. She was soaking wet, dragging a broken suitcase behind her.
Mr. Allen, the house manager, walked out with an umbrella. He opened the side gate. "Follow me, Miss."
Ayleen walked through the massive gardens. The sheer size of the gothic mansion suffocated her.
She was led into the cavernous living room. Mr. Allen told her to wait for the master of the house.
Ayleen gripped the handle of her suitcase. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She felt like a prisoner waiting for the executioner.
Suddenly, tires screeched outside. The front doors were shoved open violently.
Ayleen turned her head.
A towering, broad-shouldered man walked into the room. The air temperature plummeted instantly.
