Denice slumped into the leather chair in Jairo's study.
Her chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm. No tears. Crying was a physical response to pain, and at this moment, she felt none. Instead, she felt a cold, terrifying clarity.
She took out her phone and connected it to the laptop.
She dragged all the chat logs, photos, videos, bank transfer receipts, and the DNA report into her highly encrypted cloud drive. When the progress bar reached one hundred percent, she titled the folder: "Reckoning." Then she unplugged the USB, cleared the system access logs, and shut the laptop.
She took a deep breath, the air burning her lungs, and pressed the call button.
The dial tone echoed in the dead-silent room, each ring a hammer blow solidifying her resolve.
After three rings, a woman's voice answered, elegant and imperious, with a sharp edge of impatience. "Denice? Do you have any idea what time it is?"
It was her mother, Eleanor Montgomery, the true matriarch of the Montgomery family. Since Denice had walked out eight years ago for Jairo, their conversations had been brief and cold.
Denice ignored the reprimand. "It's over between Jairo Slater and me."
A long silence stretched from the other end of the line. Denice could picture her mother perfectly: one perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised, assessing the information.
Finally, Eleanor's voice returned, laced with a faint, unmistakable thread of satisfaction. "A wise decision. Albeit eight years too late."
Denice didn't argue. She cut straight to the point. "A few years ago, you mentioned a business arrangement... a marriage alliance with the Collins family. Is that offer still on the table?"
Another silence, this one weighted with calculation. The Collins family. Kings among New York's new money, their power was immense, enough to elevate the Montgomery's old-money empire to new heights.
"Culver Collins is not an easy man to handle," Eleanor said slowly. "Are you sure you're prepared for that?"
A cold smile touched Denice's lips. "I only need his name and his resources, Mother. As for affection, I no longer have a use for that sort of thing."
That seemed to please Eleanor. To her, emotion was the most useless commodity in the world of business. "Very well," she replied briskly. "I'll make the arrangements. Vincent Hayes, Mr. Collins's executive assistant, will contact you tomorrow morning at ten."
The call ended. Denice lowered the phone, feeling a profound, hollowed-out exhaustion. Her relationship with her family was just another transaction.
She turned back to Jairo's computer, scrolling through Alyssia's social media again.
She noticed a post where Alyssia thanked an "anonymous Ivy League benefactor" for the scholarship that allowed her to finish her degree, accompanied by a photo of her and Jairo on the Yale campus.
A flicker of confusion crossed Denice's mind. She remembered Jairo taking a short course at Yale around the same time. She had even encouraged him to apply for an anonymous grant. A coincidence?
She didn't dwell on it, but a gut feeling told her something was wrong with this woman. She took a screenshot and saved it to a new, encrypted folder on her cloud drive. The folder was titled: "Reckoning."
She stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
She twisted the engagement ring off her finger. The diamond Jairo had given her, once her most treasured possession.
She didn't throw it. She didn't smash it.
She walked to the desk and casually tossed it into the back of a drawer, where it landed with a soft clink among discarded pens and paperclips.
With that done, an unprecedented calm settled over her. She walked into the bedroom. Jairo was still fast asleep in the guest room.
She opened her closet, filled with the muted, conservative clothes she'd bought to suit Jairo's taste for a "low-key" partner.
Her eyes scanned past them, landing on a garment bag tucked away in the very back. It was the only piece of couture she had brought with her when she left home, the last dress she had worn as a Montgomery heir.
She unzipped the bag. A cascade of shimmering, dark blue silk, embroidered with crystals was revealed.
She took out her phone and sent a text to her personal assistant. "Chloe, have all of my clothes and jewelry in storage sent over. Yes, all of it."
Then, she walked into the bathroom and began to remove her makeup.
She turned on the shower, the hot water washing over her skin, as if it could cleanse her of eight years of foolishness and naivety.
She closed her eyes. The faces of Jairo and Alyssia, and the boy named Connor, were seared into her mind.
She would not let them have their happiness. She would make them pay the steepest price for what they had done.
Outside the bathroom door, her phone lit up. A new email notification glowed on the screen.
Subject: Meeting with Mr. Collins. From: Vincent Hayes.
