"Wait outside."
Kade’s attempt to excuse the growing noise died on his lips as Bronson’s commanding tone cut through the air.
The room emptied in moments, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.
“Is it really so unbearable to have a meal with me?” Bronson asked, his voice low and edged with frustration as he pinned Estelle against the glass, his grip unyielding.
“If you’re looking for a drinking partner, you’ve come to the wrong place,” Estelle shot back, her chin lifted defiantly, her composure unshaken despite the intensity of his gaze.
“I don’t need a drinking partner,” Bronson murmured, his tone laced with a dark undercurrent. “But I’m upset, and I need you to make me feel better.”
Before she could reply, he pulled her down onto his lap, his hold unrelenting.
Estelle struggled, her movements fierce, but Bronson released her without warning, leaning back with a look of amusement as she scrambled to her feet, poised to flee.
Calmly, he pulled out his phone and dialed.
“Director Parish,” he said, his voice taking on a chilling calmness, “the patient I asked you to look after, stop their medication for now.”
The words hung in the air, their weight undeniable.
Bronson ended the call, his smirk deepening as he leaned back leisurely, raising an eyebrow at Estelle, who froze in place.
Estelle’s face drained of color, her eyes widening with disbelief as they locked onto him.
“You never spent a single cent on my mother’s medication. What right do you have to stop it?” her voice trembled with restrained fury.
“Because my last name is Bradwell,” he replied with a smirk that carried an edge of menace. “And if I so choose, not a single doctor in this hospital or this city would dare treat your mother. Evergreen Valley would become a dead end for her care. Of course, you could take her elsewhere, but from what I hear, moving her in her condition is nearly impossible.”
His words cut deeper than any blade, but he wasn’t finished. “Estelle, I had hoped for something mutual. But if you insist on resisting, I can just take what I want.”
Her glare bore into him like a dagger, but each step she took toward him felt like walking through quicksand.
She closed her eyes, her knees hitting the floor with a weight that crushed her spirit.
When it was over, Estelle coughed violently, the metallic taste of blood stinging her throat. The fire in her chest burned, but her heart had gone cold.
She couldn’t resist him, couldn’t escape, couldn’t even die. She was no more than a hollow vessel, shackled to Bronson’s whims.
Estelle left for work despite her fever.
She had been caught in the web of a harassment case for weeks. The defendant was powerful and untouchable, a man whose wealth and influence allowed him to wipe away every trace of his wrongdoings. The case couldn’t be filed, leaving Estelle to navigate through the murky waters of litigation. The first trial had been a crushing defeat, and everyone had lost hope. But Estelle, undeterred, had taken on the case for free.
The victim, a young girl still in school and abandoned by her parents, had come to see Estelle as a beacon of hope, a savior in her dark world. Today, Estelle could have taken a break, but her determination to finish the case quickly had overridden her fatigue. The girl had exams looming, and Estelle didn’t want to drag the ordeal out any longer than necessary.
After her mother’s death, the only thing that kept Estelle alive was the pursuit of justice for her clients. It was her escape from the suffocating shadow Bronson cast over her life.
She had thought about ending it all, but Bronson had dug up her mother’s grave, the act cruel and heartless. He’d taken her mother’s ashes as a twisted reminder of his control.
“Bronson! Are you even human?!” Estelle had screamed, her voice breaking under the weight of her grief. But he had held her tight, his grip unyielding, preventing her from collapsing into herself.
“Marry me, or face the consequences,” Bronson had demanded, his words cold and final.
At first, Estelle had refused, her resolve fierce. She had gathered enough evidence to bring him down, to sue him for everything he had done.
The case had gone smoother than she had expected, with Bronson reluctantly returning the ashes after the matter was settled. But when Estelle checked, she realized that only half of her mother’s remains had been returned.
For over twenty years, Estelle had lived her life believing in black and white, trusting that the law would punish the guilty. That was until she met Bronson.
Powerless against him, Estelle had no choice but to submit and marry him.
Just as she sat down at her desk, lost in thought, the receptionist’s voice interrupted her. Someone was looking for her.
Thinking it was a client, Estelle stepped out only to find Soleil Ruslan waiting for her. Soleil, the woman who had left her lingerie at Bronson’s house just the day before, Bronson’s childhood friend, the one who clearly had no intention of staying in the background.
Soleil’s gaze was sharp, her eyes sweeping over Estelle with an air of distaste as if she were studying something unworthy of her attention. Without saying a word, Soleil settled into the guest area, the silence between them heavy and thick with unspoken words.
