I realized then—they had been plotting this from the start, setting the stage for today’s victory.
Selena hadn’t just ended our marriage—she’d helped Lucas strip me of every asset.
To crush any thought of me pursuing her, she threw the divorce papers in my face. “Look closely. You signed it yourself. No forgery.”
I almost laughed. If she’d truly wanted a divorce, she could’ve said so outright.
I’m no dog—why such shameless theatrics?
I tossed the papers into the trash.
“Selena, you chose this road. Don’t cry and say you regret it later.”
She sneered. “Regret? The one crying will be you.”
Lucas stood, sweeping his gaze over the room, forcing each person to pick a side.
“Since you refuse to leave, I’ll make you face reality. Let’s see who they support—you or me.”
His voice dropped to an icy, inhuman tone.
“Everyone, now’s the time to declare your stance. Those supporting Theo—raise your hands.”
Silence. Eyes darted around the table.
“I advise you to think carefully,” he continued. “Whatever Theo was before, the power is now mine.”
The warning was clear. A shareholder who almost raised his hand froze midway.
I saw why—Selena held a stack of photographs, each showing a family member of the people in this room.
Choosing me meant endangering their loved ones.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Langston,” one said quietly. “We have no choice. Please understand.”
I did. And because I understood, I felt no anger.
“You’re wise,” Lucas said. “From now on, Theo, you have no place in the Langston family. So—will you walk out, or shall I have you carried out?”
I scoffed. This place was my kingdom, built piece by piece with my life.
Why would I walk away and hand it over?
I pulled out a chair, lit a cigarette.
“What if I don’t leave? What then?”
A lackey slammed the table and stood.
“Who do you think you are? That thunderbolt who once commanded storms? Your time’s over. What will I do? I’ll have your own men break your legs and toss you out.”
His words carried Lucas’s full approval—the smirk on his face said so.
Several men rushed into the room—faces I knew well. My own handpicked confidants.
He’d bribed them to turn on me, to finish me without spilling blood.
“So, you’ve learned betrayal too?”
“Yes. Men die for wealth, birds for grain. You taught me that, sir.”
I laughed, bitter. “Never thought the soldiers I trained, the women I cherished, would become the blades to stab me.”
Lucas drummed his fingers on the table, smiling.
With my trusted men turned, the room’s fear dissolved.
“Theo, we’ve had enough of you,” someone jeered. “You always acted like an emperor, lording over us.”
