Chapter 8 - The Confrontation at the Gates|
Matthew stood up slowly, his face hardening back into a wall of solid ice. "Tell security to throw them out."
"Wait, Matthew," Mia said, holding his sleeve. "Let me speak to them."
Matthew frowned down at her. "Mia, you are on bed rest. You don't need to face those people."
"I want to, Matthew," Mia insisted, standing up from the armchair, her posture straight and regal trotz her seven-month pregnancy. "I spent five months hiding in the shadows, pretending to be a servant, terrified of every shadow. I'm not running anymore."
Matthew stared at her for three long seconds, a subtle, proud smile touching the corner of his lips. "All right. But we do it here."
Ten minutes later, the private elevator doors opened into the penthouse foyer.
Richard Kensington and Chloe were escorted into the grand living room by two broad-shouldered Castille guards.
Richard looked twenty years older—his expensive suit crumpled, his face pale and covered in sweat.
Chloe stood behind him, stripped of her pride, wearing a simple cotton dress, her eyes red, her hands trembling violently.
When Chloe saw Mia standing near the fireplace, dressed in an elegant silk robe, holding Matthew’s hand, she swallowed hard, her jaw quivering with embarrassment and fear.
"Matthew... Mrs. Castille..." Richard pleaded instantly, dropping to his knees on the marble floorboards, bowing his head in total humiliation. "Please! Have mercy on us! My daughter made a horrific mistake, but destroying our entire family is too cruel!"
Matthew didn't say a word. He stood beside Mia, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist, looking down at the kneeling billionaire with cold indifference.
Mia took a step forward, looking at Chloe.
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"You hit me, Chloe," Mia said softly, her voice echoing clearly in the vast room. "Not because I spilled champagne, but because you thought I was powerless. You thought because I wore a server's apron, I had no rights, no dignity, and no one to protect me."
Chloe began to weep, dropping to her knees beside her father. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Mia! Please... tell your husband to stop the bankruptcy! We have nothing left!"
