Chapter 7 - The Hostile Takeover of Harrington Luxe
Thursday morning arrived with the clinical, quiet efficiency of St. Jude's Clinic. Graham sat in the waiting room, looking older, his expensive suit wrinkled, his face pale and covered in light stubble. Vivian sat beside him, her hands clutching her designer purse like it was a shield against the reality she had spent her life evading.
I walked in, flanked by Marcus and two security guards. I was carrying Leo in a warm, plush carrier.
"Evelyn," Graham stood up, reaching his hand out toward his son. "Let me hold him. Please."
"Don't touch him, Graham," I said, stepping back. "Marcus, hand him the papers."
Marcus slid the legal clipboard across the table. It was the custody surrender, along with a full, non-negotiable waiver of any financial claims against Vale International.
"Sign it," I said. "And the forensic audit remains locked in my safe."
Vivian glared at me, her eyes filled with venom. "You are a monster, Evelyn. You ruined my son. You took our company, our home, our name!"
"You ruined yourselves, Vivian," I said, looking her dead in the eye. "You spent your life looking down on people you believed were beneath you. You thought money gave you the right to be cruel. But now, you have no money. And you have no power."
Graham looked at the custody papers, his pen hovering over the signature line. He looked at the baby, then at me. In his eyes, I saw the final, pathetic realization that his greed had cost him everything that actually mattered.
With a shaking hand, he signed his name.
May you like
"It's done," Graham whispered, dropping the pen.
"Good," I said, taking the clipboard from Marcus. "Now, let's talk about your mother's outstanding debts."
