I had spent my entire youth trying to keep them safe from the fire that took our parents.

Now, the life we had just begun to build was cracking open like thin ice.

“You would destroy the company just to get rid of me?” Nathan asked.

“I am protecting the company,” Eleanor snapped. “I am protecting the legacy from being diluted by a housekeeper and her low-born family.”

The phone stopped buzzing.

The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating.

Then, the screen lit up again.

A text message appeared from Arthur Vance: *Nathan, we need to speak about the morning press release immediately.*

Eleanor looked down at the screen, a thin smile touching her lips.

“You have until tomorrow night to sign the separation agreement,” she said. “My lawyers will deliver it to your office by noon.”

She turned on her heel and walked out of the study.

This time, the heavy front door clicked shut, the sound echoing through the quiet house.

Nathan stood in the center of the room, his eyes fixed on the birth certificate.

His face was completely pale.