Chapter 4 - The Fall of the Harts
By the time Sophia returned the next morning, the grand mansion was silent. Wren was safe, sleeping soundly at a private clinic under 24-hour guard.
Sophia walked through the front doors, no longer the timid woman who shrank under Celeste’s glares. She wore a tailored suit, her posture regal, the bruise on her cheek a badge of survival rather than shame.
Celeste Hart was sitting on a lone suitcase in the foyer, her expensive makeup ruined by tears of rage. Grant sat beside her, out on bail but stripped of his passport, his tuxedo crumpled and dirty.
"You witch," Celeste hissed, her voice trembling. "You ruined us! The board has stripped Grant of his partnership! The Langfords have blacklisted our family! We are ruined!"
Sophia stopped in front of them, looking down at her mother-in-law. "You told me the guests come first, Celeste. You told me I lived under your roof. How does it feel to know that every luxury you’ve enjoyed for the last six years was paid for by the woman you treated like dirt?"
Grant stood up, trying to use his height to intimidate her one last time. "Sophia, please. We can talk about this. I lost my temper. We're a family!"
"We were never a family, Grant," Sophia said softly. "You loved a trophy you thought you could control. When I refused to let my daughter die for your vanity, you showed me exactly who you are."
Two security guards stepped forward, placing their hands on their holsters.
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"Take your suitcases and leave," Sophia commanded. "If either of you ever steps foot within a mile of me or Wren again, I will use the full weight of the Vance fortune to ensure you spend the rest of your lives in a prison cell."
With nowhere left to turn and their reputation entirely shattered, Grant and Celeste dragged their suitcases down the long, winding driveway in the pouring rain.
