Chapter 4 - Beatrice’s Hubris and the Gathering Storm
Back at the mansion, Beatrice was triumphant. She truly believed she had successfully purged the “peasant girl” from her family tree. She immediately began entertaining high-society matches for Liam, parading wealthy heiresses through the house.
“You see, Liam? Cutting that dead weight loose was the best thing I ever did for you,” Beatrice scoffed over dinner one evening, cutting into her steak. “Within a month, you'll be engaged to Victoria Vance, whose family owns half the commercial real estate in the city.”
Liam, pale and hollow-eyed, barely touched his food. The house felt empty without me. He realized too late how much I had silently managed—from keeping the household finances stable to smoothing over relations with his father's business associates. But his mother’s psychological grip on him was too strong; he remained silent, burying his guilt in endless work.
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Meanwhile, Beatrice’s social standing was built on a fragile house of cards. Unknown to her, the family business—a logistics firm inherited from her late husband—was heavily leveraged. She had been taking out high-interest private loans to fund her lavish lifestyle and high-society galas, entirely ignorant of the shifting economic tides.
And the person holding the largest share of her corporate debt was about to call in the markers.
