Chapter 7 - The Confrontation
Ten minutes later, the double mahogany doors of the penthouse executive suite opened.
Brendan stumbled in. His tailored suit was crumpled from sleeping in a cheap motel, his tie was loose, and dark circles shadowed his red eyes. He looked around the breathtaking office—overlooking the entire city skyline—in sheer, dumbfounded awe.
Then his eyes fell on Cassidy.
She sat behind a massive glass desk, looking every bit the multi-billionaire chairwoman she was. Her hair was impeccably styled, her expression cool and commanding.
“Cassidy...” Brendan’s voice broke. He rushed forward, but two giant security guards immediately stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Stay where you are, Mr. Vance,” Arthur warned from the corner.
Brendan dropped to his knees right there on the Persian carpet. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
“Cassidy, please!” Brendan sobbed, pressing his hands together. “I was wrong! I was an idiot! I was influenced by my mother and Jessica! They manipulated me!”
Cassidy leaned back in her chair, watching him with an eerie, quiet pity. “Manipulated you, Brendan? Did Jessica force you to laugh when your mother dumped freezing water over my pregnant body?”
Brendan flinched as if struck. “I... I was stupid! I was arrogant! I thought... I don't know what I thought! But I love you, Cassidy! We’re having a baby together! Think of our daughter!”
“Do NOT bring my daughter into your mouth,” Cassidy’s voice dropped to an icy tenor that made Brendan shiver. “When I was nauseous with morning sickness, you told me to stop dramatic whining and go prepare dinner for your friends. When I needed to go to the doctor, you refused to give me the car keys because you said I was too clumsy to drive your Audi.”
“I’ll change!” Brendan wept, crawling forward an inch before security shifted menacingly. “I’ll do anything! I’ll be a stay-at-home dad! I’ll clean the house! Just give me another chance!”
“You had three years of chances, Brendan,” Cassidy said calmly. “And every single day, you chose to treat kindness as weakness.”
She gestured to Arthur, who handed Brendan a single sheet of paper.
“What is this?” Brendan asked, trembling.
“That is your formal surrender of parental rights,” Cassidy declared. “In exchange for signing it, Vanguard Legacy Holdings will not press criminal charges against you for the $1.2 million you embezzled for your personal luxury purchases. You will walk away a free man. If you refuse, you will be in federal custody by noon.”
May you like
Brendan looked at the paper, then up at Cassidy’s unyielding eyes. He realized then, with absolute certainty, that the quiet, submissive girl he had married was gone forever—if she had ever truly existed at all.
With a shaking hand, Brendan took the pen Arthur offered and signed his name on the line.
