Chapter 316
Chapter 316:
Beatrice didn’t scream. She simply lifted her delicate porcelain teacup—Meissen, eighteenth century—and hurled it at the wall.
Shatter.
Blue-and-white shards rained down on the Persian rug.
“Get him on the phone!” she shrieked at the butler, her composure splintering along with the china. “Get that ungrateful, idiotic boy on the phone now p>
Liam ignored the buzz of his cellphone. He sat at the head of the boardroom table, staring down twenty nervous directors. The air in the room was toxic.
“The stock is in freefall,” one director murmured, wiping sweat from his brow. “The public isn’t buying the ‘victim’ narrative, Liam. They saw the video of you defending her against Skye. They know p>
“It is a strategic realignment,” Liam lied, his voice calm but brittle. “The confession Seraphina signed this morning will shift the blame. We just need to weather the news cycle p>
“Weather it?” another director snapped. “Oracle Holdings has triggered the default clause on our debt. They’re calling in the loans, Liam! We don’t have the liquidity to pay them back because you spent it all trying to buy the media p>
The door to the boardroom burst open.
The room went silent.
Beatrice Kensington marched in. She was eighty years old, leaning on a cane, but she moved with the force of a hurricane. She didn’t look at the directors. She walked straight up to Liam.
Slap.
The sound echoed off the glass walls. Liam’s head snapped to the side. A red mark bloomed instantly on his cheek.
“You fool,” Beatrice hissed, her voice trembling with rage. “You absolute fool. You let that gutter rat destroy a legacy that took three generations to build p>
Liam slowly turned his head back. He touched his cheek, his expression unreadable. He didn’t look angry. He looked… tired.
“Good morning, Grandmother,” he said.
ո𝗈 m𝘪ѕs𝗶ո𝘨 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝘱𝘁𝖾𝘳𝘀 𝗼𝗇 b𝖾.co𝗆
“Don’t you ‘good morning’ me!” Beatrice yelled, poking him in the chest with a manicured finger. “Skye Sterling was the only thing holding this family’s reputation together! She brought legitimacy. She brought the Sterling assets. And you threw her away for a con artist p>
“Skye is trying to bankrupt us,” Liam said quietly. “She’s the enemy now p>
“She is the punishment!” Beatrice spat. “You deserve this. But I will not let you drag the name down with you.” She turned to the board. “I am calling for a vote of no confidence, effective immediately p>
The directors looked at one another. They looked at Liam, then at Beatrice.
“You can’t do that,” Liam said, standing. “I control the voting shares p>
“Not anymore,” Beatrice said, a cruel smile touching her lips. “I activated the morality clause in your grandfather’s trust. Your involvement in a criminal investigation—thanks to your fiancée—suspends your voting rights. I am taking over as interim chair p>
Liam felt the floor drop out from under him. “Grandmother… you can’t p>
“Sit down, boy,” she commanded. “Or get out p>
Liam sank back into his chair, defeated by the very dynasty he had tried so hard to rule.
Meanwhile, at City General Hospital, the only sound was the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor.
Beep… Beep… Beep.