na's

rophies and old photos line the walls-a testament to th

Sr. finally explodes, pacing the room like a caged lion. "You e

hough the room is cold. "I told you she was a bad omen, a viper we w

ry wash over me. I am no longer the scare

ting from anger to strained reason. "Alaina, you must be p

anctity of marriage. It's for the family's

d. You step aside, take a generous settlement, and remain... a friend of the f

ief. "You want me to accept the title of my hu

You've given this family nothing. No children. No real allian

my miscarriages-they knew. And now they were using it as a weapon against me

startles them. "You think this i

the room. "This is about my life. A life you an

pawn. I will not be the 'friend of the family' you trot ou

s family? I gave your son my loyalty. I nursed him back from the brink of

white. It's a truth she never

ng with finality. "There is no 'arrangement.' There

ack, every cent. I want the properties and assets that were s

ubstantial, a merger of my family's smaller, but leg

y' bullshit. You will publicly acknowledge the dissoluti

"Impossible! You want t

st," I retort calmly. "I'm jus

il!" Mr. Penning

ivorce, Pennington style. You taught me everything

ess tactics against them,

king? Kings don't ask for permission. They take.

ng me for the first time, not as a docile d

sy, public divorce battle detailing Brown's affair and the family's

am no longer the one being dictated