Chapter 121
Chapter 121:
“Hilliard! How dare you defend that woman over your own fiancée?” She spoke to him as though he were a wayward child. “She has bewitched you. She is violent. She is unstable p>
“I am defending the truth,” Hilliard said evenly. He walked to the water pitcher and poured himself a glass, his hand entirely steady. “The police report supports Cailin. Witnesses saw the car accelerate p>
“Police?” Jeraldine’s hand flew to her pearl necklace. “You allowed the police to investigate us? The scandal, Hilliard — the press p>
“I suppressed it,” he said, taking a measured sip. “I compensated the witnesses and buried the report. Not for Charla’s sake. For the company’s stock price p>
He turned back to Charla, his gaze unwavering. “But I have seen the footage. If you ever use a vehicle as a weapon again, I will not bury it. I will deliver the evidence to the District Attorney myself p>
S𝘁𝗈𝗿iеs 𝘺𝗈u 𝗐𝗼𝘯’𝘵 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘥𝗼𝗐𝗻 𝘰𝗇
Charla shrank back against the pillows. Real fear moved behind her eyes this time — not the performed kind. She had never seen him like this. He wasn’t simply angry. He was detached, and detachment was far more dangerous.
“If she has a child, Hilliard,” Jeraldine stepped between them, physically blocking his line of sight to Charla, “that child is a threat to the family trust. If there is an heir walking around with Holloway blood, we need to know. We need to secure the assets p>
Hilliard looked at his mother. He saw the greed behind her eyes, the obsession with lineage that displaced every other human consideration. He thought of Elia — the little girl with the green eyes and the fierce spirit. He thought of the small sneaker he had found on the restaurant floor.
“There is no child,” Hilliard said.
Jeraldine seized his arm. Her grip was surprisingly strong. “If you won’t deal with her, I will. I will not allow a ghost from the past to destroy this family’s future p>
Hilliard looked down at her hand on his sleeve. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t pull away sharply. He simply removed her hand, peeling her fingers back one by one with quiet deliberateness.
“Touch her,” he said softly, “and you answer to me. Not as your son. As the CEO of the company that finances your life p>
He walked out. The heavy door clicked shut behind him.
Silence reclaimed the room.
Charla watched Jeraldine standing at the window, chest heaving beneath the tweed, the calculation behind her eyes working steadily behind the fury.
“He is bewitched,” Jeraldine hissed at her own reflection in the glass. “He is lying to protect her p>
Charla said nothing. She pressed the manufactured tear from her cheek with one fingertip. The rift was open now. Hilliard had chosen a side — and by doing so, he had forced Jeraldine’s hand far more effectively than Charla ever could have managed alone.
“We need to find proof,” Jeraldine murmured to the window, her reflection cold and resolute. “If he won’t give us the truth, we will take it p>