Chapter 245
Chapter 245:
The next day, the gravel driveway of the Koch Estate crunched under the tires of a convoy.
Not limousines. Three black, armored SUVs — practical, expensive, and deeply intimidating.
Ferd and Jeannine stood on the front steps. Ferd looked like a man facing a firing squad. Jeannine looked resigned.
Dallas and Eliza stood off to the side, near their own car. Dallas looked quietly amused.
The lead SUV stopped. The driver jumped out and pulled the rear door open.
A cane with a silver handle struck the pavement first. Click.
Then Gigi Koch emerged.
She was eighty years old, but she moved with a terrifying energy. She wore a leopard print coat that would have looked absurd on anyone else but looked regal on her. Oversized Chanel sunglasses shielded sharp eyes that missed nothing.
“Mother.” Ferd stepped forward, attempting a smile. “You look… healthy p>
𝘞𝖾 u𝗽𝘥at𝖾 𝗲𝘷еr𝗒 w𝗲еk 𝘰n.с𝗈𝘮
Gigi swatted him away with her free hand. “I look alive, Ferdinand,” she barked. “Unlike you. You look like a pickled herring p>
Eliza bit her lip to stifle a laugh. Dallas smirked openly.
Gigi turned to Jeannine. She lowered her sunglasses, revealing keen, intelligent eyes. “And you,” she sniffed. “Still wearing grey. You look like a rainy day in London. Depressing p>
Jeannine dipped her head slightly. “Welcome home, Gigi p>
Gigi ignored her and turned her attention to Dallas. Her face softened instantly.
“Come here, boy,” she commanded.
Dallas walked over. Gigi seized his face with both hands and pulled him down for a kiss on the cheek, then pulled him into a hug that was surprisingly forceful for a woman her age.
“You got tall,” she said, patting his chest. “And rich. Good p>
Then she turned to Eliza. The sunglasses came all the way off. The inspection began.
“So,” Gigi said, her gaze settling on Eliza with unhurried precision. “I saw the marriage license registry two weeks ago. My lawyers flagged it p>
Eliza braced herself for an outburst.
Gigi simply smirked. “About time someone in this family married for something other than a merger. Good choice, Dallas.” She stepped in front of Eliza and looked her up and down with the practiced eye of a woman who had seen everything. “Still got that Solomon spine,” she declared, nodding with satisfaction. “I knew it then. I see it now p>
“Mother!” Ferd choked. “She is a bankrupt p>
“Silence!” Gigi’s cane struck the pavement. The crack rang out like a gunshot.
“I’m hungry,” she announced. “Lunch. Now p>
She marched up the steps, the staff scrambling to hold the doors open. The entire power dynamic of the estate had shifted in under thirty seconds.
Dallas leaned down to Eliza’s ear. “She likes you. We’re safe p>
“She’s terrifying,” Eliza whispered back.
“She’s the only one Ferd fears,” Dallas said.
Inside the grand dining room, Gigi took the head of the table. It was Ferd’s usual seat. He didn’t dare argue. He sat to her right, looking considerably smaller than usual.
Gigi unfolded her napkin with a sharp snap and looked around the table.
“So,” she said. “Tell me why you tried to divorce my grandson p>