Chapter 316
Eliza looked at Dallas. Her eyes were disappointed.
“It’s not a transaction, Dallas,” she said.
“Everything is a transaction to him,” Anson sneered.
Dallas looked at Eliza. He wanted to explain. He wanted to tell her that he was trying to free her. But he couldn’t.
He turned and walked out.
Eliza arrived at the S&D offices an hour later, still fuming.
Augustina called her into her office.
“You fought with him,” Augustina stated.
“He tried to pay Anson off,” Eliza said. “It was insulting.”
“It was necessary,” Augustina said sharply. “As long as you owe Anson a debt, you are beneath him. Dallas was trying to level the playing field.”
Eliza paused. She hadn’t thought of it that way.
“Speaking of family liabilities,” Augustina continued, her tone shifting to one of pure disgust, “Ferd is making a move. He’s trying to leverage Cathey’s new status as a hero’s fiancée to get her onto the family trust. He’s using her engagement to Anson as a PR tool to force our hand.”
Eliza felt a chill. “Can he do that?”
“He’s going to try,” Augustina said, her eyes like chips of ice. “Which means we have to be smarter.”
Eliza looked at the powerful woman across the desk. The battle wasn’t just with Anson anymore. It was inside their own walls.
“Understood,” Eliza said.
The news of Ferd’s intentions spread through the Koch family like a virus. Cathey, emboldened by her engagement and the media’s portrayal of her as a wronged whistleblower, began making appearances at society events on Ferd’s arm — a constant, smiling provocation.
At a charity auction for the city museum, Eliza found herself cornered by Cathey near the bar.
“You look tired, Eliza,” Cathey said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. She gestured to her diamond engagement ring, a stone so large it looked obscene. “Planning a war is so exhausting, isn’t it?”
“I’m not the one who needs to plan,” Eliza said coolly, taking a sip of champagne. “I’m already queen. You’re just a pawn with a new sponsor.”
Cathey’s smile tightened. “My father is putting me on the family trust next week. Then we’ll see who’s the pawn.”
“Enjoy the money, Cathey,” Eliza said, turning to walk away. “It’s the only thing you’ll ever get from this family.”
That evening, at Koch Manor, Gigi sat at the head of the table. She looked furious.
“Ferd wants to put that bastard girl on the trust?” Gigi demanded.
“He’s drafting the motion,” Dallas said.
“Let him,” Dallas continued.
Gigi looked at him. “Are you mad?”
“We let him put her on the beneficiary list for cash,” Dallas said. “In exchange, he signs over his voting shares in S&D to me.”
Gigi’s eyes widened. “You want to strip your father of power?”
“He’s a liability,” Dallas said. “We give Cathey money. We take the throne.”
Gigi smiled — a shark’s smile. “Do it.”
Dallas’s phone rang as he left the manor. It was Weston.