Chapter 60
Anna’s voice filled the room like a storm. She stared at the television in fury as Gabriel’s press conference played on the screen. Each word from her son felt like a blade that was intended to cut off her pride.
“Fool!” she spat at the screen. “Idiot p>
Her personal assistant, Stephanie, stood by the door, small and careful in the grand office. She had learned to read Anna’s moods long ago: today looked like one of those days.
“When was this?” Anna demanded, her gaze slicing toward Stephanie.
“A few minutes ago, ma’am. It’s a live broadcast,” Stephanie answered, keeping her voice even. She avoided Anna’s eyes. It was safer that way.
Anna’s nostrils flared. Her breath came short and furious. “How can he tell the public that my words were not official? What exactly did he mean? Is he calling me insane?” Her words were so quick, each one full of hurt pride.
Stephanie waited for instruction as her hands folded in front of her. “Is there anything you would like me ma’am?” she asked quietly, careful not to sound too eager.
to do,
Anna stared at the screen for a few long seconds and then, with a small, controlled movement, dismissed her.” Go. Leave me.” Her voice was cold. “I want to be alone p>
Stephanie bowed and stepped back. She turned, reached for the door, but stopped when Anna called after her, and tell everyone I am not to be disturbed today p>
“Noted, ma’am,” Stephanie said, and the door closed behind her with a click.
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Once alone, Stephanie slid out her phone and dialed a number. She spoke into the receiver in a low, clipped tone.
“Go ahead and follow his instructions. Now.” Then she hung up and sat back at her desk, a small, cruel smile curled at the corner of her mouth. The game was moving.
Her desk phone buzzed again. Stephanie’s fingers moved on the receiver before she could think “Yes, ma’am?” she answered.
“Get to my office. Now!” Anna’s voice was so loud.
Stephanie rose immediately. She smoothed her dress, checked her hair in the hallway mirror, and returned to Anna’s office, knocking out of habit though she did not need to.
off-
“Yes, ma’am?” she offered.
Anna did not look at her. Her eyes were fixed on the TV, where pundits were turning Gabriel’s statement inside.
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“One analyst suggested that Mrs. Anna Wyndham might be mentally unwell,” a newscaster said in a cautious voice on the screen. “If the son has hinted that the mother’s words are unreliable, people will certainly draw their own conclusions p>
Another commentator nodded solemnly. “In a family like the Wyndhams, private matters rarely surface
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publicly. Mrs. Wyndham’s bold statements signal something deeper perhaps personal issues that are affecting her judgment. ”
Anna’s face went pale with anger. She slammed her hand on the desk. “Get me a lawyer. Now!” The command cut the conversation on TV off.
Stephanie scurried away, making arrangements, while Anna stood and marched to the window. The city spread below her in neat blocks–agrid she had long believed she controlled. The screen’s pundits continued to speak, but Anna heard nothing. The world had misread her. And now, she must find a way to recover from it.
Meanwhile, Alfred sat in his private sitting room with his son John. The television flickered there too, but Alfred watched with a slow, satisfied smile.
“There was no cause for worry now,” Alfred said, eyes glinting. “Your son made it easy for me p>
John did not smile. He sat calm and pale, the kind of calm that came from someone who had been shaken awake. He could not understand how Gabriel had found the courage to stand against his own mother–Anna, who had always been the family’s ruthless center. But Gabriel had chosen the family’s honor over the small tyrannies of his queen mother.
Alfred’s voice softened, oddly proud. “That boy was born to lead. He will make the right moves. He will keep his marriage intact p>
John’s face stayed flat. He was thinking of the damage already done and the risks of more upheaval. Finally, he could not hold back. “Father, aren’t you worried about the fallout? Do you really want to start a public war within the family now? After all these years?
Alfred took a long breath, and for a moment the old man looked younger, sharp and dangerous. “I made mistakes in the past,” he admitted. “I thought I was doing the right thing, so I forced her on you. Not again p>
John’s jaw tightened. “It’s been thirty–seven years, father. How can you fix what’s been built for decades simply by acting on impulse? You could fracture everything p>
Alfred’s eyes hardened, but not in anger. In strategy. “John, listen. Anna has been chewing away at this family for too long. She has poisoned the house for the sake of herself. Replacing Isla at the Wardrobe, and pushing Delphine forward was a part of my plans.
I only wanted her into thinking she had the upper hand. I needed her to expose herself. She gossiped to the press. She ran her mouth in the wrong place. Now she has to dance to the music p>
John met his father’s eyes and finally exhaled. There was a long, heavy silence, as if the house itself held its
breath.
Alfred rose and walked to the window, peering out at the estate that had been both his glory. “This is my family, John,” he said simply. “I will do whatever it takes to keep it whole p>
John understood the old man across from him in a new way–not as a father who he misjudged, but as an old general preparing for a necessary battle. He knitted his fingers together and nodded, the weight of responsibility heavy on both of their shoulders.
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Florence
Florence is a passionate reader who finds joy in long drives on rainy days. She’s also a fan of Italian makeup tutorials, blending beauty and elegance into her everyday life.