Chapter 2: The Severed Ties
The veneer of aristocratic dignity shattered across the foyer.
Julianna stepped back, her eyes flashing with defensive indignation. ""Catherine, you’re being completely unreasonable! Marcus and I were consulting on a joint venture for the family foundation! You’ve turned this house into a mausoleum ever since Maya died! You push everyone away and expect us to live in your shadow!""
Catherine looked at her sister with a quiet, sorrowful pity that cut deeper than any scream.
""I didn't push you away, Julianna,"" Catherine replied softly. ""I gave you thirty percent of my architectural partnership. I paid off your residential debts in Beacon Hill. And when you asked for a seat on Maya’s memorial board, I trusted you with our family’s sacred honor.""
Marcus lunged forward, reaching out to grasp Catherine’s arm across the marble counter. ""Catherine, stop! We can settle this privately! Vance Heritage Capital holds sixty percent of the development bonds on your coastal preservation studio in Maine! If you file for divorce, the board will call in the loans and liquidate the land!""
Catherine slowly lifted her eyes from the binder to Marcus’s face.
""The board has already convened, Marcus,"" Catherine said, her voice rich with unwavering authority. ""My attorneys presented this archive to the senior equity partners at eight o'clock this morning. By unanimous vote, you were removed as managing trustee for gross breach of fiduciary duty and unauthorized commingling of non-profit assets.""
Marcus stared at her, his hands dropping to his sides as the realization of his total ruin set in.
""The locks have been changed,"" Catherine said, turning the binder closed. ""The private driver is waiting at the curb to take you to a hotel. Do not return to this property.""
May you like
Catherine turned away from the counter, walked through the French doors into her study, and locked the solid mahogany door behind her, leaving the two of them standing in the crushing silence of their exposed betrayal.
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