Chapter 8 - The Will and the Threat
Victoria fell back against the edge of the stone terrace, her polished veneer crumbling into pathetic ruins.
The wealthy socialites who had laughed at her jokes half an hour ago now treated her like a leper, taking steps away into the grass.
Marcus stared at the frozen frame of the video, his expression devoid of any human warmth.
He walked over to where the silver bat lay abandoned in the clover.
He bent down, lifted the heavy metal weapon with one hand, and tested its heft in the afternoon light.
The sound of his slow, rhythmic footsteps echoed like thunder as he walked back toward his trembling wife.
He stopped inches away from her, letting the tip of the bat rest lightly upon the flagstones between her designer heels.
Marcus whispered that he had tolerated her vanity, her greed, and her endless social posturing for seven long years.
He had turned a blind eye to her lavish spending and her spiteful treatment of the domestic staff.
But he stated clearly that the moment she raised a weapon against the woman who built the Sterling name, her life as she knew it was finished.
He revealed that he had already signed the paperwork for a total annulment three days ago after discovering her embezzlement of the family trusts.
He told her that this afternoon was supposed to be her quiet, dignified exit with a confidential settlement.
Now, he assured her, she would leave his home with nothing more than the red dress clinging to her back and a pair of steel handcuffs.
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Victoria dropped to her knees on the stone, weeping genuine tears of panic as she reached out to grab the hem of his trousers.
Marcus stepped backward, letting her manicured hands claw pathetically at empty air.
