Chapter 7 - A Mother's Desperation
The room fell into an oppressive silence. Eleanor’s face went from pale to ghostly grey. The true depth of her greed was finally laid bare. She hadn't just been a cruel woman rejecting an adopted grandchild—she was directly responsible for delaying the rescue of a lost boy just to acquire real estate at a fraction of its value.
"You monster," I whispered, tears of anger pricking my eyes. "Father never knew about this, did he?"
"Your father was already sick!" Eleanor screamed, dropping all pretense of innocence. "We were broke, Evelyn! The defense contracts were falling through! I did what I had to do to save this family’s status! How was I supposed to know the kid on the beach was a Vale?!"
Liam shrank back into the sofa cushion at the sound of her screaming.
Cassian immediately turned his back on her, kneeling next to Liam to cover his ears. "It's okay, son. You're safe. Daddy’s here."
"Guards!" Cassian called out.
Two armed naval military police officers stepped into the room immediately.
"Detain Mrs. Whitmore and her legal counsel. Contact the federal authorities and the state police. I want a full asset freeze on all Whitmore Enterprises accounts pending a major criminal investigation into obstruction of justice, child endangerment, and corporate fraud."
"You can't do this!" Eleanor shrieked as the officers grabbed her arms. "Evelyn, tell him! I am your mother!"
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I looked at her, feeling a profound sense of pity mixed with absolute disgust. "You stopped being my mother the moment you called a defenseless child a burden. Get her out of here."
As the officers dragged Eleanor out of the lounge, her cries echoed down the hallway until they were cut off by the heavy oak doors closing.
