Chapter 174
No.1
The hallway was a suffocating crush of bodies,flashing lights, and the relentless shouting of reporters. The security guards' hands were tight around Elisa's arms, physically dragging her toward the exit doors.
Suddenly, the heavy double doors at the far end of the corridor crashed open. The sound was like a gunshot, instantly silencing the screaming mob.
August Chambers stood in the doorway.
He wasn't wearing a suit jacket. His tie was ripped open, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing the thick muscles of his forearms. He radiated a dark, lethal energy that sucked the oxygen out of the room. Four massive private bodyguards fanned out behind him.
August didn't speak. He just gave a sharp, downward flick of his wrist.
His bodyguards moved with terrifying efficiency.
No.2
They didn't ask the press to leave; they physically drove them back. They shoved cameras aside,grabbed reporters by their collars, and forced the entire media circus back toward the elevators.
Within thirty seconds, the corridor was completely empty of journalists. The only sound left was the distant,frantic beeping of Allena's heart monitor.
August walked slowly down the center of the hallway.His eyes were locked onto Elisa. They were entirely devoid of warmth, filled with a cold, calculating disgust.
He stopped in font of the hospital security guards holding Elisa. He didn't ask if she was okay. He didn't look at her pale face or the way she was favoring her right leg.
He reached out, his large hand clamping down on her wrist like a steel trap.
He yanked her forward. The force of the pull tore her out of the guards' gripo. Elisa gasped as the sudden movement sent a jagged spike of pain through her lower spine.
No.3
August ignored her gasp. He dragged her down the
hall, his long strides forcing her to stumble to keep up. He shoved open the door to a small, empty family consultation room and threw her inside.
Elisa hit the edge of a small conference table. She gripped the polished wood to keep from falling,her breathing shallow and fast against the tight constraints of her back brace.
August slammed the door shut, locking it. He turned to face her.
"Meredith pushed her," Elisa said immediately, her voice steady despite the pain. "Meredith attacked .her because of Julian. I was standing on the stairs.I couldn't move."
August let out a harsh, barking laugh. It was a sound completely devoid of humor.
No.4
He walked to the small window, turning his back to her. He crossed his arms over his chest, adopting the posture of a CEO dealing with a particularly stupid employee.
"Do you know how pathetic you sound?" August said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register."You expect me to believe that Meredith Hastings-a
woman who cares about nothing but the social standing of this family-would attempt murder in a public building?"
He turned around. He took a slow step toward her.
"There are no cameras in that stairwell, Elisa," August said, his tone dripping with condescension. "But there is logic. You are a woman who just had her fake, extortionist divorce agreement thrown in her face. You are a woman who is losing her husband,her status, and her mind. You saw Allena alone, and you snapped."
Elisa stared at him. The air in her lungs felt like ice.
No.5
He wasn't just angry. He had completely rewritten reality to fit his worldview. In his mind, Meredith was untouchable because of her class, and Elisa was guilty because she was a disposable, jealous commoner.
"You really believe that," Elisa whispered. It wasn't a question. It was a horrifying realization.
August stopped two feet away from her. He looked down his nose at her.
"I am going to glve you one last plece of mercy,"August sald, his voice cold and absolute. "For the sake of the Chambers name, I have already instructed my lawyers to kill the police Investigation.There will be no attempted murder charges."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a folded piece of paper,and tossed it onto the table in front of her.
"That is a standard dissolution of marriage. No alimony. No assets. You sign it, and you leave New York tonight. If you ever come near Allena again,I will not stop the police. I will let them lock you in a cage where you belong."
No.6
Elisa looked down at the paper. Then, she looked up at the man she had slept next to for seven years.
She searched his eyes for any flicker of doubt, any sign that he remembered the woman she actually was. There was nothing. Just the arrogant certainty of a man who believed his money made him a god.①
In that exact moment, the last, microscopic thread connecting her to August Chambers snapped. She didn't feel angry anymore. She didn't feel betrayed.
She felt absolutely nothing. Her heart turned to
stone.
Elisa slowly pushed herself off the table. She stood up straight, ignoring the screaming pain in her back.She looked at August, her eyes completely dead.
No.7
"Keep your mercy," Elisa said, her voice a flat,freezing monotone. "Save it for the bitch faking a panic attack in the next room. You're going to need it when she bleeds you dry."
August's face flushed with sudden, violent anger.He reached out to grab her shoulder.
Elisa slapped his hand away with a crack that echoed in the small room.
She didn't look at the paper on the table. She didn't look at him. She turned her back on August Chambers, gripped the door hande, and walked out of the room. She left him standing there, a fool king ruling over an empire of lies.④