Chapter 187

No.1

The heavy oak door swung inward, hitting the wall with a dull thud.

The sharp, rhythmic strike of a silver-tipped cane against the marble floor of the vestibule echoed into the living room.

Germaine Chambers walked in.

She wore a deep purple, custom-tailored suit that looked like royal armor. Her silver hair was pulled back into a severe, flawvless chignon. She radiated an aura of absolute, crushing authority. Two massive private security contractors flanked her,their eyes scanning the room like wolves.

August immediately stepped back from the coffee table. The violent rage in his face was instantly suppressed, replaced by a look of deep,uncomfortable tension.

"Mother," August said, his voice tight. "What are you doing here?"

No.2

Warren Beckett shot up from his chair. He quickly buttoned his suit jacket and bowed his head slightly,a clear display of submission to the true power behind the Chambers empire.

Elisa did not stand. She remained seated in the leather armchair, her hands resting calmly on her lap. She looked at the woman who had blackmailed

her,who had threatened her grandfather's life,with eyes as cold as a winter grave.

Germaine did not answer her son. She walked slowly into the center of the living room. Her sharp eyes swept over the tense scene, lingering on the thick legal document resting on the glass table.

She let out a dry, contemptuous scoff.

Germaine raised her cane and brought it down hard on the edge of the coffee table. The silver tip caught the heavy stack of the $100 million settlement agreement.

No.3

With a violent flick of her wrist, Germaine swept the entire documentoff the table.

The thick stack of paper hit the floor, scattering dozens of pages across the expensive Persian rug.

"This pathetic theater ends right now," Germaine announced. Her voice was not loud, but it carried the weight of a judge passing a death sentence.

August's jaw clenched. "Mother, I am handling this.The market is panicking. I need to sever this marriage tonight to contain the PR fallout from Allena's situation."

Germaine turned her head slowly. She looked at August as if he were a slow-witted child who had just soiled himself.

"You are a fool," Germaine hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "You are letting a cheap,lying mistress dictate the financial stability of a century -old dynasty. You think a divorce will calm Wall

No.4

Street? It will look like a rat fleeing a sinking ship.Do you think I only warned you against this because of the Al Summit's financing? You are more naive than I thought."

Germaine took a step closer to August,her eyes burning.

"The Family Trust Board convened an emergency session an hour ago," Germaine stated. "They are horrified by your erratic behavior. The stock has dropped twenty percent in a single day."

August stiffened. The mention of the Trust Board was a direct threat to his power.

"They invoked the Heir Stability Clause," Germaine said,dropping the bomb with lethal precision."The financing was merely a symptom. The real reason Wall Street is panicking is because your public instability signals to the world that the Chambers line is broken. The Board believes this divorce, at this exact moment, will immediately freeze fifty percent of your trust assets."

The color drained from August's face. He stared at his mother in absolute shock. The Board had never threatened his personal trust before.He had vastly underestimated the old guard's panic over the crashing stock.

No.5

Germaine turned her gaze away from her son and locked eyes with Elisa.

The look Germaine gave her was one of pure,unadulterated disgust. It was the look one gives a cockroach before stepping on it.

"You are very lucky, Ms. Wilder," Germaine said,using her maiden name as an insult. "Your greed and your husband's stupidity have temporarily saved your title. You will remain Mrs. Chambers."

Elisa felt a wave of pure nausea roll through her stomach. She gripped the armrests of her chair,her fingernails digging into the leather.

"I don't want your title," Elisa said, her voice shaking with suppressed fury. "It's stained with lies and filth. I wouldn't take it if you begged me."

Germaine's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.She slammed her cane against the floor. CRACK.

No.6

"If you attempt to file for divorce unilaterally,"Germaine warned, her voice dropping to a vicious whisper, "I will make a single phone call. Your grandfather will be thrown out of his care facility tonight.He will die in a public ward."①

Elisa's breath hitched. The threat was a physical blow, striking her directly in her only remaining vulnerable spot. The freezing void in her chest cracked,leaking hot,agonizing rage.

August saw Elisa flinch. A strange, involuntary twitch of protectiveness flared in his chest. He took a half-step forward, opening his mouth to intervene.

Germaine shot him a look that stopped him dead in his tracks.

"You will not divorce," Germaine commanded the room. "Next month, at the Global Medical A Summit, you will walk the red carpet together.You will smile. You will act like a devoted, loving couple.You will crush these rumors of instability."

Warren Beckett quietly calculated the numbers in his head. He looked at August and gave a subtle,grim nod. The lawyer knew that fighting the Trust Board right now meant financial suicide.

No.7

The room was suffocatingly silent. The absolute power of the Chambers capital had trapped them all in a cage.

Germaine looked at the two of them, satisfied that she had broken their rebellion. She turned toward the door.

But as she reached the vestibule, she stopped. She looked back over her shoulder and delivered the final,crushing blow.

"And to permanently satisfy the Board's concerns regarding the succession," Germaine said, her voice echoing in the dead silence. "You will provide me with medical proof of a pregnancy by the end of this year. You will give this family an heir."①