Chapter 11 - The Phantom Alliance
I stared at the glowing screen of my phone, the blood draining completely from my face. The image of my cruel former mother-in-law, Florence, smiling next to Garrett’s mother, Evelyn, felt like a physical blow to my chest. My hands began to shake uncontrollably, rattling the expensive champagne flute I was still holding.
Garrett immediately noticed my sudden shift in demeanor. He set his crystal glass down on the balcony railing and rushed to my side, his strong hands gripping my trembling shoulders. He asked me what was wrong, his voice thick with protective concern. I couldn't find the words, so I simply turned the phone screen toward him.
I watched as his sharp, intelligent eyes scanned the photograph and read the chilling text message below it. The warmth in his expression vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, calculating fury. He pulled me tightly against his chest, wrapping his arms around me as if to shield me from an invisible sniper.
He whispered that Evelyn had played us all. She had not handed over the original founding documents out of guilt or motherly love. She had done it to eliminate Douglas and Gertrude without getting her own hands dirty. Douglas was reckless and greedy, making him a massive liability to the family empire. Evelyn had used my bravery and Garrett's brilliant mind to clean house, removing the rot from her legacy.
Now that Garrett was back in total control and the company was secure, Evelyn was making her final move to control him. And she had deliberately recruited the one person who knew exactly how to break me psychologically: Florence.
I looked up at Garrett, tears of frustration burning in my eyes. I told him I couldn't go back to the nightmare of my past, not after everything we had just survived. He cupped my face gently, his thumbs wiping away a stray tear. He promised me that Florence and Evelyn had vastly underestimated who they were dealing with.
They thought I was still the weak, broken woman Christopher had abused and manipulated for years. They didn't realize I was now the Chief of Operations of the Corbin estate, backed by a billionaire who would gladly burn the world down to keep me safe.
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We walked back into the dining room, the celebratory mood completely shattered, replaced by the grim reality of a new war. Garrett immediately called his head of security, ordering a full background check on Evelyn’s recent communications and a twenty-four-hour detail on my personal safety.
As he barked ruthless orders into his phone, I looked at my reflection in the dark window glass. I straightened my posture and wiped the residual fear from my eyes. Florence wanted a rematch to avenge her imprisoned son, but this time, I held all the cards. I was no longer a victim; I was the queen of this chessboard, and I was going to destroy them both.
