CHAPTER 4 - THE CROWN, I NEVER ASK FOR

“Son… are you hearing yourself? What will people say when they find out a whore is running our company?”

“My decision is final. Take it, or leave it.” His voice was firm and cold. “You were the ones who kicked me down from the CEO seat because you believed I was no longer useful. To you, I’m just a blind cripple now, right? If you won’t allow my wife to become the next CEO, then you’re free to leave. Either way, she’ll still be the president of my own company.”

“How dare you! You chose this whore you just met over your own family?” Señora Madeline was furious. She looked like she could claw Rihanna’s face off. And if her glare could kill, Rihanna would’ve dropped dead on the spot.

“Get out!”Dustin’s voice thundered, his face red with fury. He had heard enough. For the past few minutes, all he’d been hearing was his wife being called a whore by his own family. What they didn’t know—what only he knew—was that he was the first and only man in Rihanna’s life. Even her first kiss, he had taught her that. And yet here they were, throwing such filthy words at the woman he loved. “He loved? When?”He wants to curse himself.

“Madam Madeline, please… our master needs to rest now,” Mr. Stuart said politely, trying to coax the woman into leaving.

“Mark my words, you pathetic woman!” Madeline snapped at Rihanna, her eyes blazing. “I’ll do everything I can to wipe you out of my path! Even if you’re married to my son, the filth on your face will never be erased. You’ll always be a whore!”

Bang! Crack!

“Throw them out!” Dustin roared, trembling in rage. He had hurled the expensive crystal vase near his stepmother’s feet, barely missing her. His patience had finally run out.

He had once treated her like his real mother, even if she never showed him an ounce of love. He was only five years old when his real mother died and his father remarried. From then on, he endured every cruelty at her hands for the sake of his father. He built himself up, took over the company left by his dad, and led it with pride. But because of the greed of Madeline and her children, he was forced to step down as president.

Even Rihanna was stunned by what her husband had done. No wonder he had been feeling around for something earlier; he had been searching for that vase. She was thankful it hadn’t hit Madeline. This was the first time she’d ever seen Dustin this furious.

Once she saw that Madeline and the others had finally left, she turned to her husband.

“Tesoro… why did you say I’ll be the new president? You were just provoking them… right?” she asked, voice a little shaky.

“No, wife. I meant every word I said. They can't change anything now. By tomorrow, you will officially be the new president of Crawford Empire.”

“Huh? So you were serious? But what if… I don’t even know how to run your company!”

Dustin simply shook his head at her response, exasperated. He didn’t know what else to do to make her believe him.

“That’s exactly why I want you to lead it, because I trust you. And I’ll be right here, always beside you. I’ll guide you and teach you how to manage the Crawford Empire.”

He reached out to her gently.

“For now… I want us to rest in our room. I need you to calm this anger of mine.”

Rihanna suddenly felt nervous at his final words. She already knew exactly what he meant by that.

===============

Meanwhile, Señora Madeline was seething with rage on her way back to the mansion. She and Thomas were currently in their car, and neither of their faces could hide their grim expressions.

After a while, Thomas suddenly smiled and turned to his mother.

“Mom, why don’t you just call Shane? Hasn’t Dustin been looking for her for years now? And we both know he still loves her, even if it’s already been five years since their divorce.”

The señora paused, deep in thought. Then her face lit up.

Shane, Dustin’s ex-wife, was her daughter from a former lover, a truth no one else knew. To ensure her child would inherit all of Dustin’s wealth, she had done everything she could to bring the two together. And she succeeded—Dustin fell in love with her daughter first.

But once they had secured control over the Crawford Empire, she made sure to break them apart. What baffled her, however, was how Dustin seemed unaffected by hardship, even though they had already drained him of everything. She knew it. Dustin was hiding some wealth, something they hadn’t discovered yet.

Now, she needed to bring Shane back to his side to get rid of that woman, that wretched whore who was nothing but an obstacle to all their plans.

“You know what, Thomas? You’re right. I need to call Shane right now.” Right after saying that, she quickly dialed her daughter’s number, only to freeze when a man picked up, his voice sharp and irritated.

“Hello!? Say what you need to say fast; you’re interrupting us. We’re in the middle of… pleasing each other!”

“Ohhh… baby, who is it? I’m close… make it faster.”

Señora Madeline’s face turned red with fury as the call ended abruptly. She felt like storming over to her daughter and shaking her back to her senses. The pleasure in Shane’s moans was obvious. She didn’t even bother to check who was calling.

Enraged, she redialed.

“What?!”

“Damn it! Don’t ‘what’ me! Pull yourself together and get back to your ex-husband’s mansion—right now!”

“What the hell, Mom?! I’m not going back there! I can’t live without a man who can please me! That crippled and blind man can’t satisfy me in bed anymore!”

Her daughter’s tantrum made the señora’s anger boil even more.

“And what exactly do you plan to do with your life? Just chase pleasure every day? While your ex-husband already has a new wife? Didn’t you know they’re married now!”

“What!? Why would he even marry again if his manhood doesn’t even work? How’s he going to satisfy his new wife? Using his hands? He should’ve just stayed in that mansion and waited for death.”

The señora almost choked on her saliva, disgusted by the filth coming out of her daughter’s mouth.

“Watch your mouth, Shane! Act like a woman with dignity! Listen to me this instant. You need to win Dustin back! Do it, and get that Rihanna out of our way for good!” Seething with rage, Señora Madeline ended the call.

“What did she say? Did she agree?” Thomas asked.

Madeline turned to him coldly. “She has no choice. If she doesn’t, she won’t get a single cent from me. You know your sister. She only knows how to waste money and jump from one man to another.”

Thomas nodded. “She has to go back, Mommy. If she fails, that woman will take the position that should’ve been mine.”

“For now, there’s nothing we can do if the president's seat ends up in Rihanna’s hands. Let her grow the company. Let her deal with the burden of paying Crawford Empire’s debts. Once things are back in shape, we’ll take it all from her.”

Señora Madeline couldn’t help but feel proud of herself when Thomas clapped in admiration.

“You’re brilliant, Mommy. You’re right. Why should we worry about the company’s debt when it’s Rihanna who’ll be the one stressing out? And not just that… we can even pin the money we stole on her. Haha.”

The driver winced as he listened to the two scheming in the backseat, their laughter sounding almost maniacal. He had been serving them for a long time, and he knew all their dirty secrets. But fear kept him silent, because if they ever found out he knew too much, he’d be the next to disappear.