Chapter 4

George’s angry outburst died before he could finish.

Zoe simply raised a finger to her lips. When she spoke, her voice was colder and steadier than I had ever heard it.

“Yeah, you deserved it. You’ve been cheating on Mom for decades, and we have more than enough evidence to prove it.

“Most people in your position would at least have the sense to keep their heads down. George, are you really that eager to get served?”

She took the divorce agreement from my hands.

After one glance, she tore it in half.

“Oh, you two are definitely getting divorced. But you brought the wrong agreement. The one you need to sign is in that stack. Also, you’re the one walking away with nothing, George.

“While we’re at it, we’re going to settle everything else you’ve done over the past few decades too. The evidence, the settlement proposal, the financial records, it’s all right there. We’ll talk after you read through it.”

Steve was wide awake too.

The three of them scrambled to pick up the papers and began reading through them.

The further they got, the more their expressions darkened.

I stood there staring at Zoe, the daughter I was used to seeing practically glued to her bed all day.

Everything she had just done had been so calm and methodical that she seemed more put together than most people who had been working for years.

George was the first to speak after he finished reading.

He crumpled the papers in his fist. His knuckles were white, but he refused to back down.

“What a load of nonsense! You’re a useless kid who practically slept her way through college. What could you possibly have dug up? For all I know, you made this whole thing up on your laptop.”

With that, he tore the documents clean in half right in front of me and threw the pieces onto the floor.

My heart sank. I instinctively bent down to pick them up.

Zoe caught my arm and pulled me behind her. Her voice turned ice-cold.

“Go ahead. Tear them up. I made seven copies. They’re backed up in the cloud, with my attorney, and in secure document storage.

“You rip one up, I print another. The only question is whether you can tear them faster than I can hit print.”

George’s expression froze.

Michelle shot up from the couch and snorted.

“Olivia, we gave you a chance to handle this quietly and walk away with some dignity, but you just had to make things difficult. Fine. If that’s how you want to play it, don’t expect us to go easy on you.”

She gave Steve a pointed look.

Steve lunged forward and swung at Zoe.

I instinctively threw myself in front of her and wrapped my arms tightly around Zoe.

His hand struck the back of my head instead, hard enough to make my vision go black for a second.

“Mom!”

Zoe’s eyes instantly filled with fury. She pulled free from my arms and raised her hand to hit him back.

Unfortunately, Steve was bigger and stronger. He caught her by the wrist and twisted her arm behind her.

A muffled cry escaped her, but she stubbornly refused to buckle.

“You really think a useless little shut-in like you can take a swing at me?”

George laughed from the side.

“Did you really think no one could put you two in your place?”

He casually sat back down and slipped an arm around Michelle.

“Let me make one thing clear. I could throw both of you out of this house today, and no one would stop me. I’m being promoted to vice president next week.

“So, I’m done letting petty family drama hold me back. I can finally get rid of you and start a happy life with Michelle.”

Zoe suddenly laughed.

There was something about that laugh I had never heard from her before.

“George, what exactly do you think got you that promotion? Don’t tell me you actually believe you earned it all by yourself.”

George’s expression turned livid. He shot to his feet. A vein was throbbing in his neck.

“Cut the nonsense! I worked hard for more than twenty years to get that promotion!”

Zoe looked at him as if he were a joke.

“Here’s some advice for you: take your mistress and your illegitimate son and get out. If you lay another hand on me or Mom, I promise you’ll wish you’d walked away when you had the chance.

“By then, you can beg on your knees all you want. It won’t make a difference.”

George stared at her for a second, then burst out laughing as if she had just said the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

“Oh, I’d love to see that. Go on, show me how a useless little nobody like you is going to make me regret anything!”

He rolled up his sleeves and raised his hand, ready to slap Zoe.

Just then…

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sound of someone entering the code on the front door keypad echoed clearly from the entryway.

A second later, the door swung open.

“Boss, I’m sorry I’m late!”