Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Kent’s Pov

The war with my family starts at eight o'clock sharp on Monday morning inside the cold glass conference room of our corporate headquarters.

I slam a thick folder of legal papers down onto the polished mahogany table right in front of my father and our chief corporate lawyer. The sound echoes loudly off the glass walls.

"I am officially terminating the engagement contract between myself and Freya Vance," I announce, my voice sharp, flat, and entirely without room for argument. "The legal partnership is over, effective immediately."

My father leaps out of his leather chair so fast his coffee cup spills across the table, dark brown liquid bleeding over the expensive papers. His face turns a dark, violent shade of red.

"Have you completely lost your mind, Kent?!" my father roars, slamming his fists down onto the table. "You cannot just walk away from a multi-million-dollar merger! Freya's father will sue us into the ground! Our stock prices will crash, and the board will tear you apart!"

"Let them sue," I reply calmly, crossing my arms over my chest and staring straight into his panicked eyes. "Let the board tear me apart. I signed that stupid contract years ago when I was young, foolish, and willing to let you run my life like a business transaction. I am thirty-two years old now. I write my own rules."

Our family lawyer pushes his glasses up his nose, looking at me like I am speaking a foreign language. "Kent, you do realize what this means financially? Your grandfather will remove you from the executive board. You will be stripped of your corporate shares, your trust fund access, and your inheritance. You will walk out of here with nothing."

"Good," I snap back instantly. "Keep the money. Keep the trust fund. I don't want a single penny that comes with a leash attached to it."

"And what about your position at the university?" my father sneers, trying a new angle to break my spirit. "You think you can just play professor while your life falls apart? We will pull our endowments from the university. We will see how long they let you keep teaching when your name is tied to a public scandal!"

"I am not giving up my professorship either," I tell them, my voice hard as iron. "I love teaching. I love my students. If you pull your endowments, I will find another university, another city, or another job. You do not control my classroom, and you do not control my future."

My father glares at me with pure hatred, realizing for the first time in his life that shouting and threats won't work anymore. He cannot buy me off, because I am choosing freedom over a golden cage.

I turn around on my heel, leaving them standing in their expensive glass room, shouting empty threats at my back.

It feels like a massive weight has finally been lifted off my chest. For the first time in my entire life, I am standing on my own two feet. I am not my father’s puppet, and I am not my grandfather's heir apparent. I am just Kent.

By late afternoon, I drive straight across town to the small, quiet apartment building where Daniella lives. My hands grip the steering wheel tight, my heart beating fast with nervous excitement. I need to see her. I need to tell her that the first massive battle is already won.

I walk up the old concrete steps and knock twice on her apartment door.

A moment later, the lock clicks, and Daniella pulls the door open. She looks tired, her dark hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, wearing an oversized sweater that hides her tiny baby bump. When she sees my face, her big dark eyes fill instantly with worry.

"Kent?" she asks softly, stepping back to let me in. "What happened? Why are you here in the middle of the day? Did your family..."

Before she can finish her sentence, I close the apartment door behind me, grab her hands, and pull her straight into my arms.

I hold her tight against my chest, burying my face in her hair. She gasps softly in surprise, then wraps her arms around my back, holding me just as tight.

"It's done," I whisper into her hair, my voice thick with emotion. "I met with the lawyers and my father. I officially ended the engagement with Freya."

Daniella freezes in my arms. She slowly pulls back, looking up into my face, her dark eyes wide with shock and fear. "You... you actually did it? What about your father? What about your inheritance, your money, your job?"

"I walked away from all of it," I tell her, offering a small, honest smile. I reach up, gently cupping her warm cheek with my hand. "I lost the corporate shares, the trust fund, and my family's money. But I didn't lose my job, and I didn't lose my soul. I chose you, Daniella. No matter what we lose financially, I chose you."

For a second, Daniella just stares at me. Her lips tremble, and a single tear spills over her lashes, tracking down her pale cheek.

"You're doing this because of the baby," she whispers, her voice cracking with lingering doubt. "You feel obligated because I'm carrying your child..."

"Stop," I interrupt gently, using my thumb to wipe away her tear. I look deep into her eyes so she knows I am telling the absolute truth. "Listen to me, Daniella. If there were no baby... if you walked out of my life tomorrow and never came back... I still would have walked away from Freya. I still would have broken the contract. I didn't make this choice out of obligation. I made it because I love you. Only you."

Daniella lets out a loud, breathless sob. All the walls she built around her heart crash down completely. She throws her arms around my neck, burying her face in my shoulder, crying happy, messy tears of pure relief.

I hold her close, kissing the top of her head, letting her cry until her breathing slows down.

When she finally pulls back, wiping her wet cheeks with a shy smile, I look around her small, cramped apartment. The windows are drafty, the floorboards creak, and Gareth or Freya’s friends still know where she lives. It isn't safe enough for her, and it certainly isn't safe enough for our baby.

"You're not staying here tonight," I tell her firmly, taking her hand.

Daniella blinks, confused. "What? Why not?"

"Because I need to make sure you and the baby are completely safe while everything is being settled with my family's lawyers," I explain, looking right into her eyes. "Move in with me. Temporarily, just until we find a proper place together. Let me take care of you, Daniella."