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Chapter Fifteen: The Dangerous Proposal

Author: CELINE JOHNSON
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-11-28 18:34:38

The family meeting was an ambush disguised as dinner.

I'd known it the moment I walked into our formal dining room and found not just my parents, but Richard, his father—Harold Pemberton II, patriarch of the Pemberton dynasty—and our family attorney, Mr. Whitmore, all seated around the table like a tribunal preparing to pass judgment.

"Evelyn, sit." My mother's voice was ice wrapped in silk, gesturing to the empty chair directly across from Richard. "We have important matters to discuss."

I remained standing, my new leather portfolio clutched like a shield. "If this is about my job—"

"Sit down." My father's tone left no room for argument. "Now."

I sat, feeling the cage walls closing in, feeling E's fire dimming under the weight of twenty-four years of conditioning to obey.

Harold Pemberton spoke first, his voice carrying the authority of old money and older power. "Miss Ashford, your recent employment at Hawthorne Industries has created... complications."

"Complications for whom?" I k
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