Chapter 7: The Landlord’s Decree

The silence in the dining room was so thick it felt like it could be cut with a surgical blade. Thomas stood beside me, his hand resting possessively on my shoulder, while Lucien looked like he was ready to commit a crime in broad daylight.

"My wife is the majority shareholder of Vane Holdings?" Lucien’s voice was a low, dangerous rumble. He didn’t look at the documents. He looked at me, his eyes searching for a betrayal he hadn't prepared for. "How?"

"My father wasn't just a doctor, Lucien," I said, my voice finally finding its edge. "He was the silent partner Silas Vane spent twenty years trying to buy out. He knew Silas was a shark, so he kept his shares in a blind trust in Zurich. I didn't even know the extent of it until Thomas unsealed the will this morning."

"It is a majority stake, Mr. Ardent," Thomas added, his Swiss accent smooth and cold. "Sixty-two percent. Which means the merger Silas was forcing is now entirely under Dr. Hart’s control. Including the debt the Ardent Group owes to the Vane parent company."

Eleanor let out a strangled gasp, her teacup clattering against the saucer. "This is preposterous! A waitress from the docks owning—"

"I’m the woman who just bought your mortgage, Eleanor," I snapped, turning to face her. "So I would suggest you watch your tone before I decide this manor would make a better public clinic than a mausoleum for your ego."

"Lucien! Do something!" Julianne cried, clutching her tablet like a shield. "She’s going to dismantle the company!"

Lucien didn't move. He stood at the head of the table, his knuckles white as he gripped the back of his chair. "Is that the plan, Elowen? You’re going to burn the house down to get back at me?"

"I’m going to protect my son," I said, stepping toward him. "You wanted a contract, Lucien? Fine. Here is the new reality. I don't need your 'vow renewal' to save the stocks. I am the stocks. If the board wants to see stability, they’ll see it when I announce that the Vane-Ardent war is over because I own both sides of the battlefield."

"And the boy?" Eleanor asked, her voice trembling.

"Liam stays with me," I said. "Thomas, did you bring the paperwork for the West Wing?"

"Right here, Elowen," Thomas said, handing me a silver pen. "A formal lease agreement. You are technically leasing this wing from yourself, but it establishes a legal boundary that even the Ardent security team cannot cross without a warrant."

Lucien laughed then. It was a dark, hollow sound that echoed in the high-ceilinged room. "You’re bringing a lawyer into my home to draw lines on the floor? You think a piece of paper is going to keep me away from my son?"

"It’s not just a piece of paper, Lucien. It’s a wall," I replied. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a chairman to check on. Thomas, please stay in the library. I’ll need you to review the Ardent Group’s quarterly losses before the board meeting."

"With pleasure," Thomas said, throwing a mocking wink at Lucien.

I walked out of the room, my heels clicking a rhythm of victory. But as I reached the grand staircase, I felt a hand wrap around my arm, pulling me into the shadows of the gallery.

"Let go of me, Lucien."

"Who is he?" Lucien hissed, pinning me against the oak paneling. His face was inches from mine, his eyes burning with a jealousy that felt almost physical. "Don't tell me he’s just a lawyer. I saw the way he looked at you. I saw the way he touched you."

"He was there when you weren't," I said, my voice steady despite the way my heart was racing. "He held Liam when he had a fever. He walked me to the hospital every morning while I was finishing my residency. He’s a good man, Lucien. Something you wouldn't understand."

"He’s a vulture," Lucien growled. "He’s waiting for me to fall so he can pick up the pieces of my family."

"You did the falling all by yourself five years ago. I’m just the one making sure you don't take Liam down with you."

"I told you why I did it! I saved your life!"

"And you broke my soul to do it!" I shoved his chest, but he didn't budge. He felt like granite. "You think buying me a dress and a diamond ring fixes the fact that you treated me like a biological transaction? You haven't earned the right to be jealous, Lucien. You haven't earned anything."

Lucien’s gaze dropped to my lips, his breathing ragged. For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me again—to try and reclaim me through force and passion. But he stopped. He leaned his forehead against mine, his voice dropping to a broken whisper.

"I have the money to pay the debt, Elowen. I’ll sell my private holdings. I’ll liquidate the Ardent Tech stocks. Just tell that man to leave my house."

"No," I said, pushing him away with everything I had. "Thomas stays. He’s the only person in this house I can trust. If you want him gone, you’ll have to convince me that you’re more than just a man with a checkbook."

I left him standing in the dark hallway and headed straight for the medical wing.

---

Arthur Ardent looked smaller than I remembered. The man who once ruled the shipping industry with an iron fist was now a mass of tubes and monitors. I checked his vitals, my movements clinical and precise.

"He is waking up," a nurse whispered.

I leaned over the bed. Arthur’s eyes fluttered open, clouding with confusion before landing on my face.

"Elowen?" he rasped, his voice a ghost of the man who had once told me I was 'genetically sufficient.'

"Rest, Arthur. Your heart was repaired. You’re in Ardent Manor."

"The boy..." Arthur gasped, his hand feebly reaching for mine. "I saw... a boy. In the hallway."

"That was Liam," I said, my voice softening. "Your grandson."

Arthur’s eyes filled with tears—real, genuine tears. "I told Eleanor... it was a mistake. The contract... I didn't want it. But the board... the greed..."

"It’s over now, Arthur. I own the contract. No one is taking him."

"Save him," Arthur whispered, his grip on my hand surprisingly strong. "Don't let Lucien... become like me. He thinks... power is the only way to protect what you love. Tell him... he’s wrong."

I looked at the old man, feeling a strange pang of pity. He was the architect of my misery, yet here he was, terrified of his own legacy.

"I’ll save him, Arthur. But I won't save the Ardent Group if it means sacrificing my son's happiness."

I stepped out of the room and found Eleanor standing by the door, her face a mask of cold fury. She had clearly heard everything.

"You’re poisoning him against us," she hissed. "Just like you’ve poisoned Lucien."

"The truth isn't poison, Eleanor. It’s an antidote," I said, walking past her. "By the way, I’ve instructed the kitchen staff to change your menu. High cholesterol isn't good for a woman of your age. And since I’m the owner of the house, I’d hate for anything to happen to my tenant’s health."

"You wouldn't dare."

"I’m a doctor. I dare everything."

I headed toward the library, but as I turned the corner, I saw Thomas and Lucien standing by the window. They weren't fighting. They were looking at a document on the desk.

"This is a death warrant for the board," Thomas was saying, his voice professional.

"It’s the only way to purge the rot," Lucien replied.

I walked in, my brow furrowed. "What are you two doing?"

Lucien looked up, a strange, dark fire in his eyes. He didn't look jealous anymore. He looked like a man who had finally found his weapon.

"Thomas found a loophole in the Vane merger papers," Lucien said. "A hidden clause that Silas didn't even know existed. One that involves my mother’s personal accounts and five years of embezzlement."

"It’s enough to put her in prison, Elowen," Thomas said, looking at me. "But there’s a catch."

"What catch?" I asked.

Lucien stepped toward me, his face set in a grim expression. "To activate the clause and seize her assets, we need a unanimous vote from the Ardent-Vane board. And that means we have to do the one thing you said you’d never do."

I looked at the document, then back at Lucien. "What?"

"We have to go to the gala tonight," Lucien said. "And we have to announce that we aren't just reunited. We have to announce that I am stepping down and naming you the sole Chairperson of the Ardent Group."

I felt the room spin. "You’re giving me the company?"

"I’m giving you the power to destroy the people who hurt you," Lucien said. "Including me. If you sign this, you can fire me tonight. You can take Liam and leave, and I won't be able to stop you. Is that a contract you’re willing to sign?"

I looked at the pen on the desk. I looked at Thomas, who was nodding slowly. Then I looked at Lucien.

"Why would you give me everything?" I whispered.

Lucien stepped into my space, his hand coming up to cup my face. He didn't care that Thomas was watching.

"Because I want to see you win, Elowen. Even if I’m the one you’re winning against."

I picked up the pen, my heart hammering. "And if I sign this, and I still choose to leave?"

Lucien leaned in, his breath warm against my ear.

"Then I’ll spend the rest of my life being the only man who can't have the woman who owns him."