Chapter 8 - PRESTON LOSES CONTROL
Preston stared at the report.
Then at Emily.
“You went through my records?”
Emily almost laughed.
“My records?”
“You had no right.”
“You hired someone to follow me.”
“To protect myself.”
“From your pregnant wife?”
“You were hiding things.”
“What?”
“Money.”
Emily stared at him.
“You mean money you wanted.”
Preston stood.
“This is exactly what Raymond has done to you.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed.
“What?”
“He’s spent your whole life making you suspicious of my family.”
Emily couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Raymond barely discussed money with me.”
“That was manipulation.”
“No, Preston.”
She looked toward the file.
“This was manipulation.”
Preston began pacing.
“You don’t understand what’s happening.”
“Then explain it.”
“My family has hundreds of employees.”
“So?”
“If Raymond calls those loans, people lose jobs.”
Emily remained silent.
Preston turned toward her.
“This isn’t about us anymore.”
There it was.
The shift.
First denial.
Then blame.
Now guilt.
Emily had watched Preston negotiate enough contracts to recognize the pattern.
“You want me to stop Raymond.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
His expression hardened.
“Emily.”
“No.”
“You could destroy hundreds of families.”
Emily stared at him.
“You spent eleven months using corporate money to pay for your mistress.”
“That’s separate.”
“You used hospital credentials to access my medical records.”
“I was worried about you.”
“You hired someone to follow me.”
“You were acting secretive.”
“I was pregnant.”
Preston stepped closer.
“And now you’re willing to destroy my family because Vanessa lost her temper?”
Emily’s voice became quiet.
“No.”
She pointed toward him.
“You still don’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
“This isn’t about what Vanessa did.”
Preston frowned.
“It’s about what you did afterward.”
Silence.
“You saw me holding my stomach.”
Emily’s voice trembled for the first time.
“You saw your son inside me.”
Preston looked away.
“And you chose her.”
“I panicked.”
“No.”
Emily shook her head.
“You were embarrassed.”
He said nothing.
“That mattered more to you than whether your child was safe.”
Preston’s face tightened.
“You’re twisting everything.”
Emily pressed the nurse-call button.
Preston stared.
“What are you doing?”
“Ending the conversation.”
“Emily—”
The door opened.
Security stood outside.
Preston’s humiliation turned instantly into anger.
“You’re throwing me out?”
Emily looked at him.
“Yes.”
“I’m your husband.”
“Not for much longer.”
He stepped closer.
Security moved immediately.
Preston stopped.
Then he leaned toward Emily.
“You think Raymond can protect you forever?”
Emily looked him directly in the eyes.
“I don’t need him to.”
Preston laughed bitterly.
“You’ve never survived one day without Saint Claire money.”
Emily’s expression changed.
Because Preston had forgotten something.
Before she married him, Emily had been a public-school teacher.
She had lived in a one-bedroom apartment.
Driven a nine-year-old Honda.
Paid her own bills.
She had never touched most of her trust.
Emily smiled faintly.
“I survived perfectly well before you.”
Preston stopped.
“And I’ll survive much better after you.”
Security escorted him out.
But as Preston entered the hallway, Margaret was waiting.
She held another document.
“Mr. Whitmore.”
“What now?”
“Your father has called an emergency board meeting.”
Preston frowned.
“For what?”
Margaret handed him the notice.
REMOVAL OF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.
May you like
The vote was scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
And Raymond Saint Claire controlled enough shares to decide the outcome by himself.
