Chapter 188

No.1

The word heir hung in the air, toxic and suffocating.The silence in the penthouse was absolute. The only sound was the low, steady hum of the central air conditioning.

Elisa sat frozen in the armchair. Her eyes widened,staring at the back of Germaine's purple suit. A violent,physical wave of revulsion crashed over her.

Have a child with August? Now? After he had shoved her, betrayed her, and tried to destroy her?The very thought of his touch, of his DNA inside her, made her stomach violently heave. It was the most grotesque, horrifying demand she had ever heard.

She gripped the armrests, preparing to stand up.

She was ready to scream, ready to tell Germaine to burn the trust to the ground, ready to risk everything rather than submit to this ultimate violation.

Before Elisa could open her mouth, August moved.

He took a long, deliberate stride forward, placing his massive body directly between Elisa and his mother. He completely blocked Elisa from Germaine's line of sight.

No.2

August stood with his back to Elisa. His shoulders were rigid. He looked down at his mother. The

frantic rage from earlier was gone, replaced by the cold, dead-eyed mask of a corporate killer.

"I understand, Mother," August said. His voice was perfectly level, devoid of any emotion. "The stability of thne trust is paramount. I will handle the situation. You will have what you require."

The words hit Elisa like a physical strike to the face.

She stared at the broad expanse of his back. Her mind reeled. He had agreed. He had actually agreed to force her into a pregnancy just to save

his trust fund and protect his mistress from the

media fallout.

No.3

He had absolutely no bottom line. He was a monster wearing a bespoke suit.

Germaine gave a curt, satisfied nod. She did not care about the hatred radiating between the two of them. She only cared about the bloodline and the stock price.

"See that you do," Germaine said. "If I do not see a confirmed medical report by December, the freeze goes into effect."

She turned and walked out the door. The security guards followed, pulling the heavy oak door shut behind them with a loud, final THUD.

The penthouse was silent again.

August slowly turned around to face Elisa. His jaw was tight, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Elisa stood up. She ignored the screaming pain in her lower back. She looked at him with a gaze so

No.4

filled with absolute, concentrated disgust that August physically flinched.

Slowly, Elisa raised her hands. She began to clap.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The sound was sharp and mocking, echoing off the glass walls.

"Bravo, August," Elisa said, her voice dripping with lethal sarcasm. "What a spectacular performance.You truly are the king of the rats. Willing to sell your own sperm and violate your wife just to keep your bank accounts full and your whore out of jail."

August's face flushed a dark, angry red. He took a step toward her, reaching out his hand as if to grab her arm.

"Elisa, listen to me-"

No.5

"Don't touch me!" Elisa shrieked, her voice cracking like a whip. She recoiled violently,stumbling back against the chair. "If you ever lay a hand on me again, I will cut it off. I wvould rather die in a gutter than carry your child."

Warren Beckett coughed nervously, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He was a shark, but even he looked uncomfortable witnessing this level of raw,marital hatred.

August stopped. He took a deep, ragged breath,forcing the anger down. He looked at Elisa's terrified, disgusted posture, and a strange, sharp ache flared in his chest.

He turned his head and glared at the lawyer.

"Warren," August snapped. "Turn off your phone.Disconnect the security cameras in this room.Now."

Warren blinked, surprised, but quickly complied.He pulled out his phone, powered it down, and walked over to the wall panel, disabling the internal surveillance system.

"Get out," August ordered."Wait in the lobby."

No.6

Warren quickly gathered the scattered papers from the floor, shoved them into his briefcase, and hurried out of the penthouse, locking the door behind him.

August walked over to the wet bar. He grabbed a crystal decanter and poured three fingers of neat whiskey into a glass. He threw it back in one swallow, the alcohol burninga path down his throat.

He set the glass down with a hard clack.

He turned back to Elisa. He walked slowly toward her,stopping just a few feet away. The air between them was crackling with tension.

"Do you honestly think," August said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous murmur, "that I want you to have my child?"

Elisa stared at him, her chest heaving, waiting for the trap to spring.

August put his hands in his pockets. He looked down at her, his eyes calculating and cold.

No.7

"I told the old bat what she wanted to hear to get her out of my house," August said. "Now, we are going to talk about the real plan. A plan that gets

you your divorce, gets me my trust, and keeps the Board completely blind."