Chapter 2 - The Silent Coward
Harrison adjusted his dark suit jacket with shaking fingers, remaining completely silent as he stared down at the patio tiles. He felt Sloan’s cold gaze on him, and he lacked the courage to utter a single word in his mother's defense.
Sloan chuckled softly, her quiet scoff cutting through the tense atmosphere like a sharp blade.
"He knows his place, Catherine," Sloan sneered, taking another slow sip of her red wine. "Just clean it up."
The guests exchanged horrified glances, whispering among themselves as they watched the wealthy daughter-in-law treat the sixty-five-year-old matriarch like hired help.
For the past twelve months, Sloan had treated Catherine with escalating disrespect. She believed Catherine was a lonely, aging widow dependent on Harrison's executive salary to maintain her quiet lifestyle.
She had convinced Harrison to gradually transfer family assets into their joint accounts, constantly pressuring him to treat his mother as an inconvenience.
Catherine looked at Sloan’s mocking grin, then at her son’s slumped shoulders. There were no tears in her eyes—only cold, unbreakable resolve.
Catherine reached calmly into her designer leather handbag resting on the patio table and pulled out a heavy, sealed dark brown envelope bearing a red wax stamp.
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"My year of protecting you both ends tonight," Catherine whispered in an icy, composed tone.
👉 What devastating legal reality is contained inside the dark envelope Catherine just laid on the table?
