Cilix's heart twisted as he saw the look in her eyes, and a wave of feeling washed over him.Once upon a time, he might have convinced Madeline to hold onto her shares. But the Madeline of today? That seemed like a lost cause.Skylar watched him, panic rising, and tears spilled over. "You promised everything would go to Yale," she sobbed."Now what? First, you're handing over all that money to Madeline, and now shares too. What's going to be left for Yale? Might as well sign over the whole Sanders fortune to her!"Cilix rubbed his temples, her complaints drilling into his skull. "I never intended to give her the money."Those shares? He had not planned on giving those away either. The real headache was the twenty percent stake Madam Gibson had mentioned. Cornered like that, it looked like he had no choice but to give in.Upstairs, Lydia lay exhausted from crying, her bed offering no comfort, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, unblinking. How had her life turned into that mess? She wo
That was Edith's personal wealth, so Tristan, her private financial planner, was the one lending a hand. There was something about him that reminded Madeline of Daniel. Tristan had a softer touch than Danie. "Daniel's my nephew," he revealed.He was the one who had brought Daniel into the fold of the Gibson Group. Everything clicked for Madeline."Mr. Harris, grandma intends to pass the shares on to me, but they're her personal assets. It doesn't feel right for me to accept them. I'm thinking they should go to Trevon. Is that something we can do?"Tristan gave her a surprised look, then his face broke into a smile. "You and Mr. Gibson are married. It doesn't matter if the shares go to you or to Mr. Gibson—it's all shared between spouses, no difference at all."Madeline paused for a second, then shook her head. "No, that won't do. Can you put Trevon's name on it?"Tristan gave her a once-over. "If that's what you want, we'll need Mr. Gibson's signature. Trouble is, he's out of th
"No way!" Cilix dismissed the idea instantly. After the listing, 200 million would be worth at least 5 percent of the shares if converted. That would give Madeline nearly a quarter of the company, edging her right up to the top as the second major shareholder. Well, she was already pretty much there. Madeline's smile widened. "Just don't forget, you're still on the hook for that money." Cilix scowled, his eyes boring into her. "It comes with strings attached." With Lydia out of the picture for the Gibson family, Madeline could kiss that money goodbye. Madeline just laughed it off. Contract done, she passed the share transfer papers to Tristan and hailed a cab to Oralia. Pausing, she glanced back at the Sanders Group skyscraper. The electronic billboard cycled through the latest collection. Totally uninspired. Nothing like the spark it had when Bella was around. Shaking her head, she slid into the cab and rode away.She spent the entire day in Oralia, lost in her art, eit
Andrew's hand came down hard on the table again. "You're not about to tell me that the woman Trevon got involved with is your aunt's daughter, are you?"Stephen shot a surprised glance at Andrew.The old man's mind was sharp, having built the Ferguson family empire from the ground up. His guess was a little off though.Stephen let out a sigh. "Aunt was raised by you and grandma. How could she ever allow her daughter to wreck someone else's family?"He had planned to confirm everything before breaking the news to his grandparents, to spare them another disappointment.Today, with Trevon's arrival stirring up his emotions, Stephen had not kept his cool, and Andrew had put two and two together.Andrew's expression turned even darker."So Lydia is Madeline's half-sister on their father's side..." Stephen tried to clarify."Her last name is Sanders?" Andrew pressed.Stephen paused, caught off guard. "Yes."Andrew gripped his cane tightly and rose swiftly. "Follow me."They headed
Stephen, too scared to continue, rushed to Andrew's side, about to call for the butler and a doctor."I'm okay," Andrew rasped, the metallic taste of blood on his tongue. "Keep it down, don't alarm Grandma."Sophia had just calmed down with her meds and gone to bed, shaken by Stephen's earlier words.Another shock could do some real harm."But you've got to look after yourself." Stephen said."It's nothing," Andrew insisted, his anger having forced a clot of blood from his chest, which oddly made him feel a bit better. The thought of Cilix brought the fury rushing back."I always said that Cilix was no good, but your aunt would not listen and married him anyway!"I figured he was just a pushover, not cut out for much. But to think he was already married with a kid! And then he has the nerve to come asking for her hand in marriage! He's a fraud!"Damn him! Damn him all to hell!" He spat out the curses as another coughing fit took him.Stephen was right there, helping him brea
Given Andrew's protective nature toward Madeline, it was unlikely Trevon would ever find himself in his good graces again. However, that was a worry for another day. With Stephen's comforting words, Andrew's stormy emotions settled. "Let's keep this from your grandma for now. Her heart can't take the shock." The truth was, Bella's plight was simply too much to bear, and Sophia would be devastated. Stephen gave a nod of understanding. With a grunt, Andrew added, "At least she's got her wits about her, passing on your grandma's talents. Madeline picked them up well."Come on, spill more about Madeline," he urged.Stephen chuckled, unable to contain himself. Since he had started noticing Madeline's identity, he had done his homework and dug up quite a bit. He launched into the tale, detail by detail.Meanwhile, Trevon stepped out of the Ferguson estate, his thoughts on Stephen's behavior prompting a derisive snort. The Ferguson family's golden boy lusting after someone else's
"Trevon, can't we just stay together, please?" Desperation laced Lydia's voice.She had lost count of how many times she had begged him. She had lowered herself to the ground for him.Yet Trevon seemed like a statue, not even budging. "We had an agreement. After the birthday party, we'd go our separate ways.""No, no, no! I don't accept that! I've changed my mind. Trevon, I can't break up with you!"Madeline doesn't even love you. She only married you for Bella's sake! It's your wealth she's after! She's not worth your love! I'm the one who loves you most in this world!"Trevon's brow furrowed deeper. Patience was never his strong suit, and Lydia's repetitive pleas were starting to grate on him. He unwound her hands from his waist, one by one. In the night's shadow, his face seemed to grow colder. "I'll overlook this for old times' sake. I've said as much many times before. "The night of the accident, after too much wine, I never meant for things to go that far, and the baby...
Trevon, faced with Lydia's frail and pale figure, finally got to his feet. They headed to an old coffee haunt, only to find it closed.Lydia's face fell. "I'd forgotten, it's not open round the clock."Trevon regarded her with a detached air. "There's a hotel nearby. I'll walk you there."Lydia's eyes brimmed with tears. "You won't even let me stay one night?"Trevon looked at her, his expression serene. "It's not right for us to live together, not being married and all. You know how Madeline is—she can't stand even the smallest fault. I don't want to give her the wrong idea."Her words cut Lydia deep. Her voice spiked with emotion. "Why are you so good to her? She doesn't deserve it! She's the one who ruined what we had! If it weren't for her, we'd be together by now! She's to blame for everything!"But Trevon was the picture of calm, his voice steady. "You're wrong. The reason we're not together is that you left the country."Lydia had fled overseas when she heard Trevon had f