Chapter 3 - Wars of the High Society
Z
The silence in the art studio was deafening. Genevieve’s face turned from pale ivory to a blotchy, furious red. Her composure cracked, revealing the raw panic underneath.
"You... you can't do that," Genevieve stammered, stepping back from the workbench. "The board would never approve a hostile takeover of Mercer Holdings!"
"The board approved it unanimously at eight thirty this morning," Griffin said coldly, taking a slow, deliberate step toward her. His dark suit emphasized his broad shoulders and towering frame, casting a long shadow across the room. "Your father mismanaged his commercial real estate funds. He was desperate for liquidity. I bought fifty-one percent of your voting shares while you were busy driving over here to threaten my family."
"Family?" Genevieve laughed bitterly, though her voice shook. "She’s an art restorer, Griffin! A nobody! She ran away from you! And those girls—"
"Say another word about my daughters," Griffin interrupted, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper, "and I will liquidate your family’s assets by the time the sun sets today. You will be penniless, Genevieve. Try me."
Genevieve clenched her jaw so hard her teeth clicked. She grabbed her designer bag, glared at Sloan with pure hatred, and stormed past Griffin, her heels clicking furiously against the floorboards as she slammed the glass door behind her.
Griffin didn't move for a long moment. He let out a slow, controlled breath, adjusting his dark tie before turning to look at Sloan.
Sloan stood behind her workbench, her chest heaving, her hands trembling as she leaned against the wood for support. The confrontation had brought back every single nightmare she had spent ten years trying to bury—the wealth, the power dynamics, the feeling of being completely helpless against people who treated human lives like chess pieces.
"Sloan," Griffin said gently, his tone instantly shifting as he moved toward her. The two attorneys who had accompanied him stepped outside, closing the door to give them privacy. "Are you okay?"
"No," Sloan whispered, looking up at him with tears brimming in her eyes. "No, Griffin, I am not okay."
"She can't hurt you," Griffin said firmly. "I canceled the debt on the studio. The property is registered under your name now, free and clear. No one can ever—"
"That’s the problem, Griffin!" Sloan suddenly shouted, her voice echoing in the high-ceilinged room. She threw her hands in the air, frustrated and overwhelmed. "You just bought an entire corporation to solve a problem! You snapped your fingers and spent tens of millions of dollars like it was pocket change! That isn't normal!"
Griffin paused, frowning. "She was trying to ruin you. She threatened our daughters."
"I know what she did!" Sloan wiped a tear from her cheek, her chest heaving. "But this is exactly what scared me ten years ago! This world... your world! It’s full of monsters like Genevieve and your mother! People who use money as a weapon. You think you protected me, but all you did was bring the war to my doorstep!"
"I am trying to protect you!" Griffin’s voice finally cracked, his composure slipping as frustration broke through his cool exterior. "What was I supposed to do, Sloan? Let her take your business? Let her drag you through court?"
"You could have talked to me!" Sloan cried out. "Instead, you flexed your muscles, bought her company, and proved that power is the only thing that matters to you!"
"Power is the only thing that protects the people I love!" Griffin roared back, his emerald eyes blazing with a mixture of pain and anger. "I lost you ten years ago because I didn't have enough power to stop my mother from destroying us! I was naive! I was weak! I swore to myself I would never let anyone hurt you again!"
The raw agony in his voice struck Sloan like a physical blow. She froze, staring at him.
Griffin ran a hand through his dark hair, breathing heavily, looking away toward the window. "I spent ten years building an empire, Sloan. Not for the money. Not for the fame. I built it so no one could ever force me into a corner again. So no one could ever tell me who I was allowed to love."
A soft sound at the top of the stairs broke the intense silence.
Both of them snapped their heads toward the wooden staircase leading to the loft. Hazel and Iris were standing on the landing, clutching the railing, their wide green eyes watching their parents.
"Are you guys breaking up again?" Hazel asked, her small voice trembling.
Sloan felt a sharp pain in her heart. She immediately smoothed down her apron and walked to the base of the stairs. "No, baby. No. We were just... discussing business. Everything is okay."
Iris walked down two steps, holding a notebook in her hands. She looked at Griffin, her expression unnervingly calm for an eight-year-old. "The blonde lady was mean. We heard her through the floorboards."
Griffin walked over to the stairs, crouching down so he was at eye level with the girls. "She won't ever come back, Iris. I promise you."
"Did you really buy her company?" Hazel asked, leaning over the railing.
Griffin hesitated, looking up at Sloan before looking back at Hazel. "Yes. I did."
Iris nodded thoughtfully. "Good. She had bad energy. But Mom is right about one thing."
Griffin blinked. "What’s that?"
"You use your money like a shield," Iris said quietly, tapping her pencil against her notebook. "Sometimes shields are heavy, Dad. They crush things underneath them."
Griffin stared at his daughter, the words cutting deeper than any corporate insult ever could. He slowly stood up, looking at Sloan with a profound, quiet sadness.
"I'll have my attorneys send over the clear title for the building," Griffin said softly, his voice subdued. "It’s yours. No strings attached. You don't have to see me for the rest of the week if you need space."
He turned and walked toward the door.
"Griffin, wait," Sloan called out, her voice softening.
May you like
He stopped with his hand on the brass door handle, but didn't turn around. "I'm learning how to be a father, Sloan. And I'm learning how to be the man you deserved ten years ago. Please... just give me time to figure out how to do both without destroying everything around me."
Without waiting for an answer, Griffin opened the door and walked out into the cold Seattle rain.
