Sweet Divorce

When Michael got Rita’s text, his pupils expanded, full of joy.

She’d agreed.

She’d agreed to marry him.

It was the result of a threat, yes, but Michael was happy as could be.

He typed up and deleted his message over and over until he simply sent out:

“Made up your mind?”

Soon, he received her reply.

“Yes. But I need half a month to settle everything I’ve got going with Liam and the Brown family. I’ll come register for marriage with you in half a month.”

Half a month?

Was Rita stalling?

That was a legitimate worry, but Michael agreed to it anyway.

Standing in front of his panel window, he swirled the wine in his hand, looking at the dark red liquid swishing about under his control, and smirked. “It’s just fifteen days. What can a little girl do in that time?”

Even if she had some kind of plan in this fortnight, he’d deal with it as they came.

This time, he was going to have her.

Not just the girl he liked, but everything the Browns, the Burkes and the Wilsons owed him, he was going to take it all back.

The age of the Wilson family’s monopoly over the city was finally over.

Michael sneered quietly, cold in his eyes as he drained his glass.

…

“Rita?”

Maybe because she hadn’t replied for a while, but Zoe had called her name again.

Only then did Rita take her eyes off the screen of her phone. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m fine.”

“Really?” Zoe was clearly not relieved.

put away for phone, smiling.

her keep her troubles close to her chest

don’t want to forgive Charlotte, then don’t! You’ll have Mom’s support

that, before Rita could

isn’t in enough shambles, Zoe? As their mother, are you trying

was still more or less quite scared of Amelia’s wrath, but she took a deep breath, gathered her courage and stepped in front of Rita. “Don’t you understand, Mom? Ever since Charlotte broke Rita’s leg, they’d long since been against each

the twenty-odd years that Zoe had been married into the brown family, this was the

words emerged, everyone

a skinny Zoe standing in front of her. For that second, she had never seen her mother

drew her hand back to slap Zoe across the cheek. “Shut

reached out, grabbed the old woman

She wouldn’t allow the Brown family to keep her

to her by blood or not, Zoe had brought her

trapped, Amelia’s brow darkened. “What, I can’t even

right to protect

to stink of

Rita, your grandma just doesn’t want to see the Brown family split

her sharp, experienced eyes landing on the girl again. “You have to understand,

playing up the gut punch factor again. Her own

asking for much. So long as Charlotte can get out of prison, I’ll have some people escort her out of the

Rita refused bluntly, “No!”

Rita wasn’t open to negotiation at all, the

“I’m telling you now, Rita, if you don’t promise to let

Amelia drew the blade an inch across her

and Noah both went

“What are you doing, Mom? Put – put that knife

right here.” Amelia capitalized on Noah’s love for her and deliberately

Noah lost his nerve with Amelia putting on

father, with his blind love, was going to compromise

turned to look at her, she spoke first instead. “That slick show of yours might work on my Dad, but not

that approach. Instead of agreeing, Rita had put her on the

she had her appearance to consider. She wasn’t about to show weakness in front of Rita. “You – you really think I won’t with my old

really go through with that slash and anything happens to you, dear Charlotte, the sole bloodline of the Brown family, is going to rot in prison.” Rita paused, then looked sideways at Amelia and sneered. “So whether you want to live or die is up to you, but I can tell you this much – I

for

for nothing. Charlotte has to pay her dues to the law, and spend not

of this

just tell Charlotte to behave herself in there. Maybe she’ll get points for exemplary behavior and get

even, but every word she spoke

if sensing her willpower to never back down, Amelia gave up entirely. She shuddered