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.

phone,

her keep her troubles close to her

at Rita’s hand. “If you don’t want to forgive

say that, before Rita could

are you trying to turn these sisters against each other?” Amelia

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

twenty-odd years that Zoe had been married into the brown family, this was the first time she’d stood

the words emerged, everyone

second, she had never seen her mother so

had turned the color of beetroot. Thoroughly enraged, she drew her hand back

were quick. She reached out, grabbed the old woman by the wrist, and

Brown

to her by blood or not, Zoe had brought her up.

trapped, Amelia’s brow darkened. “What, I can’t even discipline my daughter-in-law

herself. “I have the right to

seemed to stink of gunpowder. The keg was about

was Amelia who backed down first. “Look, Rita, your grandma just doesn’t want to see the Brown family split apart. That’s why

glanced apologetically towards Zoe, her sharp, experienced eyes landing on the girl again. “You have to understand, child, it’s

was playing up the gut punch factor again. Her own gut was unmoved. “Then who’s there to understand how

forgive Charlotte, Rita. I’m not asking for much. So long as Charlotte can get out of prison, I’ll have

Rita refused bluntly, “No!”

open to negotiation at all, the last vestiges of Amelia’s patience

produced a kitchen knife from her pocket and laid it against her wrist. “I’m telling you now, Rita, if you don’t promise to let Charlotte go, I’ll… I’ll die right

an inch across her

Zoe and Noah both

fell to his knees. “What are you doing, Mom? Put – put

Amelia capitalized on Noah’s love for her and

his nerve with Amelia putting on

her father, with his blind love,

first instead. “That slick show of yours might work on my Dad, but

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

had her appearance to consider. She wasn’t about to show weakness in front of Rita. “You –

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

for Charlotte to be

couldn’t have gone through hell for nothing. Charlotte

brought all of

tell Charlotte to behave herself in there.

were even, but every

never back down, Amelia gave up entirely. She shuddered twice, and