a Holl
bed my upper arm. His grip pinched the fabric of
right now," Caden sa
aid, looking direct
logize to my mother and Khloe," Caden said. "Or I will have the pol
my strength, wrenching my
and your mistress
. You have no money and no power. You will eventually give up. You migh
with indignation. "She has always been common. She has no breeding, n
r, dabbing at dry cheeks
hing, Caden," Khloe whimpered. "I di
urned his glare back to me. His ja
rcus will stand outside the bedroom door. Anything bought with a Crawford credit card stays in this house. If you
le thing that touche
ked up the carpeted sta
s crossed over his chest. I ignored him and walked straight into the g
d faintly of hi
eath the lower drawer, taped to the back of the mahogany frame, was
d slid the palm-sized black dev
pened th
ening gowns, handmade leather pumps. Seven years of b
none
. Inside, I packed my mother's silver locket, my high school diploma, my engineering
tairs with the backpack
od in the foyer like a recepti
small canvas bag
million dollars of marital property with a twenty-doll
t your MIT degree is useless without venture capital networks.
re the best defense lawyers in New York. Because on Fr
the broken glas
week on your own!" Ca
hut behind me, cut
but my lungs felt clear for
a blur of fluorescenc
ived under a flat,
on the eleventh floor of the New Y
briefcase open, four stacks of color-co
th no jewelry except my mother's s
the back of the courtroom
t with a white silk pocket square. Behind him, sitting in the second row of the public gallery, was Khloe Rose. Sh
at the defense tab
acket with a faint, mocking smirk on his lips. He caught my
he whispered in a low, patronizing tone. "Stop
merger meeting to sit here. Drop the suit,
outh shut, C
ambers, her black robes rustling as
reading glasses and gla
lly scheduled as an emergency petition for divorce and temporary spousal asset distribution
tood up, butto
an immediate amendment to the orig
rold Higgins, stood up wi
rom a petitioner who realizes she has no claim
Judge Vance said sharpl
otional distress," Joelle said, her voice ringing through the quiet room. "Furthermore, we are requesting this court refer
oom went d
smirk
/1/134208/coverbig.jpg?v=a801da935ab25f08f72e222c59961c71&imageMogr2/format/webp)