Chapter 125

Serena's POV

I rose from the armchair, my movements deliberate and controlled. "We're done here. I won't waste any more of your time, Mr. Harrington."

"Don't be hasty, Miss Sinclair." His voice carried that particular tone of the powerful - one accustomed to buying their way out of any situation. "Let's discuss terms."

I paused, not quite at the door. The grandfather clock ticked steadily in the corner, marking each moment of this particular power play.

"I can make this worth your while." He opened a drawer, removing a checkbook with calculated casualness. "Name your price."

The corner of my mouth twitched. "Mr. Harrington, if I wanted money-"

"The Sinclair Group," he interrupted. "I can help you reclaim what's rightfully yours."

That made me turn back, if only slightly. Howard's eyes glinted with satisfaction at having caught my attention. The bait was expertly chosen - he'd done his homework well.

"And the Whitmores," he continued, pressing his advantage. "I could destroy them. Make Ian pay for everything he did to you."

The temptation was there, I had to admit. For a moment, I let myself imagine it - taking back Lawrence's company, watching Ian's smug facade crumble. But the price was too familiar. Another powerful man thinking he could dictate the terms of my life.

"I can earn my own money, Mr. Harrington." My voice was quiet but firm. "And as for the Sinclair Group or the Whitmore family - they're hardly worth my concern. Just a matter of time."

He steepled his fingers, studying me. "All three then. Money, power, revenge. Everything you want, served on a silver platter."

"You're missing the point." I met his gaze steadily. "The fact that you're so desperate to make me leave Lucas... it reveals more than you intended."

His fingers tightened imperceptibly. Even the butler, still as a statue behind him, seemed to tense.

"You're afraid," I continued, the realization crystallizing as I spoke. "Afraid that if you don't force me away, Lucas won't let me go. And if I have that kind of influence over him..." I let the implication hang in the air.

The mask slipped. Howard's face darkened with genuine anger. "You're holding the wrong cards, Miss Sinclair. I can make you lose everything."

"Can you?" I allowed myself a small smile. "You've just shown me exactly how much leverage I have. The great Howard Harrington, reduced to bribing a young woman to leave his grandson."

"So you've decided to stand against me?" His voice carried the weight of decades of unchallenged authority.

I met his gaze steadily. "At my young age, as a nobody, how could I dare to stand against Mr. Harrington? I'm merely asking for fairness - "

"I'll give you fairness!" He cut me off, his voice sharp in the elegant study of the Harrington mansion.

I kept my expression cold, though I could feel my heart racing.

"I'll make you willingly walk away from Lucas," he continued.

Eleanor's POV

I burst through the crowd in the grand ballroom, my heart pounding against my ribs. The engagement announcement still rang in my ears.

"A perfect match," someone whispered nearby. I wanted to scream. Perfect? No, this was wrong. Everything about Rachel Thorne was too polished, too precise. Like a diamond that sparkled just a bit too brightly to be real.

My eyes caught Serena's silhouette as she slipped away from the crowd. The slight tremor in her shoulders was visible only to those who knew where to look. I knew that kind of pain - the kind that steals your voice and leaves you struggling to breathe. The same pain I'd felt years ago when Jace...

"Miss Yates." A security guard's broad shoulders blocked my path. "No one is to leave during the announcement."

"I need to see Ms. Sinclair," I insisted, trying to keep my voice steady despite the growing panic in my chest. "She's my friend."

"I'm sorry, but those are my orders."

I pulled out my phone, dialing Serena's number for what felt like the hundredth time. Straight to voicemail. "Serena, please pick up. I understand... I know how it feels when..." I stopped, watching my brother's face across the room. His jaw was clenched, eyes burning with barely contained fury. It seemed that he hadn't known about this announcement either.

The next hour crawled by like broken glass across skin. I kept checking my phone, pacing in my heels. My fingers couldn't stop fidgeting with my bracelet.

Finally, the crowd began to thin. I made my way toward the exit, my steps quickening with each passing moment.

"Eleanor."

That voice. I froze, my hand tightening around my clutch. "What do you want, Jace?" I didn't turn around.

"Howard probably took her to the Harrington mansion." His voice was careful, measured.

I spun to face him, alarm cutting through my usual defenses. "What? Why would he-" The rest of my question died as Jace reached for my arm. I jerked back instinctively, the movement creating a pocket of awkward space between us.

His hand dropped slowly. "You know how Howard operates. If he sees an opportunity..."

"That manipulative old-" I bit back the rest of my words, already moving toward the parking area. My grandfather never did anything without multiple motives, and Serena was far too vulnerable right now to face him alone.

"Eleanor," Jace called after me. "Be careful. This isn't just about Serena and Lucas anymore."

"Eleanor!"

Jace's voice cut through the silence, his footsteps rapid behind me. Something in his tone made me stop, my hand tightening instinctively around my purse strap.

"What is it?" I turned, catching the urgency in his expression.

He closed the distance between us quickly, slightly out of breath. "If I'm right, Howard took Serena to the Harrington estate."

My blood ran cold. "How do you know?"

The parking plot suddenly felt colder, the shadows deeper. Grandfather had always been ruthless in getting what he wanted, and Serena... my mind raced with possibilities, none of them good.

"I need to go there." I started to move, but Jace reached for my arm. I jerked away before he could make contact, my body responding before my mind could process the movement.

"Wait," he said, letting his hand fall back to his side. "When you see her, tell her not to trust anything Howard says. Don't let her make any decisions before Lucas explains everything."

I narrowed my eyes, studying his face. "What do you mean? Is Lucas hiding something from her?"

Jace hesitated, and in that moment of silence, I caught it-that slight shift in his expression that confirmed my suspicions. "It's complicated," he finally said.

"Complicated?" I repeated, my voice sharp. "My brother better have a damn good explanation for this."

"He does." Jace ran a hand through his hair, a gesture I'd noticed he made when stressed. "Stay with her these few days. She needs someone right now. I'll reschedule your shooting scenes."

The concrete pillars cast alternating bands of light and shadow across his face as he spoke. I could see the tension in his jaw, the way he was choosing his words carefully. There was more he wasn't telling me, but I knew pushing wouldn't get me answers.

"Fine," I said, already turning toward my car. "But this better not be another one of Grandfather's games."

"Eleanor," Jace called after me one last time. I paused but didn't turn around. "Be careful. This situation... it's more delicate than you might think."

I didn't respond, just kept walking.

Half hours later, I took the stairs two at a time, my heart pounding against my ribs. When I finally reached Grandfather's study, I didn't bother knocking-I threw the heavy door open, the sound reverberating through the room.

"Grandfather!"