Chapter 6
She didn't look at the broken glass. She didn't look at William. She turned and ran to the bedroom.
William followed her to the doorway. She was frantically pulling a dress from the closet. Her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't manage the zipper.
Arthur Sterling. The only man in this godforsaken family who had treated her like a human being. The only one who remembered her birthday. The only one who defended her against Eleanor.
William watched her panic. His eyes narrowed. The fear in her seemed real, but the cynicism in his heart was a deep, rot-filled root.
"Hurry up," he said coldly.
"I'm trying!" Mia snapped, grabbing her purse. Her eyes were swimming with tears.
"Don't overact, Mia," William said.
Mia froze. She turned slowly to face him. "Excuse me?"
"He hasn't signed the final amendment to the trust yet," William said, leaning against the doorframe. "This display of devotion... your timing is impeccable, isn't it? Hoping the old man sees your tears one last time and adds a few zeros to your name?"
The air left the room.
Mia stared at him. For a moment, she looked like she might hit him. Then, her shoulders slumped, not in defeat, but in sheer exhaustion.
"Not everyone operates like a Sterling, William," she said quietly. "Not everyone sees a dying man and sees a bank account."
She pushed past him.
In the elevator, they stood shoulder to shoulder, staring at the steel doors. The silence was suffocating.
Down in the garage, the black Lincoln was waiting with the driver holding the door open. They slid into the back seat. The door thudded shut, sealing them in leather-scented intimacy.
The car merged into the Manhattan traffic. Mia stared out the window, her hands clasped so tightly in her lap that her knuckles were white. A tear escaped, tracking silently down her cheek.
William watched her from the corner of his eye.
The grief looked genuine. The trembling looked real.
A crack formed in his certainty. Is she actually... sad?
He shook his head, physically dispelling the thought. No. She's a master manipulator. She trapped me. She wants the money. He repeated the mantra, rebuilding his walls.
---
Chapter 7
The name flashed on the dashboard screen visible from the rear seats.
William hesitated. He glanced at Mia. She was still looking out the window, but he saw her posture stiffen.
He leaned forward and pressed the accept button on the center console control panel.
"William!" Lucinda's voice flooded the cabin, amplified by the surround sound. She was sobbing. "Oh god, William, I heard about Arthur! It's terrible!"
"Calm down, Lu," William said, his voice instantly shifting. It became soft. Protective. The voice he never used with Mia.
"I'm at the hospital already," Lucinda cried. "Eleanor is falling apart. It's so scary here. I need you."
"I'm five minutes away," William soothed. "Just stay in the waiting room. Don't worry."
"Gavin isn't picking up," she wept. "I feel so alone. You're the only one I can count on, William. Please hurry."
Mia turned her head. She looked at the dashboard screen, then at William.
Her husband. Comforting his ex-lover. On speakerphone. While his wife sat next to him.
"Deep breaths, Lu. I'm almost there," William said.
He ended the call. The silence rushed back in, heavier than before.
William shifted in his seat. He felt... uncomfortable. He glanced at Mia.
She was looking at him. Her face was completely devoid of expression. It was chilling.
"She's just scared," William said. He didn't know why he was explaining.
"You don't need to explain," Mia said. Her voice was light, airy. "Your priorities have always been very clear."
"It's not about priorities. She's fragile," William defended, gripping the leather armrest tightly. "She's practically family."
"Yes," Mia said. "Fragile enough to call another woman's husband and cry about how much she needs him."
"You're being paranoid."
"And you're being a doormat," Mia said. "But that's none of my business anymore."
The car pulled up to the Mount Sinai emergency entrance.
Before the driver could come around, Mia opened her own door. She stepped out into the humid air. She didn't wait for him. She walked toward the sliding glass doors, her heels clicking a sharp rhythm on the pavement, leaving him alone in the car with the fading echo of Lucinda's voice.
---
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