And I don’t hand half a billion dollars to a family that allies itself with people who abuse the woman I love.”

“I had nothing to do with the wine!” Thaddeus the elder begged.

“That was Roderick, all of it—”

“You sat at his table and you laughed,” Zachary said.

“The deal is dead.

I’ll be instructing my board to short what’s left of your stock on Monday.

Enjoy the honeymoon.” Rosalie sank into a chair with a single broken sound, and the golden wedding was, by then, simply rubble.

Chapter 16 — Madam Director