The Widow’s Fate They Chose Was My Escape Plan Chapter 08
“This marriage was arranged by your family. She is a legal adult. Since she chose to marry Sebastian of her own free will, she has the right to decide whether to move with him.”
Grinding out each word, Adrian said, “But my sister has been frail since childhood. How could she withstand a thousand-mile journey? When we arranged this, we thought it was only a marriage to stabilize Quinn’s corporate governance. We had no idea they were leaving New York. Isn’t that fraud?”
The chairman lowered his gaze, his fingers brushing over the report on his desk. It was filled with information gathered by outside counsel—details of the manipulated card draw, the forced marriage.
He looked at the two men standing before him. Adrian’s face was a mask of pain. Hayden looked even more dazed; he had nearly forgotten his manners when he’d entered the office.
The chairman tapped a finger against the desk.
He had heard that Hayden and Lena had known each other since childhood. At seven, when Hayden learned his playmate was missing, he had cried and demanded they find her.
Later, when the Sterlings brought home a replacement, eight-year-old Hayden had smashed up the reception held to welcome Ivy. He had stared at her and shouted, “I don’t accept her! If I ever get married, I’m only marrying Lena!”
But in the blink of an eye, he had gained power and choices of his own—only to take the hand of the very girl he had once despised.
A faintly mocking smile touched the chairman’s lips.
“Didn’t Eleanor make everything clear when she visited the Sterling house? Lena knew she would be leaving New York after the wedding, and that she would likely never return.”
“She didn’t refuse. That means it was her decision.”
Adrian’s face changed violently.