Sweet Divorce

When Michael got Rita’s text, his pupils expanded, full of joy.

She’d agreed.

She’d agreed to marry him.

It was the result of a threat, yes, but Michael was happy as could be.

He typed up and deleted his message over and over until he simply sent out:

“Made up your mind?”

Soon, he received her reply.

“Yes. But I need half a month to settle everything I’ve got going with Liam and the Brown family. I’ll come register for marriage with you in half a month.”

Half a month?

Was Rita stalling?

That was a legitimate worry, but Michael agreed to it anyway.

Standing in front of his panel window, he swirled the wine in his hand, looking at the dark red liquid swishing about under his control, and smirked. “It’s just fifteen days. What can a little girl do in that time?”

Even if she had some kind of plan in this fortnight, he’d deal with it as they came.

This time, he was going to have her.

Not just the girl he liked, but everything the Browns, the Burkes and the Wilsons owed him, he was going to take it all back.

The age of the Wilson family’s monopoly over the city was finally over.

Michael sneered quietly, cold in his eyes as he drained his glass.

…

“Rita?”

Maybe because she hadn’t replied for a while, but Zoe had called her name again.

Only then did Rita take her eyes off the screen of her phone. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m fine.”

“Really?” Zoe was clearly not relieved.

put away for phone, smiling. “Relax. I’m

seeing her keep her troubles close to her chest and take

tugged at Rita’s hand. “If you don’t want to forgive Charlotte, then don’t!

Zoe say that, before Rita could

in enough shambles, Zoe? As their mother, are you trying to turn these sisters against each other?” Amelia glared at Zoe

courage and stepped in front of Rita. “Don’t you understand, Mom? Ever since Charlotte broke Rita’s leg, they’d

the twenty-odd years that Zoe had been married into the brown family, this was the first time she’d stood up against

emerged, everyone drew back,

looked at a skinny Zoe standing in front of her. For that second, she had never seen her mother so tall and

the color of beetroot. Thoroughly enraged, she drew her hand back to slap Zoe across the cheek. “Shut

the old

She wouldn’t allow the Brown family to keep her mother down

blood or not, Zoe had

Amelia’s brow darkened. “What,

herself. “I have the right to protect my

seemed to stink of gunpowder.

Amelia who backed down first. “Look, Rita, your grandma just

landing on the girl again. “You have to understand, child, it’s not easy

up the gut punch factor again. Her own gut

long as Charlotte can get out of prison, I’ll have some people escort her out of the country.

Rita refused bluntly, “No!”

open to negotiation at all, the last vestiges

against her wrist. “I’m telling you now, Rita, if you don’t promise to let Charlotte go, I’ll…

an inch across her skin. Crimson blood flowed and

that, Zoe and Noah

fell to his knees. “What are you doing, Mom?

here.” Amelia capitalized on Noah’s love for her and deliberately

his nerve with Amelia putting

her father, with his blind love, was

to look at her, she spoke first instead. “That slick show of yours might work on my Dad, but not me! If you want to die… go right

expected that approach. Instead of agreeing, Rita had put

consider. She wasn’t about to show weakness in front

of the Brown family, is going to rot in prison.” Rita paused, then looked sideways at Amelia and sneered. “So whether you

less make a case for Charlotte to

couldn’t have gone through hell for nothing. Charlotte has to pay her dues to the law, and spend

of this on

you can to get her out of prison, maybe you should just tell Charlotte to behave herself in there. Maybe she’ll get points for exemplary behavior and

even, but every word

down, Amelia gave up entirely. She shuddered twice, and with a thunk, dropped