Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Paul
When Lina told me what Diana had done, I'd just pulled out of Marcus's office, my head still spinning with those investigation reports. Frozen accounts, forged complaint letters, hired internet trolls... The sheer filth of it turned my stomach.
I slammed the gas pedal. The engine's roar matched the fury burning in my chest.
Outside the presidential suite at the Hilton, two bodyguards saw me coming and stepped aside, heads bowed. I shoved through the heavy wooden door. Diana sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows in a silk robe, a glass of deep red wine in her hand.
"Paul, I knew you'd come." She turned, smiling. Set down the decanter. Picked up two glasses filled with amber liquid and walked toward me, one slow step at a time.
She didn't offer me the drink. Instead, she took a sip herself, then pressed the rim—stained with her lipstick—against my lips.
"Try it? 1982 Macallan, your favorite. Had it shipped from London just for you."
I turned my head away. "Diana, stop whatever you're doing to Casey and Tommy. Withdraw that complaint letter to the hospital."
Diana didn't flinch at my coldness. She set down the glass, swept her hair over one shoulder. The thin strap of her robe slipped down her arm. She took another step forward, pressing herself against me.
She laughed softly, trailed one finger down my lapel to my tie. Wrapped it around the knot. Pulled, forcing me to look down at her.
"Paul, you look so out of control right now.
" She sighed, her breath warm against my neck.
"Everything I've done—isn't it for you? For the Vincent Family?
That woman, Casey, what has she given you besides endless trouble and scandal?
Why would you challenge your mother, challenge two families' interests, for someone so ordinary? "
Her other hand slid up to the back of my neck, fingers playing at my hairline. "Besides, Tommy has Vincent blood. If you want, we could marry. He'd become the rightful heir. I'd give him the best education, the best name. The three of us under the spotlight—isn't that the life you should want?"
I grabbed her wrist. "Respectable?" I laughed bitterly.
"Diana, your version of respectable is built on destroying a mother's livelihood and terrorizing a child?
Casey doesn't have your schemes because she loves me for who I am, not the board seat behind my name.
And stop saying 'the three of us.' It makes me sick. "
Diana's eyes finally went cold. "Paul, you're destroying yourself." She tried to break free, her voice sharp but still controlled. "You think that woman really loves you? She's just using your guilt over the past. Speaking of the past..."
"Speaking of the past, did you think I'd never find out the truth?
" I cut her off, staring hard into her eyes.
For a split second, I caught panic there.
"Diana, six years ago in that hotel lounge—nothing happened between us.
You've used that lie to torment Casey over and over.
I haven't settled that score with you yet. "
Diana froze. Then she laughed coldly.
"Does it matter whether anything happened?
" She yanked her hand free, sat back down with forced elegance, and reached for her wine.
But her fingers trembled. "What matters is your little girlfriend believed it.
Paul, you're smart. Without my father's backing, the Vincent Group has no chance in the upcoming energy bid.
Would you really watch your great-grandfather's empire collapse for some nobody? "
"Then let it collapse." My voice was flat, like I was discussing the weather. "If protecting it means becoming as filthy as you people, then it doesn't deserve to exist."
I turned toward the door, threw my last words over my shoulder.
"Diana, this is your final warning. If you touch Tommy again, I'll make sure the Rossi family vanishes from the business world entirely."
Three a.m. at Marcus's private apartment. He pushed a thick stack of files across the table.
"Paul, everything you asked for is here."
I flipped through them, one by one.
Bank records showing Elizabeth illegally freezing Casey's account using family trust funds, every page stamped with a seal I knew too well.
Chat logs of Diana hiring trolls to cyberbully and dox Casey.
And the crucial piece—a recording. Marcus had "persuaded" a corrupt immigration official to hand it over.
It clearly documented how the Rossi family had paid to force Casey's deportation before due process was complete.
"This evidence will destroy them in court." Marcus watched me, concern in his eyes. "But Paul, are you sure? Once this goes public, the Vincent Family's reputation will crater. The board will see you as a traitor. They'll strip your inheritance."
I looked out at the graying dawn. Saw Casey's smile in my mind. Tommy clutching my sleeve in his sleep.
"Marcus, I've had wealth and power at the highest level. Those six years, I was a walking corpse." I closed the file, my gaze steady. "If I can't protect my own wife and child, what's the point of having any of it?"
Marcus sighed but smiled with approval. "Alright. If you're willing to give up everything for the truth, then I'm with you all the way."
When I got back to Casey's little rental, it was six in the morning.
I thought she'd still be asleep. But the moment I opened the door, my heart plummeted.
Every light in the place was on. Casey stood against the living room wall in a thin nightgown, clutching her phone. She looked drained, sliding slowly down the wall to sit on the floor. When she heard the door, she looked up. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes shattered and desperate.
"Casey..." I rushed toward her. A phone flew at my feet.
The screen spiderwebbed on impact, but the photo was still clear as day.
In that dim presidential suite, Diana had her head tilted back, hands wrapped around my collar. From that godforsaken angle, it looked like we were one second away from a kiss.
The instant I saw it, I understood. Every seduction, every suggestive word from Diana—it was all to get this one photo. One photo that could obliterate Casey's trust completely.
"Get out!" Casey screamed, her voice shaking with rage. She jumped to her feet, got in my face, eyes bloodshot.
"Casey, let me explain, that was Diana—"
Crack.
The slap echoed through the empty room. My face snapped to the side, burning hot, but I didn't even blink. Just kept staring at her.
"Explain?" Casey's voice cracked. She grabbed my collar. "Paul Vincent, do you get off on playing me? Watching me wait here like an idiot? Watching me fight the whole damn world for your empty promises—does that make you feel powerful?"
"You said you'd give up the family. You said you only wanted us. And then what? You went straight to her suite!"
She shoved me hard, pointed at the door, tears streaming. "Take your dirty deals and go back to Boston. Get out of my life! Tommy doesn't need a father who's full of lies, and I don't need some con artist pretending to love me!"
Watching her come apart nearly killed me. My heart felt crushed in a vise. I knew Diana's goal wasn't to destroy my reputation—it was to destroy the fragile trust Casey and I had just started building.
I stepped forward fast, ignoring her struggles and kicks, and pinned her to the couch. Gripped her shoulders, forced her to look into my bloodshot eyes.
"Casey! Look at me!" My voice came out raw. "You think I went there to fool around? You think I abandoned you and Tommy to rekindle something with that psycho?"
"What else? The photo's right there! You going to deny you saw her?"
I didn't let go. I pulled out my phone, played the recording I'd started before entering that suite.
"Diana, this is my last warning. If you hurt Casey and Tommy again, I'll make sure the Rossi family has no place left in business."
"I'm going to tell Casey the truth about six years ago—that nothing happened between us. That lounge story was completely fabricated by you."
The recording ended. The room went silent.
Casey froze mid-shove, staring at my phone's faint glow. Tears still wet on her cheeks, chest heaving.
"You really... you're really giving up Vincent Group? For us?" Her voice shook.
I released her shoulders, knelt down to meet her eye level, took the hand that had slapped me, and pressed it against my cheek.
"Not planning to. Already did." I pulled out the thick file Marcus had prepared and set it on her lap.
"Casey, this time we're going on the offensive.
I've filed suit with the international arbitration court.
I'm settling custody and residency once and for all.
I'm taking the witness stand to expose every crime Elizabeth and Diana committed.
I'm going to make the whole world know who's really at fault. "
I pulled her tight against me. This time, she didn't fight. She held on just as hard. "I'm sorry... Paul... I was just so scared. I thought you'd abandoned me again."
"Never again." I kissed her hair, felt her warmth. "Even if I lose everything, I'll be right here with you and Tommy."
A while later, Lina and Marcus rushed over.
The four of us sat around the cramped dining table. A hundred times shabbier than that Hilton suite. But I felt stronger than ever.
"Here's our complete evidence chain." Marcus spread the documents out.
"Paul's already signed the family severance declaration as primary witness.
Casey, you'll need to cooperate on psychological evaluations and reputational damage assessments.
This will be a brutal fight. They'll weaponize every media outlet to smear us.
But I'm confident—in arbitration court, justice will be on our side. "
Lina squeezed Casey's hand, fuming. "Casey, don't be scared. We're with you."
Casey looked at me. Her eyes were still red, but steady now. She signed the power of attorney without hesitation.
"Okay. This time, I won't run. For Tommy. And for... our future."
Casey leaned against my shoulder. I held her hand tight. This, I thought, was what Casey once told me about—what "home" really feels like.