Chapter 46
Chapter Forty-Six
Maverick
The headlines were everywhere.
GREYSON INDUSTRIES FALLS FROM GRACE – EXPOSED SCANDALS SHAKE HIGH SOCIETY. NADIA GREYSON CAUGHT IN BUSINESS FRAUD – FORMER CEO FACES LAWSUITS. BETRAYAL, LIES, AND PUBLIC HUMILIATION – NADIA GREYSON’S DOWNFALL.
I took a slow sip of coffee, watching the chaos unfold on the news with an air of absolute indifference.
The media had latched onto the scandal like wolves that had finally caught the scent of blood.
Greyson Industries’ stocks had plummeted overnight, investors were fleeing like rats on a sinking ship, and every high-society figure who had once praised Nadia was now scrambling to distance themselves.
Good.
She had spent years manipulating her way to the top, playing dirty, using people as pawns, and thinking she would never face consequences. She thought she could control me. Thought she could ruin Solenn. Thought she was untouchable.
She was wrong.
The evidence of her corruption had been fed to every major news outlet, financial watchdog, and regulatory body, leaving her no room to wiggle out of it.
Her financial fraud, her illegal business dealings, and the long list of under-the-table agreements she had made to climb the corporate ladder were all out in the open.
And the beauty of it? No one had seen it coming.
My phone buzzed violently against my desk for what had to be the twentieth time this morning. The screen lit up with a name I had been ignoring all morning. Victoria Spencer.
I let it ring.
The phone fell silent for two seconds before it started vibrating again. I sighed, tapping my finger against the mug in my hand before finally answering, my voice calm, clipped. “I assume you’ve seen the news.”
"You assume correctly," my mother’s voice was sharp, clipped, and dangerously controlled. “We need to talk.”
I leaned back in my chair, watching as another headline about Nadia’s disgraceful downfall scrolled across the television screen. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Maverick,” she hissed, the warning in her tone clear. “Do not play games with me.”
"I don’t play games, Mother," I said coolly. "That’s more your specialty, isn’t it?"
A loud bang suddenly echoed through my office as the door slammed open.
My grip on my coffee mug didn’t even tighten as I glanced up, completely unsurprised to see Victoria Spencer standing there, eyes blazing, her expensive heels clicking sharply against the marble floor as she stalked into the room.
She had never been one to wait.
"You have no idea what you’ve done," she seethed, her voice sharp as she marched toward my desk. "Do you have any concept of the damage you’ve caused? You have single-handedly?—"
"Destroyed a problem before it could become worse?" I interrupted, lifting an eyebrow. "Yes, I’m aware."
Her lips pressed into a tight, thin line, her fingers twitching at her sides like she was physically restraining herself from throwing something. "Do you think this is funny, Maverick?"
"No," I said simply. "I think it’s necessary."
Her nails curled against her palms. "Nadia was meant to be an ally, and instead, you've annihilated her. Do you even understand the political consequences of what you’ve done? Do you?—"
"Mother, I really don’t care."
She froze.
For the first time, her perfectly poised expression cracked, just slightly, as if she couldn’t believe the words had come from my mouth.
"You… don’t care?" she repeated slowly, voice deceptively soft.
"No," I repeated, setting my coffee down. "I don’t. Not about her. Not about her family. Not about whatever power play you were hoping to orchestrate." I met her gaze, unflinching. "And I certainly don’t care about whatever you think this means for our family name."
Her mouth opened, then closed, something flickering in her expression before it was buried beneath icy, simmering rage. “You are so much like your father.”
A slow smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It isn’t,” she snapped. “He ruined everything by allowing himself to be weak. And you are heading in the same direction.”
“Is that what you call it? Weakness?” My tone was quiet but sharp. “Choosing to love someone?”
She scoffed. “Love? Love is an illusion. A weakness. A distraction that powerful men cannot afford. And you—” She took a step closer, her nails digging into the glass surface of my desk.
"You are throwing away everything you have built.
For what? Some temporary assistant who will be gone the second she realizes what you are? "
My patience snapped.
I stood slowly, pushing my chair back, and met her glare with ice-cold finality. “Solenn is not temporary.” My voice was dangerously low. “And you, mother, no longer have control over me.”
Her eyes narrowed. "You think you’re so untouchable, don’t you?"
"I think I’m finally free," I corrected. "And that terrifies you, doesn’t it?"
Before she could respond, the door swung open again, and a familiar voice filled the room.
"Wow," Asher drawled lazily, stepping inside like he owned the place. "Didn’t think I’d get a front-row seat to the family soap opera today, but I guess it’s my lucky morning."
Victoria’s eyes snapped to my brother, her fury momentarily redirected. "You," she exhaled sharply. "You had a hand in this, didn’t you?"
Asher grinned, completely unbothered. "Took you long enough to figure it out."
I watched as realization finally hit her.
The truth.
That this wasn’t just me. That Asher—**her golden, charming, untouchable son—**had been a part of it, too.
"You both…" she trailed off, shaking her head in something close to disbelief. "You both plotted this together?"
Asher shrugged. "Technically, Mav did the heavy lifting. I just sat back, watched, and provided the occasional strategic input." He gave her a wide, mocking smile. "Oh, and I might have tipped off a few journalists. Oops."
Victoria’s hands curled into fists. "You’re both fools."
I exhaled slowly, then met her gaze one last time. "No," I said, my voice calm, steady, absolute. "For the first time in my life, I’m exactly who I want to be."
A beat of silence stretched through the room.
Then, without another word, Victoria turned on her heel and stormed out.
I watched her leave, watched the last remnants of control she once had over my life walk out that door.
And for the first time in years, I felt free.
Asher let out a low whistle, stepping beside me. "Well, that was dramatic. Should we drink to our victory or just bask in the satisfaction of watching Nadia self-destruct?"
I smirked, exhaling as I picked up my coffee again. "Both."
Asher clapped a hand on my shoulder. "See? That’s the big-brother energy I like to see."
I took a slow sip, letting the moment sink in.
Nadia was finished.
My mother was powerless.