CHAPTER 16 AGAINST THE ARMAND NAME
Eveline Armand had never imagined her son would choose his wife over the family.
For generations, the Armand name had meant power, reputation, and control.
Marriage was never simply marriage.
It was an alliance.
A responsibility.
A continuation of the family legacy.
And Seraphina Wren had never fit the picture Eveline had created for Lucien.
That was why, when Lucien walked into the family boardroom the following Monday morning, Eveline knew something had changed.
The room was filled with senior Armand executives.
Lucien took his seat at the head of the table.
Eveline sat across from him.
"Why did you call this meeting?" she asked.
Lucien placed a folder on the table.
"To clarify something."
Eveline's expression remained composed.
"About what?"
"My marriage."
Several executives exchanged uncomfortable glances.
Eveline frowned.
"This is a business meeting."
"Exactly."
Lucien opened the folder.
"My personal life has been interfering with family decisions for too long."
Eveline's eyes narrowed.
"What are you implying?"
"That my wife has been deliberately undermined."
Silence filled the room.
Eveline leaned back.
"You're still blaming me."
"I'm not blaming anyone."
Lucien's voice remained calm.
"I'm stating facts."
He pushed several documents across the table.
"These show that Seraphina was removed from foundation responsibilities without my approval."
Eveline glanced at them.
"She wasn't qualified."
"She created the program."
"I disagreed with her approach."
"You had no authority to remove her."
Eveline looked at the executives.
"This is absurd."
Lucien continued.
"There are also records of your private meetings with Arabella Voss."
Her face tightened.
"Arabella was helping with the foundation."
"Before I approved her involvement."
"Because I knew you wouldn't listen."
Lucien stared at her.
"Exactly."
Eveline's eyes hardened.
"You've changed."
"Yes."
"I raised you to protect this family."
"And I will."
"Then why are you humiliating me?"
Lucien shook his head.
"Protecting the family doesn't mean protecting the mistakes we make."
Eveline stood.
"You are allowing Seraphina to manipulate you."
"No."
Lucien's voice became firmer.
"I'm finally refusing to let you manipulate me."
The room went completely silent.
Eveline stared at him.
"You would choose her over your own mother?"
Lucien answered without hesitation.
"I choose my marriage."
Eveline's expression hardened.
"That woman will destroy everything you've built."
"No."
Lucien closed the folder.
"She was the person I failed to protect."
Eveline laughed bitterly.
"You are blinded by guilt."
"Maybe."
He stood.
"But guilt has taught me something."
"What?"
"That the Armand name means nothing if the people carrying it have no integrity."
The words struck harder than any accusation.
Eveline looked at him.
"You would turn against your family?"
Lucien shook his head.
"I am standing up to my family."
He walked toward the door.
Eveline's voice followed him.
"If you continue this, you will regret it."
Lucien stopped.
"I already regret something."
He turned.
"Waiting three years to stand up for my wife."
Then he left.
Outside the boardroom, Cassian was waiting.
"You actually did it."
Lucien nodded.
"Yes."
"How do you feel?"
"Terrified."
Cassian smiled slightly.
"Good."
Lucien looked at him.
"Good?"
"Means it matters."
That afternoon, Eveline called Arabella.
"You need to fix this."
Arabella's voice was cautious.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Lucien is distancing himself from me."
"Maybe he loves Seraphina."
Eveline went silent.
"Don't say that."
"But it's true."
"You were supposed to make him remember what you had."
Arabella swallowed.
"I tried."
"You failed."
Eveline ended the call.
Arabella sat alone.
For the first time, she realized she had been fighting for a man who had never actually promised to return to her.
She had allowed herself to believe that Seraphina's weakness was the only thing standing between them.
Now she understood.
Lucien's problem had never been that he loved Arabella.
His problem had been that he had never stopped loving Seraphina.
He had simply taken her love for granted.
Meanwhile, Seraphina sat at her apartment working on the scholarship proposal.
Her phone rang.
Lucien.
She didn't answer.
A message followed.
I confronted my mother today.
Seraphina stared at the screen.
Another message arrived.
I told her she no longer has authority over anything concerning our marriage.
Seraphina's fingers tightened around the phone.
She wanted to feel victorious.
Instead, she felt sad.
Because this was what she had wanted for years.
Why had it taken her leaving for him to do it?
She replied:
I'm glad you finally stood up for yourself.
Lucien answered:
For us.
She stared at those two words.
Her heart moved despite her determination.
She placed the phone down.
Then she looked at the scholarship proposal.
For the first time, she allowed herself to imagine a future where Lucien might actually understand her.
Not as an Armand wife.
Not as an obligation.
Not as someone who would always remain available.
But as Seraphina.
His equal.
His partner.
The woman he should have chosen from the beginning.
That evening, Lucien returned to the mansion.
Eveline was waiting in the foyer.
"You've made your choice."
Lucien looked at her.
"Yes."
"You'll regret turning against the Armand name."
He shook his head.
"I didn't turn against the Armand name."
He walked past her.
"I decided it isn't more important than the people I love."
Eveline watched him disappear upstairs.
For the first time, she realized she had lost control of her son.
But Lucien understood something else.
He hadn't lost his family.
He had finally established boundaries.
And if saving his marriage meant standing alone against the expectations attached to his name, then he was prepared to stand there.
Because Seraphina had once stood alone for him.
Now it was his turn.
Not to ask her to stay.
Not to demand forgiveness.
But to prove that when the moment came, he would finally choose her.