Chapter 2

The call came at dawn, Grandma Bradley's voice crackling through the phone with a strength that belied her eighty years.

"Lily, I'm coming to the city," she announced before I could even say hello. "I've already called Frank to drive me down. This nonsense with Cameron needs to stop."

I pressed the phone closer to my ear, tears welling up. "Grandma, you don't have to—"

"Yes, I do." Her tone left no room for argument. "That boy wouldn't be where he is today without us Bradleys. I helped raise him just as much as I raised you. He'll listen to reason."

Three hours later, I was waiting at Grand Central, scanning the crowd for her familiar silhouette. When I spotted her—frail but upright, her silver hair perfectly coiffed despite the journey—something inside me broke. She'd always been my rock, even when I'd chosen Cameron over staying close to home.

"Lily." She embraced me with surprising strength. "Now, tell me everything."

I did. In the taxi heading toward Cameron's office, I poured out every painful detail—the affair, his refusal to grant a divorce, the way he'd turned our friends against me.

"He always had a weak character," Grandma said, her weathered hand covering mine. "But this is beyond disappointing. We're going to fix this."

"Fix it?" I laughed bitterly. "There's nothing to fix."

"Nonsense." She straightened her spine. "You are Lily Bradley. You don't run from fights, especially not when you're in the right."

By the time we reached Cameron's gleaming skyscraper, something had shifted inside me. The doorman recognized me and nodded us through—I still had my employee badge from when I'd helped Cameron set up his firm in the early days.

The lobby was all polished marble and soaring ceilings, a testament to how far Cameron had risen. I felt Grandma's eyes taking in every detail, her mouth set in a thin line of disapproval.

"Well, if it's not the Bradleys," a silky voice cut through the ambient noise. "What a... surprise."

Sloan stood before us, dripping in designer clothes that probably cost more than most people's monthly rent. Her red hair fell in perfect waves over one shoulder as she approached, her smile predatory.

"Miss Weaver," Grandma acknowledged coolly. "We're here to see Cameron."

"Oh, he's quite busy." Sloan's eyes flicked dismissively over Grandma's sensible outfit. "Unlike some people, he actually works for his success."

I felt Grandma stiffen beside me. "Young lady, I've worked harder than you'll ever know to build people up, not tear them down."

Sloan laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "How quaint. Tell me, does it hurt knowing your precious granddaughter couldn't keep her husband satisfied?"

"That's enough," I started, but Grandma stepped forward.

"Young woman, you have no idea who you're speaking to."

"Oh?" Sloan stepped closer, her designer perfume suffocating in its intensity. "And who exactly are you?"

"I'm the woman who taught Cameron Fox that character matters more than money," Grandma said, her voice steady despite the slight tremor in her hands.

Sloan's face contorted with rage. "You're nothing but a pathetic old woman clinging to the past."

She shoved Grandma then—a deliberate, vicious push that sent my fragile grandmother crashing backward onto the marble floor.

"Grandma!" I screamed, dropping to my knees beside her.

Blood trickled from a gash on her temple. People gathered around, but I noticed Marcus Chen standing off to the side, his expression unreadable as he watched the scene unfold.

"Someone call an ambulance!" I shouted, cradling Grandma's head in my lap.

"What's going on here?" Cameron's voice cut through the chaos.

"She attacked me," Sloan lied smoothly, already wrapping herself around Cameron's arm. "Your grandmother-in-law is hysterical."

I looked up at Cameron, searching for any trace of the man I'd married. There was nothing—only cold calculation as he assessed the situation.

"Marcus," Cameron said, "please escort Mrs. Bradley and... Lily to the boardroom while I handle this."

As Marcus led us away, I heard Cameron comforting Sloan. "Don't worry," he murmured. "I'll take care of this."

Something snapped inside me. The fear and hurt crystallized into a diamond-hard resolve.

"Marcus," I said as we entered the empty boardroom, "I need to use the computer."

He hesitated, then nodded once. "Make it quick."

I sat at the conference table, fingers flying over the keyboard. Years ago, when Cameron and I were building his firm together, I'd helped set up their systems. He'd never bothered to change the administrator passwords.

"What are you doing?" Marcus asked, watching over my shoulder.

"Something I should have done weeks ago," I replied, accessing the projection system controls.

Downstairs, I knew Sloan would be starting her presentation to Cameron's biggest clients. I could picture her strutting into the boardroom, confident and cruel.

I uploaded the files I'd kept as insurance—the hotel security footage I'd obtained, the recordings of Cameron's demands that I accept his affair.

"Play this on screen two in five minutes," I instructed the system.

"What is that?" Marcus asked, his voice strained.

"The truth," I replied, my finger hovering over the enter key. "The truth they all deserve to see."

I pressed enter just as voices echoed in the hallway—Sloan's laughter, Cameron's murmur of approval.

The boardroom door swung open.