Chapter 2
Then someone started banging on the door.
"Claire! Open the door!" Alex shouted. "I know you're in there."
Of course, it was Alex.
His voice was pure fury.
I walked over to the door and peeked out through the peephole.
Alex was standing there, his eyes bloodshot.
Next to him was Sherlyn.
She had a furious look on her face, hands on her hips.
I opened the door.
Alex stormed right in.
"Claire, what the hell are you trying to pull?" Alex shouted. "7 billion dollars, gone just like that? Do you want me dead?"
Sherlyn barged in right after him.
She jabbed her finger right in my face.
"You damn jinx!" she spat. "What has the Carter family ever done to you?
"Did you marry into our family just to ruin us?"
I looked at them.
Seriously? This was ridiculous.
"Your family?" I scoffed. "Alex, tell me, what do you actually own?
"Your company, your house, your car, none of it's really yours. Every bit of it came from the Sutton family."
Alex's face turned a deep, ugly red.
"You..." he stammered.
He couldn't get a single word out.
Sherlyn totally lost it.
She plopped herself down on the floor, slapping her thighs and wailing.
"Unbelievable. This is just unfair," she cried. "Marry into money and forget your roots, huh?
"My son worked himself to the bone, and now all of it goes to the Suttons?
"Claire, don't forget you're carrying my grandson.
"If you dare make things hard for my son, I swear, once my grandson is born, I'll make your life a living hell."
She thought the baby was my Achilles' heel.
Maybe it used to be, but not anymore.
I walked right up to her.
I stood over her, my gaze icy and unyielding.
I said, "First, this baby's last name will be Sutton, period.
"Second, if it weren't for the Sutton family, your son's company would still be hawking vegetables at the market.
"Third, this is my house. Get out. Right now. Both of you."
My voice wasn't loud.
But it was icy cold.
Alex was stunned.
He never expected me to stand my ground like this.
"Claire, don't go too far," he said. "This is between us; don't bring Mom into this."
"Husband and wife?" I snorted. "Alex, when you were flirting with Lily at the dinner table, did you even remember we were married?
"When you humiliated me in front of everyone just to defend her, did you even remember we were married?"
Alex's eyes darted away, unable to meet mine.
"Me and Lily? There's nothing going on," he insisted. "It was just business.
"Stop making a scene.
"You can't pull out now; the contract's signed. That's breach, and I'll sue you."
He tried to act tough, but his bluff was showing.
I crossed my arms.
"Go ahead, sue me," I said. "Let everyone in the city see how you built your empire off your wife's money, and then turned around and betrayed her.
"And while you're at it, let the arbitration court see if your company can even cough up one percent of the penalty Skybridge Capital will slap on you."
Alex looked like he'd been completely crushed.
He knew he'd lost.
He was wiped out, nothing left.
Sherlyn was still making a scene on the floor.
"I'm not leaving. This is my son's house. Why should I leave?" she screamed.