He Wants An Open Marriage? Done!

"Why are you being so incredibly stubborn?" Margaret demanded, her voice rising as she glared at her son.

Richard didn’t bother to argue. He simply leaned back in his leather chair, the heavy wood creaking under his weight. "My decision is final," he said, his tone flat, unyielding, and utterly devoid of emotion.

"No, it is not," Christian shot back, his nostrils flaring as his chest heaved heavily. "Just wait until I deal my next blow. You won’t be sitting so comfortably then."

Richard didn’t reply. He didn’t even grant Christian the satisfaction of a glance, treating him like empty space.

Christian scoffed, an ugly sound, before Margaret sharply shifted her focus to Roxanne.

"Since Richard refuses to see reason, are you really going to just sit there and let him do this?" Margaret pressed, her eyes boring into Roxanne’s. "Are you going to let him destroy his own family legacy just to feed his stubbornness? Why don’t you do the honorable thing and just walk away?"

Christian nodded eagerly, smelling blood in the water. "Exactly. Because if you stay, Roxanne, I will personally ensure I ruin every single thing they own. You won’t even have a roof over your head to share with him. I’ll make damn sure of it."

Roxanne let out a quiet sigh. She risked a single glance at Richard. He sat there beside her like an immovable mountain, his presence radiating a quiet strength. Watching him fight for her like this, a strange certainty settled deep in her chest.

They were going to win.

She turned her face back toward the table, keeping her lips sealed, letting her silence speak volumes.

"You do realize exactly what this constitutes, don’t you, Mr. Westbrook?" the head of the legal team finally interjected, tapping a thick fountain pen against his legal pad.

Christian shrugged carelessly. "The right thing?"

"No, Mr. Westbrook," the attorney replied, a cold smirk touching his lips. "Everything you’ve said today has made your legal position much worse. Whatever files you release to the public moving forward won’t hold a drop of water. The world will see clear as day that you are acting purely out of malice."

Christian tilted his head, his eyes widening with a flicker of mock amusement. "Oh, really?"

"If we counter your leak with the testimony of your wife, alongside a detailed record of your extortion attempts today, you won’t have a leg to stand on," another lawyer chimed in from the corner. "You’ll be the one paying Vance Enterprises millions in damages for defamation of character. I highly doubt your bank account can handle that."

A wave of subtle, approving nods rippled across the board members. The suffocating tension in the room finally seemed to ease.

"Why don’t you just give us the name of the mole so you can leave?" the head of legal added, leaning forward. "As you can see, there is absolutely no path to victory for you here."

Christian stared at them. "Maybe you are right," Christian said, looking around the room with contempt. "But by the time any lawsuit reaches a courtroom, I’ll already have destroyed your stock price. You cannot win against me. Your only way out of this nightmare is to give me exactly what I demanded."

"Do you truly believe you have the stamina or the funds to go up against the entire Vance family?" Richard asked, his voice low, steady, and terrifyingly calm. "Because I highly doubt it."

Christian met Richard’s gaze head-on, his toxic smile firmly back in place. "I know you’re only resorting to empty legal threats because I’ve finally shown you just how resilient I can be."

"Back off while you still have the chance, Christian," Richard warned. His voice dropped an octave, vibrating with promise. "I am asking you nicely. If you choose not to listen right now, then brace yourself for hell. Because if you force this fight, you’ll lose everything."

Christian stared at Richard, the silence stretching tight between them, before he scoffed and turned his head toward the lawyers. "I certainly hope you recorded his threat, too."

Across the table, Pamela shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her face pale. She turned a venomous glare onto Cara, her breath hitching. "This is all happening because of you," she hissed, exhaling sharply.

Cara’s eyes flew wide, her hands coming up defensively. "Please, leave me out of your family drama! I am doing my absolute best to stay out of this. I don’t want any trouble. I have absolutely zero dealings with Christian. You heard him say it himself. So just leave me alone!"

Roxanne watched Cara closely as she spoke, noting the frantic, overly defensive pitch in her voice. Then, she glanced at Christian. A faint, knowing smirk was dancing on his lips.

A sudden chill went down Roxanne’s spine. Something was definitely off between the two of them.

"Why don’t you leave poor Cara alone, Pamela?" Christian chimed in, his tone dripping with mock defense. "Lord knows you have far more to worry about than she does."

Roxanne’s eyes narrowed into slits, her gaze locking onto Cara’s nervous fidgeting. They’re hiding something.

Christian let out a massive sigh, his shoulders slumping as if the entire conversation had bored him to tears. "Well, since you’re all clearly unwilling to negotiate my terms, I have nothing left to do here. I’ll leave you good people to it." He turned on his heel, heading for the door.

Margaret’s hand shot into the air. "Wait!" she commanded, her voice cutting through the room like a knife. "You will get what you want."

Henry snapped his head toward his wife, his brow furrowing. "Margaret, what on earth are you doing?" he muttered under his breath.

"What is the meaning of this, Mother?" Richard demanded, his jaw tightening as he half-rose from his seat. "Let him walk out."

Margaret completely ignored them both, her sharp eyes locked onto the back of Christian. "I will authorize a payout as a show of good faith," she stated, her voice iron-clad and entirely businesslike. "On the condition that you take the money and leave my family alone for good."

Christian stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he turned back around, a victorious grin stretching across his face. He smoothed down his blazer, his smirk radiating pure satisfaction.

"Go ahead, Margaret," Christian purred, crossing his arms over his chest. "I’m all ears."

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