Forever After All(72)

Elena shakes her head. “It would be, if she actually owned this place. She doesn’t.”

Jade glares at Sarah, her cheeks slowly regaining color. “Everything that used to be yours is mine now. Matter of fact, it always was. Alaric was always mine, and you’re well aware that Matthew is too. It doesn’t matter that you raised him for years—he’s my blood. Alaric only married you for the money. It’s me he always loved.”

Sarah freezes—it’s subtle, but it doesn’t escape me. Elena’s grip on my hand tightens, and she takes a step forward, but I pull her back. “Your mom has got this,” I tell her. “Let her have this moment. It’s been years in the making.”

She nods, but she’s tense. I tighten my grip on her, hugging her close to me.

“That might well be true,” Sarah says. “But it doesn’t explain why you’re in my house. Alaric and Matthew… you can have them. They’re yours. But everything I’ve ever worked for? Everything I’ve ever invested in? You can’t have that, Jade.”

Jade glances at the two police officers that walk in and smiles. Foolish woman.

Sarah nods at Aiden, and he walks up to her with a stack of papers in hand. He places them down in front of Jade before handing Sarah a hard drive identical to the one he gave Elena earlier.

“An eviction notice?” Jade says, her hands trembling.

Sarah rises from her seat and looks around. “I’ll have your personal belongings packed, though I doubt you’ll need them where you’re going,” she says, nodding at the police officers. They arrest Jade for attempted murder, and just like Matthew did, she tries to fight it.

“Get her out of here,” Elena says, her head tipped toward Elise.

That girl has always had such a big mouth around my wife, but not a single word has escaped her lips today. All I see on her face is the fear and pain she’s made Elena feel for years.

The door closes behind them, and Sarah falls to the floor. Elena gasps and runs up to her mother, taking Sarah into her arms.

My heart breaks when Sarah bursts into tears. She hasn’t cried once since she woke up. Not when she struggled to speak, not when her limbs wouldn’t do what she wanted them to, not even when she was told she’d be in a wheelchair for months.

None of that broke her. But this did. Love did.





Chapter 51





E lena



I sit with my mother as we go through company records, Alec by our side. He wraps his arm around my waist and sighs. “Look, Buttercup,” he says. “This all doesn’t add up. Overhauling this company is going to be difficult.”

I drop my head against his shoulder, and he presses a kiss on top of my hair.

“I’m not surprised,” Mom says. “Alaric was never that good of a businessman. Even when you were little, it was me running both our companies. I did it then, and I’ll do it now. Between you and I, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish, sweetie.”

I nod, but the task seems daunting. “We need to set up meetings with every single department head,” I say, scrolling through the data.

My phone rings, and I frown when I don’t recognize the phone number. I haven’t given this number out to anyone.

Alec glances at my phone, looking surprised. “Take the call. That phone number, it’s my grandfather’s.”

I look at him with raised brows as I accept the call, confused as to why he’d be calling me.

“Hello?”

“Elena, darling. I heard you’re the proud new owner of Rousseau Corporation. From what I’ve heard, you went in with guns blazing. I couldn’t be more proud.”

I blush, I can’t help it. “Grandpa… it was nothing. It just needed to be done.”

“How about that lunch you promised me? I have some time right about now. I can be there in ten minutes or so. I’d love to hear the full story. Besides, I’d love to see your mother again. I haven’t seen her in years.”

“Of course, Grandpa.”

I glance at my mom and smile as I end the call. “Alec’s grandfather is coming over for lunch. He said he’d like to see you, since it’s been so many years. He sounded quite interested in hearing our full story.”

Mom smiles and shakes her head. “Sofia’s dad warned me against marrying your father. She and I were very good friends when we were younger, and her father always looked out for me.”

I put my hand on my mother’s shoulder, my heart breaking for her. Mom has lost so much, yet she still smiles.

I walk toward Sofia’s kitchen, startling the staff. Even though Alec and I have our own kitchen, Sofia’s is far larger, and it’s the one we always use for family meals. Grandpa walks in shortly after I do, a large basket full of vegetables in his hand.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he says, grinning.

He holds up a melon for me excitedly, and I stare at it with wide eyes. “Oh, my gosh! I wonder what it’ll taste like. Do you think it’ll be sweet?”

Grandpa shrugs. “We won’t know until we try it. How did you put it? They’re moody .”

I laugh, and Sofia pops her head into the kitchen, a smile on her face. “Thought I heard you, Dad.”

She stares at the vegetables on the counter through narrowed eyes and crosses her arms. “Dad… I thought you said I was the only one that ever gets to have your vegetables?”