The Bride They Rejected Owned Half Their Empire Chapter 03
“Elowen, what exactly do you want in exchange for signing the termination papers?”
The parlor door swung open, and Kael stepped inside.
He’d changed out of his wedding tuxedo into a simple black button-down shirt.
He held a thick stack of legal documents in his hand—twice the size of the original prenuptial covenant.
“One hundred thousand dollars.”
He tossed the papers down onto the table before me.
“Plus a luxury downtown penthouse condo fully deeded under your name.”
“Sign these papers, walk away quietly, and cut all ties with the Voss and Harrington families forever.”
First fifty thousand, now one hundred thousand plus a high-end apartment.
It was clear the thirty percent breach clause had him genuinely panicked.
“Before you came here, did your mother show you the seventh clause in the marriage covenant?”
His jaw tightened in irritation.
“Do you honestly think I’m here to negotiate a settlement with you?”
“Then what are you here for?”
“I’m here to give you a final warning.” He leaned forward, bracing both palms on the table to meet my eye level.
“Don’t delude yourself into thinking you hold the upper hand here.”
“You’re the forgotten Voss daughter who spent two decades living in obscurity with no powerful connections, no influential backing.”
“You plan to take on the entire Harrington Realty empire in court over this flimsy covenant?”
“Can you even afford the legal fees for a lawsuit like this?”
I leaned back against the chair, calm and composed.
“You should ask your own legal team that question instead of me.”
“If the Harrington family truly had nothing to fear from this case, you wouldn’t be sitting here bargaining with me right now.”
His gaze turned icy cold.
“I’m giving you one last chance to leave with your dignity intact.”
He pulled out his phone and pulled up a photo, turning the screen to face me.
In the picture, he and Seraphina stood together on the luxury yacht deck.
She leaned her head on his shoulder with a soft smile, and his arm wrapped protectively around her waist.
“We’ve been together for two years.” His voice dropped low and heavy.
“Seraphina’s always been overlooked and neglected in the Voss household. She’s single-handedly kept the family business running all these years, working far harder than you ever have.”
“The woman I intend to marry is her—and no one else.”
I didn’t focus on their intimate pose in the photo.
My eyes locked onto the pendant hanging around Seraphina’s neck.
A teardrop emerald heirloom pendant—my mother’s most precious remaining relic.
I’d searched every corner of the Voss manor for years, convinced it had been sold off or lost forever.
I never imagined it had been hanging around Seraphina’s neck this whole time.
“Do you know where that necklace around her neck really came from?”
Kael frowned in confusion.
“She says it’s a family heirloom passed down from her grandmother.”
“That necklace belonged to my birth mother.”
“Your mother?” He looked at me like I’d just said something ridiculous.
“Seraphina told me it’s a vintage family piece from her maternal side.”
“Marigold’s family ran a wholesale clothing business. They never owned any high-value emerald heirlooms, let alone vintage pendants like that.”
Kael fell silent for a beat.
“Elowen, are you ever going to stop this petty obsession?”
“First you argue over the marriage covenant, then you claim the family lineage archive is wrong, and now you’re laying claim to every piece of jewelry Seraphina owns.”
“How many more family heirlooms are you going to falsely label as your mother’s?”
I was about to reply when the parlor door opened once more.
Seraphina walked inside.
The second she laid eyes on Kael, her eyes instantly welled up with fake tears.
“Kael, please don’t let this fight upset you anymore.”
“Elowen… I think she’s just desperate to marry you, and she’s lost her sense of reason entirely.”
She turned to face me with a pitiful, forgiving expression.
“I don’t even blame her. She grew up all alone with no one to care for her. Anyone would feel this bitter and resentful.”
Kael’s harsh expression softened instantly.
He reached out and took Seraphina’s hand gently.
“Don’t stress yourself out over this nonsense.”
Seraphina shook her head, then stepped forward and knelt down in front of me.
Her voice dropped to a whisper only the two of us could hear.
“Elowen, just sign the papers already. You can’t win this fight.”
“You really think so?”
She stood back up with a cold smirk and returned to Kael’s side.
“Kael, could you step outside for a moment? I’d like to talk to her privately.”
Kael shot me a sharp glance.
“You have ten minutes.”
With that, he walked out and closed the door behind him.
The second the door shut, Seraphina’s soft, vulnerable act vanished completely.
She walked over to the window, pulled out her makeup bag, and touched up her lipstick casually.
“Elowen, don’t make this any more embarrassing for yourself.”
“Dad’s on his way here right now to clean up your mess.”
“What’s he coming for?”
“To salvage the Voss family reputation, of course.”
“He has to give the guests some explanation for his eldest daughter throwing a dramatic scene at a high-society wedding.”
“When have I ever caused a dramatic scene?”
“Refusing to sign the termination papers is already throwing a scene in his eyes.” She laughed coldly.
“In Dad’s mind, every single thing you’ve ever done is just you throwing a childish tantrum.”
She zipped up her purse and turned to leave.
As she headed for the door, her phone slipped out of her hand and landed silently on the carpet near the entrance.
She didn’t notice it at all.
The door closed again as the security guard locked it from outside.
Her phone screen lit up with an incoming text notification.
I glanced down to read it clearly.
The sender’s contact name was marked with a heart emoji followed by a single name: Rowan.
The message was short and straightforward.
Babe, don’t panic about the baby situation. I’ll handle everything.
