<spanng="EN">Roger’s POV


    <spanng="EN">“Elizabeth did what needed to be done for thepany. She knew exactly what she was doing, and it just worked. She even brought in all the investors. I was just the head of thepany. I chose what was sent off to be produced, but Elizabeth always gave me her opinion of what would sell best. Elizabeth allowed thepany to use her designs for free because she had a stake in thepany’s sess. The old contracts expired, and I never signed the new ones. I was betting that she would give them to me as a wedding present when we got married. That’s why I told them to leave her alone, at least until I could get her to sign them over,” I stated, before ring at my mother.


    <spanng="EN">“Did she sign them over?” my father asked quietly.


    <spanng="EN">“No, she brought her attorney with her, Rodney Briggs. He’s a sharp attorney. I didn’t expect her to bring him with her; this was supposed to be easy. I was scared he would notice the hidden addition in the contract and tell her. So, I didn’t hand over the document. Her attorney arrived with paperwork instructing me to halt production on her designs, or she would take me to court. I was trying to smooth everything over. But then Mom showed up and had Elizabeth arrested before I could,” I replied.


    <spanng="EN">My father looked at me in disappointment before his face slowly turned red. His anger was palpable, but I had no idea why. It was mypany being drug into the abyss, not his. I honestly don’t think that I’ve ever seen him as angry as he was at this moment. This was all Mom and Sasha’s fault. I thought he was outraged for me, as he had backed me upst night. But now I knew it was more than that.


    <spanng="EN">“So what you’re telling me, Roger, is that because you were merely acting as the power behind thepany, but not the one in charge. That, despite knowing you were just a figurehead, with no actual business savvy, you deliberately ran off and married Sasha. I can’t believe this,” he stood up and started to pace the room. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.


    <spanng="EN">“Are you fucking kidding me, Roger? So you essentially lied to us for years. When it turns out that Elizabeth was the one with the talent, do you even get what you’ve done? Son, you allowed your mother here to bully the one person who cared enough about you to create the life you’re currently enjoying. I can’t believe you thought that you were smart enough to fool her. No wonder your world is crashing down around you. Here I was, thinking you had followed in my footsteps and received my business acumen. That you had created something from nothing, just like I had. I was so proud of you. Instead, I find out that you are your mother made over. Enjoying the benefits of someone else’s hard work, but adding nothing in return,” my father roared out.


    <spanng="EN">“How dare you say that, Scott. I’ve supported you all these years. How dare you act like I’ve never done anything?” my mother snapped at him.


    <spanng="EN">“Besides spending my hard–earned money? Please enlighten me about what you’ve done, Joyce? I pay maids and cooks to work in our home. When was thest time you prepared a meal? Do you even know how anymore? You haven’t lifted a finger here in twenty years, and I allowed it because I loved you, and I wanted you to be happy. But you and Sasha have ruined everything. Don’t you see what’s going on here? Or are your so focused on trying to hurt that poor woman that you don’t care what’s happening?” my father asked. His tone was definitely lethal.


    <spanng="EN">He got on his phone and made a call. “Hey, I need to sell the stocks I have in Cook’s Custom Jewelry. Yeah, I know I just bought themst week. Get rid of them. All of them. The ones I bought, and the ones that my son bought. I don’t care if their hard to sell, just do it. I’d like to get at least half of my money back. Thanks,” he said before dropping the call and looking at me.


    <spanng="EN">“How did you get stock in mypany?” I asked. I hadn’t heard of anyone selling their stocks.


    <spanng="EN">“I bought them while you were on your honeymoon, living it up. An opportunity came up, and I took it. I bought shares in yourpany, along with your younger brother. I had him buy half, as I didn’t want you to be alerted that I had purchased so many shares. Now look at what you’ve done. You might be going bankrupt, and end up taking us down with you,” my father bluntly stated.


    <spanng="EN">“Scott, how dare you make such arge purchase without telling me. Plus, hispany will be just fine with her. She is just one employee; how important can she be? She can’t help him rise to greater heights, unlike Sasha. Sasha is an award–winning designer. Elizabeth is nothingpared to her,” my mother replied, her voice shrill and grating.


    <spanng="EN">I suddenly remembered that Elizabeth’s walls had been covered in awards. Sasha had only one, while Elizabeth had several, at least ten. I hadn’t cared to really look at any of them. A month ago, while we wereing up with the idea, I thought Elizabeth was easily reced. I was getting my dream girl and a baby out of it. It made total sense to do it, at least until I could get Elizabeth out of thepany.


    <spanng="EN">“Do you let me know when you’re going to go out shopping and blow ten grand, Joyce? No, you don’t. If it had panned out, I’m sure you wouldn’t have been upset at all the money those stocks would have been earning, would you? But now that it’s proving to be a loss, you’re angry. That’s just perfect. Are you willing to ept that you cost your son his business over wanting Roger to marry someone else? You can’t ever see the big picture, Joyce. If Elizabeth were his legal wife, he would have had everything. He would have risen up in society, just like you wanted him to. Yet you kept after her. You made Roger think she was uneptable,” my father responded.


    <spanng="EN">“She wasn’t good enough for my son,” my mother stubbornly replied. “A mother knows. Elizabeth might have helped him, but she’s nowhere near as good as Sasha is for Roger.”


    <spanng="EN">“That woman was a terrible choice. They just got together a short time ago. She eats nothing, yet her stomach isrger than it should be. You were pregnant three times, Joyce; you should have noticed that yourself. Her pregnancy is clearly further along than she said it was. Sasha is the gold–digger, not Elizabeth. If you think that she’s carrying Roger’s child, you are just as delusional as he is. Once the baby arrives, I’m having a paternity test done. Before she tries to put his name on the birth certificate. Just because you refuse to see the truth doesn’t mean I can’t. I’ve had her investigated. I’m not just going to blindly ept her, or that child, unless that baby turns out to be a Cook,” my father stated coldly.


    <spanng="EN">“You always thought Elizabeth was so smart, so efficient. Such a big help to Roger. But she was just attaching herself like a barnacle to him to ride on his sess. Demanding to be married in return for the little help she gave him. I know I don’t work my fingers to the bone anymore, but I’m still in charge of the household. We do have an easier life, but is it so wrong for me to want the best for my children? For my grandchildren? I want them to rise higher than we did, to have an easier life for their children. I was already nning on having a paternity test done. I did notice, but I was just going to quietly have it done. Not announce it like this,” my mother replied in anger.


    <spanng="EN">“No, Joyce, you’re allowing your own bias against Elizabeth to make you ept literally anyone else for Roger. I’m disappointed in you. All the issues between us have stemmed from your wanting us to be better than who we are for thest three years. You’re obsessed with being a member of high society. Why? I’m not ashamed of who I am. I worked hard to get my family to where we are today. Even if I don’t progress higher, I’m still proud of what I’ve aplished. Can’t you just be happy with that? Roger needs to take her to a hospital and have them determine just how far along she is. Neither of you understands what’s at stake here.


    <spanng="EN">Roger needs to annul the marriage immediately if the baby isn’t his. It’s much quicker than divorce. He needs to distance himself from Sasha and get Elizabeth back,” my father insisted.


    <spanng="EN">“I’m trying, Dad, she’s furious because Mom had her arrested,” I replied. “She wasn’t joking about dealing with you, Mom. I’ve never seen her so serious. You need to be prepared for that.”


    <spanng="EN">“I’m not scared of Elizabeth. What can she do to me? Like I told youst night, I’m not scared of her. She can do her worst; she can’t win against us,” my mother replied haughtily.


    <spanng="EN">“You need to try harder, son, if you can’t win Elizabeth back, I’m telling you that you’re done for,” my father assured me.


    <spanng="EN">“How do you know that? Because I honestly think someone told her I married Sasha. Elizabeth is so cold to me now. I suspect Sasha did it. She keeps trying to flex in front of her and keeps touching me. Elizabeth noticed it. I don’t know how to fix it,” I replied in frustration.


    <spanng="EN">“Take her out, use your charm. Don’t let her slip through your fingers. She loved you once; you can get her to love you again. I will keep your mother and sister away from her. Tomorrow you need to take your prenup and go find a good attorney,” my father told me.


    <spanng="EN">“I don’t have a prenup. We didn’t have time to get one prepared before we got married. Mom said that since Sasha was pregnant with my child, it really didn’t matter,” I answered. My father whirled around to face my mother.


    <spanng="EN">“My God, are you trying topletely destroy this family, Joyce? Do you even realize that Roger’spany is on the verge of copse? I’m about to be out all that money on the stocks I bought, all because of you. My broker just warned me that everyone is selling their stocks in Roger’spany. Like rats off a sinking ship.


    <spanng="EN">Everyone, that is, except Roger. Think about it, whose stocks do you think we managed to buy? I just watched the video from yesterday on the ride home. You know, the one you caused. She only said one thing. She made sure everyone knew that she was no longer working there. You’re so focused on high society, you don’t even know that her attorney isn’t someone that just anyone can hire. Elizabeth bought the vi for them to live in. Can a regr person do that? I promise you, if Elizabeth doesn’te back to save thepany, it will have copsed by the time their wedding date rolls around,” my father advised.