Nic buried her face in her mother''s embrace, her eyes wide with tears, too frightened to speak.


    "Karina, that''s enough," Noah hissed, trying his best to control his fury for Nic''s sake, his face a dark mask of anger.


    Noah didn''t want to have this fight in his grandfather''s house, but the more he backed down, the more aggressive Karina became.


    "Believe me, the thought of you and your first love makes me sick. I''ll grant you the divorce, but I''m getting custody of Nic. I refuse to let my daughter be raised by a stepmother," Karina dered righteously.


    "Not happening," Noah stated firmly.


    If Karina truly loved her daughter, she wouldn''t have sold off Nic''s trust fund to bail out the White family. If she actually cared about Nic''s future, she''d know that the best ce for her was with the Thompsons.


    At his age, Noah wouldn''t remain single forever after a divorce; he would inevitably have more children. If Nic didn''t stay with him, their bond would weaken over time as other children took her ce in his heart.


    With the Thompsons, Nic would always be the family''s cherished daughter. With Karina, she risked losing everything.


    But Nic was still little, and a child her age would naturally cling to her mother. "Mommy, Mommy," Nic whimpered, her arms wrapped tightly around Karina''s neck, refusing to let go.


    They were at an impasse until, finally, Dana made the final decision.


    "You can have custody of Nic. State any other terms you have now. Tomorrow, you two are getting this divorce finalized."


    "Mom!" Noah started to protest, but Dana cut him off.


    "If I''m still your mother," Dana said, "you will listen to me."


    While Dana loved her granddaughter, her first loyalty was, and always would be, to her son.


    All Dana wanted now was to be rid of Karina, who was not only a disgrace to the family name but also a constant burden on Noah.


    After the divorce, a man Noah''s age would surely remarry. Dana wasn''t naive, she knew Cynthia was back in. town, and it was highly and ikely she Noah would rekindle their old


    romance.


    Having Nic around would only create friction with a new wife. It was better to let Karina take her.


    Noah and Cynthia were both young; they would have children of their own. Dana wouldn''tck for grandchildren What she wanted more than anything was peace and stability for her side of the family.


    "Aside from full custody, I want two hundred million inpensation. One hundred


    million in cash, and another hundred million in property," Karina added.


    Noah could only let out a cold, bitterugh.


    While Noah held a position at the Thompson Group, aside from his shares his annual dividends were a fixed amount, and he had always given his sry to Karina for household expenses.


    Noah''s shares were prenuptial assets, untouchable by Karina. As for his dividends and other ie, the total over the years amounted to roughly two hundred million.


    Karina was essentially demanding that he walk away with nothing.


    It seemed the White family had done their research. Theughable part was that Karina seemed willing to go along with whatever her parents told her to do.


    "Two hundred million is eptable," Dana said, "but that amount will include all future child support for Nic. It will be a one-time, final payment."