Chapter 11 - Breaking the Armor
Outside the courthouse, rain began to fall softly, washing over the stone steps. Eleanor stood under an umbrella held by her driver, watching Julian and Clara walk toward their car.
"Julian," Eleanor called out, her voice losing its crisp command, sounding small for the first time in her life.
Julian stopped and turned back, sheltering Clara and baby Leo beneath his coat. "Yes, Eleanor?"
"You've destroyed everything I built for you," she said, though her eyes lacked their usual sharp sting.
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"You built a castle out of ice, Mother," Julian replied softly, his voice devoid of malice. "It was bound to melt. If you ever want to know your grandson—not as an heir to a fortune, but as a human being—the door to the cottage is open. But you leave the corporation at the gate."
He turned and walked away, leaving Eleanor standing alone in the rain, watching her son choose love over power.
