The phone call came at 11:58 AM.
William sat in the library, staring at the empty chair where Sophie used to sit. Malcolm stood by the window, checking his watch.
“It’s done,” Malcolm announced, pocketing his phone. “Beatrice has withdrawn the petition ‘with prejudice.’ She won’t touch Leo again.”
William let out a long, shuddering breath. “How did you do it?”
“I appealed to her sense of legacy,” Malcolm lied smoothly, buttoning his collar to hide the mark.
The victory was absolute. The “Legal War” was over. But as the adrenaline faded, the silence of the estate rushed in to fill the void. There were no more enemies to fight. There was no wife upstairs to comfort him. There was only the vast, empty house and the woman in the garden who didn’t know his name.