"Madam, I apologize. Please, forgive my ignorance. You were right to leave the Windsor family. A family like that would have just bled you dry!"

"Ivy, we’re practically relatives! Please don’t take what I said to heart…"

Ivy sat there, a picture of calm composure, as they tripped over themselves to apologize and flatter her. She glanced at Rosetta’s face, which had turned a ghastly shade of pale green, and felt a surge of satisfaction.

She had never intended to humiliate the Windsors like this, but Rosetta’s actions had broken her heart one too many times. Even she had a limit.

"Alright, I have everyone’s information. You should all leave now before I change my mind," Ivy announced once her point had been made.

"Yes, yes, of course! We’re leaving right now!" Fearful she would go back on her word, they all rushed out of the room.

Ivy’s colleague, who had witnessed the entire exchange, looked at her with a newfound respect and admiration. It was one thing to be young and beautiful, but to handle such a tense situation with such calm, calculated grace was another thing entirely. Just as they said back at the office, it takes more than just a pretty face to marry into a family like the Ludwigs. It takes brains.

The room was finally quiet, but Rosetta was seething. “What are you doing here? Did you come just to humiliate us?” she spat, all affection for her daughter gone, her words dripping with venom.

Ivy didn’t rise to the bait. She was here on business.

“Mr. Windsor, I’m here on behalf of my company to see how you are. Mr. Shaw asked me to convey his regards and well wishes. This is a small token of our concern.” Ivy stood and walked to the bedside, taking a thick envelope from her purse and placing it on the nightstand.

Her professional tone silenced Rosetta instantly.

Baillie glanced at the envelope, then at Ivy. “Thank you,” he said coolly. “And please extend my gratitude to Mr. Shaw.”

“I will.”

Ivy’s colleague stepped forward and handed him two documents. “Mr. Windsor, given the significant changes in your company’s situation over the past few days, Mr. Shaw wishes to terminate our partnership. Please review the agreement. If there are no issues, you can sign here.”

Although he had been expecting it, a flicker of pain crossed Baillie’s face as he looked at the papers.

Rosetta looked at her son, her heart aching. “Baillie… is there really no other way?” She knew that if the company went under, they would have nothing and nowhere to go. Their mansion was gone, and they were currently living in their daughter–in–law’s house. But since the funeral yesterday, Baillie’s wealthy wife had vanished, her only communication a single text message: I want a divorce.

Baillie was too weak to deal with it all, but he knew he couldn’t stop her. Even if he dragged his feet, she could file for divorce in court, which would only make things uglier.

“It’s fine. I’ll sign.” Baillie scanned the document, his hand trembling slightly.

Ivy’s colleague immediately offered him a pen.

He signed his name with a flourish and handed the documents back without making eye contact.

“Thank you, Mr. Windsor. Please rest and get well soon.” Ignoring his sullen mood, Ivy took the papers, gave a polite nod, and turned to leave. Her bodyguards followed.

Tears welled in Rosetta’s eyes as she watched them go, mourning the precarious future that lay before her and her son. Seeing her daughter leave without a backward glance, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Ivy! Are you really going to be this cruel? Are you going to drive us all to our deaths?” she shrieked, her voice thick with a mixture of resentment, despair, anger, and grief.

Ivy turned back, her voice clear and steady. “The way you drove me out was far crueler than this.”

“We were wrong, okay? Emma is dead, Micah is dead, your father is dead! Isn’t that enough to erase the hatred in your heart? Do you want us all to die before you’re satisfied?” Rosetta sobbed, the lines on her haggard face deepening, making her look ten years older in an instant.

“I never wanted any of you to die. You’re the ones who blamed me for every misfortune and mistake, punishing yourselves with a hatred that was never justified.”

A flicker of emotion crossed Ivy’s own face. After a brief silence, she added one last thing. “I can arrange a future for you, but only if you’re willing to accept it. Think about it. When you’ve made up your minds, you can call me.”

With that, Ivy turned and disappeared through the doorway.

Rosetta’s sobs filled the room as she wailed over and over, “How did it come to this? How did it come to this…” She couldn’t understand. They had made a mistake, but they were family. Couldn’t they just let it go?

Baillie, too, felt as if he were in a nightmare. He had never imagined that the great Windsor family could fall so far, so fast, that his own future would now be in Ivy’s hands.

He didn’t want to bow his head to her, didn’t want to be controlled by her. But what choice did he have?