CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY THREE – A PARENT’S LOVE

Richard remained silent, allowing her a moment to process the fresh onslaught of despair and outrage. He knew his wife's formidable spirit, had witnessed firsthand how she could rally in the face of even the most daunting of challenges. But this...this was a different beast entirely. At last, Lillian seemed to regain a tenuous hold over her warring emotions. Straightening her shoulders, she lifted her chin in that regal manner that had struck fear into the hearts of so many over the years. "Well?" she prompted, her eyes boring into Richard's with an intensity that brooked no quarter. "What did you tell them?" Richard held her gaze for a suspended heartbeat before letting out a weary sigh. "I told them we'd need time to gather the requisite funds. Liquidating assets on that scale is...complicated, to say the least." "Time," Lillian echoed, the word carrying a weight that seemed to crush the very air from the room. "You know as well as I that's a luxury we can ill afford, Richard. No