Chapter 79: A Forgiven Past

Richard stormed out of his mother’s office, his mind reeling from the encounter. Eleanor’s cold dismissal stung more than he cared to admit. How had it come to this? He, the rightful heir, was being treated like a child by his own mother, while Alexander—an outsider, a mere nephew—was lauded as the company’s savior. The humiliation burned deep, fueling a fire within Richard that he hadn’t felt in years. He marched down the corridor, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. The anger that had been brewing inside him since the board meeting threatened to spill over. Alexander had embarrassed him in front of everyone, and now his own mother had reduced him to nothing more than a nuisance. It was more than he could bear. As he reached his office, Richard slammed the door shut behind him, the force rattling the windows. He needed to think, to plan his next move. He couldn’t let Alexander win—not after everything he had sacrificed, not after all the years he had spent in the shadow of h