Skip to main content

---


On the day she visited Gerald in prison, she dressed carefully.

He was already waiting when she came in, sitting behind the glass. He started before she sat down.

"After everything I did for you — I made you, Eliana. I gave you every opportunity. You ungrateful, calculating —"

"You stopped being my father the day you left us," she said. "I don't know what you think we are to each other."

He pressed his face forward.

"You'll never be loved. Men use you, Eliana. They always will. You're not the kind of woman anyone stays for."

She sat with that for a moment.

Then she said, quite evenly: "I've liquidated the Ashford Group. There are approximately four hundred million in assets now in my name. Loving me or not loving me is a separate matter — I'm not particularly interested in being used by anyone."

She paused.

"The development project failed, by the way. That was intentional. Your two sons, separately, ran up enough offshore gambling debt that they've been picked up by the people they owed money to. I understand they're no longer reachable."

She stood.

"You're going to be here for a while, Father. I hope you use the time well."

She walked out.