Chapter 3 - The Ultimatum
The silence in the diner was heavy and suffocating.
Claire stepped in front of her son defensively.
"You dressed up as a homeless woman to test my seventeen-year-old child?" Claire asked, her voice trembling with anger.
Margaret did not look apologetic at all.
"When my son is worth four billion dollars, I do not take chances on strangers," Margaret stated firmly.
Ethan rubbed his temples in pure frustration.
"This is completely insane, Mother," Ethan shouted.
"Is it insane to protect our legacy?" Margaret fired back.
Noah stood quietly, feeling deeply humiliated by the entire charade.
He realized the woman he had tried to save had been judging him the entire time.
Margaret reached into her ragged coat and pulled out a crisp, folded legal document.
"Your son passed the character test, Claire, but my lawyers require absolute certainty," Margaret announced.
She placed the paper on the diner table.
"This is an updated prenuptial agreement," Margaret explained.
"It states that Noah will never receive a single penny of Caldwell money, even in the event of Ethan's death."
Ethan looked horrified by his mother's cruelty.
Claire stared at the document for a long, painful moment.
She slowly reached onto her left hand and pulled off the stunning diamond engagement ring.
"I do not want your money, and I certainly do not want this family," Claire said.
She placed the thirty-eight-thousand-dollar ring directly on top of the contract.
"Come on, Noah, we are leaving," Claire ordered.
She grabbed her son's hand and walked out the door without looking back.
Ethan turned to his mother with pure hatred in his eyes.
"You just destroyed the best thing that ever happened to me," Ethan whispered before chasing after them.
Margaret stood alone in the diner, suddenly feeling a sharp ping on her phone.
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It was a message from her private investigator.
The text read: "Claire Bennett is hiding a five-hundred-thousand-dollar debt to the Chicago cartel."
