Chapter 3 - The Matriarch’s Arrival
The elevator doors opened to the fourth floor,
and the atmosphere had already changed.
The quiet,
reverent air of the maternity ward had been replaced by a cold,
palpable tension.
Two men in dark suits,
members of my family’s private security detail,
stood by the nurses' station.
They moved to block my path as I stepped out.
"Mr. Waverly,"
one of them said,
his voice devoid of emotion.
"Your mother is inside with the patient.
She requested privacy."
I didn't stop.
I didn't even slow down.
"Move,"
I said.
The word wasn't a request.
It was an ultimatum.
"Sir,
we have orders—"
I grabbed the man by the lapel and slammed him against the wall with a violence that shocked even me.
"I am the head of this family,"
I hissed,
my face inches from his.
"And if you ever stand between me and my wife again,
you won't have a job to worry about.
You won't have a pulse."
The other guard moved,
but I caught his eye,
and he saw the sheer,
unhinged fury in my expression.
He stepped back.
I dropped the first guard and pushed past them,
my heart hammering against my ribs.
I reached Room 418 and threw the door open.
The scene inside was a tableau of calculated cruelty.
My mother,
Eleanor,
was standing by the incubators.
She looked impeccable,
not a hair out of place,
her silk coat draped over her shoulders.
She was looking down at the twins as if she were inspecting a new piece of real estate.
June Harper was standing on the other side of the room,
her arms crossed,
her face a mask of defiance.
Mara was still unconscious,
but her breathing seemed more labored now,
the machines beeping more frequently.
"Grant,"
Eleanor said,
not even turning to look at me.
"You're late.
I expected you ten minutes ago."
"Get away from them,"
I said,
my voice low and dangerous.
She finally turned,
a thin,
condescending smile on her lips.
"Don't be dramatic,
dear.
I’m simply checking on my grandsons.
They’re a bit small,
aren't they?
Poor things.
They’ll need the best care money can buy.
Care that a Bennett can't provide."
"They aren't just Waverlys,
Mother.
They’re mine."
"Of course they are.
That’s why I’ve already arranged for their transfer to a private facility.
A place where they can be properly...
vetted."
I walked toward her,
stopping only when I was close enough to see the coldness in her blue eyes.
"The transfer is cancelled.
Everything you’ve planned is cancelled."
Eleanor laughed,
a soft,
chilling sound.
"You're in no position to make demands.
You signed the papers.
You're the one who told the world she was a thief.
By the eyes of the law,
she is an unfit mother,
and you are a man who has been deeply wronged.
I’m just here to clean up the mess."
I pulled the digital drive from my pocket and held it up.
"I found the locker,
Mother.
I saw the video.
I saw the ledgers."
The smile on her face didn't falter,
but her eyes narrowed.
"A desperate woman’s last attempt at blackmail?
No one will believe it.
The Bennett’s have always been prone to delusions."
"It’s not a delusion when it’s your voice on the recording,"
I said.
"It’s not a delusion when the bank records show your signature on the shell company."
I stepped into her space,
using my height to intimidate her for the first time in my life.
"You framed her.
You tried to kill her spirit.
And you did it all to keep the Waverly name 'pure'."
Eleanor’s expression shifted.
The mask of the concerned grandmother fell away,
revealing the predator beneath.
"I did it for you,"
she spat.
"She was a distraction.
She made you soft.
You were starting to care more about her happiness than the board meetings.
A Waverly doesn't love,
Grant.
A Waverly rules."
"Then watch me rule,"
I said.
I turned to June.
"Is there a way to move them safely within the hospital?
Somewhere my family’s security can't reach?"
June nodded.
"The Neonatal ICU has a high-security wing.
Only medical staff and parents are allowed.
But I need your signature as the legal guardian."
"I'll sign whatever you need."
Eleanor stepped forward,
her voice rising.
"You think you can challenge me?
I built you.
I can break you."
"You already tried,"
I said,
looking at Mara’s pale face.
"And you failed.
Because despite everything you did,
she’s still here.
And so am I."
I turned my back on my mother,
a gesture of ultimate disrespect.
"June,
get the staff.
We're moving them now."
"Grant!"
Eleanor’s voice was a screech of pure rage.
"If you walk out of this room with them,
you are dead to this family!"
I didn't look back.
"Good,"
I said.
"I’ve been dead for a long time.
May you like
Tonight,
I think I finally want to live."
