Chapter 2 The last straw

The silence inside the Lancaster estate was suffocating.

The glittering ballroom, the sea of judgmental eyes, the humiliation still burning in her chest like acid-gone. But in its place was something far heavier. Something colder.

Serena stood in the grand sitting room of her family's mansion, surrounded by the people who were supposed to love her. Instead, she felt like a prisoner awaiting her sentence.

The towering walls, lined with hand-carved moldings and oil paintings of their ancestors, had never felt so small. The dim glow of the chandelier overhead did nothing to soften the ice in her father's gaze.

Charles Lancaster stood by the fireplace, his fingers curled around a crystal tumbler of scotch, the other hand clasped behind his back. His suit remained impeccable, his posture rigid, but the carefully curated world he had built had suffered a very public fracture tonight. And in his eyes, there was only one person to blame.

Her.

Eleanor Lancaster sat stiffly on an ivory settee, fingers tight around the pearls at her throat. She hadn't said a word since they left the gala, but the weight of her disappointment pressed down on Serena like an iron vice.

Across the room, her younger brother, Theo, lounged in an armchair, swirling the whiskey in his glass, his amusement barely concealed behind a lazy smirk.

"Well," he mused, breaking the silence first, "that was a disaster."

Serena's jaw clenched.

She was still processing. Still burning.

She wanted to scream-to demand why none of them had stepped in, why they had let Julian humiliate her like that. But she already knew the answer.

This family did not come to the rescue of the weak.

Her father's voice sliced through the silence, even and razor-sharp. "I trusted you."

Serena lifted her chin, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "And I never asked for it."

His expression hardened. "No. But you were expected to uphold it."

The words cut deep, sharper than she expected.

Eleanor inhaled sharply, shaking her head. "That was humiliating, Serena." Her fingers trembled as she adjusted her pearls, as if the weight of them had suddenly become unbearable. "Our name. Our reputation. Do you even understand what you've done?"

Serena's nails dug into the fabric of her gown. "I did nothing," she said, her voice tight. "Julian-"

"Julian," Charles interrupted, his tone dismissive, "is irrelevant."

She flinched. Irrelevant? After what he had done to her? After dragging her through hell in front of half the city?

"Then why are you blaming me?" she bit out.

Charles took a slow sip of his scotch before placing the glass down with deliberate precision. "Because this wouldn't have happened if you had done what was expected of you."

Her stomach twisted.

She swallowed, trying to steady her breath. "You knew."

The room stilled.

She forced herself to continue. "You knew about... my inheritance." The words felt foreign on her tongue. "Or rather, my lack of it."

Her father didn't confirm it. But he didn't deny it either.

Her mother turned her face away.

Theo let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Poor Serena. The princess without a kingdom."

Her pulse pounded in her ears. "And no one thought to tell me?" she demanded, voice rising.

Charles arched a brow, his expression unreadable. "It wasn't necessary."

"Not necessary?" She let out a disbelieving laugh, one that held no humor. "It was my life."

"No," he corrected, cold and final. "It was a privilege."

Something inside her cracked.

Everything she had ever been, everything she had been told she was meant for-was a lie.

Theo took another slow sip of his drink, looking far too entertained. "Well, you always said you wanted to make a name for yourself. Looks like you finally have."

Serena turned on him, fury bubbling beneath the surface. "You think this is funny?"

"I think," Theo said lazily, "you're naive if you thought Julian would marry you without an actual claim to the Lancaster fortune."

Her stomach twisted violently.

"That's not why he proposed," she argued.

Theo smirked. "Isn't it?"

Serena's breath hitched.

She thought back to Julian's promises, the whispered words of devotion, the effortless charm that had once made her believe she was his everything.

Had it all been conditional? Had he always known?

Eleanor finally turned back to her, her face drawn tight with disapproval. "You should have kept him happy, Serena. If you had done what was required of you, this wouldn't have happened."

The words stung worse than any slap.

Serena stared at her mother, disbelief crashing over her in waves. "You're saying this is my fault?"

Charles exhaled heavily, turning back toward the fire. "It doesn't matter now. The damage is done."

She felt the ground shift beneath her.

"So that's it?" she whispered. "You're just... washing your hands of me?"

Charles turned, his expression unreadable. "I am giving you a choice."

A chill crawled up her spine.

"A choice?" she echoed.

He stepped toward her, his presence towering, suffocating. "You have embarrassed this family in a way that may still be salvageable. But it will not be easy."

Her mother shifted uncomfortably.

Theo watched with interest.

Charles remained impassive. "If you want to remain a Lancaster," he said, "you'll have to earn it."

Serena's breath caught. "Earn it?"

"You are no longer entitled to this family's fortune," he said, his words slow, deliberate. "You will be stripped of all financial support-effective immediately."

Her stomach dropped. "You can't be serious."

His gaze didn't waver. "You will prove your worth. Or you will no longer be my daughter."

Ice shot through her veins.

Her mother flinched at the harshness, but she didn't protest.

Theo let out a low whistle. "Damn. That's harsh-even for you, Father."

Serena's world felt like it was crumbling.

She had never needed their money-not truly. But the title? The status? The safety net of being a Lancaster? That had always been her reality.

And now, it was gone.

"You can't do this," she whispered.

Charles arched a brow. "I can. I have."

She swallowed the rising panic. "And if I refuse?"

"Then you will walk out that door," he said simply, "and never return."

The weight of his words settled like a stone in her chest.

Her mother turned away again, unable to look at her.

Theo just looked entertained.

Serena felt utterly alone.

But she couldn't break.

Not here. Not in front of them.

With every ounce of strength she had left, she lifted her chin. Her voice was quiet, but unwavering. "Fine."

Charles studied her. "Fine?"

"I'll prove my worth," she said, her nails digging into her palms. "But when I do-don't expect me to come back."

Her father said nothing.

Eleanor closed her eyes.

Theo smirked. "Now this is going to be interesting."

Serena turned sharply, pulse roaring in her ears.

She didn't look back.

And for the first time in her life, she walked away from the Lancaster name.