Chapter 2

The silence in the room was immediate and absolute.

Matthew' s carefully composed expression faltered, a flicker of genuine shock in his eyes. He had expected a fight, a negotiation, another one of my "schemes." He had no script for this.

Andrew, who had been lurking near the doorway, pretending to read a book, went perfectly still. His public persona was built on the foundation of my "overbearing" support. Without me pushing, his reluctance had no meaning.

Matthew recovered quickly, a politician to his core.

"Well, I... I'm glad we're in agreement, Gabby. It's the right thing to do."

He was trying to regain control, to frame this as his decision. I wouldn't let him.

"It is," I said, my voice gaining strength. "And we should make it official. Immediately. I'll call the governor's office myself. Let them know the Scott family is united behind Ethan."

Andrew took a step into the room, his mask of indifference cracking.

"Mother, perhaps we shouldn't be so hasty..."

"Nonsense," I cut him off, my tone bright and decisive. "Ethan has been overlooked for too long. It's time he took his rightful place. In fact, I think we need to make a public statement. I'll have my assistant arrange a press conference for tomorrow morning."

Andrew's face paled. A press conference? He had one of his own speeches prepared, a masterpiece of false humility he planned to use after I had "forced" the heir title upon him. A speech about yielding to his noble, disabled brother.

The next morning, the conference room was packed. Major political journalists, all drawn by the promise of a significant announcement from the Scott family. I saw them all, the familiar faces who had written such scathing articles about me in my past life.

Andrew stood slightly behind me, radiating a pained nobility. He thought he knew the script. He thought I was here to announce him as the heir, and he would then perform his grand act of sacrifice.

As the cameras flashed, he stepped forward, clearing his throat.

"Before my mother begins," he said, his voice filled with emotion, "I feel compelled to say something."

He launched into his speech, a beautiful, moving monologue about his deep respect for his older brother, Ethan. He spoke of his own desire for a simple life, free from the burdens of power his mother was "so keen" to place upon him. He painted a picture of himself as a saint and me as a manipulative monster.

The journalists were captivated. A few were already scribbling notes, their faces soft with sympathy for this noble young man.

I let him finish. I let him hang himself with his own pretty words.

When the applause died down, I smiled warmly at the crowd. My assistant began handing out the press release.

I stepped to the microphone.

"Thank you, Andrew, for those beautiful words," I said, my voice clear and strong. "I am so proud to see my son championing his brother. Which is why I am so thrilled to formally announce, on behalf of myself and my husband, that we are in full and enthusiastic agreement. We are officially endorsing my stepson, Ethan Scott, as the political heir to the Scott family legacy."

A confused murmur went through the room. Heads snapped from Andrew's stunned face to the press release in their hands, which confirmed my every word.

Andrew stood frozen, his grand gesture of "sacrifice" now looking utterly ridiculous. He had just publicly, passionately renounced a position that was never, ever being offered to him.

The humiliation was a visible wave that washed over him. The journalists' expressions shifted from sympathy to confusion, then to a dawning, delicious understanding of the scene.

He had played himself.

And I just watched.