Chapter 3

My grandfather' s arrival shifted the air in the room. The whispers died. The Texas elite, who had been watching a family drama unfold, now stood in the presence of real power.

He walked straight to me, his gaze fixed on the red mark on my cheek. He gently touched my face, his expression a mixture of fury and pain.

"Who did this?" he asked, his voice quiet but carrying more menace than any shout.

No one spoke. My mother, Maria, looked pale. Gabby shrank back, her victim act forgotten.

Grandfather' s eyes landed on the foreman, Hank, who still held the riding crop. "You?"

Hank dropped the crop as if it were on fire. "Sir, I... Mrs. Fuller ordered me to."

Grandfather didn't even look at my mother. He turned to the other ranch hands who had tried to restrain me. "You all work for the Fuller family. Not for her whims. You are fired. Get off my land. Now."

There was no argument. The men turned and walked out, their heads bowed.

He then turned to Old Man Hemlock, who was still standing beside me. He placed a hand on the old cowboy's shoulder. "Thank you, Hemlock. You have my gratitude."

Hemlock just nodded, his loyalty clear in his eyes.

With the immediate threat gone, Grandfather turned his attention to the rest of the room. His gaze fell on Ethan Scott, the fiancé.

Ethan, seeing the dramatic shift in power, made his choice. He rushed to Gabby' s side, taking her hand.

"Sir, this is all a misunderstanding," Ethan said, trying to sound reasonable. "My love is for Gabrielle. It was always for her. The name doesn't matter to me."

A foolish declaration. In this world, the name was everything.

I stepped forward, my voice clear and steady, amplified by my grandfather's presence. "Then the engagement is officially broken."

I looked directly at Ethan. "As the true Fuller heiress, I am ending this arrangement. I expect all of the Scott family's gifts and investments to be returned immediately."

I then turned to my mother. "And you. You've been busy."

My grandfather' s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, Jocelyn?"

"For the past year," I said, my voice ringing with cold fury, "my mother has been secretly transferring assets. Heirlooms, stocks, pieces of land. All things meant for my dowry. She gave them to Gabby."

Just then, another truck pulled up. My father. He was back from a cattle auction in Fort Worth, expecting to walk into a quiet evening. Instead, he walked into the wreckage of his family.

He saw my grandfather, the Senator's aide, my bruised face, and his wife's terrified expression.

"What in the hell is going on?" he demanded.

Grandfather answered, his voice like granite. "Your wife has been trying to steal our daughter's birthright. She disowned Jocelyn and tried to have her beaten in front of our guests."

My father' s face went from confusion to pure rage. He stared at Maria, the woman he had loved for over thirty years. The betrayal was a physical blow.

"Maria," he said, his voice shaking. "Is this true?"

My mother couldn't meet his eyes. She just stood there, trembling.

That was all the answer he needed. "You will go to the north pasture cabin," he said, his voice devoid of all warmth. "You will stay there and reflect on what you have done. You will have no staff, no visitors, and no control over this household. Not anymore."

He had exiled her.