Chapter 3

The next Monday morning, I walked into the offices of "Innovate Solutions" with a renewed sense of purpose. I was a Senior Project Manager, good at my job, respected by my team. In my previous life, I let Liam's chaos bleed into my professional world, making me seem unreliable and distracted. That was going to stop.

I was in the middle of a conference call, detailing phase two of a major software launch, when my desk phone buzzed. It was my assistant, looking flustered on the video feed.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry to interrupt," she said, her voice low. "But you have a situation in the main lobby. It's... your brother."

A familiar sense of dread and irritation tried to creep in, but I pushed it down, replacing it with cold resolve. "Thank you, Sarah. I'll handle it."

I excused myself from the call and took the elevator down to the ground floor. The scene in the lobby was even worse than I'd imagined. Liam was standing in the middle of the pristine, marble-floored space, yelling at Mike, our gruff but fair Head of Security. A junior accountant, a young man named Peterson, was standing nearby, looking terrified, his glasses askew and a large coffee stain blooming on his crisp white shirt.

"I'm telling you, he did it on purpose!" Liam was shouting, pointing a dramatic finger at Peterson. "This is a five-hundred-dollar jacket! And he assaulted me! I want him fired! My sister is a top manager here, she'll have your job!"

Mike, a man who had seen it all, looked unimpressed. "Sir, based on the security footage and three eyewitness accounts, you walked directly into Mr. Peterson without looking, causing him to spill his coffee. Then you shoved him."

As soon as Liam saw me, his demeanor changed. He rushed over, grabbing my arm.

"Chloe! Thank God. This idiot ruined my jacket, and this Neanderthal won't do anything about it! You need to fire both of them and make the company pay for the damages. It's the least you can do."

He expected me to smooth things over, to apologize on his behalf, to write a check. That's what I always did.

I looked from his whining face to the nervous young accountant, then to Mike, whose expression was a mixture of resignation and curiosity. Everyone was watching, waiting to see how the powerful Chloe Miller would handle her trainwreck of a brother.

I gently removed his hand from my arm.

"Mr. Peterson," I said, my voice clear and professional. "I am very sorry for my brother's behavior. If you feel you were assaulted, I encourage you to file a police report. The company will fully cooperate."

Peterson's eyes widened. Liam's jaw dropped.

"Mike," I continued, turning to the security chief. "Please handle this according to standard company procedure for a non-employee causing a disturbance. Have him pay for any damages, and if he refuses, call the authorities."

"Chloe, what are you doing?" Liam hissed, his face turning a blotchy red. "Stop this! Tell them who I am!"

"I think they know exactly who you are," I said, my voice dropping. "A man who causes trouble and expects others to clean it up."

His face contorted with rage. He moved closer, trying to use the emotional blackmail that had always worked before.

"What about Mom?" he whispered furiously, so only I could hear. "You promised her on her deathbed! You promised you'd always look after me!"

The words that once held so much power over me were now just empty sounds.

"I am looking after you, Liam," I replied, my voice like ice. "I'm teaching you the one lesson Mom never could. It's called 'consequences'."

I turned my back on him, addressing Mike one last time.

"He does not have an appointment and is a disruption to business operations. Please escort him from the premises. He is not to be allowed back in the building without my express, written permission."

"You got it, Ms. Miller," Mike said, a flicker of respect in his eyes.

I walked toward the elevators without a backward glance. I could hear Liam erupting behind me, screaming my name, shouting about promises and betrayal. The sound was music to my ears. The elevator doors slid shut, cutting off the noise, and as I ascended back to my office, back to my life, I felt a profound sense of liberation. The public severing was complete.