The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 77

“Hello?”

A man’s voice came through the phone. “Mr. Heath? Good morning. I’m Mr. Kim, Ms. Anderson’s lawyer.”

Steven’s brow tightened, a heavy feeling settling in his stomach.

“Ms. Anderson won’t agree to pre-trial mediation. She expects you in court this Wednesday.”

“Alright. Got it.”

“Thank you for your time.”

Steven hesitated, then quietly ended the call.

It was Monday.

Court was in two days.

At this point, the only place he’d see her again was probably the courtroom.

He stood by the window and lit a cigarette, letting the smoke swirl around him. One cigarette turned into two, and then three, each one doing nothing to settle the ache in his chest.

His secretary, Owen, walked over and spoke up carefully. “Mr. Heath, the board’s still waiting for you in the conference room.”

“Okay.”

Steven crushed out his cigarette, took a deep breath, and pulled himself together before heading back in. He tried to focus on the meeting, but his mind kept drifting. What should have been a two-hour meeting was over in less than one.

Afterward, Steven left without the usual small talk.

The board members exchanged looks and couldn’t help but whisper to each other.

“What’s up with Mr. Heath? He’s so out of it today.”

“Let’s not talk about this,” someone else said nervously. “If Mr. Heath hears us, we’ll be in serious trouble.”

Still, the gossip didn’t really stop.

Back at Moonlight Bay, Steven walked into an empty house. The silence felt heavy, and he couldn’t shake the emptiness inside.

Thinking back on his four-year marriage, he realized it hadn’t been bad. Actually, it brought him a kind of peace he’d never had before. Even the fiercest warrior gets tired. Marriage had softened him, made him less ruthless, made him hold back his anger. He wasn’t the same cutthroat businessman he used to be.

Family had made him more human.

He tried calling her again.

The call went straight to voicemail. “The number you have dialed is currently switched off. Please try again later…”

Lucie’s phone was still off.