AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hesitated, pretending to scan the list when I already knew which three were our top picks. “The apartment in Melbourne, the residence in Apollo Bay, and the apartment in Coolangatta.”
They weren’t quite able to contain their joint relief. They’d expected us to go for the more expensive properties, like the one here in Canberra that my father was so desperate to get his hands on. And I admit, it had been tempting. Very tempting. But in the end, we’d fallen on the side of practicality rather than revenge. The three we’d chosen were all large properties that would easily house our two families—when we did eventually have families, that is—in locations that were practical and/or fabulous holiday locations. This also gave us the ability to rent them out to holiday makers during peak periods, which would help pay for their upkeep and rates.
“I want the Melbourne apartment solely in Belle’s name, but the titles of the other two are to be placed in both my name and hers.”
You can’t do that, Belle said immediately.
I can and will. I know it will never make up for the time lost with your family and all the shit you’ve had to deal with—
I don’t regret that shit, Lizzie. I’d do it all again if I had to.
I know, but I still need to do this for you, so shut up and just accept it.
She mentally harrumphed but otherwise obeyed. But love and appreciation washed through our link, and I found myself blinking back tears.
“It could take between four and six weeks for the title transfers to be finalized,” Ryland was saying. “That’s not something we can hasten, government departments being what they are.”
“Send the paperwork across to my office as soon as it is completed,” Anthony said.
Ryland nodded again, then switched his gaze to me. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Grace.”
I bet it was, given they’d gotten the bulk of Clayton’s assets without much of a fight from me. I gathered my coat and purse and somehow resisted dancing in utter joy as I left the room.
My father dominated the witness stand, both physically and magically. While the courtroom was guarded against all manner of spell craft, those spells didn’t have the capacity to mute the glow of a witch in his prime, and my father was magically letting it all hang out.
A not-so-subtle reminder that he was the most powerful witch in the room.
He hadn’t yet glanced at me, and I personally doubted he would. Not until he had a point to make and only then with a sickening amount of regret and sorrow. All false, of course. My father had mastered the art of playing to his audience long ago, and it was an ability that had kept him in power.
That, and his ability to manipulate, bribe, and otherwise force his opponents to do what he wanted.
Anthony walked across to the witness stand and stopped a meter away.
“Mr. Marlowe, we’ve heard testimony to the effect that, without the consent of either your wife or your daughter, you arranged a marriage between your daughter Elizabeth and Clayton Marlowe—is that testimony correct?”
“It is.”
“Then you do not deny using both magic and medication to make Elizabeth compliant?”
“I do not.”
My eyebrows shot upwards. I’d expected many things, but blunt agreement to the truth wasn’t one of them.
“You are of course aware that underage marriages are against the law here in Australia.”
“Of course.”
“And yet you nevertheless proceeded with the arrangement. Care to explain why?”
“The merger was beneficial to all parties involved.”
“I believe Elizabeth would disagree on that point,” Anthony said, tone dry.
I waited for him to pull the “grief made me do it” card. Instead, he was silent for what seemed like ages, and then said, “I believed Clayton to be a good and caring man. I believed he would take care of her—provide her with the support and emotional strength I so obviously couldn’t.”
So, not the grief card, but rather the “I was only trying to do the right thing by her” one.
“How can you claim you had her best interest at heart when you drugged her, magically bound her to your will, and then forced her into the marriage? You seriously expect the court to believe any of that was in her best interests?”
