Chapter 188

Robert's POV

I watched my daughter adjust her designer mask, a delicate creation of lace and crystal that complemented her low-cut gown perfectly. The corridor of the luxury hotel stretched before us, its walls adorned with tasteful artwork and subtle lighting that highlighted the opulence without being garish.

Olivia's lips tightened, the glossy red appearing almost black in the corridor's atmospheric lighting. "The family necklace, Dad? Really?" She turned to face me, her eyes flashing behind her mask. "You know she'll see that as a declaration of war. The one thing she had left of her mother—"

"If you're worried about that, you should have stayed in your hospital room three years ago."

The words hung between us, heavy with implication. Olivia stiffened, her nails digging into her palms. Good – at least she understood the gravity of our situation.

"You've held that over my head for three years," she hissed, careful to keep her voice down as a hotel staff member passed by with a respectful nod. "Three years of another kind of prison. Do you have any idea what it's like to live every day wondering when she'll come back, what she'll do?"

"Don't be dramatic," I dismissed her with a wave of my hand, the gold of my signet ring catching the light. "You've been following family rules and avoiding Morgan, just as we agreed. The Montgomery name has protected you."

"I've been doing everything right!" Olivia insisted, her voice rising slightly before she caught herself. "I've been the perfect daughter, the perfect patient, the perfect wife to a man who can barely stand to look at me—"

"He lost his child, Olivia." I cut through her complaints softly but firmly. The truth was something Olivia often tried to dance around.

Olivia's face flushed with anger beneath her mask. "I told you I didn't know about the baby when I pushed Morgan down those stairs!" Her voice trembled with defensive rage. "Who keeps a pregnancy secret like that anyway? That accident was as much her fault as mine!"

I grabbed my daughter's arm, pulling her into a quieter corner of the corridor, away from the few guests who had begun to filter toward the auction hall. My fingers dug into the soft flesh of her upper arm – a warning she needed to heed. How many times had I told her to be more discreet? One overheard conversation could destroy everything we'd worked to protect.

"Keep your voice down," I cautioned, my eyes darting around to ensure we weren't overheard. "What matters now is how you plan to handle Alexander."

Olivia's shoulders slumped slightly. "He barely speaks to me. It's like living with a ghost." She swallowed hard, fighting back tears. "I don't understand why he's still so attached to her. What hold does she have over him? It's been three years!"

"An emotional bond you can't break," I replied, keeping my voice steady and pragmatic. I'd seen it countless times over my decades in Hollywood – some connections transcended business arrangements and social expectations. "I've seen it before in this business. Some connections survive everything – betrayal, distance, time." I straightened my already impeccable tie. "I only need to know one thing: are you ready to let go?"

"Let go?" Olivia repeated, confusion evident in her tone.

"Of Alexander." I watched my daughter's reaction carefully. "Cut your losses. Let him go to her."

"What? No!" Olivia's initial response was automatic, but as she processed my words, her expression changed. "You want me to... give up Alexander? After everything we've done to keep him?"

I nodded slowly. "Keep Morgan's attention focused on Alexander, not on us."

Olivia was silent for a long moment, considering. Finally, she sighed, a sound of resignation and exhaustion. "I can't stand being a living widow anymore anyway. He looks through me like I'm not even there." She raised her chin slightly. "I'll do it."

We resumed walking, moving toward the main hall where the charity auction would soon begin. The corridor grew wider, the sounds of conversation and champagne glasses clinking becoming more distinct. These were the sounds of my world, the elite social circles I'd navigated for decades. But tonight, they felt hollow, like the final notes of a symphony drawing to a close.

"So how do we get rid of Morgan, Dad?" Olivia asked, her voice dropping to a whisper as we passed a group of Hollywood executives in tailored suits.

I guided her toward our reserved front-row seats with a firm hand on her back. "That's why we're attending this auction. Jonathan has been searching for his biological daughter. Tonight, we arrange a family reunion." My lips curved in a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "After that, she becomes his problem, not ours."

Olivia's eyes widened with understanding. "So the necklace is bait for him?" A smile spread across her face as we took our seats. "And he can control Morgan?"

I didn't answer immediately, my mind drifting to the past as we settled into our seats. The weight of my failures pressed down on me like a physical presence.

I had tried to handle Morgan before. After she had stabbed Olivia three years ago, I'd pushed for attempted murder charges, expecting to see her locked away for decades. But Alexander and that brother of hers, Liam, had worked tirelessly to reduce the charges. She could have avoided prison, but she pleaded guilty. It was practically a gift from God.

Even then, I hadn't given up. I'd arranged for "accidents" in prison, putting money in the right hands to ensure Morgan wouldn't survive her sentence. But Jonathan had interfered, using his connections to have her transferred to a more secure facility.

By the time I found her again, she had recovered and surrounded herself with protectors: Alexander, Liam, Jonathan himself. And now, most troubling of all, she had found Ethan to help her seek justice.

I had built my empire from nothing, turning Montgomery Studios from a small independent production company into a cornerstone of the industry. I had weathered scandals, market crashes, and technological revolutions. But I had never faced an enemy as determined as Morgan Phoenix.

All I wanted now was for Morgan to leave my family alone. Jonathan taking his daughter back into the family fold was my last hope. Wallace had the resources, the connections, and most importantly, the legal right to claim her as family. If anyone could draw Morgan away from her vendetta, it was her biological father.

"Dad?" Olivia's voice pulled me back to the present, her fingers lightly touching my arm. "You didn't answer me."

"Jonathan is more powerful than you realize," I finally answered, my eyes scanning the gathering crowd for any sign of Morgan or her masked companion.

"And he's been searching for his daughter for years. Once he has her back, our problems will be solved."