Page 336 of Kentrell

But when he looked up this time… something in his face had changed.

The sorrow was still there… but now it was laced with steel.

Determination.

Resolve.

And a kind of fury that felt bone-deep.

“I filed for a divorce—two weeks ago.”

For a second, I thought I’d heard him wrong. But no. The words hung there, bold and irreversible. I looked over at my mama—her face wearing every inch of the shock I was feeling. Her mouth parted like she wanted to speak, but nothing came out.

Darius—no,my father—let out a slow exhale. His gaze stayed on me, but I knew this wasn’t just for me. This was for her. For the woman he left behind.

“Vivian and I were never supposed to go on this long. Had I not listened to her father—let him trick me into the deals, the political holdings, the power plays they thought would keep me in line—I would’ve filed a long time ago.”

His voice was steady, but it vibrated with something under the surface. Regret. Bitterness. Years of playing a role he hated.He shifted slightly, as if the weight of the past was physically sitting on his shoulders. And still…he kept going.

“I know nothing I say or do will bring back those years,” he said quietly, his voice dipping low—almost a confession—but when he looked at my mama, there was fire behind his eyes. “But there’s a silver lining in all of this.”

That’s when he smirked. Not because he found any of this funny—but because that lawyer mind…the same one I’d inherited…the same one that made me dangerous in court…was calculating.

“If I had to be away from the two of you and be miserable,” he said, pausing long enough to let that land, “then I was going to use that misery to fuel my revenge. And that’s exactly what I did.”

His gaze sharpened.

“I spent every day learning their moves. Studying how Royce manipulated judges. Watching how Frank buried scandals. Listening to how Harry worked aldermen and real estate boards like puppets on a string. I let them think I was their loyal son-in-law. Their Black trophy husband from the South Side who should be grateful for a seat at their table.”

He let out a humorless laugh.

“Meanwhile, I was rewriting their contracts. Reorganizing their trusts. Restructuring their holdings. Quietly buying their debt through dummy corporations and shell investors. Every time they thought they were using me to clean up their mess, I was positioning myself to own it.”

I blinked, my mind spinning. Kentrell shifted beside me, silent but observant. Mama’s hands were clenched in her lap, her face pale but her jaw set tight.

Darius pressed on.

“Majority of the Whitfield transportation contracts? Mine now. Their downtown development deals? I hold the controllingvote. The family foundation they use to clean their public image? I’m the trustee overseeing their disbursements.” He shook his head, almost smiling at the absurdity of it all. “And every political favor they call in now runs through me before it sees daylight.”

Silence filled the room, thick and choking.

“I let them think I’d become one of them…when all I ever wanted…was to burn their entire empire to the ground. And now?” He shrugged. “Now, they can’t breathe without me signing off on it.”

His eyes came back to me, softer this time, but no less intense.

“And the irony? The one thing they’re most afraid of…the one secret they’ve tried to keep buried even harder than their financial crimes…is you.”

My breath caught in my throat.

“Zoe…you’re the final piece. And whether you want to or not…you’re part of this now.”

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to steady.

“Part of what?” I asked, my gaze locked on him. “What exactly…am I part of?”

“You’re part of the one thing they can’t buy their way out of,” he said finally. His voice was low, like it took effort to get the words out. “Legacy.”

He dragged a hand across his face, like he hated even having to explain it this way.

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