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“Better than expected,” Gabriel says. “We told them thanks, but no thanks.”

“You what?” Liam’s voice cuts through the room. “You mean he turned you down.”

“Actually, George was practically salivating to work with us,” Hayden says, his jaw tightening. “But I’m not interested in partnering with someone who gets swayed by every piece of gossip that crosses his desk. Seems like a…” He glances at Gabriel.

“Spineless opportunist?” Gabriel supplies smoothly.

“Exactly. Funny how these so-called ‘traditional values’ guys are always the first ones listening to rumors.” Hayden’s smirk has a sharp edge. “George was ready to sign on the dotted line. We decided to walk away.”

“Just like we’re walking away from you,” Ford adds, his gaze fixed on his brother.

Liam shoots to his feet. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means as long as you’re under this roof, we won’t be,” Ford states flatly.

“Ford!” Elaine gasps, her voice pitched with shock.

“I’m sorry, Mom. The last thing I want is to hurt you. But I’m done with this.” Ford’s voice carries a finality I’ve never heard before. “He’s been mooching off you for years and laughing about it behind your backs. He’s never going to follow through on any of his grand schemes. He cheated on Maeve, then tried to destroy her reputation by calling her a whore in front of you and Dad, all while attempting to sabotage my company. If you keep enabling him after that, then you’re not being fair to me or Lydia.”

Lydia actually claps, earning a sharp look from Charles. “This isn’t dinner theater, young lady.”

“No, Dad, it’s not.” Lydia crosses her arms, chin raised defiantly. “But Ford deserves recognition for finally saying what we’ve all been thinking for years. None of us can stand Liam.” She turns to her brother, her voice cutting. “You’re a complete ass.”

“Language!”

“Nobody likes him,” Ford continues. “He’s disrespectful to you, to Mom, to everyone. If I had a son who treated women the way Liam treated Maeve, or who tried to destroy his own brother’s livelihood out of spite, he wouldn’t be welcome in my home. You lecture us about character and responsibility, but you punish me for building my own life while you keep rewarding Liam for his failures—just because he doesn’t challenge you. At least not to your face.”

Something shifts in Charles’s expression, a flicker of uncertainty.

“He has no honor, no respect, no sense of responsibility. He calls a woman a slut and then claims to love her in the same breath. What kind of man does that? You wouldn’t tolerate that behavior from anyone else. Why him?”

“You—” Liam starts toward Ford, who shifts into a fighting stance without hesitation. Liam stops short, apparently remembering how the last confrontation went.

“You want to be a good father?” Ford’s voice softens slightly, but the steel remains. “Then teach him there are consequences for his actions. Show him he can’t treat people like garbage. And show your other children that you love them too, instead of letting them think they matter less because you’ll excuse anything from your golden boy.”

Charles turns to Lydia, his voice quieter. “Have you felt this way as well?”

Lydia nods without hesitation. “He’s awful, Dad.”

Elaine clears her throat delicately. “I stand with Ford, dear.” She looks at Liam with something close to disgust. “How you treated this sweet girl is unconscionable. And the vindictive way you went after your own brother—I’ve never seen such cruelty. I don’t understand how you can be my son. I’m so sorry we failed to raise you with basic decency and honor.”

“You’re—you’re apologizing to her?” Liam sputters, his face flushing red. “What kind of self-righteous bullshit—forget this. I can’t believe you people.”

He shoots Ford one last venomous glare before storming out of the room.

“I hope he’s packing,” Hayden mutters, not bothering to lower his voice.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

Elaine looks genuinely distressed, and my heart goes out to her. Even if Liam is toxic, he’s still her son. She must love him despite everything. Watching your children tear each other apart can’t be easy for any mother.

Ford must see it too, because he immediately crosses to the couch and sits beside her, pulling her into a gentle hug.

Elaine melts into the embrace, and something in my chest tightens watching them. She really is a wonderful woman. I hope that once Liam’s poison is out of her life, she’ll realize how much stress he brought to the entire family. Sometimes you need a dramatic wake-up call to see how much better you deserve—and how bad things really were.

Lydia starts gathering the scattered game pieces. “Should we start over?” she asks hopefully.

“Absolutely,” Gabriel says, moving to help her reset the board.