Robert's victory in the Acquisition Challenge was a public humiliation for Charlotte. Her son, Ethan, was relegated to second place, and Theodore Lucas made no effort to hide his disappointment in the boy he had once championed. For Charlotte, this was no longer a business competition; it was war.
The next day, Robert arrived at the Lucas headquarters to find a notice taped to his office door.
It wasn't a punishment from Theodore. It was a vicious maneuver orchestrated entirely by Charlotte, using her established control over the household staff and minor company logistics.
The notice announced that, effective immediately, Robert's Dormitory Program funding was temporarily suspended. Furthermore, for "improper use of resources," Robert would be required to undertake two weeks of "restorative duties" at the Lucas Jewelry Archives—a damp, freezing basement facility filled with disorganized, dusty historical documents. The hours were mandatory: 5 PM to 10 PM every evening.
This wasn't just physical hardship; it was strategic sabotage. The second competition test was a week away, and Charlotte had effectively cut off five critical hours of study time every evening, hoping the miserable conditions would break Robert's focus.
Robert walked into the Archives that evening, the heavy door slamming shut behind him. The air was cold, thick with the smell of old paper and dust. He was dressed in thick clothes, but the cold still seeped into his bones. He knew he had to endure it silently.
The news, however, traveled faster than Charlotte intended. A distraught staff member, loyal to the memory of William, called Olivia.
Olivia, who had rigidly maintained her exile for years to protect the integrity of Robert's identity, felt her control snap. Hearing her young daughter—the reason for her every sacrifice—was being deliberately tormented in a cold basement, alone and struggling with the tight restraint of her binder, was too much.
She drove to the Lucas headquarters immediately, bypassing the main gate and marching straight into the Archives with a terrifying, contained fury.
She found Robert huddled at a dusty wooden table, shivering as he tried to organize boxes of brittle documents by torchlight.
"Robert!" Olivia cried, her voice echoing in the vast, cold space.
Robert jumped up, instantly terrified. "Mother! You can't be here! If anyone sees you—"
"I don't care who sees me!" Olivia hissed, her eyes blazing. "I will not stand by and let that wicked woman torture you while you're fighting for your father's legacy! What is this nonsense? 'Restorative duties'?"
Charlotte, alerted to the commotion by a spy, swept into the Archives, her face frozen in a look of triumphant distaste.
"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," Charlotte drawled, her voice dripping with venom. "The desperate wife returns. Theodore should have had you permanently banned from the property, Olivia."
Olivia stood tall, a woman transformed by righteous anger. She walked right up to Charlotte, ignoring Robert's frantic pleas.
"You won't break my son, Charlotte," Olivia said, her voice low and dangerous. "This pathetic attempt to stop a twelve-year-old from studying shows exactly how terrified you are of his competence. You know Robert will expose the fraud you call an heir."
Charlotte laughed, a sharp, unpleasant sound. "Your son is a delicate little flower, Olivia. And you are a common criminal trespassing on private property. If you don't leave now, I will call security, and you'll go back to the streets where you belong."
Olivia stepped even closer, her eyes locked on Charlotte's. "Call them. But know this: every hour Robert spends down here, I will spend two hours ensuring the next competition test exposes every single corruption in your management. You try to freeze my child out of the company, Charlotte, and I will burn your reputation to the ground."
With that final, chilling promise, Olivia grabbed her coat and walked out, leaving Charlotte momentarily stunned by the raw, powerful threat.
Robert stood frozen, watching his mother go. He had been exposed, not by his deception, but by his mother's ferocious love. The damage was done, but the fire in Olivia's eyes was a stark reminder: he wasn't alone in this war.