Chapter 158 - One Hundred and Fifty-Eight
Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Eight
Pa wood’s POV
The family meeting was a disaster.
I sat at the head of the table and watched my family fall apart. Travis looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Layla was alternating between rage and tears. Tom sat in silence, useless as always. Mario kept asking pointed questions about Malachi’s absence that were clearly designed to undermine my authority. Isabella and Sasha sat rigid, contributing nothing.
And the two people who should have been here, the two people at the center of this chaos, were gone. Malachi in Dark City. Alicia disappeared to god knows where.
"This is unacceptable," Mario said for the third time. "Your grandson abandons his responsibilities to chase personal vendettas. Your grandson-in-law’s wife vanishes without a trace. And you sit here acting like this is normal family business."
"Nothing about this situation is normal," I said calmly, even though inside I was anything but calm. "Which is why we’re having this meeting. To assess the situation and determine our next steps."
"Next steps?" Layla’s voice was shrill. "My son is in a coma because of that woman. Then she has the audacity to leave divorce papers and run away. She should be arrested. Charged with assault."
"Travis grabbed her first," I said coldly. "Multiple witnesses confirmed that. If anyone should be charged, it’s him."
"He’s my son!"
"And he’s a grown man who made choices. Choices that led to consequences. Alicia’s departure is one of those consequences."
Travis spoke for the first time. "She’s with Malachi. I know she is. They’ve been having an affair for months."