Second Chance His Unending Love (Calista Hartwell) novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23 You’re Scary

At the height of its power, the Frost Group stood among New

York’s most formidable conglomerates.

The Frosts had cemented their status as bona fide aristocrats

of wealth, their partners limited to top-tier dynasties-circles no petty upstart could ever hope to penetrate.

Killian was the very heart of the Frost Group.

The Frost Group held the entire family’s fate in its hands.

No one would be allowed to harm the Frost family’s interests.

Calista’s brows knit tightly as she stepped back, shielding her daughter behind her.

Was powerlessness nothing more than an open invitation to

be bullied?

Was being without influence a death sentence for even the

freedom of divorce?

The confinement, the coercion, the fight over a child-

tropes she’d only ever seen in TV dramas and novels were 39

unfolding right before her oves brutaland

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Guilt gnawed at her. Her little girl shouldn’t have to witness such darkness at her age.

Gregory waved a hand.

“Olivia, you’re a Frost-blood and bone. Come stand with me.

We won’t hurt you.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Olivia rooted herself to the spot.

Gregory snapped, “Why can’t you tell right from wrong, kid? Your mother can’t even save herself. What kind of future do you think you’ll have stuck with her?”

Olivia shot to her feet in an instant, stepping forward to

shield her mother instead.

“Uncle Gregory, does Dad know what you’re doing?”

“Your father knows. Of course he does.”

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Gregory’s voice hadn’t even faded when two tall, imposing figures appeared at the top of the second-floor staircase.

Austin leaned lazily against the banister, scrolling through his phone with a look of irritation. 2/7

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chaos in the living room like a king surveying his domain.

His stoic expression flickered the slightest bit when his eyes landed on the bodyguards flanking Calista and Olivia.

The retraction statement had been drafted in a hurry by

Nicole.

For Calista to sign it would be nothing but beneficial, so he

couldn’t fathom why his mother and brother had resorted to

sending muscle.

He would never stoop to threatening his own wife and

daughter.

Yet still, these were his own flesh and blood-his mother

and brother. Even if Killian disagreed with their methods, he

would not intervene.

He waved a dismissive hand.

The bodyguards stepped back immediately, but their

menace remained.

Killian descended the stairs, his boots clicking sharply

against the marble, until he stood directly in front of Calista. 3/7

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statement, and it’s yours.”

Resorting to force was beneath him-as a husband, as a

father. But the Frost Group’s interests were his unbreakable

bottom line.

Calista stepped back, subtly nudging Olivia, urging her to

run.

Then she lifted her chin to meet Killian’s gaze, her voice

steady as stone.

“I won’t sign the retraction. But I have a top-tier project

evaluation-one with a market potential that’s practically

untapped. It would be a game-changer for the group’s

transition. I’ll trade that for the divorce papers.”

She’d finished the evaluation half a month ago, before

everything had spiraled out of control. She’d never gotten the

chance to show it to him.

However, Calista didn’t care about sacrificing these material things.

Whether the project succeeded or not would depend on Killian’s own capabilities anyway.

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and disdain.

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“Are you joking? I have a team of the industry’s sharpest analysts at my disposal. Any one of them could blow your little report out of the water. What you’re offering is worthless to me.”

Calista bit down on her lower lip. In that moment, she had no leverage left to negotiate.

Killian said, “Calista, you’re my wife. I won’t hurt you. But you made a mistake, and you’ll stay home and reflect on it until you understand.”

At his words, four burly men took a step forward, their intentions clear.

Olivia’s eyes turned teary-eyed with anger.

“Dad, this is illegal detention! We can call the police!”

Killian sighed, a flicker of helplessness crossing his face, “Olivia, this is just a family matter.”

Olivia bit her lip so hard it turned white. She’d known they’d twist the truth like this-that was why she’d reached out to Evander earlier.

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