THE DISABLED HEIRESS, MY EX-HUSBAND WOULD PAY DEARLY.

At that moment, upon hearing what Robert just said, Abigail didn't blink. Her hunger burned quietly, but she refused to let it spill into words. She stood still, chin up, holding his gaze with fierce calmness. Her silence wasn't weakness it was power. The kind of power that made Robert hesitate for a split second, but not enough to stop him from continuing whatever he had come for.

Victoria, however, had heard enough.

She stepped forward and couldn't hide the irritation in her voice anymore. Her arms folded tightly across her chest, her jaw locked, and her eyes flared with disbelief. "Why are you doing this, Robert?" she asked sharply, her tone laced with frustration. "Why are you talking to her like she's beneath you? Is she your slave? Or are you just that desperate to feel powerful?"

Still Robert didn't answer, but his glare shifted briefly toward Victoria.

"This is the 24th century," Victoria continued, her voice rising slightly. "Everybody here man or woman has the same privileges. Gender doesn't make you superior. You don't get to come in here and talk to Abigail like she's nothing. Respect is earned. And if you can't respect her, don't expect her to give you any. It goes both ways. Respect is reciprocal, Robert. You should have learned that by now."

Then the room suddenly felt tight with tension.

Abigail still hadn't moved, hadn't said a single word. But Victoria's voice carried enough fire for both of them. Her words echoed through the space, loud enough for anyone around to hear.

But before Victoria could continue, Robert's hand snapped up, silencing her mid-sentence.

"That's enough," Robert said, his voice cold and sharp. "Keep your mouth shut, Victoria. I wasn't talking to you."

His eyes narrowed, a smirk curling at the edge of his lips as he looked between the two women.

"Just look at the both of you," he said slowly, his tone dripping with contempt. "Birds of the same feather. It makes sense now. The best of the same fate. All these fellows together."

At that moment, Robert stepped forward, his voice cutting through the air with sharp impatience. His brows knitted tightly, his jaw stiff, and his eyes locked straight on Abigail.

"Tell me, Abigail," he said, his tone heavy with accusation. "What business do you even have with Cora? Why did you go to her? And not just you...you dragged Victoria along too. For what reason? What did she ever do to you? She didn't offend you, she didn't harm you, she didn't take anything from you. So why?" His voice rose, the anger breaking through. "Why would you approach her like that? Why would you attack her in such a manner?"

He leaned forward, his hands pressing down on the table, eyes narrowing with fury. "You better start talking, because I want answers. I need to know what was running through your mind when you decided to go after her."

For a moment, Abigail just stared back at him, her face calm but her eyes filled with disbelief. Then, slowly, she shook her head, almost in pity.

"Unbelievable," she muttered, her lips curving into a cold smile. "So this is what you came here for? You traveled all the way here just to defend Cora? To fight her battles like some knight in shining armor?"

Her voice hardened, disappointment dripping from every word. She straightened her back, her eyes meeting his with unflinching defiance.

"I can't believe you, Robert," she said firmly. "You really came here just to scold me on her behalf? Doesn't that woman have her own mouth? Doesn't she have her own hands? Can't she fight her own battles?" Abigail's voice rose as she leaned in closer, her expression sharp. "Or did she hire you as her personal PR manager? Her secretary? Or maybe her bouncer?"

At that moment, Victoria couldn't hold back any longer. Her face tightened in frustration, and she took two bold steps forward until she was standing right beside Robert. She didn't even glance at him her eyes were on Abigail but her voice was aimed directly at her brother, clear and full of disappointment.

Without wasting a second, she said coldly, "I'm truly disappointed in you, Robert. Deeply. You didn't even try to explain yourself to Abigail. Not even once. You didn't take a second to calm her down or let her know what really happened between you and Cora. Instead, you're here... interrogating us? Asking meaningless questions like some detective?"

Her words hit like sharp pebbles against glass light but deliberate enough to crack something inside. She turned her full attention to him now, eyes narrowed.

"What exactly are you doing, Robert? What did you come here for? To defend Cora? To accuse us of being wrong for protecting someone we love? Or to start a pointless argument just to avoid answering the real questions?"

Victoria didn't stop. Her voice was rising, not in anger, but in bitter disbelief.

"You think this is about Cora being innocent? Let me ask you why did you take that picture with her in the first place? Why were you even that close to her if there was nothing going on? Why were you smiling with her like you had nothing else in the world to care about? You could have come to Abigail, shown her that picture yourself, and told her it was a mistake if it was a mistake."

She paused briefly, her arms folding tightly across her chest, as if hugging herself from the cold truth.

"But no," she went on. "You didn't do any of that. You let her find out on her own. And now you're here playing victim, as if we're the problem. As if Abigail is the one at fault for reacting. As if I your own sister am wrong for standing up for her."

At that moment she shook her head, clearly disgusted, then scoffed.

"In my books, it is not a crime for a woman to fight for what belongs to her. It is not a crime to protect what you've built, to stand against someone trying to tear it down. And I dare you to ask anyone with a heart they'll say the same. What you're doing, Robert, is shameful. You're defending someone who has no place in your life while turning your back on someone who's always had your back."

Her voice broke slightly but she didn't let it show. She pressed her lips together, tightened her stance, and with a small shake of her head, added,

"Just imagine this. Just imagine what you're doing right now. It makes me feel ashamed to even be associated with you. I'm your sister. And right now, I don't even recognize the man standing in front of me."

She stared straight at him, unblinking, her next words slow and heavy like stones being laid one by one.

"This isn't who we are. This isn't the Jackson family I know. Our family deserves more than this, Robert. Much more."