Chapter 14 - The Ambush in Cascais
The next morning, I refused to stay locked inside our fortress. Giving in to fear was exactly what Richard anticipated. He thrived on intimidation, relying on his victims retreating into corners so he could dictate the terms of engagement.
I had a scheduled site visit at a historic mansion in central Cascais that my firm was renovating into a luxury boutique hotel. Claire accompanied me, alongside a private security driver Mateo had insisted on hiring—a former Portuguese marine named Tiago whose broad frame and unblinking gaze radiated absolute deterrence.
We pulled up to the cobblestone plaza outside the renovation site. The morning was humid, the salty air heavy with the promise of an afternoon squall. As I stepped out of the vehicle with a roll of architectural blueprints under my arm, the side door of a nearby café opened.
Out stepped Richard Hale.
Seeing him in person after nearly two years was a shock to my nervous system. The pristine, impeccably tailored titan of Richmond finance was gone. In his place stood an older, haggard version of the man I had married. His designer suit hung slightly loose on his frame, his hairline had receded sharply, and the eyes that had once held an aura of cold superiority were now bloodshot, frantic, and desperate.
"Elena," he called out, stepping past the café tables toward me.
Tiago instantly shifted, placing his broad chest directly between Richard and myself, one hand casually resting near his jacket lapel. Richard froze, looking at the security guard with open disdain.
"Get this hired thug out of my face," Richard barked, his old Virginia entitlement flaring up. "I have a legal right to speak to my ex-wife."
"You have no rights here, Richard," I said, stepping slightly to the side so he could see my face. "You violated the distance guidelines by approaching me in public. Turn around and leave."
"I have rights to my daughters!" Richard hissed, stepping closer, his voice dropping into a desperate, furious whisper. "You took them! You poisoned them against me! You took assets that were built on the Hale family legacy and turned them into this… this European playground while my firm was dismantled by vultures!"
"Your firm was dismantled by your own greed," I said, each word hitting him like a physical blow. "You gambled everything on a male heir and an unfaithful mistress, and when the dust cleared, you realized you had thrown away the only real value you ever possessed. You don't want Emma and Sophie. You want their trust funds to bail out your creditors."
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Richard’s face flushed a deep, violent crimson. The truth struck him square in the chest, stripping away the thin veneer of fatherly concern.
"I won't let you mock me, Elena," he snarled, pointing a shaking finger at me. "I built you. Everything you know about business, you learned from watching me. You are nothing without the Hale name, and I will tear this pathetic paradise apart stone by stone until you beg me to take a settlement!"
