2
After confirming I hadn’t played any tricks, he sighed in relief and smiled happily.
“Scarlett, I’m finally free. I can marry you now.”
Scarlett couldn’t hide her excitement either. “Alex, I’ve been waiting for this day for so long! But before that, we should deal with this pest first. She’s still trying to act tough.”
Saying this, Scarlett snuggled up to Alexander, looking at me with amusement.
“Go ahead and say whatever you want. I can’t wait to see how you’ll eat your words!”
Alexander also snorted coldly. “Olivia, you have 30 seconds. If you’re still putting on an act, we’ll have to ask you to leave. After all, today’s celebration is for the CEO of Hughes Corp – that’s Scarlett now. This has nothing to do with you anymore.”
Everyone looked at me like I was a clown, certain I was just bluffing.
But I didn’t speak. Instead, I turned to look at Mr. and Mrs. Hughes.
Oh, I can’t call them that anymore.
“Mom, Dad, why don’t you explain instead?”
Alexander glared at me angrily. “Shut up! I’ve already divorced you. How dare someone like you still call them Mom and Dad?”
Scarlett softly comforted him while calling for security. “There’s no need to listen to this madwoman’s ravings. Just throw her out.”
“Wait!”
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3
Mr. Hughes, my father, who had been silent since entering the ballroom, directly stopped Scarlett.
His years of authority were evident. With just two words, not too harsh or soft, everyone stopped and quietly waited for him to continue.
“Eight years ago, when Álexander needed minor surgery, we discovered he wasn’t our biological child. After extensive searching, we learned our baby had been switched at birth. Olivia is actually our biological daughter, swapped for Alexander!”
My father’s words were like water poured into hot oil, instantly causing an uproar.
Not only were the guests shocked and gossiping, but Alexander was also stunned, stumbling back a few steps.
“That’s impossible, Dad! Can’t you come to your senses? Even if Olivia is good at sucking up, you can’t tell such a massive lie just to keep her! Where does this leave me? I’m the son you raised from childhood!”
My father looked at him with some disappointment.
“When we found our biological daughter, we should have set things right. But because we’d raised you from infancy and formed an attachment, we couldn’t bear to hurt you. So we begged Olivia to pursue you for our sake, so we could still be a family.”
My mother also looked at him with mixed emotions.
“You think Olivia was nice to us, massaging our feet and taking care of us just to suck up? No, she was trying to make up for years of lost family bonds, showing filial piety. This child has a good heart. She readily agreed to return to the Hughes family as a daughter–in–law, was completely devoted to you, and managed the company brilliantly. She’s truly amazing.”
“Do you understand now? Olivia became CEO of Hughes Corp not because she married you, but because she was always the rightful heir. It’s
<
her birthright!”
As the truth was revealed, everyone’s gaze towards me changed dramatically.
The guests who had just been sneering and mocking me now put on ingratiating smiles.
“Ms. Hughes – oh no, CEO Hughes – I always said you were exceptional. Managing Hughes Corp so well, it turns out it’s in your genes. Truly a dragon gives birth to dragons, a phoenix to phoenixes!”
“CEO Hughes, I’ll never forget how you saved our company. I didn’t speak up earlier only because I wanted to help you afterwards.”
“Since it was all a misunderstanding, CEO Hughes, please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against us. We hope to cooperate more in the future.”
The smiling faces had returned, but they held no value in my eyes anymore.
I snapped my fingers, signaling them to stop.
“Quiet down. Don’t interrupt my show.”
From the moment Alexander betrayed
learned the truth.
our
marriage and tried to fire me and throw me out, I’d been curious to see his reaction when he
“Mom, Dad, even if Olivia is your biological child, what about all our years together? Would you really abandon me for her?”
Alexander couldn’t accept it. His arrogance was gone, replaced by a pitiful look as he clung to my parents.
After a moment of silence, my parents gently but firmly removed his hands.
“Because of our years together, we gave you a chance. You’re the one who didn’t cherish it.”
“Olivia is loyal and righteous, while you’ve truly disappointed us. Since it was a mistake from the start, we’ll correct it now. From now on, you’re no longer our son.”
Alexander never expected the parents who once doted on him to speak so coldly.
Unable to bear the shock, he lost his balance and bumped into Scarlett behind him.
Alexander suddenly clung to her like a lifeline, looking at her with desperate hope.
“At least I still have you, Scarlett. When will you marry me? Our baby needs a complete family.”
Scarlett’s face showed disgust. Unlike my parents, she wasn’t gentle. She forcefully shook Alexander off.
“Alexander, you and I were just having fun! I’ll abort this bastard child. I, Scarlett Evans, will only marry a man of equal status. You’re not good enough for me.”
Scarlett struggled internally for a moment, then forced a smile at me.
“CEO Hughes, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. I hope Hughes Corp and Evans Corp can join forces in the future. Here’s my business card-”
Looking at the card she respectfully held out, I took it between two fingers and glanced at it casually.
Then I dropped it on the floor and stepped on it.
“You!” Scarlett lost face, her expression turning ugly.
“Can’t take it? Don’t think I don’t know your family is struggling abroad and hoping to use Hughes Corp to get through tough times. You’re right,
in business there are only eternal interests. Now is the perfect opportunity for us to take advantage and acquire Evans Corp.”
1:01 PM
<
Scarlett’s face froze. Seeing my confident smile and my father’s supportive expression, she knew I wasn’t joking and finally became afraid.
But after a moment, she spoke again.
“Don’t be like that, CEO Hughes. I was actually helping you! Alexander is an unfaithful scumbag. If you stayed with him for life, wouldn’t that be a huge loss? I tested him for you, helping you cut your losses in time. You can dump him now – you can find any man you want, right?”
Alexander was shocked and furious, glaring at her.
Just moments ago, this woman had been sweef and gentle, talking about their love child and swearing to marry only him.
Now, to save herself, she was belittling him like this.
m
Alexander angrily lunged at Scarlett.
T
“That’s not what you said when you came back chasing me! You said you could never forget me all these years, that you wanted to be with me no matter what my status was! Even though I was married, you couldn’t resist your love for me! How dare you talk about me like this now?”
Scarlett dodged him in disgust, as if he were trash.
“You actually believed those excuses? No wonder I could never understand how Mr. Hughes could have such a stupid son- turns out he wasn’t biological. I left you back then because you had no value. You ungrateful dog, you forgot the pain as soon as the wound healed, coming running
back as soon as I crooked my finger.
“If I didn’t think you were the sole heir to Hughes Corp, plus that billion–dollar project, do you think I’d dare marry you? You’re so gullible – what if other women seduce you in the future and you cheat again? Now you’re nothing. I wouldn’t even let you shine my shoes – you’re too filthy!”
Alexander clutched his chest, gasping. Seeing a hint of sympathy on my mother’s face, he saw a glimmer of hope.
“Mom, you still care about me, right? Earlier when you heard Scarlett was pregnant with my child, you were so concerned and sympathetic. Now that I’m being bullied, you won’t really abandon me, will you?”
My mother sighed. “Sympathy is instinctive. But when I think about what you did to my biological daughter, I know some things must be cut off
decisively.”
“For the sake of our years together, take five million dollars and leave. From now on, you have no connection to the Hughes family.”
I have to say, my parents were still very generous.
Looking back on Alexander’s life, he’d been pampered since childhood. His parents indulged his every whim, as long as he was happy.
Even now, after he’d caused so much trouble, they were still willing to give him five million dollars.
With his abilities, he probably couldn’t earn that much in a lifetime of work.
Everyone praised the Hughes family for their generosity and philanthropy. Even Scarlett was momentarily stunned.
She looked at Alexander with obvious calculation, assessing if he still had any value to exploit.
Unfortunately, Alexander was beyond help.
When he heard “five million,” his eyes suddenly widened as if he’d been insulted.
“What? Hughes Corp is a public company worth billions. You just closed a deal worth ten billion, and you’re only giving me five million? Do you think I’m a beggar? This is outrageous, you have no humanity!”
His hands shook with anger. But after a moment, he suddenly thought of something and eagerly grabbed the divorce agreement.
Alexander scanned through the clauses, then started laughing triumphantly.
“You’ve forgotten, haven’t you? You already made a will leaving everything to me! And I just divorced Olivia – it clearly states she gets nothing.
1:02
<
Alexander pointed out the clause about me leaving with nothing, then took out his phone. It contained photos of my parents‘ will, clearly stating that everything in Hughes Corp would go to him.
He looked back and forth between his phone and the divorce agreement, grinning like he’d won the lottery.
This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard. They crowded around to see the documents, and their attitudes quickly changed.
If Hughes Corp remained with my father and me, everyone would only flatter us, thinking of how to cooperate and get a piece of the pie.
But with Hughes Corp falling into the hands of the brainless Alexander, it was like a child holding gold – everyone started thinking of how to plunder it.
“Congratulations, Young Master Hughes. You know, many companies don’t manage themselves but hire professional executives. I’m very capable – would you be interested in learning more?”
“I have an excellent project here. Young Master Hughes, if you just invest 5 billion, I’ll handle everything else…”
“Young Master Hughes, my daughter has admired you for a long time. Could you give her a chance to have dinner sometime?”
