Chapter 98
“If we wanted to betray you, we would’ve handed you over right after the car accident five years ago! Why would we go through the trouble of faking your drowning, smuggling you abroad and giving you a comfortable life?”
“Now, you dare throw accusations at us? You ungrateful wretch!“&
Scarlett clenched her fists, forcing down the fire rising in her throat. She steadied her voice, though the tremor in her tone betrayed her struggle.
“That’s not what I meant, Mom, Dad. I’ve always known how much you’ve done for me. But if I step into that courtroom, my entire identity will be exposed. My reputation as a businesswoman will be ruined; how am I supposed to run my company after that?“}
Her plea was met with a cold scoff.N
“This isn’t the time to be worrying about your stupid company!” Dad snapped. “Sell that building tomorrow and once this mess settles, go back abroad. Stay there and don’t stir up trouble again.”
Scarlett’s heart pounded. The weight of her father’s demand settled over her like a suffocating shroud. He was forcing her into a comer, leaving no room for refusal.
Her fingers curled into her palms, nails digging into her skin, but in the end, she said nothing.“]
The following days unraveled in chaos.
Dad didn’t dare step outside. The once–mighty name he had built crumbled before his eyes.}]
The company’s stock price plummeted, dragging its reputation down with it. Shareholders demanded an explanation, their patience wearing thin.
To them, a man so morally corrupt had no right to sit at the head of the table.
Under unrelenting pressure, the board moved swiftly. He was impeached and forced to step down in disgrace.}
Elijah was too busy searching for me to care about anything else, leaving Scarlett behind to stay at the villa with my parents.
But his attempt to clear his name only made things worse.
Accused of bigamy, he hastily released his marriage certificate with Scarlett from abroad, hoping to put an end to the rumors. Instead, it ignited an even fiercer storm.
The world saw him for what he truly was: a greedy opportunist. A man who craved the real heiress but feared her disability, choosing instead to cheat with the imposter and even have a child with her.
An illegitimate child wasn’t a crime, but in the court of public opinion, Elijah was already convicted. The backlash was relentless.
And my mother wasn’t spared either. The world turned on her, accusing her of favoring an adopted daughter over her own flesh and blood.
Then, someone uploaded a video from my birthday party.!]
[I knew something was off! Why would they let a masked server cut Azalea’s birthday cake? Turns out, that was Scarlett all along!]}]
[They share the same birthday because they were switched at birth. The real heiress lost everything, became an orphan at five and spent ten years in an orphanage before she was found. And yet, every year after that, she was pushed into the background while the imposter stole the spotlight!]
[Right! And at that same party, the fake heiress ‘accidentally‘ fell into the pool with her! In her own family’s pool! I’m starting to think she pushed Azalea in on purpose!]
[They claimed the real heiress tried to end her life, but if she truly wanted to, she would’ve done it long before now! Why on her birthday of all days? And she’s wheelchair–bound; how could she possibly harm a fully abled adult? Clearly, the fake heiress is lying!]}
Scarlett’s act of pushing me into the pool was completely exposed.“]
People who knew her didn’t even need proof; they already believed it was something she would do.
And the outrage didn’t stop there. Furious netizens tracked down our family’s villa. They swarmed outside, hurling garbage at the gates, waving banners and demanding that my family hand over the imposter so she could face the consequences.}
Two weeks later, Elijah finally found me.
By then, my surgery was over.
The doctor said that as long as I rested for three months, I would be able to walk again. Even the surgery on my fallopian tubes had been unexpectedly successful, almost as if fate had finally decided to side with me.
When Elijah appeared at my hospital bedside, he looked exhausted, his frame thinner, his face lined with fatigue.}
“Azalea… I’m sorry-”
I cut him off with a cold laugh.”
“Don’t call me that. I’m not your wife.“}
*Azalea, whether you believe it or not, I’ve only ever loved you all these years. But back then, when Dad found out you couldn’t conceive, he refused to let Scarlett go to jail. So he forced me to marry her and have a child with her. That way, even if you ever learned the truth, you wouldn’t be able to threaten her son’s position as heir.“@
