[What’s with that look on the villainess’s face? Is she scared?]
[Our FL is the legitimate Graves heiress. There’s a DNA test to prove it.]
I suppressed the storm raging inside me and forced my face into a neutral, pleasant expression.
I greeted them with the poised grace of any young woman meeting her partner’s parents for the first time.
S
Their expressions were cool, their replies merely polite.
First impressions are hard to change.
But I believed the truth would change everything.
Jenna linked her arm with Mrs. Graves’s and whined prettily.
“Mom, this is the Ms. Rhimes I told you about. My former employer.”
Mrs. Graves patted Jenna’s hand lovingly, her gaze turning even colder as she looked at me.
In the end, I wasn’t even allowed through the door.
Even with Maximilian fighting for me.
His parents‘ stance was firm.
F
–
“Yes, Calla Rhimes is an exceptional woman. From a professional standpoint, she would be an ideal daughter–in–law. But this family values character above all else. We cannot accept a woman like that into our home.”
S
Maximilian argued, but his pleas were no match for the guilt his parents felt for their long–lost daughter.
The System was a chorus of celebration.
【Hahahaha, the villainess thought she could marry her way up. Dream on.]
[This is what I live for! The schadenfreude!]
I didn’t argue.
Perhaps genetics in this novel world didn’t follow scientific rules.
Maybe it was just a coincidence.
I wanted to run a DNA test on Maximilian and my new handler first.
Besides, the higher they climb, the harder they fall.
X
14:57 Mon, Aug 4
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X
I was looking forward to the plot twist.
And I was looking forward to the reaction of the audience watching from their screens.
As Maximilian led me away, I saw Silas in the corner of the grand entryway.
He was beautiful.
Clean.
Dressed in expensive clothes, like a little prince.
He was treated even better here than he had been with me.
He looked at me, his expression a complex mix.
There was pride, mockery, and a flicker of… longing?
Longing?
I must have been mistaken.
When one person rises, their entire circle rises with them.
Silas had successfully latched onto a wealthy family.
Good for him.
I didn’t look at him again as I left.
Maximilian’s parents wanted me out of Apex.
But Maximilian had spent his three years at the helm consolidating his power and influence.
His roots in the company ran deep.
For now, they couldn’t touch me.
So they resorted to calling him an unfilial son.
And thanks to Jenna’s carefully curated sob story, my reputation had shifted from “business powerhouse” to “corporate seductress.”
Maximilian didn’t fare much better, going from “dominant CEO” to “bewitched fool.”
I had asked him, “Is it worth it?”
He had wrapped his arms around me and smiled.
“It’s worth it. From the moment I first saw you in our freshman year seminar, I knew everything would be worth it.”
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