Mr. Sterling’s head ached from their constant bickering. He slammed his hand on the table.
“Enough! The priority now is to resolve this mess!”
Mr. Sterling gazed deeply at Derek, then sighed.
“Derek, you’ve disappointed me greatly.”
Julian and I were also called back. In the study at the Hayes estate, Mr. Sterling looked deeply at Tiffany and recounted the entire story.
My father was so angry with Tiffany he almost fainted. He pointed a trembling finger at Tiffany’s nose.
“How could you do something so foolish? Why do you always have to compete with your sister? Can’t you just live a normal life?”
Tiffany had already been crying, her eyes swollen like two peaches. She wiped away her tears, then indignantly pointed at me and yelled at my father,
“We’re both your children! Why do you give her all the best things, even letting her handle the family business, while I’m just a pretty face?”
9:00 PM
<
My father, being accused like this, grew even angrier.
“Didn’t I buy you a duplicate of everything I bought for Scarlett?”
“Some things were given to Scarlett by her mother. You can’t expect her to buy you a duplicate, can you?”
My father took a breath, then pointed at Tiffany’s nose again.
“You almost didn’t graduate high school! I paid to send you abroad to get a fancy degree. Do you seriously think you can
manage a company?”
“If I let you manage the company, it would go bankrupt within a month. That’s why I don’t entrust the business to you.”
Tiffany was momentarily choked by my father’s words, then remembered something else and burst into tears.
“Then why did you only give me five percent of the shares, while Scarlett got the other thirty–five percent?!”
“Is this how you treat my mother? She died in childbirth for you, and this is how you treat me?!”
My father wearily rubbed his temples, his eyes filled with disappointment as he looked at Tiffany.
“Only five percent of Scarlett’s shares came from me.”
“The company’s largest shareholder is Scarlett’s mother. I only hold twelve percent of the shares myself. I kept two percent, and the remaining ten percent was split equally between you and Scarlett.”
“And I have to tell you the truth: you’re not my biological daughter. You were adopted.”
“If you don’t believe me, we can check the adoption records. I’ve already done my utmost for you. I never expected you to turn out like this.”
Tiffany was stunned, losing her voice, having never imagined she wasn’t her father’s biological daughter.
Derek had expected to use the Peterson family to regain some standing, but it had turned into this mess.
In the ensuing silence, Julian was the first to propose a solution.
Julian moved very swiftly. He resolved everything before the scandal could erupt.
By the time the incident hit the news, the company had simultaneously released a statement, confirming an internal investigation had been completed and relevant personnel had been handed over to the authorities.
After the dust settled, Mr. Sterling held a press conference, officially recognizing Julian as the heir.
Derek’s family, however, was completely marginalized. While they still held some shares, their influence was nowhere
near what it once was.
They blamed everything on Tiffany, and the family descended into utter chaos, a constant cacophony of shouting
matches and accusations.
Julian and my wedding was an unprecedented spectacle. We exchanged a look, and mouthed to each other,
Julian and my wedding was an unprecedented spectacle. We exchanged a look, and mouthed to each other,
“Partnership well done.”
Jere po
