Chapter 8
I wasn’t exactly sure what my dad pulled off behind the scenes, but before long, he and Oliver had struck a deal.
With my father’s backing, Oliver quickly rose to prominence within the Fitzwilliam Enterprise. Some of the major shareholders noticed the shift and quietly began switching their support to him.
Meanwhile, Colin was livid.
He lashed out at everyone, throwing a fit in front of the entire board.
Belinda looked at him with nothing but cold disappointment.
“You fool,” she snapped. “I laid the groundwork for you. All you had to do was follow through. But you ruined everything over that pathetic romance of yours. You married the daughter of a disgraced family, and for what, huh? She hasn’t helped your career. She’s dragged it through the mud.”
Rubbing her temples, she said through clenched teeth, “That Denise… if you can’t stand her, send her to the old house to keep busy and settle down. Let Anna handle the social stuff. And if that doesn’t work? Just divorce her.”
Colin and Anna Lewis had been together less than three months before she was pregnant. Denise was consumed with jealousy, but there was nothing she could do. Colin refused to
set foot in her room.
Ever since she miscarried, he hadn’t touched her once.
Getting pregnant again? Not a chance.
Before Denise could even finish grieving, Colin had taken up another mistress.
Her world collapsed.
It was like the sky caved in. Two mistresses–one from the powerful Lewis construction family, the other from the influential Carter family–both far above her station.
Gianna, the Carter daughter, got pregnant within a month of being with Colin.
Belinda was over the moon, sending boxes of supplements to Gianna’s room. Both Colin’s lovers‘ rooms were stacked high with gifts, while Denise’s was empty.
And as if that weren’t cruel enough, Belinda still sent people to warn her to behave.
When Denise learned Colin was going to send her away to the old family estate to keep busy with some tedious tasks and stay out of everyone’s sight, she broke down in tears. “Colin,” she begged him, “I don’t fight with them anymore. I don’t argue. I’ve kept my head down. Please don’t make me leave.”
But Colin had steeled himself. “Go calm down for a while. When Mom changes her mind and their pregnancies are stable, you can come back.”
And just like that, Denise was sent away.
I quietly instructed the people my father kept in Harbor City to drop hints loud enough for
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Denise’s maids to overhear that Belinda planned to promote whichever of Colin’s love gave birth first, making her the legal wife.
The implication was clear: Denise would soon be out of the picture.
The moment Denise’s maids heard this, they rushed to report it.
She broke down again.
“I knew it,” she sobbed. “They were never going to let me stay. Both of them are daughters of powerful families. And now they want to push me out? Over my dead body. I won’t let either of them give birth.”
Conveniently, Colin had just been sent by his father to inspect a remote project.
The house was left with just the two pregnant mistresses.
Denise returned to the estate. But this time, she played a different game.
Gone was the combative, self–righteous wife. Instead, she came bearing gifts, food, books, and supplements supposedly for a smooth pregnancy.
“It’s my fault,” she told the two women, soft–spoken and gracious. “I’ve caused so much drama. I’ve been thinking a lot lately. I can’t have children anymore. But you can. Whoever gives birth first, your child will be Colin’s first.”
Pretending to be agreeable, she confirmed, “When that day arrives, I’ll let my mother–in–law decide. Whoever has a son… should become Colin’s wife. I won’t obstruct that. Since I can’t bear children, I shouldn’t hold onto a title I no longer deserve.”
Of course, the two women were thrilled.
After all, what greater prize than becoming Mrs. Colin Fitzwilliam?
Everyone knew he was poised to inherit the entire Fitzwilliam empire. Marrying him meant becoming the matriarch of the most powerful family in Harbor City.
Denise watched them waddle out of the room with glowing smiles.
Her sly smile lingered on her lips. “Mrs. Fitzwilliam? That title belongs to me. And no one else.”
It didn’t even take two weeks.
Belinda received devastating news that both of Colin’s mistresses had miscarried.
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