Chapter 21
Edmond stood frozen in disbelief.
“Amelia, what the hell are you saying? You want our daughter to take his name? Do you even realize Alfred and I are mortal
enemies?!”
But Alfred had already wrapped his arm around Amelia and turned away, shutting the door on Edmond’s desperate cries.
From that day on, Amelia threw herself into her work. With Alfred’s support, she founded a new company named
AprilTech, after her daughter. She officially restarted the smart bionic limb project-her father’s legacy.
Even though Blanche had briefly taken over the project during Amelia’s pregnancy, the core technology had always
remained in Amelia’s hands.
Once the company was established, the media swarmed in. The moment Amelia stepped out of the office building, a
flurry of microphones was thrust into her face.
“Ms. Austin, is your new project related to the recent massive product recall in the Robinson Group’s bionic limb division?”
“And is it true that AprilTech was founded as a PR stunt to clean up the Robinson family’s image, given your alleged
marriage to Mr. Edmond Robinson??”
Amelia smiled with practiced grace.
“Let me clarify-I was never married to Mr. Edmond Robinson.”
“As for this bionic limb technology, it was originally developed by my father. The patent is in his name and, per his will, I
was given full legal stewardship. I have an obligation to protect it.”
“And what happened at the Robinson Group during my pregnancy has nothing to do with me. I’ve upgraded and refined
the design. I trust the users will see the difference.”
Her voice, calm and powerful, delivered each word with the solidity of stone.
The next day, at the official product launch. Amelia stood onstage with her team. Several test users were invited to
demonstrate the device’s capabilities.
One young woman with a missing arm was able to lift heavy items, play piano, and sketch detailed artwork-all with the
help of the new prosthetic.
The audience was amazed, Everything was going perfectly.
Until-a loud commotion erupted at the entrance.
“You ungrateful girl! My son gave you everything-why are you ruining him?!”
“This bionic limb is his design! You stole it when you left his company, and now you have the audacity to profit off of it? I’ll have my lawyers sue you to hell!”
Mrs. Robinson stormed in like a thundercloud, dragging a team of assistants behind her. Reporters instantly swiveled to
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catch the new drama.
“Excuse me, ma’am, can you confirm that?”
“Is this bionic product stolen? Is AprilTech pushing a counterfeit?”
Without hesitation, Mrs. Robinson snatched the mechanical arm from Amelia’s display and turned to the cameras with
confidence.
“That’s right. This is a Robinson Group product. I have the patent certification to prove it.”
“I advise everyone here not to fall for this scam. If you don’t believe me, check the patent number yourself.”
“I’m the second-largest shareholder of the Robinson Group and Edmond Robinson’s mother. I’ve been abroad for years for
medical treatment, but when I heard someone had fled the company with confidential data and dared to slander us, I
came back to get to the bottom of it.”
She cast a disgusted glance at Amelia.
“Turns out, the traitor came from within-my dear daughter-in-law.”
Her voice dripped with disdain, and every syllable stung like acid. Her upper-crust arrogance was palpable. Amelia looked down at the patent certificate and gave a quiet, bitter laugh.
“Mother, please stop this,” Edmond pleaded as he rushed to restrain her, throwing Amelia an apologetic look.
Mrs. Robinson, however, pulled away and glared at them both. “Don’t call me that-I don’t care about your personal drama. But if you think I’ll stay silent while someone steals from my family, you’re delusional.”
“Amelia Austin, you took Robinson Group’s patent and made unauthorized modifications. You’re playing with fire, and risking the safety of disabled users everywhere.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Journalists whispered, their lenses all aimed at Amelia now.
“Mother, stop!” Edmond’s voice rose in panic. “You’re wrong. Please, just come with me and let me explain.”
“Explain what? You’re still defending her? What did she put in your drink?”
Amelia could barely contain her disbelief. This woman had always been like this-arrogant, controlling, and impossible. Back when she and Edmond first started dating, Mrs. Robinson had made it abundantly clear that Amelia wasn’t good enough. She’d demanded submission at every turn.
Amelia had been young and foolish then, too eager to please, especially after the recent death of her father. Grieving and vulnerable, she’d put up with Mrs. Robinson’s disdain. The woman had even gone so far as to accuse Amelia of being jinxed-of cursing her own father to death.
Shaking off the memory, Amelia stepped forward.
“Ma’am, every word you’ve said just now can be used as evidence in a defamation lawsuit.”
“First, I am not your daughter-in-law. I never married your son.”
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“Second, the patent in your hand belongs to my father.”
Mrs. Robinson visibly flinched.
“That’s nonsense. The patent belongs to Robinson Group. How could it be your father’s?”
Amelia’s voice was calm, but resolute. “I once believed I was married to Edmond and gave everything I had to help pull the Robinson Group back from the brink.”
“Didn’t he tell you? Many of your company’s patented technologies were authorized by my father.”
“But this bionic limb patent? It was never part of that deal. According to my father’s will, I’m the sole legal custodian. I lent the technology to Edmond back then-but it was never his.”
The crowd was stunned.
Mrs. Robinson’s eyes widened in horror. “That’s not true! Edmond-tell me that’s not true!”
Edmond looked as pale as death.
“It’s true,” he whispered. “Robinson Group owes everything to Amelia and her father.”
“I was the one who failed. I didn’t manage the team properly. They produced defective versions behind our backs. If Amelia hadn’t stepped in, those products could’ve caused real harm.”
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