She didn’t even acknowledge Gregory, her face unreadable—like a mask, hiding a storm of emotions. She wasn’t one to lose control easily, but her voice trembled when she spoke to me: “Kaia, is it true?”
Seeing her like that, something broke inside me, and tears blurred my vision. I nodded, my voice steady despite the emotional storm inside me. “It’s true.”
Gregory, frustrated with his mother’s stunned silence, impatiently tugged at her arm. “Mom, come on, hurry up and announce that George is the heir!”
But my mother-in-law wasn’t swayed. She shook off his hand, her calm demeanor returning as she looked directly at Gregory. “Do you even know who Kaia’s ex-boyfriend is?”
Gregory, clearly desperate, fidgeted nervously. “Who cares? The point is, Chloe isn’t Johnson blood!”
She raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharpening like a knife. “Kaia’s ex-boyfriend is your older brother, Jason Johnson. So, Chloe is a Johnson, and in fact, the only legitimate heir.”
Her words hit like a bombshell, the shockwave rippling through the room, leaving everyone silent and stunned.
“I’m sure you all know the Johnson family rule—only children from the main branch inherit the family fortune. It’s only when that line ends that illegitimate children are even considered.”
She turned her gaze back to Gregory, eyes icy cold. “After Jason’s accident, your father had no choice but to bring you back into the family. Gregory, don’t forget your place.”
The reality of her words hit Gregory hard. His face drained of color, and for a moment, he looked like he might collapse.
His name, Gregory, always reminded him of his outsider status—it sounded like “return home” in Chinese, a subtle hint that his mother had never been fully accepted by the Johnsons.
Gregory’s father had been tricked by a secretary, and from that affair, Gregory was born. But the Johnson family valued pure bloodlines above all else. The only son who mattered was Jason, born to my mother-in-law, a woman from a respected, scholarly family.
Gregory’s father had never given him the time of day—he just paid child support and that was it. His mother had given him the name Gregory as a reminder of their outsider status.
But then, fate dealt a cruel hand. Jason, the heir the family had groomed, was injured in a construction accident and fell into a vegetative state.
With no other heir, Gregory’s father reluctantly turned to Gregory.
He gave him an ultimatum: if Gregory wanted to return to the Johnson family, he had to marry me because my father had saved his life once.
Gregory had no love for me. He was already in love with someone else. But he also understood the power and wealth that came with the Johnson name, so he agreed to marry me, seeing it as his ticket to the good life.
Brianna had always dismissed Gregory as nothing more than a nobody—until he became the young master of the Johnson family. Suddenly, she was all in, agreeing to be his mistress.
Despite Gregory’s indifference toward me, he loved Brianna with all his heart. The IVF wasn’t just because of his weak sperm—it was because he wanted Brianna and nothing else. He wouldn’t touch me, his eyes always on her.
The two of them had planned to take over the Johnson family after the old man died, but they hadn’t counted on the old man’s backup plan.
He split his 60% stake in Johnson Group into four parts, keeping all of us in check, and named me the chairman of the company, forbidding Gregory from any real power.
Gregory was left with only his shares, his dividends at the end of the year—but no real influence. The years of resentment had built up, leaving him bitter and furious.
“I don’t believe Chloe is my brother’s child!” Gregory shouted, still fighting tooth and nail. “Why should we trust Kaia’s word?”
He was grasping at straws, trying to hold on to a losing battle.
