Chapter 2

One of the senior family elders cleared his throat, trying to regain control over the chaos.

"Quiet down, everyone!" His deep voice demanded silence.

The room fell still, all eyes shifting to him.

He turned toward Selena. "Selena, you called this family meeting. What is this all about?"

Selena took a deep breath, as if gathering all her courage.

She wrapped an arm around Julian’s shoulders, putting on a display of eternal devotion.

"The truth is, I have an important announcement to make today." She paused, scanning the room before locking eyes with River and me.

I watched her quietly, waiting to see what kind of clown show she was about to perform.

"River... he isn't Ethan’s biological son."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it dropped like a bomb in the living room.

River snapped his head toward me, his eyes wide with shock.

I gave him a subtle look, telling him to stay calm.

Whispers broke out among the relatives like sharks catching the scent of blood.

"Years ago, when we did IVF..." Selena said, pausing as if the memory was too painful to bear. "The doctors told me Ethan's sperm quality was practically zero. I couldn't bear to break his heart... so to give him a child, I secretly swapped it with Julian's..."

The sheer audacity of this woman. She pulled a dirty trick back then, and now she dared to spin it as an act of mercy while throwing dirt on my name!

Selena eyed me with malicious intent, clearly waiting for me to lose my temper and break down.

Instead, I stood there completely unbothered. Seeing no reaction, she had no choice but to keep acting.

"I gathered everyone here today to witness this moment," she said, gazing tenderly at Julian. "River needs to be reunited with his true father."

The room exploded into chatter.

"If River isn't Ethan's, then of course he should go to his real dad!"

"Exactly. Ethan has held the position of Sterling son-in-law for way too long. Time to step aside!"

"He’s been running Sterling Enterprises for decades. Now that the truth is out, he should be stripped of his CEO title!"

Listening to their venomous remarks, I sneered inwardly.

Over the past few years, I had ruthlessly purged these greedy relatives from the executive board, leaving them with nothing but annual dividend checks. They hated me for it.

Now, they were drooling at the prospect of Selena and me tearing each other apart so they could swoop in and reclaim a piece of the pie.

Seeing the naked greed in their eyes, River tightened his grip on my arm.

I spoke up, my voice calm but ringing with finality: "River is my son. And only my son."

Julian put on a helpless, heartbroken expression and sniffled.

"Ethan, how long are you going to keep lying to yourself?"