Chapter 3

The next afternoon, the detective emailed me the investigation files.

I leaned back in bed and opened the documents, my heart sinking little by little into an icy abyss.

It turned out that Julian Hayes, the brother I had called for over twenty years, was the illegitimate son of my father, Richard Hayes, and my stepmother, Eleanor Pierce.

My mother was pregnant with me when my father cheated with Eleanor.

To give Julian a legitimate place in the Hayes family, my father publicly claimed Eleanor was a distant cousin and had her move into the Hayes mansion with Julian.

Julian had known his true identity since he was eight years old.

All these years, he enjoyed my mother’s unwavering and meticulous nurturing while secretly scheming with Eleanor to seize the entire Hayes family fortune.

And Derek Thorne had been having an affair with Valerie Pierce long before he and I got married.

He had deliberately approached me and married me only for the sake of his family’s business and the massive fortune under my name.

They had calculated my due date, planning that "accident" to ensure I died on the delivery table. Then, they could legitimately seize everything I owned.

I gripped my phone, my knuckles white.

I forced back the pain and scrolled down, only to discover that my mother’s death three years ago wasn’t an accident. Eleanor and Valerie had deliberately provoked her, causing her heart attack, which ultimately led to her death in the hospital.

I remembered my mother holding my hand on her deathbed, urging me to be careful of Julian and Eleanor and Valerie Pierce.

At the time, I thought she was just afraid I’d be bullied by my stepmother, and I even reassured her that my brother was very good to me.

Now, thinking back, I was ridiculously stupid!

My mother had suspected something, but I had been too immersed in their lies, played for a fool by those two wolves.

Since they didn’t want to be my family, why should I cling to them, begging them to come back with my child in tow?

My child, absolutely cannot live in that kind of filth!

I wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes, took a deep breath, and called the lawyer my mother had trusted most during her lifetime:

“Mr. Davies, activate that secret股权协议 (stock equity agreement) my mother left behind.”

To prevent the Hayes family fortune from falling into the wrong hands, my mother had left an agreement:

The agreement stipulated that the shares of Hayes Group could only be inherited by children born to her and my father during the period of their legal marriage.

In other words, Julian, that illegitimate son, had no right to inherit any shares of Hayes Group.

“Also, please draft a divorce agreement for me. I want Derek Thorne to leave with nothing!”

“Understood, Miss Hayes.”

After hanging up, I had my assistant "accidentally" leak a piece of news.

#Hayes Heiress Gives Birth to Son, Transferred to Harbor City's Top Post-Natal Care Center for Recovery.#

Learning that I hadn’t died, Julian and Derek appeared at my hospital room door the next morning, their faces etched with apparent anxiety.

“Aurora! How are you? Why was your phone off?” Julian was the first to rush in, his face full of worry and lingering fear.

“We rushed over as soon as we heard the news. I’m so sorry, Aurora. It’s all my fault. I had an urgent company meeting that day, and I put my phone on silent. I completely missed the hospital’s call.”

Derek also stepped forward, holding my hand, his eyes red. “Honey, I’m so sorry. I almost died of fright when I heard about your amniotic fluid embolism.”

“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have gone to that stupid forum. I should have been by your side.”

What a performance!

I pulled my hand away and forced a small smile. “It’s fine, I don’t blame you. I’m fine too, don’t worry!”

Derek picked up the nourishing broth from the table and spoon-fed me, his voice gentle. “Honey, you just gave birth, you’ve been through so much. Eat something quickly and recover well.”

“Don’t worry about the company. Julian and I are here. Just rest easy. Once you’re out of recovery, I’ll hand the company back to you.”

Heh, what a perfect multi-part scheme!

When their murder plot failed, they intended to take advantage of my weakness to legitimately seize control of the company.

I suppressed my disgust and obediently drank the broth, putting on a show of gratitude. My voice was hoarse, “Honey, Julian, I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

“But the company, my body truly can’t handle it right now. Honey, why don’t you manage it for me temporarily?”