Meanwhile, on the set, the director was livid and immediately hired a stand–in to reshoot several scenes, cutting Nancy out of the production entirely. To top it off, he sent her a legal notice, demanding compensation for the losses her scandal had caused.
After leaving the detective agency, I hired a top lawyer and filed a case against Peter for bigamy and marriage fraud. I aimed to have his marriage to my mother declared invalid.
Later, Jason showed up at my door with a fruit basket, trying to mediate. He said in a low, pleading tone, “We’re family. There’s
no need to escalate this.”
“Family? You’re not my brother! You’ve been freeloading off the Holmes family name long enough–it’s time to give it back!”
1/2
Chapter 8
+15 Bonus
Memories of the past flooded my mind. When Nancy slandered me, Jason had been the one funding bots to amplify the smear
campaign. I felt nothing but pure hatred for him.
Within a week, the police arrested Vera. She was a timid woman from a small town who thought confessing would protect her
children.
In truth, her confession made it even easier to invalidate Peter’s marriage to my mother. Peter went from being a respected businessman to a social pariah convicted of document forgery, bigamy, and marriage fraud.
Nancy berated Vera viciously. “Are you stupid? Why did you confess? Now we have nothing!”
She screamed, “I can’t believe I have such an idiot for a mother! You should’ve stayed in your village and rotted there!”
Vera wept as Nancy hurled insults at her. It wasn’t clear whether she was regretting her choices or mourning the fallout, but none
of her tears compared to the pain my real mother suffered when she lost her daughter. Hence, I could never bring myself to pity
them.
Seizing the opportunity, Grandma quickly called a board meeting to remove Peter and Jason from their positions.
The legal department uncovered evidence of their financial crimes, sending both father and son to prison. Nancy’s acting career
died before it started, and when she tried streaming, her accounts were mass–reported and banned.
The last time I saw her was at an awards ceremony, where Mom handed me my Best Actress trophy. I spotted Nancy lurking in
the corner in a janitor’s uniform.
The moment our eyes met, she stormed onto the stage, screaming, “She cheated her way to the top! Ophelia Lincoln is her
mom!”
Calm and composed, Mom took the microphone and addressed the audience. “Rissa is indeed my adopted daughter, but she has
never relied on me. Her success today is entirely her own!”
The audience erupted in applause, leaving Nancy red–faced with humiliation. In a fit of rage, she grabbed the trophy and swung it at my head, but Mom pushed me out of the way just in time. The trophy struck her face, and blood gushed instantly.
Security tackled Nancy as chaos broke out, and Mom was rushed to the hospital. Thankfully, it was just a superficial injury.
However, Nancy had crossed a line, and this time, she would face prison, joining her father and brother behind bars.
Not long after, Grandma transferred Holmes Group to me, making me the sole heir. To honor my birth mother and grandma, I juggled acting while enrolling in business school, determined to build a brighter future.
Meeting Peter’s family had been the worst misfortune of my life. However, having a loving adoptive mom and my grandma was my greatest blessing.
We reaped what we sowed, and I firmly believed everything that happened was life’s way of setting things right.
