Chapter 284: Invitation to the party

Words : 1118 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

Chapter 284: Invitation to the party For a moment, the room went still. Then joy exploded across Margaret’s face. "You are pregnant? Really?" she gasped. "Oh, sweetheart." Her eyes shimmered as she reached out, holding Anne’s hands tightly. "You have given me double the happiness—my daughter back and now a grandchild." "Double happiness for a double celebration," Anne said, beaming. The room erupted with laughter and cheer, the atmosphere suddenly brighter, lighter. Soon after, food was brought out, and they all gathered around the table, still buzzing from the news. As they ate, they talked over plans for the welcome party and the upcoming wedding, throwing out ideas and teasing each other with suggestions. Laughter flowed as easily as the wine. Nathan watched his mother and sister as he sipped his wine. For the first time in a long time, everything felt exactly as it should be, like family. And he forgot what he had wanted to say to his mother. ~~~~~~~~~~~ The news of Megan’s arrest had reached Denis. Haris laid it all out, his tone grim and steady. "Hugo orchestrated the whole thing to destroy Oliver. The whole thing was to get even with him. From jail, he was pulling strings. He used Susan, his girlfriend, as a pawn. She infiltrated Oliver’s life, posing as his secretary, and slowly manipulated him, feeding into his jealousy and insecurity toward his wife. She twisted his mind into suspicion and turned him against Margaret completely." Haris continued, walking Denis through everything he had learned. With each word, Denis’s expression darkened. It was a lot to take in. His chest tightened with sympathy and frustration as he thought about everything Anne had endured since childhood. First, her biological father had turned his back on her, convinced she wasn’t his. Then, after ending up with the Clair family, she spent years suffering under the cruelty of an abusive stepmother and a tormenting stepsister. Denis could hardly process the scale of the injustice. "Megan knew Anne was Oliver’s real daughter," Haris added. "She tampered with the DNA report, just like her mother had years ago. And when that wasn’t enough, she tried to have Anne killed. She used Lorie as her weapon. But she failed. Now she is in custody." Denis sat in silence, unmoving. His thoughts churned behind his eyes. Haris paused, then said quietly, "Since the real culprit has been caught, Patricia has been released. Augustine and Anne didn’t press charges. They let her go." Denis didn’t speak. He remained still, lost in thought, a deep frown creasing his face. Haris watched him carefully, unsure what to make of the silence. Maybe Denis was hurt, maybe he still hadn’t processed that his engagement to Megan had crumbled into nothing. Trying to lift the weight off the moment, Haris added carefully, "It’s a good thing the truth came out before the engagement. You should feel relieved, honestly." Denis shot Haris a sharp glare, seething. "I never wanted to be with that woman," he snapped. "I was just doing what my father told me. Megan and the entire Granet family mean nothing to me. I’m relieved I won’t be forced into a relationship I never wanted in the first place." Haris felt a chill crawl down his spine at Denis’s intensity. He hesitated for a moment, then cautiously continued. "They are throwing a big celebration to welcome Miss Anne into the family," he said. "We have received an invitation. Will you be attending?" Denis didn’t answer right away. His expression turned thoughtful, conflicted. Part of him wanted to see Anne again. But showing up would also mean facing Augustine—something he had no interest in doing. "No," he said flatly. "I have more important things to deal with." He turned his attention back to the file on his desk, signaling the conversation was over. Haris gave a small nod. "Alright. Let me know if you need anything." With that, he quietly exited the room. The Beaumont family had received the invitation to the party, but the mood in their home was different. Gabriel was seething. The truth hit him like a punch to the gut—Anne was the true daughter of the Granets, while Megan turned out to be nothing more than Hugo’s illegitimate child. The entire strategy he had built, his calculated attempt to secure ties with the Granets through Megan, had collapsed in an instant. Worse, Augustine had come out of it stronger. His relationship with Nathan was thriving. They had even signed major business deals together. And now, there were whispers that Augustine was stepping into the hotel and resort industry. The thought made Gabriel’s blood boil. "This is disgraceful," came Dimitri’s voice, dragging Gabriel back from his spiral. The older man leaned on his walking stick, irritation etched into every line of his face. "I never trusted Hugo," Dimitri muttered. "He always wore that fake charm—smiling, polite, too clean. But underneath? A snake. I could feel it. And Oliver—for a man so sharp in the courtroom, he is utterly lost in real life. He let himself be played like a fool." He shook his head, fingers tapping restlessly on the handle of his cane. "But what I never expected was that he had abandoned his own daughter. That kind of cruelty is unforgivable. Margaret was shattered after Raya’s kidnapping. It nearly destroyed her." "Yes," Jeanne said softly, nodding as the memories resurfaced. "That incident broke her. It pushed Margaret into a deep depression." She had once shared a close bond with Margaret. But after the kidnapping, Margaret had completely withdrawn. She stopped attending gatherings, shut everyone out, and eventually disappeared to her hometown after the divorce, cutting ties with every friend she once had. "I really feel for her. I can only imagine what it must’ve felt like to find out your own husband took your child away. That kind of betrayal... she should never forgive Oliver. Ever." Her words struck Gabriel like a knife. He turned sharply to look at her, his chest tightening. Something cold crawled up his spine as an uncomfortable thought lodged in his mind. ’What if Jeanne finds out the truth about Denis? What if she learns that Denis isn’t our biological son? That I lied—kept that secret buried all these years? Will she look at me with the same hatred Margaret now holds for Oliver?’ The thought shook him, but only for a second. His pride didn’t allow him to dwell on it. His expression hardened. He shoved the doubt aside like an unwanted guest. ’No,’ he told himself. ’If she ever turns against me, I won’t beg. I won’t explain. I won’t crawl for forgiveness. I’ll cut her out. No apologies.’

Chapter 284: Invitation to the party

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