Chapter 12

"What?" Grandpa Hawthorne thought he misheard.

I looked directly into his eyes, stating each word clearly.

"The child in my belly isn't Rhys's."

Grandpa Hawthorne's smile completely froze. He pressed his calligraphy brush down heavily.

"You dare..."

Before he could finish, I interrupted him.

"I'm pregnant with Julian's child."

One second, two seconds... A full minute passed.

Grandpa Hawthorne stared wide-eyed, as if he had just heard the most preposterous thing in the world.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

"I said, I'm pregnant with Uncle Julian's child."

I deliberately emphasized "Uncle Julian," making it undeniably clear.

"You're talking nonsense!" Grandpa Hawthorne absolutely refused to believe it. How could this be? "I know what you're trying to do. You just want to trick me, to get me to agree to your divorce from Rhys!"

I calmly opened my handbag, took out a stack of photos, and placed them in front of Grandpa Hawthorne.

"If you don't believe me, you can look at these pictures."

A dozen or so photos lay on the table. Grandpa Hawthorne, barely suppressing his rage, flipped through them.

These photos were all of my daily interactions with Julian: eating, watching movies, holding hands, kissing.

Grandpa Hawthorne's face grew increasingly dark.

The last photo was taken in Julian's apartment.

He was bare-chested, holding me in his arms, his body covered in intimate scratch marks. He was looking down at me, his eyes tender as water.

Grandpa Hawthorne's composure finally shattered.

"You... you shameless woman, how dare you seduce Uncle Julian? This is a scandal of epic proportions!"

A mocking smile touched my lips, but my eyes held fierce determination.

"If all of you hadn't so stubbornly blocked my divorce, how would I ever have become involved with Uncle Julian? Everything that happened today is because of your selfishness!"

Grandpa Hawthorne's face turned beet red with anger, and he slammed his hand on the desk.

"You must get rid of this child! The Hawthorne family will never allow such a disgrace to occur!"

"I can abort the child, on the condition that you agree to my divorce from Rhys. If you don't agree, I'll expose this to the public."

I stood unfazed by Grandpa Hawthorne's fury, calmly stating my terms.

"Think carefully, Grandpa. Once this matter is exposed, what kind of scandal and public outcry will the Hawthornes and Sterlings face? The Hawthorne family's decades of reputation will be ruined. Julian will also be embroiled in scandal, and his Veridian Corp. will undoubtedly suffer."

I paused, then smiled.

"My freedom, your immensely valued power and interests, and Julian's reputation—you can surely weigh which is more important."

Grandpa Hawthorne trembled with rage, his face ashen.

If I were carrying the child of some other man, it might be manageable.

At most, they could get rid of it and pretend nothing happened.

The Sterling family might even owe the Hawthornes, allowing them to gain more advantage in their collaborations.

But no, the man I had cheated with was Julian!

There was no way to untangle whose fault this was.

Julian was his youngest, most doted-on son, and incredibly talented. He had built Veridian Corp. single-handedly and was his father's greatest pride.

And he had committed such a disgraceful act!

Grandpa Hawthorne was practically dying of anger.

But he still cared most about Julian and would never allow his exceptional son to carry such a stain on his reputation!

After a long silence, Grandpa Hawthorne seemed to deflate, sinking back into his chair, defeated.

"Fine, fine. I agree to your divorce from Rhys."

I smiled faintly, just as I had expected.

I swiftly took out a pre-prepared divorce agreement from my bag and handed it to him with both hands.

"Then please find a way to get Rhys to sign it, Grandpa."

Grandpa Hawthorne reluctantly took the document.

"Are you truly determined to divorce? He just made a mistake that many men make. Must you cling to it so fiercely?"

"There are plenty of men in the world. I don't need a spineless man who can't keep it in his pants."

My expression was calm, but my words were sharp.

With that, I walked straight out of the study.

Just then, my phone vibrated. I pulled it out and saw a message from Chloe.

[It's your birthday today. Want to know who's more important in Rhys's heart, me or you?]

[You'll find out soon enough.]