LOGIN"Who? Gary's and Susie's kids? Too bad. Those families aren't interested in them! I may be ugly, but apart from that, I don't seem to have any flaws," Joseph said with a scoff.He continued, "Besides, you shouldn't play favorites. Otherwise, you'll end up pretty lonely in your final years. You might not have anyone willing to take care of you." "You…" Owen was stunned.He realized Joseph was clearly no fool. Joseph wanted all the benefits for himself. If he could form ties with those families, then his network of connections would far surpass anything the Zahn family currently possessed.And with Joseph being so young, his future would be limitless.Besides, if Joseph ever decided to take back the Jebb name, he might take everything the Zahn family had with him."What goes around comes around. I just hope you won't betray Rhea!" Owen said.Joseph casually agreed before changing the subject. He asked Owen to tell him about the history of those smaller families and how their memb
Before long, several families began reaching out to Joseph, with some even arranging face-to-face meetings with him. They all wanted to form marriage alliances with the Zahn family. Joseph couldn't bring himself to turn down the young, beautiful women from these families, so he put off making a decision until after the New Year.These families went to great lengths to form alliances with the Zahn family. Some even offered their eligible sons to the family's unmarried young women. For those old enough to marry, the families immediately started discussing engagement gifts and wedding banquets, even down to which family names their future children would carry. For those who were still too young, the families arranged a betrothal for them in advance.Joseph didn't reject all of them. He agreed to a few of the arrangements. After all, he was the one calling the shots in the Zahn family now. When Joseph returned to Emerald Mountain, he sought Owen's advice. After all, few people knew
"Henry, meeting you was fate. I feel like my life was meant to bloom because of you. You said I'm a blank page. I want you to be the one who writes the rest of my story," Elise replied. "You don't have to give me an answer right away. Go home and think it over. This is a big decision for you, so don't make it rashly. You can tell me after the New Year," Joseph said."My answer won't change."Joseph smiled and said nothing, motioning for her to leave first. As soon as Elise got in the car, Pierre asked, "Elise, what did Henry talk to you about? He didn't reject you, did he?""He asked me some personal questions. They were all questions you and Mom had already prepared me for. In the end, he told me to go home and think it over, then let him know after the New Year. "I told him I'd already made up my mind and that my answer wouldn't change, no matter what. He said I didn't need to rush," Elise replied. "Dad, is he not interested in me?""You're the best I've got!" Pierre wasn
Joseph also had Elise come in so he could speak with her alone. He wanted to see where she stood.Seeing her sit there all proper and serious, he gave a small smile, letting a gentler side show through. He might have been ugly, but he could still be gentle."Relax. There's no one else here. Whatever we talk about stays between us. That is, as long as you don't tell anyone," he said."Thank you, Henry," Elise said. Her gaze was directed toward him, but her focus drifted past his face to the window behind him. He was simply too ugly to look at directly.Joseph found it quite amusing. He was already in his 40s, old enough to be her father. But in his current guise, he was supposed to be a man in his 20s.He was no longer young. With no wife, no children, and both his family life and career in shambles, he felt he shouldn't waste any more time. He turned down invitations from the ladies from Maroon Mansion and skipped many unnecessary social events.He had even sent Rhea to attend
"You…"Cora was at a loss for words. Henry really did know a lot, including the fact that she and the others had teamed up to screw Joseph over, like having the fake paternity tests done.If any of that reached Joseph's ears, she wouldn't be able to handle the terrifying consequences."You should count yourself lucky that I'm giving you this much courtesy on Dr. Hart's account. Otherwise, I would've dealt with you a long time ago."No matter how beautiful a woman is, she's still meant to be admired by men. If there's no man to appreciate her, what good is that beauty? Don't forget that even a piece of trash like Skylar could wrap you around his finger. So what if you've got money now? You're still just you!"Cora snorted and turned on her heel, fuming as she left.Back in the car, Cora finally cooled off, but that only made her want Henry dead even more. She wanted the Zahn family destroyed as well. Jenton had to be hers to rule.She was just about to leave when she suddenly spo
Joseph thought, "Cora, you sure know how to stir up trouble!"As soon as Joseph hung up, a scheme took shape in his head. Cora was currently working on a real estate project through Hart Group. She wanted to snag 100 acres of land in the suburbs, then work the rezoning angle.Joseph discussed it with the group's strategic management team and set up his own team to compete for the land.He even planned to work with the government to double the land area involved.A few days later, Cora sent a fax listing all the ways Henry was allegedly competing with her project in bad faith and demanding that Henry withdraw. But in business, one should not let their personal feelings get in the way.Joseph ignored Cora entirely and went off to do some charity work instead. Not long ago, he had donated another batch of medical equipment to Dolly's sanatorium, so he decided to go over and take a look.Dolly didn't know that Henry was actually Joseph. She knew better than to cross someone like Henr
When Joseph finally woke from his drunken stupor, he found himself in a luxurious king-sized bed in a hotel room. He was completely naked under the covers, and from the mess all around, he'd definitely gotten down and dirty.His head buzzed as he tried to piece together last night's events. After f
Joseph Hart stared blankly at the three paternity test reports in front of him. The confirmation that he and his children shared no biological relationship stabbed at his eyes.All three of his daughters were confirmed to have no blood relation to him. His eldest, Natalie Hart, was 15 years old. Th
Joseph met Bernard's scrutinizing gaze and said, "It's genuine. I didn't believe this was the truth, either, so I did a few more paternity tests with different labs. But the results… they didn't change."Bernard didn't speak right away. He just stared at Joseph, his eyes sharp and probing.A bitte
Cora had once been the number-one beauty in Jenton. Even now, at 40 years old, she was still stunning. Thanks to her good maintenance routine and a pampered lifestyle, there was no trace of age on her face—she looked like she was 28 at most. Her age only added a touch of mature charm to her.She wa







