Chapter 1

I watched as the ladies continued babbling on, yet I was unable to process a single word that was said.

Back then, I carefully selected them from the orphanage and brought them back to my family with the intention of raising one of them to become an exceptional wife for my son, Howard Miller. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine they'd turn out to be a bunch of greedy women with such feral ambition.

Before they could say another word, I hurled my luggage straight at them. "Get out of here!"

They froze for a moment, completely blindsided. Meanwhile, the fake son I adopted, William Miller, picked up my luggage hurriedly. He said, "Dad, you must be exhausted, considering that you have just gotten off a flight.

"Please don't blame them for not picking you up earlier. They are just too worn out from working overtime every day for the sake of the company, all just so they don't disappoint you."

It was only at this moment that I lifted my head to observe William carefully. Although he was just a fake scion, he had a flawless appearance. He even dressed the part.

My son, on the other hand, was just dressed in shabby clothes. To outsiders, they might even mistake William for the true heir of our family.

It appeared as if he saw through my doubts. Right after that, with a prideful expression, he glanced to the side, where Eleanor Atkins, Shakira Lawson, and Iris Wade were standing.

Then, he said with a smile, "My younger sisters have really treated me so well. Honestly, I can't choose between them right now. But Dad, don't you worry. Even though Howard has been diagnosed with azoospermia, I will ensure the Miller family's name doesn't end with him.

"After I get married in the future, I, along with our family's precious grandson, will be sure to take good care of you."

His words left me light-headed. Who gave him the guts to utter such things to me?

The ones standing behind him did not cut him off at all. That was not all. They watched him with sheer adoration on their faces. The moment I noticed that, it all became clear to me.

Perhaps I hadn't been clear enough in the first place, giving them the impression that I was going to make William the heir of the Miller family. Nevertheless, even if this was the case, that was no excuse for them to trample all over my very own son!

I took a deep breath, taking Howard's hand in mine as I said to William, "I'm not interested in the affairs of lowly people like all of you."

Upon hearing that, William stared at me in disbelief, as if he could not believe his ears. "Did… Did I do anything wrong to upset you?"

Eleanor was the first to come back to her senses. She shielded William behind her and defended him, saying, "Don't tell Will off like that, Ethan. Just think of the puppies in the garden. He was the one who took them in.

"It is a blessing for the Miller family to have someone so kind inherit the family!"

Suddenly, my heart sank. I quickly pulled Howard's sleeves up, and his skin had reddened and swelled up, just as I had expected. Some spots were even oozing with pus, looking as if they had been repeatedly scratched till they bled.

Enraged, I pointed at her and criticized, "Is this how you have been caring for my son? Didn't you know he's allergic to dog fur?"

Upon hearing that, Shakira yanked Howard toward her. "Tell us, Howard. Since when were you ever allergic to dog fur? How could you make such a thing up with Ethan?"

Thereafter, she turned to me and said, "Ethan, you have no idea how much of a bully Howard usually is toward Will. He always orders Will around when you are away. He even pretended to be sick and made Will care for him overnight…

"Didn't he do all that only because he was envious of how nice we were to Will? So, these scars you now see on him? He totally fabricated them."

Those words really amused me. I watched Howard grow since he was in his mother's womb. How could she possibly know something about him that I didn't?

I was about to take Howard to the hospital when I noticed a slight limp in his gait.

Before I could even question it, Iris stepped in front of me, blocking my way. "Ethan, you've treated us as your own since we were kids. Why don't you trust us?

"Howard, on the other hand, is truly beyond saving!"