Chapter 2

The next morning, the Gordon family held a press conference. They announced that their son had been switched at birth and that the biological heir would marry Jodie instead.

The media was in an uproar. Everyone knew Jodie was now paralyzed, yet the Gordons were pushing their long-lost son straight into the marriage.

No one was stupid enough not to understand their intentions. Rumors began flying, sending the company's stock into a brief tailspin.

The lawyer handed me the share transfer agreement. After carefully checking every clause, I signed my name without hesitation.

With that 15% in hand, my goal was accomplished. The future of the Gordons had nothing to do with me now.

The moment the press conference wrapped up, I grabbed my suitcase to leave, only to hear rushed footsteps behind me.

"Hank, stop right there!"

Vivian caught up to me and grabbed my wrist with a frown. "Do you really have to burn every bridge? Do you have any idea how humiliated Liam was back there yesterday?"

I yanked my arm free from her grip. "What does his humiliation have to do with me? Vivian, have you lost your mind, coming over here to throw a fit?"

Taking a deep breath, Vivian tried to suppress her temper and shifted into a lecturing tone. "Hank, I know you're bitter. You're mad that I chose Liam over you.

"But try to be rational for once. You're taking those shares and marrying a cripple. You're throwing your whole life away! With Jodie's temper, being paralyzed will only make her more twisted. How long do you think you'll survive in the Stafford family?

"I chose Liam because he controls Gordon Corp's connections and can actually help Collins Group. As for you…"

She paused, softening her tone slightly. "If you apologize to Liam right now and clean up the mess you just made at the press conference, then I might still offer you a helping hand whenever you get mistreated at the Stafford family out of respect for our past."

Looking at the woman I had grown up with, who once swore she would marry no one but me, only to betray me without a second thought for profit, I felt nothing but disgust.

"Vivian, save your hypocritical nonsense," I said with a sneer. "You chose Liam simply because he's useful to you and because the Gordons are willing to pave his path. Stop trying to act like you're doing me a favor. And as for helping me out…"

I swept my gaze over her with a dismissive look. "You'd better worry about yourself first. A gold-digger relying on men to get ahead has no right to offer me anything."

"You—"

Stung by my words, she opened her mouth to snap back. But right then, a black Maybach with a prized Jensford plate smoothly pulled up right in front of us.

A Stafford family bodyguard stepped out respectfully. He opened the door for me and took my suitcase.

I got into the car without a second thought. My mood instantly lifted as I watched Vivian's conflicted expression fade away in the side mirror.

The car rolled into the Stafford residence, where maids and guards along the drive stood with heads bowed. The entire grounds were steeped in tension.

The butler escorted me to the main building expressionlessly before pushing open a pair of heavy mahogany double doors.

"Mr. Gordon, Ms. Stafford is waiting inside."

With that, he promptly withdrew and shut the doors behind me.

Heavy blackout curtains blocked out the daylight inside the bedroom. Once my eyes adjusted, I spotted a woman sitting in a wheelchair in the middle of the room. Backlit and half-shrouded in shadow, she looked utterly imposing.

"The Gordons must really be tired of living, daring to insult me by handing over a country bumpkin they just picked up."

I didn't reply. My gaze was fixed entirely on her legs.

Just as the door was closing, I had caught a subtle detail. Under Jodie's silk pants, her calf muscles had tightened in a brief, involuntary reflex.

I knew neurology and medical acupuncture. Someone with complete nerve necrosis could never trigger an involuntary muscular response like that.

Which meant her legs weren't ruined at all. Or at the very least, her nervous system was still completely intact.

My heart skipped a beat as a wild thought flashed through my mind.

Curling my lips into a smile, I suddenly reached out, grabbed a cup of scalding hot coffee from the coffee table, and splashed it straight onto her thighs.