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His Favorite Daughter
His Favorite Daughter
Autor: Dory Cat

Chapter 1 The Broken Engagement

Autor: Dory Cat
"All right, Hazel. I'll take care of it." My father's hearty laughter rang out from the study.

With a loud bang, I kicked open the half-closed door.

My father froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure, without even the slightest trace of embarrassment.

"Stella, you heard us at just the right time." He leaned back in his leather executive chair, speaking as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"You majored in design in college. You're not qualified to run a company. Hazel majored in business administration, so let her join the company and help me."

I stared at him coldly without saying a word.

He picked up his cup and took a sip of coffee before continuing shamelessly, "Hazel's dad gave his life to save mine. I swore at his grave that I'd take good care of Hazel and find her a good husband."

He set down his cup and stared straight at me. "Hazel has feelings for Julian now. You're her older sister, so do the right thing and let them be together.

"Give Hazel your engagement. I'll find you someone from a family that's a better match later."

Just then, Julian Locke came upstairs carrying an elegant gift box. He walked into the study and went straight to Hazel Crawford's side.

"Mr. Cross is right." Julian looked at me without a trace of guilt.

"Stella, I'm sorry. The truth is, I fell in love with Hazel a long time ago. I only kept my feelings buried because of our engagement, and it's been eating me up inside."

I stared at the two of them standing together, stunned.

Countless moments I had overlooked flashed through my mind.

Julian's phone vibrating repeatedly late at night. The inexplicable red marks that always seemed to appear on Hazel's neck. The lingering glances the two exchanged across the dinner table.

So they had been sneaking around behind my back all along.

I let out a mocking laugh, forcing down the bitterness churning in my chest. "Fine. If you two really love each other, then let's end the engagement today. I'll give you my blessing."

Julian visibly relaxed. A flash of triumph appeared in Hazel's eyes.

"But Hazel is absolutely not joining the company." I fixed my eyes on my father and spoke each word slowly.

My father frowned. "What do you mean?"

"My mom founded the company herself. Her dad saved your life. How you choose to repay that debt is your business. But don't use everything my mom built to settle your debt of gratitude."

My voice turned colder. "And you said your entire fortune would only ever go to me."
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  • His Favorite Daughter   Chapter 12 A New Beginning

    Hazel was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of embezzling a substantial amount of money and causing severe public disturbance online.When Lydia went to the prison to pull some strings, she also managed to get a copy of the visitation room's surveillance footage for me.In the footage, I saw my father wearing a cheap, worn-out jacket. He was glaring through the glass at Hazel in her prison uniform.Hazel had become painfully thin. Her face was gaunt and littered with bruises left from fights she'd gotten into during her stay in prison."You useless old coot!" Hazel grabbed the phone and screamed at my father. "Aren't you the chairman? Why couldn't you save me? You got me sent to prison! I hate you!"My father was shaking with rage as he screamed into the receiver, "You bitch! Your mother ran off with the money your father needed to save his life, and then you came along and played with my feelings! Give me my company back! Give me my good life back!"Althoug

  • His Favorite Daughter   Chapter 11 The Price of Betrayal

    The roses lay scattered across the ground, crushed beneath the dogs' paws.I clapped my hands and was about to turn back inside when another hunched figure appeared outside the gate.It was my father.He was carrying a battered duffel bag, and his hair had gone noticeably grayer.It had only been a few days since I had last seen him. Yet, he looked as though he had aged a decade. His back was stooped, and he stood there looking utterly defeated.He stared at me with tears streaming down his face, looking at me through the iron gate."Stella… I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have played favorites. I shouldn't have treated that ungrateful girl like she was precious, and I definitely shouldn't have doubted you."He dropped to his knees with a thud, gripping the bars tightly with both hands."Please let me come home. I'm a laughingstock out there, and even the hotel has kicked me out. I'll do whatever you say from now on. I won't interfere with the company anymore. Can't you just ke

  • His Favorite Daughter   Chapter 10 The Tables Have Turned

    I watched the whole farce unfold with cold indifference, my heart not feeling even a shred of sympathy for them.After Hazel was taken away by the police, public opinion about me did a massive 180.The netizens who had once cursed me with the most vicious insults flocked to my social media accounts, lining up to apologize.Cross Group's stock not only reached an all-time high, but the company also landed several major overseas contracts thanks to the free publicity due to the scandal.As for Hazel, she became a pariah. Before long, people online had dug up every embarrassing detail about her vanity and exposed it all.…Three days later, my peace was disturbed. I was finally done dealing with the mountain of paperwork at the office and drove back to my home.I spotted a familiar figure standing outside the gate as soon as I pulled into the driveway.Julian was dressed in a designer suit, his hair perfectly styled. He was holding an enormous, eye-catching bouquet of red roses, b

  • His Favorite Daughter   Chapter 9 Seven Years of Lies

    "I had no idea he was that badly injured. I thought the money would be enough to cover his treatment…"A deathly silence fell over the room as soon as the video ended.I looked at Hazel, whose face had gone ashen. Then, I parted my lips and spoke slowly, making sure every word landed where it really hurt. "Did you hear that? Your mother took that 10 million dollars. That same mother who ran off with another man."Your father didn't die because his injuries were too severe. He died a slow death because your mother left him without enough money to pay for his ongoing medical treatment. Our family never owed you anything. If anything, your family has been leeching off ours for seven years."The evidence on the giant screen hit everyone like one blow after another, leaving the entire room stunned.The livestream chat froze for a moment before erupting. This time, the tides had turned against Hazel."Holy crap! This is insane. Her own mother ran off with the money and left her father

  • His Favorite Daughter   Chapter 8 The Old Debts

    "I want the complete case file on Hazel's father's car accident seven years ago. And I want her mother's bank records from back then. Give me every transaction in detail as soon as possible."After I hung up, I stared into the night outside the window, my gaze growing colder by the second.'Hazel, do you really think that no one would dare dig up what happened seven years ago?'…Three days later, a thick file folder landed on my desk. I opened it and pulled out the yellowed documents and several clear photographs inside.As I looked over the transfer records, I couldn't help but sneer. So, that was how it was.All that gratitude, all that guilt… It had all been one giant joke from the start.I picked up the office phone, my voice calm. "Tell the PR department to hold a press conference tomorrow at 10 a.m. and livestream it across all our social media channels. It's time to bury the grave Hazel dug for herself."…The press conference was packed to the brim at 10 a.m. sharp th

  • His Favorite Daughter   Chapter 7 The Price of a Life

    "My dad paid for this with his life, only for the Cross family to torment me for years…"The entire internet exploded immediately after the video went live.In an era when resentment toward the wealthy was running high, Hazel's story struck exactly the right nerve with the public.My social media accounts were instantly flooded with hundreds of thousands of vicious comments and messages.The company's stock hit an all-time low as soon as the market opened.Several major business partners called one after another, demanding to terminate their contracts immediately."Ms. Cross, this is bad!" My assistant came rushing in."Hundreds of influencers and trolls have gathered outside the building. They're holding signs and demanding that you come out and apologize to Hazel!"I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows and looked down.The area outside the building was packed with people with cameras flashing up and down the street.Lydia was shaking with rage. "That Hazel's such a

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