Chapter 3

I felt disgusted as I watched Julian and Beatrice protect each other. "Jules and Bea. My, you two sure call each other by quite affectionate nicknames. If I didn't know any better, I'd think the two of you were a thing."

The moment those words left my mouth, Julian's expression instantly stiffened.

Beatrice hurriedly defended herself. "What are you on about, Clara? Jules and I are just like siblings. How could you slander us?"

Yet, I could hear her inner thoughts as she gloated. [So what if Clara catches on? Jules still loves me the most!]

As if something had just occurred to him, Julian plastered an arrogant, confident smile on his face. "Cut it out. So long as you apologize to Bea, I'll pretend none of this ever happened. The wedding will proceed as planned, and you can still become the lady of the Hudson family."

I laughed until tears welled up in my eyes. I found his words utterly preposterous.

I paid him no mind and walked straight to the front of the stage. I snatched the microphone from the officiant and declared, "I hereby call off my wedding with Julian. From this moment on, Julian Hudson and I, Clara Spencer, have absolutely nothing to do with each other!"

"Who gave you permission to do this, you ungrateful wretch?" Dad was the first to snap out of it. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he rushed over to wrench the microphone from my grasp.

I loosened my grip, and the microphone dropped to the ground with a loud clatter, triggering a deafening, ear-splitting feedback loop through the room.

"You're the one who disowned me. So, you have absolutely no right to boss me around now! As for the division of our family assets, I'll have my lawyer visit you in a few days to discuss it."

Having said that, I no longer cared about the expressions on everyone's faces. Without a backward glance, I left the banquet hall.

…

The moment I returned to the company, I convened a board meeting and announced to everyone that I was the company's largest shareholder.

According to the company's regulations, the largest shareholder had the right to dismiss the sitting chairman. Without the slightest hesitation, I stripped Dad of his position as chairman right then and there.

The shareholders in attendance voted almost unanimously in my favor. After all, to them, it didn't matter who sat in the chairman's seat. The only thing that mattered to them was how much they could receive in dividends at the end of the year.

Compared to Dad, who rarely showed his face at the company all year, I was clearly the one they trusted. After all, I was the one who had been pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into the company day and night.

I'd just settled into the chairman's chair when Dad's call came through. The moment the call connected, his furious roar blasted through the phone. "Clara Spencer, you ingrate, how dare you remove me from my position?"

I responded calmly, "The largest shareholder has the right to veto company decisions and make personnel changes at any time. You're the one who came up with this rule. Surely you haven't forgotten it already?"

Dad was stumped. It took him quite a while to regain his composure and soften his tone. "We're family, Clara. Your mother and I were just upset, so we said some things we didn't mean. If you have a problem with us, we can sit down and resolve it properly. There's no need to take things this far."

I sneered inwardly. Since intimidation didn't work, he was resorting to using the family card now.

"Dad, you made yourself crystal clear when you kicked me out of the house. How could I possibly defy you? As for the specific details of the division of our family assets, I'll settle the score with you thoroughly on your birthday!"

"Clara, you ungrateful wretch! I should have strangled you the day you were born! You—"

I hung up on him before he could finish his tirade.

Still, doubt and confusion filled my heart. Beatrice and I were both their flesh and blood. Why had Mom and Dad favored Beatrice ever since we were children? Was it seriously just because she had always been frail?

Unable to shake my suspicions, I immediately contacted a private investigator I was familiar with and hired him to help me investigate the truth.

I had just set my phone down on the desk when the doors to my office swung open, and Julian and Beatrice swaggered in.