Chapter 1191

Roger had not only torn into Noelle but also punished Edric. His position couldn't have been clearer. Everyone in the room now understood that Ivy would one day inherit the Quinn family fortune.Roger turned to Nathan, regret in his eyes. "Nathan, I'm sorry our family drama dragged you into this and put both you and Ivy in such an uncomfortable position."Nathan gave a slight nod, his expression softening as the tension around him faded. "You don't need to apologize, Grandpa. I know the Quinn family wasn't behind this. You handled it fairly and stood up for both Ivy and me. That's what matters."Nathan then turned to his assistant, Baxter. "Document everything and follow standard procedure. Have Lowe Group's legal department send a formal cease-and-desist letter regarding the false accusations and deliberate attempt to damage my marriage."Baxter nodded. "Understood, Mr. Lowe."That was enough to make everyone in the room uneasy. Whoever had started this would now have to an

Chapter 1192

Every guest in the room turned toward the boxes."Mr. Lowe, are those gifts for Mr. Quinn?""What's inside?""Open them. Let us see!"Nathan opened the first rosewood box himself. The interior was lined with white velvet, and a pearl necklace rested in the center.Each pearl was perfectly round and luminous, with a soft silvery sheen. A rare deep-red ruby was set into the clasp, catching the light from the chandeliers and scattering brilliant flashes across the room. It was clearly an extraordinary piece."I found this White Empress necklace at an auction overseas while I was there on business," Nathan said. "It's one of a kind."A collective gasp swept through the room.Nathan then opened the second box. Inside lay an exquisite rosary made of flawless rock crystal, each bead perfectly clear and engraved with a tiny cross."Grandpa, I know how much your faith means to you. I had this rosary blessed by the bishop at St. Matthew's Cathedral. May it bring you peace, comfort, an

Chapter 1193

Edric froze.Tabitha looked at him, her eyes filled with resentment. "Edric, you ruined my life. If it hadn't been for Ivy, I might not even be alive today. I'll never forgive you for that. At this point, I'm just waiting to see where all of this gets you."Edric frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"Tabitha stepped closer. "It's bad enough that you chose your mistress over me, but Ivy is your own daughter. And today, you almost ruined her life over one photo."Edric's throat tightened. After everything that had happened between him and Tabitha, he had never been especially close to Ivy, but he never wanted to hurt his own daughter."Ivy is my daughter, too. Why would I ever want to ruin her life?""Maybe you didn't mean to, but did you even think about what would happen when you showed everyone that photo? If Nathan hadn't gotten there when he did, did you ever stop to think about what Ivy would've had to deal with afterward?" Tabitha pressed."I…""Edric, everyone but yo

Chapter 1194

Edric kept his eyes closed, his brow furrowed. He looked completely worn out."Enough," he said hoarsely. "I was wrong today. You gave me that cropped photo and pushed me into confronting them at the birthday party. I ended up humiliating the entire family. My dad had every right to rip into me."That was all it took for Noelle to snap. She spun toward him and glared, finally losing her composure. "I pushed you? Edric, are you blaming me now? Who was the one making promises all these years? "You told me Tabitha was controlling and miserable to live with. You said the Quinn family money, the shares, the properties, everything would eventually belong to Kate. "You told me you'd marry me and make sure Kate was finally recognized as part of the family!"You kept stringing me along, making me believe all of that while I stayed hidden in the background for more than ten years. Now that everything's fallen apart, you're going to blame me for causing trouble and act like none of this

Chapter 1195

Noelle stiffened. Her anger vanished in an instant. She knew this wasn't the time to turn Edric against her. She still needed him if she wanted to get everything she was after."I was just upset. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to hear you accuse me like that?"This time, Edric didn't soften. "From now on, neither of you goes anywhere near Ivy. Stay out of trouble, and I'll keep taking care of you. If either of you tries anything like this again, you're on your own."With that, Edric opened the back door, got out, and walked away.He really left them there.Kate stared after him. "Mom, what did Dad mean by that? What does he mean, we're on our own? Is he going to cut us off?"Noelle watched Edric walk away, her hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. The sweet, devoted act she had kept up for years finally slipped, and all the resentment she had buried underneath came pouring out."Cut us off?" She gave a bitter laugh. "He never really cared about us i

Chapter 1196

"Another plan? What kind of plan?" Kate asked."If we can't rely on Edric, then we'll rely on your real father," Noelle said. A calculating look flashed in her eyes. She pulled out her phone and made a call, her angry tone turning soft and gentle almost instantly."Craig, where are you? We've got trouble. Edric's starting to suspect me. I'm bringing Kate over."A deep, gravelly male voice answered, calm but intimidating. "Come over. I'm at the usual place."Noelle hung up and looked at Kate. "We're going to see your real father right now."She started the car, turned around without another glance at the Quinn family estate, and sped away.Twenty minutes later, they arrived at an upscale private apartment complex on the outskirts of the city. The building sat far from downtown and looked expensive but discreet. This was where the man Noelle kept hidden for more than a decade lived.His name was Craig Lively.He was tall, with sharp, intimidating features and a rough edge that