บททั้งหมดของ The Heiress Chose the Forgotten Son: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 9

Ten years ago, I saved Mason Whitmore.He had collapsed outside an old warehouse by the docks. No bodyguards. After he recovered, he found me.“You saved my life, Alara,” he said. “Come back to the Whitmore estate with me. I’ll take care of you.”I had no home, so I went with him.Mason had four sons: Ethan, the champion race car driver; Julian, the billionaire CEO; Ryan, the professional hockey player; and Noah, the fourth son, who used a wheelchair and rarely appeared in public.When Mason introduced me, he said, “This is Alara. When she turns eighteen, she may choose one of you as her fiancé. The man she chooses will inherit the company.”I immediately said, “No. I’m not marrying anyone.”Mason only smiled. “We’ll talk when you’re older.”Everyone thought I would choose Ethan. So did I.Julian and Ryan made their positions clear long before I turned eighteen. Julian called the arrangement inefficient. Ryan told me not to drag him into it. Ethan never rejected me. He let me follow h

I woke up in the hospital.Outside the door, Ethan said, “Is she awake?”Ryan scoffed. “Jenny was terrified all night. Alara only burned her arm.”Julian said, “That’s not the problem. The problem is whether she’ll complain to Mason.”So they were not here for me. They were here to keep me quiet.The door opened.Julian placed a folder beside my bed. “Private room extension. Sign it. I’ll pay.”Ryan dropped a tablet on the table. “Your accounts are restored.”Ethan put down a black card. “Use it.”I looked at them. “Why are you really here?”Ethan paused. “Jenny may lose her foundation appointment.”Julian opened the folder. “The equipment incident has to be reported. If you sign this statement, it becomes an accident caused by your own mistake.”Ryan added, “Then Jenny’s name stays out of it.”I understood. They wanted my silence on paper.“I won’t sign.”Ethan frowned. “Alara.”“She caused the accident herself.”Ryan snapped, “She’s already scared. Why do you have to ruin her future

The boardroom fell silent after the lawyer finished reading.Mason signed the final page and pushed it toward the legal team. “Record it.”The senior lawyer nodded. “The succession decision is effective immediately.”A few directors exchanged glances. Someone whispered Noah’s name. No one had expected the son they had written off to become the official successor to Whitmore Group.I looked at the empty doorway where Ethan, Julian, and Ryan had left with Jenny. They had been certain I would cancel the announcement without them there. Instead, they were absent when my choice became final.Lucas arrived before the meeting ended and stopped beside me. “Miss Alara, Mr. Noah asked me to escort you after the ceremony.”“Where is he?”“Completing the transfer documents. He said you do not need to wait here.”Mason looked at me. “Go. I’ll handle the rest.”I followed Lucas out while the lawyers collected signatures behind us. By the time Ethan learned what had happened, the company announcement

The recording kept playing after Ethan’s fist hit the table.Jenny’s voice came through again.“Alara is easy to handle. The more she explains, the more jealous she looks.”The other woman laughed. “And the three young masters?”“Even easier,” Jenny said. “Ethan gets angry whenever he hears she bullied me. Ryan is impulsive. A few words and he follows where I lead. Julian is harder, but he trusts his own judgment too much. As long as I make the evidence look real, he fills in the rest himself.”The audio ended.No one in the living room spoke.Ryan walked out first.Ethan was faster.Julian closed the laptop, took the hard drive, and followed them.Jenny was still staying in a guest room at the estate. When they entered, she was sitting on the sofa with her wrist wrapped and the foundation’s investigation notice on the table.The moment she saw them, her eyes reddened.“Ethan, you’re back. I really don’t know why the foundation suddenly wants to investigate me. Did Alara say something

After the succession transfer was completed, Whitmore Group issued its official announcement.Noah Whitmore had become the company’s successor.My engagement to him had taken effect at the same time.Ten minutes after the announcement went out, the foundation revoked Jenny Hayes’s candidacy, and Whitmore Legal sent her a formal notice. Forged complaints, account theft, and manipulation of a hospital statement were listed one by one.I read the announcement without much reaction.Everything had finally settled, but I did not feel triumphant.Noah sat across the conference table and closed his file. “Are you tired?”“A little.”“Then let’s go.”He did not ask whether I was happy or whether revenge felt good. That made it easier to breathe.When we left the conference room, an argument was breaking out in the lobby.Jenny was being stopped by security. Her face was pale, her eyes red from crying. Ethan, Julian, and Ryan were there too.The moment she saw them, she reached for the last thi