Romans & histoires The Hawthorne Legacy Audiobook

I wiped my tears from my cheeks with my palm and walked into the guest room to rest a little. I reached for my phone on the nightstand. I didn't know why I did it, but perhaps for some comfort. The internet had a nice way to brighten my spirit. I clicked on the first news article on my feed. It was a video of a press conference held that afternoon. Richard was standing at a podium, surrounded by cameras. He looked commanding, powerful. "As the only child of the late Mr.Hawthorne," Richard was saying to the reporters, "I take it upon myself to continue his legacy. The Hawthorne empire is in safe hands."

“You think I enjoy this? That I find pleasure in watching you sulk like a child? No. But empires aren’t built on feelings. They’re built on resolve. Sacrifice. If you want to be more than my son if you want to be my heir you need to accept what that costs. People, relationships, love… they’re all luxuries. And luxuries can be replaced. Our legacy cannot.” He lifted his glass in a mock toast, his expression almost smug. “To the Hawthorne future. And to you, Xander, for proving you’re not as soft as I once feared.” Xander felt a flash of heat rise in his chest anger, shame, something darker but he forced his face to remain impassive. Every instinct screamed at him to shove the folder back in L

I muttered, my eyes focused on the document. Taking a deep breath, my fingers carefully opened the file, and instantly my world fractured. It wasn’t just infidelity or mere financial manipulation. It’s lineage. Legacy. Theft was woven so deeply into history that it felt unreal. Lucy Hawthorne, no. She was never meant to be a Hawthorne. Lucy Hale. The long lost Hale family, the true foundation beneath Hawthorne wealth. Records of a car accident decades ago were all present. A parents declared dead, a child missing, quietly erased.

Every claim backed by proof. The day of the exposé arrived faster than Elara had anticipated. The air was thick with tension as she sat in the living room of her estate, watching the news unfold. Reporters had caught wind of the story, and the headlines were already flooding in: "Hawthorne Scandal: Cassia’s Empire Built on Lies?" "Shocking Revelations from Hawthorne Heiress’s Private Diary" "Manipulation, Fraud, and Betrayal: The Dark Side of the Hawthorne Legacy"

And that was a legacy worth fighting for. **THE END**

Harl’s face was a mask of soot and disbelief. ​"We don't need a heartbeat where we're going," I replied. "I’m going to feed the mercury everything. Every file, every face, every ghost. I’m going to turn our history into a smokescreen." ​I closed my eyes and reached into the deepest recesses of the mercury lattice. I didn't look for medical data this time. I looked for the smell of the First Forge. I looked for the weight of my father’s hammer. I looked for the sound of Sarah’s laughter before the first audit. I took those precious, jagged shards of humanity, and I shoved them into the silver engine’s intake.

The Hawthornes did not move loudly. They never had. Their power had always lived in proximity rather than presence, in whispered affiliations and invitations that carried more weight than statements ever could. When they reentered the narrative, it was not through accusation, but endorsement. That was the danger. The first signal came through a charity bulletin circulated among legacy donors. A brief note announcing a Hawthorne sponsored symposium on institutional ethics and succession integrity. No names mentioned. No conflicts disclosed. The timing was impeccable.

"What do we do?" "Fight. Find every share and build a legal case." But I knew the truth in my bones. Harrison had forty years of meticulous planning. We had exhaustion and scars. Phone buzzed. Text from Harrison. “Welcome to the real war. Stalkers and corrupt employees were practice. This is about legacy. About obliterating empires. I have four decades of focused rage. How long can you possibly last? -HB” I showed Lena, she read it. Hand trembling against the screen. "We survived everything else. We'll survive this."

Maximus whined, urging me closer to a truth I wasn’t ready to face. A sharp knock jolted me. “Who’s there?” I called, my voice gruff, my pen pausing. “Professor Wolfe? It’s… Isabella Hart.” Her voice, soft but edged, pierced the door. My heart lurched, a rush of excitement and nerves flooding me. I didn’t understand it—this sudden thrill, like a pup before his first hunt. Maximus growled, eager, and I cursed under my breath. Get it together, Sebastian.

———— Blake’s Speech Blake raised his glass, his expression cool and unreadable as the room quieted. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is more than just an event—it’s a statement. A celebration of success, ambition, and the power we hold to shape the future. The Hawthorne legacy was built on ambition, not hesitation. My father understood that, and so do I. This company. Our empire—does not wait for opportunity. We create it. We dominate the markets because we refuse to settle for anything less than absolute control. That will not change. Not today. Not ever."