Chapter 1

When my daughter Ella and I arrived home from a business trip abroad, where we had been surveying a medical partnership project, we were shocked at the sight that greeted us.

The house was teeming with relatives, including some distant ones who rarely made an appearance. It felt like an impromptu family summit.

They all gathered around in what seemed like a massive family meeting.

Ingrid Bolton stood out to me jarringly. She sat at the center of the gathering, sobbing dramatically.

Then, there was Gordon Grant, my "husband dearest," who rarely bothered to come home. He was busy hugging and comforting Ingrid with what looked like tender concern.

Amused, I raised an eyebrow as I set my suitcase aside. Turning to Gordon, I remarked lightly, "What's going on today? It's quite the festive gathering."

Ella, walking behind me, crossed her arms and fixed Ingrid with a distant, disdainful look. Clearly, she had already guessed who Ingrid was.

My mother-in-law, Rose Jameson, sat in the main seat with a scowl. She hesitated to speak.

Before Gordon could say a thing, Ingrid had thrown herself at Ella, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Oh, my darling daughter! I'm your mother!"

Ella deftly flinched with an appalled frown as though Ingrid was filth. Taking a step backward, she corrected Ingrid flatly, "My mom is Eden Bergman."

Oh, my thoughtful daughter! I held Ella's hand and shot her a reassuring look. Then, without hesitation, I slapped Ingrid across the face. The sharp crack of the impact echoed in the living room.

Glowering, I snapped at Ingrid, "Stop claiming other people's children as your own."

"Eden, are you out of your mind? How dare you hit Ingrid?" Gordon leaped to his feet, his face flushed with anger. But before he could retaliate, Ella stepped forward and slapped him with equal force.

Not only that, she taunted him in an assertive tone, "What now? Are you going to hit me? Go ahead."

Momentarily taken aback, Gordon grew furious and tried to slap Ella too. At that moment, Ingrid stepped in and held him back. She started shedding crocodile tears. "Gordon, don't hurt her! She's our daughter!"

I nearly gagged at the sight of Ingrid's shameless performance, pretending to be a kind and protective mother.

Gordon finally lowered his arm, though his glare remained fixed on Ella. "If your real mother hadn't stopped me, I would've taught you a lesson."

Ella scoffed. "Oh, I'd love to see you try."

Her razor-sharp gaze mirrored my younger self—a fierce, unyielding strength I had worked so hard to nurture in her. Seeing that reflection of myself filled me with a deep sense of pride and satisfaction.

…

One of the family elders cleared his throat and attempted to restore order.

"Quiet!" His deep and baritone voice conveyed unquestionable authority.

The cacophony around me died down. All eyes were on him.

He turned to Gordon and asked, "Gordon, for what reason did you gather everyone here?"

Taking a deep breath, Gordon mustered his courage and lovingly wrapped his arm around Ingrid. "I have an important announcement to make today."

After a pause, he swept his gaze past every face before him. He finally rested his eyes on me and Ella.

I watched him in silence, curious about the trick up his sleeve.

"Ella is not Eden's daughter," Gordon spoke in his usual tone, dropping a bombshell that reverberated through the room.

Ella gaped at me in disbelief, but I calmly signaled for her to keep her cool for now.

The relatives around us gossiped and murmured about the juicy news in excitement like a school of bloodthirsty sharks.

"When we underwent the IVF treatment," Gordon inserted a pause here, as though he was too ashamed to continue, "the doctor told us that Eden's eggs were of poor quality. I didn't want to crush her dreams of becoming a mother, so I switched her eggs with Ingrid's…"

Not only did that dimwit Gordon Grant committed such a vile act against me, he had the guts to turn me into the scapegoat!

He turned to me with a wicked glint in his eye, clearly expecting an outburst. When I met him with nothing but calm indifference, he was forced to press on.

"I gathered everyone here today…" He glanced tenderly at Ingrid. "... to witness Ella's reunion with her real mother."

The room erupted almost instantly.

"Of course Ella needs to reunite with her real mother if Eden isn't her mom!"

"Exactly! That barren woman has paraded as 'Mrs. Grant' for far too long. It's time she stepped aside."

"Eden Bergman has controlled the Grant family assets for years. Now that the truth is out, she should step down from her role in the Grant Corporation!"

I listened to the frenzied discussion around me with a smirk. These relatives who harbored ulterior motives had been upset at me for a while now because I purged the company of their influence and kicked them out of management. They were only entitled to their stock dividends at the end of the year.

They enjoyed the fallout between me and Gordon, thinking they could take a share of the company if things went south between us.

Ella, sensing their greed, squeezed my hand tightly.

I spoke in my usual tone firmly, "I gave birth to Ella. She is my daughter."

Ingrid put on an exasperated look. Between sobs, she questioned me, "Eden, how long are you going to keep lying to yourself?"

…

But I wasn't lying to anyone at all. Ella was unquestionably my daughter. Gordon and Ingrid were fools to think they could outsmart me.

Years ago, Gordon and I had decided on IVF due to his asthenospermia. Before the egg was fertilized, I accidentally overheard Gordon conspiring with a nurse to tamper with my egg storage. Later, I overheard him calling Ingrid, excitedly informing her that he had successfully switched my eggs to hers.

Instead of making a scene, I quietly paid the doctor a million dollars to reverse the swap, using my leftover eggs from previous sessions. I didn't stop there—I had the doctor substitute Gordon's sample with that of my ex-boyfriend.

On the day of the fertilization, I stood beside an ecstatic Gordon as he marveled at the "miracle" embryo he thought was a product of his love with Ingrid. I silently reveled in his ignorance.

Over these years, I felt immense satisfaction watching that foolish man treat Ingrid like royalty. He had tried to fool me, but he was in the dark about Ella's paternity for two decades.

Gordon's voice interrupted my trip down memory lane. He taunted me, "Don't be stubborn! You may have given birth to Ella, but the egg wasn't yours! Ingrid is her real mother!"

I calmly retorted with a hint of danger, "Are you delusional?"

He sounded determined. "If you don't believe in me, let's get a DNA test! By the way, I'm going to divorce you too! You're just a simp who forced me into this marriage. I've done my part as a husband in our 25 years together."

The mention of divorce put a smile on his face. I assumed he must have dreamed of this moment for a long time.

But how dare he claim he’d been a dutiful husband? For 25 years, I had lived like a widow. I raised Ella alone while he indulged in his affair with Ingrid. I built the Grant Corporation from the ground up while he squandered his time in nightclubs and entertainment lounges.

What Gordon failed to realize was that I never married him out of love. I married him to secure power in the Grant Corporation.

Now that I had achieved my goal, Gordon was of no use to me anymore.

Shrugging nonchalantly, I replied, "Sure, I'm fine with a divorce, but let's forget about the DNA test. I am sure Ella is my daughter."

Ella looked at me firmly. "Mom, I believe in you."

Gordon and Ingrid grew anxious at our reaction. Gordon asked, "Ella, do you not trust your dad?"

Leaning against me, Ella ignored his question.

At that moment, a young man burst into the room, his boyish features resembling those of a college student. He strode over to Ella, his face lighting up with excitement. "My sister!"

The sudden twist caught everyone off guard. They had not expected a brother to pop up right after Ingrid had just revealed herself to be Ella's biological mother.

…

A guess formed in my mind when I studied the young man who bore a resemblance to Ingrid. He had to be the illegitimate son Ingrid shared with Gordon. I had to admit—she deserved credit for keeping such a secret hidden for over 20 years.

This drama was turning out to be far more intriguing than I had anticipated.

Rose bore down at the young man from her seat with an air of authority. She demanded to know. "Gordon, what's going on?"

The air in the room froze again. The young man's eyes reddened as if he were on the brink of crying.

"Ella, I'm David. I-I have always known about you," David Grant stammered in a low, trembling voice.

He quickly shot me a look before lowering his head as though he feared I might reprimand him. He stuttered, "M-Mom always talks about you, Ella. She said you were amazing and pretty…"

Right on cue, Ingrid began to sob delicately. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief, her shoulders trembling.

"Oh, my darling Ella. I've missed you so much over the years…" She raised her head with misty eyes, looking like she had been wronged. "Dave… Dave misses you too. We've often visited you in secret."

Nodding furiously, David added with urgency, "Yeah, Ella! I attended to your school just so I could be near you…"

He reached out for a stack of photos from his pocket, which he cautiously handed over to Ella. "These are photos of you… I… I took them without you knowing…"

Ella took the photos from him and skimmed through them. In some photos, she smiled brightly in her graduation robe. In others, she looked tired from her dance practice. He also captured her excited debate with her friends at school.

The photos gave her goosebumps. She hadn't expected a perverted guy to stalk her and take photos without her knowing.

Gordon marched up to Rose and pointed at David indignantly. "Mom, David is your grandson! Since everyone is here to witness it, w-why don't you acknowledge him?"

Gordon wasn't that dumb. Ever since his dad passed away, he understood Rose was the one who held power in the family. He had only invited all the relatives to pressure Rose into accepting David as a Grant family member.

If Rose agreed to the idea, Gordon knew I'd be powerless to intervene. He had observed my deference toward Rose over the years.

David cleverly seized the moment and respectfully addressed Rose, "Hi, Grandma!"

Rose glanced between Gordon and me with conflicted feelings. She did not immediately agree with Gordon.

She must have felt bad for me. Not wanting to put her in a difficult position, I broke the silence at last. "Gordon Grant, your ultimate goal is to instate your illegitimate child as an heir and take over the family assets. Am I right? Why would you drag Ella into this mess if that's your plan all along?"