Most were worried for Ralph when he took Heather’s hand since they heard she was a strong and scary woman. Even Ralph was not confident when he grabbed her.However, he had to do something since he had already claimed that Heather was his fiancee. If he did not show the elders he and Heather were close, especially to his mother, they would only be suspicious of their relationship.Ralph was sweating as he smiled stiffly and looked at the woman beside him. He was trying to send her a message through his eyes that it was an important day and not to make him look like a fool.Although it seemed like his message had gotten through, it could also mean Heather was in a good mood and might have even changed her mind about working with him again.In short, “Heather” did not shrug his hand off or give him an over-the-shoulder throw—instead, she allowed him to touch her and smiled. “I hope everyone doesn't mind me intruding.”“Not at all.” Most shook their heads. Since she was Ralph’s fianc
Alexander could not deny the results because Ralph had told everyone to vote anonymously. Ironically, Alexander’s uncle was the one trying to overthrow him.He continued to remain silent, looking calm and collected, as always. No matter the adversaries, he would always face them head-on without faltering.Lily did not care whether or not her husband was from the Russell family. She only cared about him as a person, not his bloodline or family background. After all, the man Lily loved and trusted wholeheartedly was Alexander.She looked at him with steadfast eyes as she smiled while stroking her baby bump gently.The first round of voting ended shortly, and Ralph announced, “To ensure the voting session is fair, both Alexander and I will stay out of it. This will be everyone’s opinion and not dominated by a single person.”“Okay,” Alexander readily agreed.Ralph turned to one of the housekeepers and instructed, “Go and get Mrs. Russell.”“As this is an important matter, we’ll nee
Moments later, the housekeepers finished counting the votes. Interestingly, both for and against were close, but ultimately, votes for the outsider to leave were slightly higher than those who voted for things to remain unchanged.Of course, some family members were dissatisfied with Alexander’s reign. After all, it was difficult to satisfy everyone as the head of the family. So, the unsatisfied family members used this opportunity to vote against him.The result had only a two-vote difference, and Ralph revealed a smug expression when he saw the results. “So, most of our family members have agreed to honor our family’s tradition that the Russell family’s pure bloodline is most important.“Those who aren’t part of the Russell family should not be allowed to stay and continue enjoying the privileges that come with being a Russell.” He raised his hand, which was holding onto the votes victoriously.Ralph was about to obtain what he had always dreamed of. He could imagine Alexander kn
Margaret was making things difficult for Ralph. She would have destroyed his current plan without him having a few contingencies up his sleeves.She ignored him and continued to address the surrounding family members, “I would like to say something important today. I hope every one of you will be able to overlook today’s incident on my behalf. Whatever Ralph had said today was just some joke, and you should not listen to him nor continue to question this issue.”Even though the other family members would love to listen to Margaret, unfortunately, this issue had already escalated to the point of no return. Everyone was curious and wanted to know who Ralph was referring to, but Margaret was trying to protect Alexander.Lily was astounded. Alexander’s relationship with his grandmother had always been less than civil, so she wondered why Margaret would change her attitude toward him and try to protect him.“No! That’s unacceptable!” Ralph was shocked by what his mother said and immedia
Even if this matter was out of control, Alexander was not a Russell, and Ralph intended to remove him from the family tree. If so, Ralph would be successful with or without the family’s support, and he would have nothing to fear.What Lily found interesting was “Heather's” reaction.She and Alexander had already noticed Heather’s two different temperaments. One was steady and calm, while the other was weak and docile. Now “Heather” was like the second one, sitting there quietly.When “Heather” entered the courtyard previously, Lily could not feel the aura a kickboxer should have, nor did “Heather” have the imposing manner of a family matriarch. It was all too strange.‘She must be hiding some shocking secrets from everyone.’As the atmosphere deadlocked, Ralph winked at Celine anxiously. They had agreed, but Margaret suddenly changed her mind, and Ralph did not want Celine to do the same. She must try harder to let Margaret announce the truth.Celine said softly after looking at
“Ralph is not my son!”Ralph smiled while happily waiting for his mother to say what he expected her to but was stunned when he heard what she said. His smile froze while staring widely at Margaret. He was confused and wondered if he had misheard his mother.The commotion among the surrounding family members resembled a dropped bomb that instantly detonated. Everyone was dumbfounded.They guessed and waited for Margaret to announce that Alexander was not a Russell. However, they never expected Margaret to mention her son.“Ralph?!”“He’s not Margaret's son?!”“Oh my, what’s happening?”Everyone in the Russell family knew Ralph was Margaret's most beloved son. She often quarreled with Hugo because of him, and everyone knew she favored Ralph. Therefore, everyone wondered why Margaret would announce that Ralph was not her son.It was unexplainable."Mom, what are you saying? You're wrong! It's Alex!" After recovering from his shock, Ralph hurriedly said to his mother, "It says Al
Ralph seemed to remember something as he turned around. He saw other family members passing DNA test reports around while he said crazily, “No, it can’t be. That lab report must be fake!”"The results don’t only include you, but also me and mom, Alexander and mom, me and Alexander, and of course, you," Celine spoke while supporting her mother and looking at Ralph. "The results prove the three of us are blood-related, except for you."If Margaret's words resembled arrows striking Ralph’s heart, Celine's words were knives stabbing him. Ralph looked at his sister as if he heard so much but could not listen. "Y-You conspired to trick me! You planned this! I don't believe it. I don't believe you!”Then without knowing where his extra strength came from, he suddenly broke free from those who held him down and rushed toward Margaret. He knelt at her feet, hugged her legs, and said, "Mom, how could you do this to me? Don’t you love me the most? Why did you work with those people to frame me
Margaret never expected Ralph to talk to her like this. She looked at the son she had raised and loved for her whole life, but he seemed to be a stranger saying such hurtful words."I don't believe it!" Ralph took the DNA reports away from the others, glanced at them briefly, then tore them to pieces. Then he said calmly, "I’ve seen the real ones, and I’m sure these are fake.“Also, my mother’s dementia has become even more severe over time, so don’t believe her words. None of the things she said is true since she doesn’t even know what she’s saying."Then he looked at the housekeeper. "Ruth, take my mom back to her room to rest."However, no one moved or responded to his words. He stood there like a clown while everyone looked at him like a joke that was deceiving himself and others.Ralph was annoyed and exclaimed, "Ruth!”"Stop yelling!" Celine shouted, "Do you think anyone still believes what you say now?!""Y-You colluded with Alex. You already knew about this, right? You a