She walked close to Madeline's side, her chin held high.

In their minds, Ethan would officially introduce Seraphina to society at today's summit.

Because just yesterday, Madeline had given Ethan a formal proposal: to announce Seraphina’s entry into the company's executive management team during the summit.

Ethan had agreed.

Of course, the plan he agreed to was Madeline’s version.

The real plan was in my hands.

Halfway through the summit, the master of ceremonies announced a special segment.

"Next, let us welcome the Chairman of the Conglomerate, Mr. Ethan, and our special guest, Ms. Morgan, to the stage to jointly release a vital strategic partnership announcement."

Ethan and I stepped onto the stage simultaneously from opposite sides.

The grand hall of eight hundred people fell dead silent.

While many in the investment circle already knew from the previous forum that Morgan was a woman, they had no idea about the true relationship between Morgan and Ethan.

Today, they found out.

Ethan picked up the microphone.

"Today, I officially announce that our conglomerate has entered into a comprehensive strategic partnership with Morgan Investments."

"Ms. Morgan will be stepping in as a Joint Strategic Advisor, directly participating in the core decision-making of the conglomerate for the next three years."

"Her investment portfolio and our business sectors are highly complementary. This partnership will open up an entirely fresh growth space for the corporation."

An eruption of applause thundered below the stage.

Seated in the fourth row, Seraphina and Madeline’s expressions began to warp.

Because this was completely different from the announcement they had anticipated.

They expected the announcement to be Seraphina entering executive management.

Not another woman standing center stage, shoulder to shoulder with Ethan.

Ethan finished speaking and handed the microphone over to me.

I took it.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I am Morgan. I am also Ethan's wife, Alaina."

In an instant, the entire venue exploded.

Hushed murmurs, sharp gasps, and the chaotic scraping of chairs echoed throughout the room.

Morgan was the CEO's wife?

The most elusive, enigmatic shadow investor in the financial world was Ethan's wife?

I waited for five seconds.

I waited until the room settled back into a heavy quiet.

"I know you are all incredibly surprised. But I am not steping into the spotlight today to give high society something to gossip about."

"I am steping forward because certain individuals have attempted to exploit the internal vulnerabilities within the conglomerate to secure illicit gains for themselves."

"And the actions of these individuals have crossed my absolute line."

I turned my gaze squarely toward the fourth row.

Madeline’s face had turned completely, stark white.

Beside her, Seraphina’s fingers gripped the strap of her designer purse with a white-knuckled intensity.

"Today, I am here to publicly expose several facts."

"First, Madeline, a shadow shareholder within the conglomerate who holds a three percent stake. Those shares were not acquired through legitimate commercial channels, but were secured entirely through coercive blackmail."

"Second, over the past two months, Madeline has privately met with five of the company's shareholders, attempting to install her own proxy into executive management without the authorization of the board of directors."

"Third, the corresponding evidence of the aforementioned actions has already been thoroughly compiled and officially delivered to the corporate legal department and the board."

I paused for a brief moment.

"As for the files Madeline holds—the materials she fondly believes can threaten the CEO."

I turned my eyes to Ethan.

He walked up to the microphone.

"Regarding the financial issue outlined in those documents, I actively came forward to the relevant regulatory authorities last week to provide a full clarification."

"The audit has already been completed, officially confirming that I am entirely clear of any legal non-compliance."

"Therefore, effective today, those materials no longer possess any power or validity whatsoever."

The entire hall fell into an absolute, breathless silence.

Madeline’s face shifted from a stark white into a hollow gray.

She bolted to her feet.

But before she could even open her mouth to speak, someone else moved ahead of her.

Three of the five shareholders she had previously rallied stood up almost simultaneously.

"Ethan, we didn't understand the full scope of the situation before. When Madeline contacted us, she explicitly claimed she was representing your wishes. We see now that it was a total fabrication."

"Exactly. She brought out a file and claimed that if we didn't cooperate, the entire board would be dragged down. It is blindingly clear now that it was all a lie."

"Ethan, we never agreed to any of her terms. Please be assured of our absolute loyalty."

When the wall crumbles, everyone pushes.

Madeline stood frozen in her place, watching the people around her distance themselves one by one.

Seraphina’s face was completely drained of blood.

She tugged frantically at Madeline’s hand.

"Mom..."

Madeline violently shoved her hand away.

She glared at me up on the stage with a venomous intensity.

"Alaina! You honestly think you’ve won?"

"You think dismantling my chessboard means you walk away unscathed?"

"Have you forgotten that I am still your mother?!"

The words rang out sharply, echoing across the entire venue.

Eight hundred people turned their eyes to fixate entirely on me.

I stood center stage.

The microphone was steady in my hand.

Eight hundred pairs of eyes stared back at me.

"Madeline, you abandoned me when I was six years old."

"The day you walked out, you ransacked the house and took every single thing of value, including the thirty thousand dollars inside my biological father’s bank account."

"After you left, my father passed me off to my stepfather. My stepfather beat me for eleven brutal years."

"Throughout those eleven years, you did not come to see me a single time."

"Not a single phone call."

"Not a single letter."

"Right up until Ethan killed my stepfather to save my life, and spent ten long years behind bars."

"During those ten years, you lived a life of luxury in Nashville, raising your cherished younger daughter, without ever checking once to see if I was dead or alive."

"And now, you stand before me and have the audacity to claim you are my mother?"

I placed the microphone flat onto the podium.

My voice wasn't loud, but it cut clearly through the room.

"You don't deserve the title."

Madeline’s mouth opened slightly.

But no sound came out.

The people neighboring her row were already casting looks of intense complexity in her direction.

Disgust, pity, shock—a chaotic mixture of judgment.

Seraphina finally snapped, unable to contain herself.

She screamed toward the stage.

"Stop bullying my mom!"

"My mom had her reasons! She had no choice back then!"

"No choice?"

I turned my eyes to her.

"While you were being raised in haute couture, I wore discarded clothes picked out from the trash."

"While you were sent to the finest private schools, I was dodging my stepfather's flying fists."

"Where exactly was your mother's choice then, and where exactly was mine?"

Seraphina was entirely choked by my words, unable to utter a syllable.

An avalanche of tears spilled down her face.

I walked down the steps of the stage.

As I passed directly by them, I didn't break my stride.

Behind my back, the whispers swelled into a deafening roar.

Felix was waiting for me right by the exit doors.

"Alaina, it's done."

I nodded slowly.

The first round was over.

But there was more to come.

Chapter 22

By the very next morning following the summit, the news had thoroughly saturated every corner of high society.

The CEO's wife was Morgan.

Madeline’s blackmail of Ethan had been thoroughly exposed to the public.

Seraphina was the half-sister of the CEO's wife.

The socialite circle exploded into absolute chaos.

Mrs. Miller was the first to call.

"Lana, about what happened at the Orchid Club last time... that was entirely my mistake. I had no idea you were so..."

She struggled to unearth the right word.

"...so exceptionally capable. If you ever require anything in the future, please do not hesitate to ask."

I hung up the phone.

Olivia’s call came right after.

"Lana, you hid your cards remarkably deep. But you handled it perfectly—people like that deserve to be stripped of their masks in public."

I hung up on her, too.

Mr. Davis personally arrived at my office, bringing two bottles of exceptional wine.

"Ma'am... no, Ms. Morgan. I look forward to our expansive corporate collaborations in the future."

I had Mrs. Higgins take the wine.

The reactions from the outside world fell perfectly within my expectations.

The only thing I was truly waiting for was the reaction of two specific individuals.

Seraphina’s reaction arrived on the third day.

She didn't come to find me.

Instead, she went straight to Grandma Helen’s estate.

Arthur called to alert me immediately.

"Ma'am, Seraphina is kneeling right outside the gates of the courtyard, weeping and begging Grandma Helen to grant her justice."

"What did Grandma Helen say?"

"She ordered the gates to remain closed. She refused to see her."