Chapter 516
With a heavy thud, Fiona collapsed onto the floor, desperately pulling Mara down beside her.
“Adrian, please, I didn’t teach her this! I swear on my life I had no idea she was doing any of this p>
Internally, Fiona was seething. *I’m the toxic one? You’re the billionaire who came looking for a mistress! It takes two to tango! You loved keeping a woman on the side, but now that it blew up in your face, I’m the scapegoat p>
But she swallowed her venom. For her daughter’s sake, she had to play the victim. Even without the corporate empire, Adrian’s private wealth was enough to keep them dripping in luxury.
If they left, where would they go? Work minimum-wage shifts?
After decades of being pampered in penthouses, the idea of living like a peasant was utterly repulsive.
As long as they endured his temper, she and Mara would inherit everything when the old man finally dropped dead.
“You know she grew up on the streets! I didn’t get to raise her.
We only reunited a few years ago. She doesn’t tell me anything p>
Fiona deliberately pulled the ‘abandoned child’ card to spark his guilt. She genuinely hadn’t known the depths of Mara’s sabotage.
The videos had horrified her. She couldn’t believe her daughter had been so incredibly stupid.
But stupid or not, Mara was her only child, and she would lie through her teeth to protect her.
After an hour of Fiona’s relentless weeping and hysterical begging, Adrian’s energy depleted. He didn’t forgive them, but the brutal reality set in:
Lacey and his legitimate children despised him. Fiona and Mara were the only ones left who would tolerate him.
But the illusion of love was shattered. From that moment on, a cold, suffocating wall stood between Adrian and the two women p>
A few days later, Shane Porter aggressively accelerated his buyout of the Mercer Group’s premium assets.
The Porter family was popping champagne, completely blind to the fact that Mira was circling them like a great white shark.
Ethan stood in Mira’s command
center staring at the ticker. “Are we Leally just going to watch them cannibalize our old tech divisions p>
“Let them gorge themselves for now,” Mira smirked. “When Porter Entertainment is bleeding out in bankruptcy court, you can buy back whatever you want. fo
But take my advice the future is in global internet infrastructure. Don’t cling to the past p>
Mira had zero intention of ever acting like a Mercer again, but Ethan was a highly competent ally. She didn’t mind collaborating with him.
For now, her immediate focus was the advanced pharmacological certification exam Master Ellis was forcing her to take.
Due to her ruthless business
maneuvers and the university
entrance exams, her medical studies
had take
a back seat he had been
cramming for weeks.
Though they shared a bond closer to father and daughter, Master Ellis refused to
show her any mercy when it came to academics.
She had failed the certification once before. This time, she was determined to pass.
But just as she was about to log into the secure testing portal, her encrypted phone buzzed.