Chapter 10

Before I could explain, Carson continued, "You dated Carter just to uncover the secrets of Strauss Group!" Carson rarely spoke with such emotion. He must be truly furious. I felt a bit guilty. He had found out.

Time seemed to slow just as it sped up, and as if on cue, the butler spoke up, "Mr. Strauss and Miss Weston are here." Thinking I dodged a bullet, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Carson, don't go too far. After all, Strauss Group was built by Dad," Carter stated righteously from the doorway.

Carson scoffed coldly, "You mean the company that Remington built with the Clancy family's help? Moreover, that's your father! I don't have such a heartless father!" Carson paused, then scrutinized Carter with a hint of disdain in his eyes before he added, "Nor do I have a brother like you."

Without saying much, yet saying everything, Carson was as sharp-tongued as ever even after all these years. I watched Carter's face turn red with anger. Then suddenly, he turned to me. "Mira, I only pretended to be with Hazel to take over the Weston family. Can we get back together?" He was utterly oblivious to Hazel's livid face next to him, and Carson was trying hard not to burst out laughing.

Indeed, only the Allen Group could now stand up to Clancy Group. But little did Carter know, my love for Carson was genuine, and my relationship with him didn't start as a marriage of convenience. I beckoned with my finger, and Carson tenderly placed his cheek in my hand. "Look at this face, Carter. You are but a counterfeit. Did you think I cared about you?" I said, then kissed Carson.

Carson, curling his lips, stood up and coldly told Carter, "Get out now!" Carter looked at me incredulously. "You've always seen me as a stand-in? No wonder you wouldn't even hold my hand after a year together!"

"Do you regret it?" I asked him with a smile. Carter was plunged into despair, unable to believe that his girlfriend, who seemed to love him so much, had only seen him as a substitute.

Hazel, smart enough to seize the moment, rushed over and clung to my legs, crying bitterly, "Mira, I was wrong before and blinded by stupidity. Please forgive me!" I merely sat in my chair, watching coldly as the security dragged her away, along with the utterly broken Carter, from my house.

Later, when I heard about StraussGroup again, it had become a subsidiary of Clancy Group. Remington was imprisoned, and Carter's whereabouts were unknown. I think this was the best punishment for them. Watching Carson, the diligent homemaker in the kitchen, I couldn't help but smile triumphantly.