Chapter 178
Grace's POV
An elderly woman in an expensive coat, her posture rigid with barely contained fury.
"Grace Wilson," she calls out sharply.
My hand tightens in Alex's. I recognize her immediately. "Aria," I say quietly. "Richard's grandmother."
Her eyes are blazing with anger. "I've been waiting for you, Grace. My grandson has been drinking himself into oblivion for days. Someone told me he was seen on his knees in public, begging you for forgiveness."
So she knows about the supermarket incident. I can feel Alex's muscles tensing beside me.
"Mrs. Harrison," I begin carefully, "I don't think—"
"You've trampled on his genuine feelings," Aria continues, her voice rising with each word. "You want to destroy him completely, don't you? Drive him to ruin just to satisfy your revenge?"
When Aria sees Alex and me holding hands, her fury intensifies to a frightening degree. Her face flushes red as she takes in our joined hands, our obvious intimacy. "So it's true. You have another man by your side."
I feel Alex step slightly forward, positioning himself protectively between us. His entire body has gone rigid, and I can sense the dangerous energy radiating from him.
Aria's face is twisted with rage as she points at me with a trembling finger, her fury completely unmasked. "You despicable woman! Found yourself a new sugar daddy and now you want to completely destroy Richard?"
Her voice cracks with anger, spittle flying as she continues to roar: "He's been drinking himself into oblivion because of you! Buying alcohol like a madman, completely mentally broken! He's become a lunatic!"
I feel Alex's protective grip tighten around my hand. His warmth keeps me steady as Aria's accusations pour out like venom.
"Richard can't eat, can't sleep, he's dying of heartbreak!" she shrieks. "All of this is because of you! It's all your fault!"
What shameless audacity. After everything their family has done to me, she has the nerve to blame me for Richard's self-destruction.
I lean slightly into Alex's embrace, drawing strength from his solid presence. When I speak, my voice is ice-cold and steady: "His downfall is entirely his own doing. And this," I gesture between Alex and myself, "is my lawful husband—someone your Harrison family can't afford to offend."
Our intimate posture, the confidence in my words—it all seems to enrage Aria further. Her face turns an alarming shade of red.
"Water-natured and shameless!" she spits. "You jump from one man to another like a common whore! And you—" she turns to Alex with pure malice, "some pretty boy picked up from a nightclub, I suppose? A worthless gigolo living off a woman! Pathetic trash!"
She whips back to me, her voice rising to a shriek: "You've used dirty tricks to ruin the Harrison family! Living your luxurious life with stolen money!"
Enough.
My cheeks burn with indignation as I step forward. "Richard is a despicable fraud who makes street thugs look honorable in comparison!" I snap back. "My husband and I are perfectly matched—financially, socially, and emotionally. He's an outstanding man with impeccable character and abundant wealth."
I pause, letting my words sink in, then deliver the killing blow: "Your entire Harrison family isn't worthy of my husband's little finger."
I notice Alex's slight smile of satisfaction at my fierce defense of him.
Aria's face contorts with anger and something else—desperation. "You're an orphan!" she spits, her voice becoming hoarse. "In all of Starport, you couldn't find anywhere better than the Harrison family. Richard playing with you was an honor you didn't deserve!"
The words hit like physical blows, but I hold my ground.
"Do you know who you're talking to?"
I feel Alex pull me closer, his arm completely encircling my waist. His presence is like a shield, and when he speaks, his voice cuts through the tension like a blade.
"In the Harrison family's eyes," Alex says, his tone dangerously calm, "fraud, adultery, and deliberate humiliation are all considered honors? How fascinating."
The warmth I always see in his eyes when he looks at me has completely vanished. This is the Alex who builds empires, who ruthlessly crushes competitors. I watch Aria's hunched frame begin to tremble under his surgical stare.
But Aria, desperate and cornered, makes one last stand. "This house was bought with Richard's money!" she declares, though her voice is shaking. "You're living off what our family provided, using our money to support yourselves!"
Alex's response is measured, each word carefully chosen. "My wife supporting me is indeed appropriate. But using Harrison family money to support me? You're severely underestimating my wife—and grossly underestimating the Morgan family."
Morgan. I watch the name hit Aria like a physical blow. Her face, which had been flushed with anger moments before, now drains of all color. Cold sweat creeps across her skin as the implications crash over her.
"You're trying to fool me," she whispers, but even she can hear the doubt in her own voice.
This is my moment. The moment I've been waiting for since I discovered their lies, their betrayal, and how they treated me like garbage for years.
"My husband," I say clearly, my voice carrying across the entire estate grounds, "is Alex Morgan, CEO of Morgan International."
The words hang in the air like a death sentence.
Aria staggers backward, her legs giving out. She barely manages to stay upright with her cane. I watch with cold satisfaction as her world collapses in real time.
Finally, they understand exactly who they've been threatening.