Chapter 143: Dew Romance
Harriet suddenly jumped to her feet, "What's going on? Why is Griffin with Owen!"
Gemma never saw this coming. She was so angry her lips were trembling, "How dare he hold a public press conference, how dare he!"
Tristan looked at Harriet, "Harriet, Griffin is Owen's illegitimate son. He's only half a year younger than me. He's taken over my old position now - he's the new CEO of the Lancaster Group."
Harriet couldn't believe it, "How is that possible? How could he be Owen's illegitimate son!"
"Stop playing innocent with me!" Gemma vented all her anger on Harriet, "You dare say you didn't know anything about this beforehand? You dare say you had no hand in this?"
"I told you, this has nothing to do with Harriet." Tristan's expression turned cold, "Uma, take my mom back to the hospital."
Gemma said angrily, "Tristan, they're both bullying us, and you're still protecting Harriet?"
Tristan's face grew even darker.
Seeing things going badly, Uma quickly led Gemma away.
As the door closed, the sound from the TV became clearer.
Griffin wore a dark suit, methodically introducing the Lancaster Group's development plans for the next six months.
The screen suddenly went dark - Tristan had turned off the TV.
Harriet struggled to collect her thoughts and turned to look at him, "When did you find out?"
"Just these past couple days." Tristan pulled her hand and sat back down, "Harriet, you should have figured it out."
He and Griffin looked alike, and given Owen's character, it wasn't hard to connect the dots.
Harriet suddenly remembered what Griffin had said at dinner that day.
[If one day I end up on the opposite side from Tristan, what would you choose?]
Did Griffin already know about his background back then?
These past few days she'd rarely seen Griffin - was he busy taking over the Lancaster Group?
Owen broke with Tristan, Griffin acknowledged Owen as his father - this would inevitably put him in opposition to Tristan.
Harriet didn't dare imagine what the situation would be like between these half-brothers in the future.
At ten that evening, Griffin returned to his hotel room, loosened his tie, poured himself a drink, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window to look at the bustling city nightscape outside.
His phone suddenly vibrated. Griffin pulled it from his pocket, and his eyes paused when he saw the name on the screen.
After more than ten seconds, he finally answered, his tone as gentle as always, "Harriet, why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Griffin, don't you have anything you want to tell me?"
Griffin smiled, "You saw the livestream?"
"Yes."
"It's hard to explain everything over the phone." Griffin took a sip of his drink, "Tomorrow - it's Saturday so you don't have work. I'll come find you in the morning, okay?"
"Okay."
Griffin hung up. His gentle face showed no extra emotion as he tilted his head back and drained the liquor in one gulp.
The next morning, when Harriet got up, Tristan was still in bed.
After washing up, she sat at her vanity applying skincare products when she suddenly noticed a small medicine bottle in the drawer. Something occurred to her, and she immediately took out a pill and swallowed it.
After getting ready, Harriet left.
As soon as she was gone, Tristan opened his eyes.
He threw off the covers, got up, and walked straight to the vanity. He opened the drawer and took out the medicine bottle.
He didn't recognize the drug name on it.
Tristan picked up his phone and took a photo of the medication. The relevant information came up quickly.
When he saw those few words, his eyes turned ice cold.
When Harriet came downstairs, Griffin had already arrived.
He was driving a black Bentley, wearing a light gray casual suit that made him look a bit more gentle than in yesterday's livestream.
"Harriet, have you had breakfast?"
"Yes." Harriet said, "I want to ride the Ferris wheel."
"Okay."
Griffin drove to the amusement park. Because it was Saturday, there were quite a few people, and they had to wait in line for over ten minutes before getting on the Ferris wheel.
In the cabin, the two sat facing each other.
Harriet looked at him, "Tristan said you're Owen's biological son. Is that true?"
"I only just found out that Owen is my father." Griffin said calmly, "Who would have thought I'd have this kind of connection with Tristan."
"Did you really just find out?" Harriet asked suspiciously, "I feel like you knew all along. Otherwise why would you have asked me that day about making a choice?"
"Harriet, when have I ever lied to you?" Griffin asked back.
Harriet nodded, "Griffin, I hope you'll never deceive me. Can you promise that?"
"Of course." Griffin smiled slightly, "I found my family - you should be happy for me."
Harriet hesitated, then asked, "Did Mr. Owen Lancaster say anything about what happened between him and your mother?"
"He said it was just a fling." Griffin said lightly, "After their one-night stand, my mom disappeared. He had no idea I existed. It was only when he saw me at the Apex Global Group banquet that he got suspicious. After investigating, he found out I was his son. My mom always had strong principles - she must have found out afterward that he had a family, so she left without saying anything. She soon discovered she was pregnant. She always loved children and couldn't bear to have an abortion, so she secretly gave birth to me. She was a woman with a hard life who never enjoyed a single day of happiness."
Harriet's eyes stung with tears, "Griffin, your mother will always watch over you from heaven. Things will get better and better for you."
Griffin smiled warmly, "Harriet, things will get better for both of us."
As the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, Harriet gazed at the scenery outside. The fog that had been weighing on her chest all night seemed to lift a bit.
When Tristan walked into the hospital room, Uma was feeding Gemma medicine.
"I called you so many times, you finally came." Gemma looked at him, "Have you figured out how to deal with that bastard?"
Tristan walked over and sat on the sofa, "I have nothing to do with Owen or the Lancaster Group anymore. Whoever he wants as CEO of the Lancaster Group, or whoever he brings back into the Lancaster family, has nothing to do with me."
"But his actions hurt me!" Gemma said, "That bastard's existence is like a bone stuck in my throat, a thorn in my back. Tristan, you have to help me!"
Tristan's probing gaze fell on her face, "Owen has so many illegitimate children out there. I haven't seen you try to destroy the others. Why can't you stand Griffin?"
"He's different from the others!"
"How is he different?"
Gemma's mouth moved, but she hesitated to speak.
She quickly thought of something, "He's in cahoots with Harriet, scheming against you together! How can I tolerate that! Maybe they've already had sex and betrayed you!"
Tristan's face instantly turned cold, "This is Lancaster family business. Leave Harriet out of it."
"This whole thing involves Harriet - how can I leave her out? She's a participant in all this!" At the mention of Harriet, Gemma's expression grew even uglier, "Harriet and he are clearly on the same side. Can't you see that!"
Uma had been standing quietly to the side listening to their conversation. Now she finally couldn't help but speak up, "Mr. Tristan Lancaster, you wouldn't be unwilling to go after Griffin because of Mrs. Harriet Lancaster, would you?"