Chapter 223 She is a Fake
Harriet stayed at Apex Global Group, never leaving the building.
She didn't even attend Rhea's funeral.
She was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought, when someone suddenly hugged her from behind.
The familiar scent of male hormones wrapped around her, inexplicably putting her at ease.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about how to kill Lark, of course."
Tristan kissed her hair. "I'll handle this. You just stay here and be safe."
"Lark saved your life. Can you really bring yourself to hurt her?"
"Whatever I owed her, I've already paid back in full." Tristan said coldly. "What she owes you, I'll get back for you."
Harriet said, "She's now a young lady of the Romanov family. If you want to touch her, it's going to take some effort, isn't it?"
Tristan held her tightly. "Anyone who dares to hurt you, I won't let them get away with it."
Her phone suddenly rang.
Harriet took it out and saw it was a call from Jasper.
She swiped to answer. "Uncle Jasper, you're looking for me?"
"Harriet, how have you been lately?"
"Pretty good."
"Don't hide it from me. Tristan has already sent people to protect me at the store. You must have run into some trouble." Jasper sighed. "Harriet, I can't help you, but the only thing I can do for you is not be a burden. Don't worry, I'll definitely stay home and not run around, so I won't add to your troubles."
"Thank you."
There was some commotion on the other end of the phone. After a while, Jasper spoke with difficulty. "Harriet, today, I actually have something else I want to ask of you."
"Go ahead."
"It's about Elowen," Jasper said. "Since she graduated and came back to the country, she's been doing nothing, taking a lot of money from me, spending it who knows where. No matter how much I try to talk to her, she won't listen."
"So I want to ask you to help me with her. It would be best if you could let her work at your company, guide her onto the right path, so she doesn't make shady friends outside and go down the wrong road."
"Uncle Jasper, I can't help with this." Harriet refused directly. "Elowen has bad values and sticky fingers. After I caught her stealing and she refused to admit her mistake, I cut ties with her. So I can't help with her situation."
Xanthe's voice quickly came through the phone. "Harriet, you have your own company now. Arranging a job for Elowen is just a small favor, isn't it? How can you not help? I think you just don't want to help!"
"That's right, I just don't want to help," Harriet admitted frankly. "Since we've already cut ties, I have no obligation to help her. Besides, if she's really turned over a new leaf, where can't she find a job?"
Xanthe cursed out loud. "Harriet, you're so heartless! The Getty family worked so hard to raise you all these years, and even got you into a wealthy family! And now you won't even help with this small favor! Let me tell you, Elowen is my precious daughter. If you won't help her, I'll divorce your useless uncle!"
"What are you saying?" Jasper's voice came through. "How can you talk to Harriet like that!"
"I'm telling the truth! Didn't the Getty family raise her? Your parents loved her more than they loved Elowen! Of course, she should repay us!"
Harriet pressed her temples and spoke calmly. "Aunt Xanthe, Grandpa and Grandma raised me because I'm their granddaughter."
"They didn't raise me so I could kneel and thank you for it."
"I won't get involved in Elowen's affairs. As for the divorce you mentioned..." Harriet laughed lightly. "Today is Tuesday, and the courthouse is open right now. If you want a divorce, hurry up."
"With my current income, plus my status as Mrs. Lancaster, there should be plenty of people willing to marry Uncle Jasper."
"You should vacate your position sooner and make way for another woman. Finding a gentle and kind woman to marry Uncle Jasper is what I'd like to see."
Xanthe was stunned. "How dare you, Harriet, try to force me to divorce?"
"You're the one who said it," Harriet said coldly. "I'm going to tell Tristan right now that this divorce must happen."
"Don't!" Xanthe panicked and immediately changed her tune. "Harriet, I was just joking with you. Jasper and I have such a great relationship, how could we possibly divorce?"
The speed of her attitude change almost made Harriet laugh.
"Are you sure you don't want a divorce?" Harriet smiled. "Didn't you just say that if I don't help Elowen, you'd divorce?"
"I was joking," Xanthe said. "Elowen isn't doing well, that's her fault. Harriet, don't be angry. Come home for dinner whenever you have time."
Harriet didn't bother with her anymore and hung up directly.
Tristan smiled and stroked her hair. "Harriet, I still remember two years ago, your uncle was your weakness. When I said I'd close his store, you'd obediently give in."
"Yeah, thinking about myself back then, I was really useless." Harriet pulled at the corner of her mouth. "Actually, I'm still useless now, otherwise Rhea wouldn't have died..."
"Don't think about that anymore." Tristan held her. "What I promised you, I'll definitely do."
Lark didn't expect Elowen to come looking for her again.
"What, you spent three hundred thousand dollars that quickly? Want to be a dog again?"
Elowen picked up the fruit plate from the coffee table and calmly ate the fruit. "Lark, you really have good luck. After being used by Owen and then dumped, you became a stray dog that everyone in Emberfall hated. But then you turned around and became a young lady of the Romanov family."
Lark's expression turned cold. "Elowen, are you tired of living? How dare you talk to me like this?"
Elowen pursed her lips. "You say I'm too into my role, but actually you're the one who's too into it. You don't really think you're a Romanov family young lady, do you?"
Lark frowned. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is," Elowen said word by word, "you're not the Romanov family's young lady at all."
Lark's eyes turned cold. "Elowen! What nonsense are you talking about!"
"Am I talking nonsense?" Elowen laughed lightly. "The Romanov family found you based on the amulet you had, plus you have Rh-negative type O blood, which confirmed you were the Romanov family's lost child."
"If I'm not mistaken, that amulet used for identification should be the one I stole from Harriet and gave to you, right?"
"Back then, you asked me to steal from Harriet, saying the more Harriet liked something, the more valuable it was. So I deliberately made a fake amulet and switched out the real one to give to you, and you gave me a hundred thousand dollars for it."
"Plus, you and Harriet both have Rh-negative type O blood, so Harriet is the real Romanov family young lady!"
Lark's face turned white inch by inch.
Elowen became more certain of her guess. "As for why the paternity test didn't reveal you were a fake, I bet you used some method to get through it."
Lark quickly denied it. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
"You don't understand?" Elowen sneered. "Then I'll go find the Romanov family right now and tell them about this, have them bring Harriet for a face-to-face confrontation, or do another paternity test. How about that?"
"Elowen!" Lark clenched her fists. "What do you want!"
"Don't be angry. If I really wanted to do something to you, I wouldn't have come here to find you. I would have gone to Harriet instead."
Lark looked her over. "Tell me, how much money do you want?"
"Lark, if I wanted money, that would really be blackmail." Elowen smiled. "I said before, we're allies. We should help each other."
"I'll help you keep this secret and let you continue pretending to be the Romanov family young lady instead of Harriet. You help me get what I want."
"Looks like your appetite isn't just about money anymore." Lark narrowed her eyes. "Just say it straight. What exactly do you want?"
"No matter how much money you give me, it'll run out eventually. It's better if you bring me into high society, then I'll have money I can never finish spending."
Lark leaned back into the sofa, propping her head with one hand, looking at her with a half-smile. "If you want to enter high society, isn't that simple? Just go directly to Harriet."
A flash of hostility crossed Elowen's eyes. "I already asked her, but she's afraid I'll steal her spotlight once I enter high society, so she won't give me this chance at all."
"She even used the excuse of me stealing to cut ties with me. A few days ago, my mom asked her to help arrange a job for me and she refused. She's really my good sister."
Lark smiled. "She's always been this fake. It's not surprising she'd treat you this way."
"So, Lark, if you help me, we'll be like real sisters. From now on, we'll help each other, become people at the top together, and crush Harriet under our feet. That would be so satisfying!"