Chapter 115
Laura's POV
When I learned the full story from Richard, I felt the same anger they did. But now I am the true matriarch of the Harrison family, and I will protect everything we have.
The machines beeped steadily, constantly reminding me that Holden was fighting for his life. Margaret had taken Aria back to the family estate to rest properly – caring for the sick was too exhausting for the elderly matriarch.
Finally, I can step into the role I rightfully deserve.
The irony wasn't lost on me. Grace, that manipulative bitch, had orchestrated this entire disaster, yet here I was, picking up the pieces as I always did. Just as I had been doing for six years while she played house with my husband.
She thinks she's won. But she doesn't know that everything she's done has only benefited me.
My phone buzzed incessantly in my purse. Social media notifications. News alerts. The media frenzy had begun the moment that business channel broke Richard's "fake marriage scandal."
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the carnage. My Instagram account had been discovered and was being torn apart by internet vigilantes. Thousands of comments flooded in:
"Home-wrecker!"
"How could you destroy an innocent woman's marriage?"
"Your poor daughter will grow up knowing her mother is a liar!"
My posts were now buried under an avalanche of hatred. My profile photos were being shared with cruel captions about "the other woman."
They'll never understand. None of them will.
The pressure was suffocating, but I'd endured worse. I'd survived six years of hiding, of pretending my daughter didn't exist, of watching that woman take over everything.
Richard's face was gaunt and hollow, his usually perfect hair hanging limp and lifeless.
"You should take Emma home," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'll stay with Dad. The media's watching everything – you two shouldn't be seen in public right now."
Even now, he's trying to protect us.
I moved toward him, my heels clicking softly on the linoleum. "We're in this together, Richard. I'm not abandoning you when you need me most."
I wrapped my arms around his trembling frame, feeling his body sag against mine. For a moment, the confident CEO facade cracked completely, revealing the broken man underneath.
"She destroyed everything," he whispered into my hair. "The company, Dad's health, our family's reputation... How did she become so ruthless?"
"Because she finally showed her true colors," I thought with satisfaction.
Sweet, naive Grace was always just an act.
"She's angry," I murmured, stroking his back. "But anger fades. This media storm will pass, and people will move on to the next scandal."
What I didn't say was how perfectly this was playing into my hands. Richard was finally seeing Grace for what she really was – a vindictive, calculating woman who'd use any weapon to get revenge. No more pedestals. No more comparisons to the "perfect wife" who'd supposedly loved him unconditionally.
Now he knows who really stands by him.
I pulled back to meet his eyes. "The Harrison family still owns nearly thirty percent of the company shares. That's not nothing, Richard. We have resources, connections. Grace thinks she's won, but she's made a critical error."
"What do you mean?"
I guided him to the small seating area by the window, my mind already calculating our next moves. "She wants complete control of Harrison Group, right? But to truly eliminate your family's influence, she'll need to take the company public. That's the only way to dilute your shareholding enough to make it meaningless."
Richard's brow furrowed. "The IPO..."
"Exactly. But going public means scrutiny. Federal oversight. Quarterly earnings reports. She's brilliant at product development, but does she have the stamina for that kind of pressure? The board meetings, the investor calls, the regulatory compliance?"
For the first time since yesterday's disaster, I saw a flicker of hope in his eyes.
That's right, darling. Remember who's been your strategic partner all these years.
"You think she'll crack under the pressure?"
"I think Grace has bitten off more than she can chew," I said with quiet confidence. "And when she does, we'll be ready."
---
Grace's POV
I stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows of Harrison Group headquarters, watching Starport's skyline glitter in the afternoon sunlight. The executive restructuring meeting I'd just concluded had gone even more smoothly than I'd anticipated.
Richard and Holden had been completely expelled from the group.
I turned to face the remaining management team in the conference room. These people were all mine now – the interim CEO I'd poached from Morgan International, and the core Harrison Group employees I'd worked with.
"Ladies and gentlemen," I began, my voice calm and steady, "today marks the beginning of a new era for Harrison Group. We're not seeking revenge – we're correcting mistakes."
I could feel every pair of eyes in the room focused on me, filled with awe and a hint of fear. The outside world thought my methods were too cruel, affecting countless people's careers. But they didn't understand – I had built this company's core business architecture with my own hands. These employees were all innocent.
What I'm doing is saving this company, not destroying it.
"Our primary objective is operational stability," I continued. "Client relationships, product development, market share – all of these must be maintained. We need to prove to the market that Harrison Group will operate better without the Harrison family."
"Grace, about the IPO timeline..."
"We won't announce it for now," I interrupted. "We won't rush to go public to meet arbitrary deadlines. When we're ready, we'll repackage the entire group and enter the market with a completely new image."
My real plan was far more complex than this. I intended to completely dilute the Harrison family's shareholding through a series of capital operations, leaving them with nothing. But this would take time and strategy.
They think thirty percent of the shares can protect them. They're wrong.
After the meeting ended, I walked alone toward the elevator. The employees looked at me with complex expressions – awe mixed with fear. I knew what they were thinking. The outside world said I was a woman with an extreme desire for revenge and ruthless methods.
Maybe they're right.
The moment the elevator doors closed, I finally allowed myself to show a trace of exhaustion. Today's victory was complete, but the cost was enormous. I had destroyed a family, caused an old man to have a heart attack, and made countless people lose their jobs.