During the holiday, I come across the wedding announcement of my son, Howard Miller, online while recuperating overseas.

To my shock, his fiancee is a woman in her 60s!

I rush home immediately, only to find that my adopted daughters are gathered around my adopted son, William Miller, and fussing over him.

When they see me, they each have something to say.

"Ethan, Howard says he likes older women. We've tried talking him out of it, but he won't listen."

"Don't worry, Ethan. After Howard marries Ms. Holloway and joins her family as a live-in son-in-law, we'll help him manage all of the Miller family's businesses."

"No matter which one of us William chooses to marry in the end, we'll respect it. The most important thing is to produce an heir for the Miller family to carry on the bloodline."

As I look at Howard, who is already numb from all the torment, my entire body trembles with rage.

The young women who are supposed to become my future daughter-in-law think they can steal everything away from my son.

Dream on!

I watched as the ladies continued babbling on, yet I was unable to process a single word that was said.

Back then, I carefully selected them from the orphanage and brought them back to my family with the intention of raising one of them to become an exceptional wife for my son, Howard Miller. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine they'd turn out to be a bunch of greedy women with such feral ambition.

Before they could say another word, I hurled my luggage straight at them. "Get out of here!"

They froze for a moment, completely blindsided. Meanwhile, the fake son I adopted, William Miller, picked up my luggage hurriedly. He said, "Dad, you must be exhausted, considering that you have just gotten off a flight.

"Please don't blame them for not picking you up earlier. They are just too worn out from working overtime every day for the sake of the company, all just so they don't disappoint you."

It was only at this moment that I lifted my head to observe William carefully. Although he was just a fake scion, he had a flawless appearance. He even dressed the part.

My son, on the other hand, was just dressed in shabby clothes. To outsiders, they might even mistake William for the true heir of our family.

It appeared as if he saw through my doubts. Right after that, with a prideful expression, he glanced to the side, where Eleanor Atkins, Shakira Lawson, and Iris Wade were standing.

Then, he said with a smile, "My younger sisters have really treated me so well. Honestly, I can't choose between them right now. But Dad, don't you worry. Even though Howard has been diagnosed with azoospermia, I will ensure the Miller family's name doesn't end with him.

"After I get married in the future, I, along with our family's precious grandson, will be sure to take good care of you."

His words left me light-headed. Who gave him the guts to utter such things to me?

The ones standing behind him did not cut him off at all. That was not all. They watched him with sheer adoration on their faces. The moment I noticed that, it all became clear to me.

Perhaps I hadn't been clear enough in the first place, giving them the impression that I was going to make William the heir of the Miller family. Nevertheless, even if this was the case, that was no excuse for them to trample all over my very own son!

I took a deep breath, taking Howard's hand in mine as I said to William, "I'm not interested in the affairs of lowly people like all of you."

Upon hearing that, William stared at me in disbelief, as if he could not believe his ears. "Did… Did I do anything wrong to upset you?"

Eleanor was the first to come back to her senses. She shielded William behind her and defended him, saying, "Don't tell Will off like that, Ethan. Just think of the puppies in the garden. He was the one who took them in.

"It is a blessing for the Miller family to have someone so kind inherit the family!"

Suddenly, my heart sank. I quickly pulled Howard's sleeves up, and his skin had reddened and swelled up, just as I had expected. Some spots were even oozing with pus, looking as if they had been repeatedly scratched till they bled.

Enraged, I pointed at her and criticized, "Is this how you have been caring for my son? Didn't you know he's allergic to dog fur?"

Upon hearing that, Shakira yanked Howard toward her. "Tell us, Howard. Since when were you ever allergic to dog fur? How could you make such a thing up with Ethan?"

Thereafter, she turned to me and said, "Ethan, you have no idea how much of a bully Howard usually is toward Will. He always orders Will around when you are away. He even pretended to be sick and made Will care for him overnight…

"Didn't he do all that only because he was envious of how nice we were to Will? So, these scars you now see on him? He totally fabricated them."

Those words really amused me. I watched Howard grow since he was in his mother's womb. How could she possibly know something about him that I didn't?

I was about to take Howard to the hospital when I noticed a slight limp in his gait.

Before I could even question it, Iris stepped in front of me, blocking my way. "Ethan, you've treated us as your own since we were kids. Why don't you trust us?

"Howard, on the other hand, is truly beyond saving!"

As if to prove the credibility of her claims, Iris even pulled her phone out and swiped through photographs of Howard cuddling with various elderly women.

She shot Howard a disdainful glance, saying, "You have no idea how filthy he is. While you went overseas to recuperate, he brought all kinds of old women back home. No one would ever take him in if it weren't for Ms. Holloway, who doesn't mind him."

The moment she said that, I felt Howard begin to tremble like a leaf.

I had always known that Iris was Howard's favorite person out of the three ladies. Now that he'd just heard such hurtful words coming from her, he must be extremely heartbroken.

William looked at these photographs with a smirk on his face. Yet, he pretended to be troubled by saying, "This was all my fault. I shouldn't have left Howard to indulge himself."

Upon hearing that, Eleanor, Shakira, and Iris rushed to comfort William. "Howard was the one who couldn't keep it in his pants. He was the one who didn't take good care of himself. What does that have to do with you?

"Don't blame yourself for it. He was the one who asked for it!"

As Howard listened to all that, he lowered his head nervously and gripped my sleeve tightly. He looked as white as a sheet as he stammered, "D-Dad, I didn't do any of that."

Upon seeing that, I put my arms around him. My heart was aching for him. I glared at those standing before me as I comforted him, saying, "You are my one and only child. Why would I believe the words of a bunch of outsiders instead of yours?"

I stared coldly at the ingrates before my eyes, already secretly deciding on my next move.

Before they could actually process what I just said, I led Howard out of the front door. However, we ended up bumping into the sleazy-looking Monica Holloway.

She looked at Howard with a playful gleam in her eyes. Thereafter, she turned toward me with a smile. "Mr. Miller, I'm here to take Howie to have our wedding outfits fitted."

Contempt filled my heart as I observed that trampy face of hers. "You are even older than I am. How dare you dream of marrying my son? Are you out of your damn mind?"

Silence filled the air for a few seconds before Eleanor hurried up to us, explaining, "Howard was the one who wanted to marry her! Moreover, given his wild lifestyle all these years and how much Ms. Holloway has to offer, Howard has really punched above his weight."

I couldn't hold myself back any longer. Before she even finished speaking, I slapped her in the face. "Was I even talking to you? Who do you think you are to negotiate my son's marriage before me?"

Eleanor didn't seem to expect me to yell at her, let alone hit her. After all, I had always put a lot of effort into raising her, believing that she was the most promising of the three.

She froze in place. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and she was at a loss for words. "I—"

Upon seeing that, William threw his arms around her, stroking her face in sympathy. Then, he choked out, "Dad, Ellie has been taking care of Howard on your behalf while you were away these few years.

"If not for her, Howard would probably have already let himself go and resorted to becoming a male escort! Being able to marry into the Holloway family is considered the best outcome for him. How could you hit Ellie over this?"

Monica snapped back to her senses, chiming in furiously, "Mr. Miller, I did not even utter a single word of dissatisfaction about him being unclean. How dare you be displeased about my age?"

Then, she turned toward Eleanor and the others and said in a sarcastic tone, "Everyone knows Howard is unable to have children. Mr. Ethan claims he has been recuperating overseas in recent years, but I reckon he's actually secretly trying to have a son of his own.

"It's just such a pity that he's also an old man himself, no longer capable of having any more children. That was probably why he thought of adopting William from the orphanage to inherit the Miller family.

"That reminds me—I am expecting a billion dollars as the wedding gift for having this useless and promiscuous son of yours to marry into my family. Otherwise, did you actually think I'd genuinely want to take this useless piece of trash in?"

At this point, I came to a clear understanding of why they had the guts to treat my son like this.

Nevertheless, Monica was mistaken. Other than spending my time recuperating overseas in recent years, I had also made significant progress in expanding my business overseas. One of those businesses involved an important project with Monica's company.

Well, well. I'd love to see how pathetic she'd look when weeping and begging me for mercy in the days to come.

My silence prompted Monica to take another step toward me. With a smirk on her face, she asked, "From the Miller family's perspective, a wedding gift of one billion dollars wouldn't hurt, would it?

"But then again, Howard is a crippled man. He's no different from damaged goods. How about this, Mr. Ethan? You're decent-looking enough. How about you marry me as well? Just think of it as your way of making amends to me."

Before she even finished her sentence, something came over Howard. He lunged forward and slapped her in her face. "Watch what you're saying!"

Upon seeing that, William wiped the grin off his face and grabbed hold of Howard. "Howard! Do you have any idea what you are doing? No one's going to want you if the Holloway family breaks the engagement off!

"Or, are you actually unable to get over Eleanor, Shakira, and Iris? Is that why you're unwilling to marry into the Holloway family and insist on staying and competing with me for them?"

At that last question, Eleanor and the others stifled a mocking laugh. "Don't get all worked up, Will. There's no way he'd be able to compete against you."

"That's right. He will only end up marrying into the Holloway family, regardless of whether he's willing to do so today. This is also for the benefit of the Miller family's reputation."

Stunned momentarily from the slap, Monica flew into a rage after she came back to her senses. She grabbed Howard by his hair, yanking him with her as she headed toward the door. "Scion of the Miller family? You are just a disabled person no one wants. Hurry up and follow me!"

I smacked her hands away immediately. "Howard is my only son. Did you think I'd actually allow him to marry a piece of trash like you? I'm warning you—I will make your family disappear if you lay another finger on him!"

Monica gulped. While releasing Howard from her grasp, she hissed under her breath, "Weren't you the one who abandoned him? What's with this sudden display of parental love after returning home now?

"Your family will be handed over to William sooner or later. My advice to you is to think fast and rid yourself of Howard before he drags you down with him."

Just then, several luxury cars came to a stop outside. I recognized the logos—they belonged to an auction house. It probably cost quite a bit to summon the staff members from the auction house to our residence.

I pulled Howard aside quietly, then sent a text message to my assistant, Caryn Holt. Barely a few minutes later, she replied, "It's done. I'm making my way there right now."

I breathed a sigh of relief and urged Howard to remain calm after reading Caryn's message.

The people from the auction house headed straight to William. Then, they laid out an array of expensive jewelry before him. "Mr. William, these are the pieces the ladies won by putting in uncapped bids at the auction that they took you to the other day.

"We are now personally delivering them to you. Also, these are newly arrived items. The ladies told us to bring them along for you to have a look."

William shot Howard a smug look, then reached out to run his fingers over the pieces. With a nonchalant expression on his face, he said, "There's just too much here. I won't be able to fit them all in my room."

Iris gave Howard a sidelong glance and said, "As it happens, Howard is leaving soon. That'll free up a room for your belongings."

Upon hearing that, a staff member from the auction house smiled. With a wave of a hand, she summoned the people behind her over with all kinds of precious items in their hands.

The staff member said, "In that case, please settle the outstanding payment today, ladies."

Even Monica was floored to see the dazzling line-up of items. "You ladies really are the future daughters-in-law of the Miller family. You are all so generous toward the heir of the Miller family."

William became increasingly smug upon hearing that compliment. He chose a crystal phoenix badge and pinned it to Howard's collar.

Instantly, I recognized that piece—The Phenomenal Phoenix. It was the final masterpiece created by a famous designer before his death. Out of all these items, it was the most exorbitantly priced item.

He gave Howard a patronizing smirk, saying, "I reckon this suits you perfectly. Here—it's my gift to you."

Thereafter, he let out a gasp of fake surprise. "Oh, it's just a crow. I thought it was a phoenix."

After saying that, he flung the badge on the floor. The crystal broke in two immediately. "I can't believe that was actually a crow. Don't bring such cheap things to us next time."

Howard was about to snap back when I scoffed. "Oh, you broke it? Well, congratulations. You couldn't even afford to pay for it even if we sold you off somewhere."

The moment Eleanor heard that, she gave me a tug on my arm. "That's not what Will meant, Ethan. Plus, he's the future heir to the Miller family. Of course, he'd be able to pay for it."

Shakira and Iris walked toward me too. "That's right, Ethan. Didn't you tell us not to hold back when it comes to people and things we're interested in?"

They were right. In the past, I thought they'd treasure my son above all else. Even though I was living overseas, I'd wire them a hefty sum of money every month, all so Howard wouldn't have to suffer.

I never imagined they'd turn around and spend all that money on a fake scion at the end of the day!

When I first adopted William, it was only because he once saved Howard's life when he was still a child. At that thought, I took a glance at Howard's legs. It was probably time for me to return what I owed him after all these years.

While the others spoke, Eleanor pulled out a card and handed it over. "Bring all these to Will's room."

However, a few seconds later, a notification pinged on the card machine, indicating that there was insufficient balance in her account.

Eleanor furrowed her brows. "That can't be right. Try this card instead."

Nevertheless, the outcome was the same.

Upon realizing that, Shakira and Iris handed their cards over with grins on their faces. They even teased, "Why did you outbid everyone when you don't even have enough cash? But that's alright. We can afford it too."

I pulled Howard to a bench and sat down with him. I took a sip of tea calmly as we listened to the consecutive notifications from the card machine about there being insufficient funds.

The staff member from the auction house became a little impatient. "Excuse me, ladies, are you sure you can afford to pay for these auctioned items? I should inform you that those who outbid others yet fail to pay up in the end will be charged double for breaking the deal."

William's face began to fall. He cussed under his breath, then handed his own card over. "Such a bunch of useless garbage."

Nevertheless, the outcome was the same.

As the cards were flung to the floor one by one, he freaked out, stammering, "D-Dad… what have you done?"

At the same time, Caryn barged in along with a team of people. "Mr. Ethan, we have retracted our investments in all of Holloway Group's projects in our country and terminated our partnerships with them in the project overseas."