I had been immersed in my work at the Norton Group, simultaneously searching for evidence of tax evasion by the organization.

During this time, Ethan paid me several visits.

He informed me that Liam, who had somehow gotten the address to Norton Manor, had been showing up every day and making a scene to see Monica.

Monica, in turn, was persistent in her desire to meet with Liam.

However, the Norton family was firmly under Susan's thumb. With only one daughter to her name, Susan was protective to a fault and refused to allow her daughter to marry someone like Liam.

"Due to Liam's constant presence, Susan is already planning an engagement party for Monica and me to sever the ties between them."

I snickered, impressed by Liam's tenacity. He hadn't failed in his attempts to reach Monica after I deliberately disclosed the address to Norton Manor.

Ethan, however, seemed a bit melancholy.

Susan pressured him to claim Monica's baby as his.

Ethan looked at me with anticipation in his eyes. "Is there anything else you want to say?"

My lip curled in a quick sneer. "What's the rush? Liam is planning to make a big scene on engagement day. The engagement will fall through anyway."

Ethan seemed a little anxious. "That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking, do you really want Monica and me to get engaged?"

I looked at him, puzzled. "What does this have to do with me?"

Ethan left, shutting the door with a bang.

I smiled at the evidence that was just about complete in my hands.

On the day of the engagement party, I specifically bribed the security guards at the door to ensure they'd let Liam in.

When Monica emerged with her prominent baby bump, the guests' expressions varied.

But such occurrences were not uncommon in wealthy families, and the engagement of an adopted son to a daughter was not something shocking.

Susan, a tough and astute woman, helped Monica up to the stage and loudly declared that Monica was the daughter of the Norton family, and the baby in Monica's belly was Ethan's.

Monica hung her head low, lost in her own thoughts. Judging by her expression, she was not keen on this arrangement.

But she couldn't let go of the privilege.

She wanted to be a princess, yet she also wanted to be with Liam.

"Honey! I finally get to see you!"

A loud voice echoed through the hall, signaling the start of the dramatic scene.

Liam dashed through the entrance and positioned himself beneath the stage, gazing up at Monica with an expression of deep affection.

Susan's face immediately registered shock. "Who are you? How dare you just barge in like this? Where is the security guard? Throw him out at once!"

But Monica, in a sudden motion, shook off Susan's hand and hurried towards Liam, cradling her baby bump.

"Hubby, I've missed you so much," she exclaimed.

They held each other, tears streaming down their faces, while Ethan watched from the side, feigning a mixture of annoyance and humiliation.

The attendees, all business elites, quickly caught on to what was happening.

The adopted son of the Norton family had been betrayed.

The media present were thrilled at the prospect of such breaking news.

Susan's face turned purple with rage as she stepped forward, forcibly separating Liam and Monica.

"What are you yelling about? My daughter is about to get engaged!"

How could Liam pass up this golden opportunity to impress the wealthy Nortons?

From his pocket, he produced the marriage license he and Monica had obtained while he was in prison.

I couldn't help but sigh in amazement. Monica's infatuation with Liam had gone so far as to secure a marriage license even while he was behind bars.

"This is our marriage license. Monica is my wife. Mrs. Norton, you can't just marry Monica off to someone else just because I'm poor! I love her, and I'll do my utmost to take care of Monica and the child. Please don't marry Monica off to someone else!"

It had been a long time since Monica had heard such loving words from Liam, and she was instantly moved to tears.

"Mom, all I want is to be with Liam. I don't want my child to have to call someone else his father. The child needs the love of his real father."

Ethan and I exchanged glances, both of us in good spirits as we watched the unfolding drama.

After today, word of the Norton family's scandal would spread, and those who had grievances against the Norton Group would surely seize the opportunity to exploit the situation.

With Liam's impassioned plea, the engagement party could not proceed any further.

After all, Susan had a soft spot for her daughter, and seeing Liam's tearful confession of his wrongdoings, she simply gave him a chance.

Susan promised to arrange for Liam to join the Norton Group once Monica had given birth.

Upon hearing this news, Ethan complained to me, "She's getting more and more muddled with age, not only allowing that 47,XYY child to be born but also letting that scoundrel into the senior management of the Norton Group."

I patted him on the shoulder. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted? The net has been cast for so long, and it's time to reel it in."

Ethan took a deep breath. "It's only a matter of time before the Norton Group goes bankrupt. Let it pave the way for my new company."

Four months later, Monica gave birth to a son, Felix Norton.

As he wished, Liam joined the company.

On the day of the shareholders' meeting, which was also Liam's first day at the company, he showed up late. He also kicked Ethan out of the main chair, being really arrogant.

Ethan didn't just let Liam's behavior slide—he actually greeted him with a smile.

Liam, emboldened, pushed further and demanded Ethan's office.

Ethan remained silent, offering no resistance.

Liam got a bit too comfortable and, of course, didn't forget about me. It wasn't long before I received the news of my dismissal.

Followed by a team, Liam came specifically to my office. "Jean, I think I have to thank you. If you hadn't told me that Monica had become the daughter of the Norton family, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy today's success."

He smiled smugly. "How about this? If you get down on your knees and beg me, I'll promise not to fire you."

I kept my head down, continuing to pack, paying him no mind.

He leaned closer and whispered something only we could hear, "If you're willing to be with me and give me a son, I'll consider keeping you in the company. What do you say?"

I looked up, met Liam's gaze with a smile, and pulled out my recorder.

"If I play this recording for Susan, do you think you'll still be able to swagger around here?"

Liam's face drained of color and he cursed under his breath. Then, probably bored, he left with his team, not bothering me anymore.

Leaving the office, I headed straight to the lawyer's office where Ethan had been waiting for me for quite some time.

With the evidence we had meticulously gathered, we were well-prepared to take down the Norton Group.

I asked Ethan, "You stayed with the Norton Group for so long, were there ever any moments of hesitation?"

Ethan sneered and replied, "If it weren't for the Norton family, I wouldn't have lost my family in the first place. How could I have hesitated?"

It turned out that Ethan's biological parents had been under Susan's employ.

When Susan's husband had passed away and the Norton Group faced allegations of tax evasion and collusion with gangsters, Susan had used Ethan's parents as scapegoats. She then adopted Ethan to maintain her reputation.

We submitted the evidence, leveraging all of our connections to ensure it had the intended impact.

Eventually, the Norton Group collapsed under the weight of its scandals.

The saga ended with the bankruptcy of the Norton Group. Ethan seized the opportunity to acquire the company as a subsidiary of the new conglomerate he had created, thrusting him into the limelight.

However, Susan was not one to go down without a fight. Despite the decline of the Norton family's fortunes, they were not entirely destitute.

In a last-ditch effort to save herself, she made Liam take the fall for the family's misdeeds. Now he was facing the prospect of a life behind bars.

I became a shareholder in Ethan's company. I saw Susan on several occasions, humbled and seeking cooperation.

However, she was mostly ignored.

Ethan occasionally visited my office to tease, "Jean Spencer, you've done me such a great favor, should I give myself to you in return?"

I smiled back at him. "Let's talk about that when you hand over control of the Synthovision Group to me."

Ethan promptly fell silent.

After all, men were often more concerned with power and position and were not always trustworthy.

Everything settled into a steady rhythm.

For seven years, Ethan and I enjoyed a peaceful life.

Then one day Ethan told me that Susan and Monica had died.

There was a fire at Norton Manor and they could not escape. Only Felix survived.

Ethan said that Felix was probably around seven or eight years old and that the 47,XYY syndrome's negative traits were already manifesting.

He had scalded Susan with boiling water, causing disfigurement, pushed Monica down the stairs twice, leading to her hospitalization in intensive care, abused stray cats, and even blinded a classmate.

The fire, it turned out, was also set by Felix.

After blinding a classmate, Susan had lost a significant amount of money and had reprimanded him, which led Felix to hold a grudge.

At this young age, he faced the police without any sign of panic and even stated that Susan and Monica deserved their fate.

Such a child couldn't be placed in an orphanage due to his criminal actions. However, because of Felix's age, he couldn't be sentenced and was instead sent to an institution.

Nevertheless, I was certain that individuals like him would eventually face the consequences of their actions one day.

Indeed, it took me a decade of persistence to win Jean Spencer's heart before she finally agreed to be with me.

When we tied the knot, she was thirty-five, and I was thirty-eight.

Jean was truly the most remarkable woman I had ever encountered.

She was intelligent, a genius, and if I was to be honest, her talents were far greater than my own.

Being an orphan who began with nothing, she managed to skillfully navigate the world of the affluent.

It seemed as though she had been bestowed with impeccable emotional intelligence, which, ironically, might have come at the expense of her romantic life.

Our paths crossed in college where she was a well-known figure in our class.

Attractive, academically gifted, outgoing, and competent, she was universally liked.

She often took part-time jobs and lived a frugal life.

At that time, I assumed a girl like her must have been astute and competent, but it turned out she was completely oblivious to recognizing deceitful individuals.

I'd met Monica Lloyd a few times and could tell she wasn't a genuine friend to Jean.

Jean, however, was insistent on considering Monica as family.

Back then, I had a wealthy roommate who was quite into Jean. He sought Monica's help in his pursuit of Jean.

But Monica misled him, claiming that Jean was seeing multiple men at once.

Given Jean's daily part-time commitments and how busy she was, it was impossible for her to juggle several relationships at the same time.

I tried to warn Jean about Monica's true character, but she misunderstood my intentions.

She accused me of being a pervert for always being around her.

However, I had to say that each encounter was purely coincidental.

We never spoke again after that.

It wasn't until I started graduate school that I was taken aback to find out we'd not only be attending the same institution, but we'd also be studying in the same field, even sharing a tutor.

Despite our shared academic journey, she kept her distance from me.

After graduation, I joined the Norton Group to work for the Norton family, yet I kept tabs on her, hoping she would join me at the Norton Group to assist in my endeavors.

Our tutor was particularly supportive of her, introducing her to many influential figures in our field, and I suspected that the tutor had groomed her much like an extraordinary hopeful.

But Jean was worth it.

I'd never met a girl as tenacious and intelligent as she was, yet seemingly blind to deception.

I must have been quite smitten with her.

So I made her an offer at the Norton Group with a substantial salary, but she turned it down.

Well, it was confirmed. She was not interested in me.

Just as I was contemplating alternative strategies to win her over, she approached me with an offer of cooperation.

I accepted all her proposals without hesitation.

After all, pursuing my future wife was a mission that required my own efforts.

As things settled down, I avenged my parents and started my own business.

I cautiously gauged her feelings, but she turned me down.

Or at least, what I perceived as a rejection was, in fact, more about her own insecurities.

She had her sights set on the Synthovision Group, but I didn't immediately agree.

I didn't own the Synthovision Group by myself.

My partner and I split the shares of the company. Although my voice carried more weight, the new company was still finding its footing in the marketplace.

After five years of hard work, I finally gained complete control of the Synthovision Group.

At the first opportunity, I proposed to Jean.

There was no diamond ring, no roses—just the shares of the Synthovision Group and all my wealth.

Once I became a man without a fortune, Jean consented to marry me.

She asked me, "You've strived for so long to achieve what you have. Won't you regret giving it all to me?"

Weighing the pros and cons was in my nature as a businessman.

But I believed that being Jean's husband would bring me more joy than having hundreds of millions of dollars in assets.

After all, I had been harboring feelings for her in secret for many years.

Fulfilling a long-held dream was, in itself, the greatest return on investment.

Thus, I had no regrets.