And now Timothy had twisted the truth and blamed everything on me.

I took a deep breath, wanting to tell Julie what had really happened.

But before I could speak, she yelled again.

"Not just Mom! Dad lost his legs because of you too! He has to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair and endure everyone's ridicule. So giving him money and houses is only fair! You owe him that!"

Listening to her righteous accusations, my heart still ached.

After all, I couldn't just throw away 25 years of love.

"As long as you clear my dad's name at tomorrow's board meeting and transfer all your shares to him as compensation, I'll still take care of you like a real daughter.

"You know most of the shareholders and the important people in the company are on my side now. You don't have any other choice."

I looked at her coldly and laughed bitterly.

"Julie, I gave you the best education. I taught you how to become a qualified business leader. But I forgot to teach you how to be a decent human being. It's my..."

Before I could finish, a familiar yet unwelcome voice interrupted me.

"My daughter doesn't need you to teach her anything."

It was Timothy.

He rolled into the room in a wheelchair, dressed in an expensive custom-made suit.

The smug smile on his face was impossible to miss.

"Liam," he said with a grin, "I know you must feel miserable right now. You couldn't beat me when it came to winning a woman. You helped me raise my daughter for more than 20 years. And now..."

He looked around my office proudly. "Even your company belongs to my daughter."

I clenched my fists as I met his provocative gaze.

Every muscle in my body screamed at me to punch him.

But I forced myself to hold back.

I decided to let them enjoy their victory for one more day.

Tomorrow, at the shareholders meeting, I would show them exactly who they were dealing with.

Early the next morning, I arrived at the company, only to be stopped by security at the front entrance.

"Mr. Setford, we're very sorry, but you can't enter the building today."

I froze for a moment before anger surged through me.

"This is my company! I pay your salaries, and now you're telling me I can't go inside?"

The security guard looked miserable.

"We're really sorry, Mr. Setford. We're just employees following orders. If you have any objections, please talk to Ms. Setford directly. Please don't make things difficult for us."

Ms. Setford?

Before I could say another word, a familiar voice came from behind me.

"Everyone says Mr. Setford is the most caring boss in Jesselton. But now I see the rumors aren't true after all."

I turned around. Julie was pushing Timothy's wheelchair toward me.

I ignored Timothy's mockery and looked straight at Julie.

"Julie, was this your doing? You're the one who banned me from the company?"

She pressed her lips together and lowered her head.

"I'm doing this for your own good, I don't want you losing your temper and embarrassing yourself in front of all the shareholders."

I laughed coldly.

"You're not even the CEO yet. Don't celebrate too early."

But she shook her head.

"You misunderstood. The new CEO won't be me. It'll be my dad."

Timothy burst into laughter.

"Mr. Setford, Julie transferred all of her shares to me overnight. She also helped me buy up shares from the smaller shareholders at a premium."

He grinned smugly. "Now I own exactly the same number of shares as you.

"As long as more than half the shareholders support me today, I'll become the new CEO of Setford Group.

"Oh, I've already decided the first thing I'll do after taking office. I hate the name Setford. How about changing it to Nolan Group instead?"

Seeing his arrogant face, I was once again shocked by Julie's ruthlessness.

On her 18th birthday, I had given her half of my shares.

It was my gift to her. It carried all my love for her and all the hopes I had for her future.

Yet today, all of that had become the weapon she used against me.

When Julie met my shocked and furious gaze, guilt flashed across her face.

For a brief moment, she looked like she wanted to say something. But when she looked at Timothy sitting beside her, the guilt disappeared instantly.

She opened her purse and took out a check.

"Uncle Liam, I'll buy your shares for twice the market price. Don't be greedy.

"This money is more than enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life."

I was so angry that I laughed.

She had handed the company I spent my whole life building to the man who destroyed her mother's life, and now she was telling me to be grateful.

How ridiculous.

"A former bar escort who never even finished elementary school wants to be CEO of Setford Group? Does he honestly think he's qualified?"

Timothy's face instantly turned red. A vicious look flashed through his eyes.

He turned toward the security guards. "Can't you tell he's here to cause trouble? Throw him out! Or do none of you want your jobs anymore?"

The guards exchanged helpless looks. Finally, one of them stepped forward.

"Mr. Setford, please leave on your own. We really don't want to force you."

Another guard sighed. "Yeah, Mr. Setford. This is a conflict between upper management. Please don't drag us into it. We rely on this paycheck to feed our families."

Hearing their pleas, I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. I was furious.

But Timothy only became more arrogant.

"Mr. Setford, if you refuse to leave, these guards will be fired for neglecting their duties. And I guarantee they won't find another job anywhere in Jesselton."

That was the last straw. I lunged forward and grabbed Timothy by the collar.

But before I could do anything else, the two huge bodyguards behind him rushed over. One kick sent me flying backward. I crashed onto the ground.

Timothy shouted angrily. "Beat him! If we don't teach him a lesson today, he'll still think I'm the same Timothy from 15 years ago. The same man he could bully whenever he wanted!"

The two bodyguards immediately surrounded me. Their fists and kicks rained down on me without mercy.

I was beaten until I collapsed on the ground in front of all the employees in the company.

I couldn't even crawl back to my feet.

Meanwhile, Julie stood behind Timothy the entire time, watching everything unfold with indifferent eyes.

Julie brought me back to the CEO's office.

She took out the first-aid kit and gently dabbed medicine onto the cuts on my face.

At the same time, she said softly, "You're not young anymore, so why are you still this stubborn? Wouldn't it be better to take the money and retire peacefully?

"Uncle Liam, don't you understand yet? The one who isn't loved is the extra person. So what if you and Mom were legally married? She never loved you."

"If you hadn't tried so hard to separate my mom and dad back then, Mom wouldn't have died. And I could've grown up with my parents.

"Not only are we not asking you to pay for your sins, but we're even giving you a fortune so you can live comfortably for the rest of your life. So why are you still not satisfied?"

I slapped her hand away before the alcohol-soaked cotton ball could touch my face.

"Julie, you're so stupid. You proudly accepted a monster as your father and still think you've won."

Julie froze. Then she frowned.

"What do you mean?"

I replied coldly, "Back then, Timothy did want to take your mother away. But after your grandparents offered him a huge amount of money, he agreed to leave her. He promised to make her give up on him and disappear forever.

"So on the way to the airport, Timothy suddenly broke up with her. Your mother was furious. They started fighting. And that's why the car crashed."

Julie stared at me for a long time.

Then she suddenly laughed.

"Liam, if Dad hadn't already told me the whole truth, I might've actually believed your lies."

After saying that, she took out her phone and played an audio recording.

The next second, my voice came from the speaker.

"Sophie, that bitch, actually dared to betray me! She humiliated me! So she wants to run away with another man? Fine! I'll make sure they never come back!

"I'm going to tell Sophie's parents first and see how they handle it. And if they can't handle it... I'll do it myself."

My eyes widened in shock.

"That's impossible! The recording is fake!"

I instinctively denied it.

Julie's expression instantly turned cold.

"Liam, I didn't want to believe it either. I couldn't believe that the man who had been my father for more than twenty years was the one who destroyed my family. So the moment I got this recording, I took it to a professional lab for authentication. And they confirmed it was real.

"I didn't call the police. I even offered you money for retirement. That's my way of repaying you for raising me."

She pulled a document from her bag and threw it onto the table.

"Now sign the stock transfer agreement. Take the money and leave. From this moment on, we owe each other nothing. And I never want to see you again."

I glanced at the agreement. Then I tore it into pieces without hesitation.

"Julie, give up.

"If you're so sure this recording is real, then call the police.

"It's true that 15 years have passed. But a lot of evidence from back then still exists. With today's technology, if the case is investigated again, maybe they'll uncover some new clues."

As soon as I finished speaking, I took out my phone and dialed 911.

But before I could press the call button, Timothy suddenly rushed over. He snatched the phone from my hand and smashed it onto the floor.

His eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at me and shouted. "Liam! Sophie's been dead for 15 years! And you still won't let her rest in peace? You're heartless! No wonder she never loved you!

"A man like you doesn't deserve love. That's why neither Sophie nor Julie ever chose you. You're destined to be alone forever."

Timothy's words stabbed straight into the deepest wound in my heart.

Sophie and Julie.

They were the two women I loved most in this world besides my parents.

Yet both of them had betrayed me for a scumbag like Timothy.