He Revealed a Secret Son, So I Swapped Grooms Instead Chapter 02

He Revealed a Secret Son, So I Swapped Grooms Instead Chapter 02

My dad’s longtime assistant, Vernon Cole, walked in with several men.

He’d worked for my father for decades and had always been steady under pressure.

Even when a crisis blindsided the company, he’d handle it without blinking.

But today, his face was ice-cold.

He looked at me first, checking I wasn’t hurt.

Then he turned to Desmond.

“Mr. Prescott, Mr. Hastings sent me to escort his daughter home.”

Desmond lowered his raised hand, clearly annoyed, but he still sneered.

“Mr. Hastings couldn’t be bothered to come himself? He sent an assistant?”

“Mr. Hastings’s on his way.”

“Until he gets here, I’ll handle this on behalf of the Hastings family.”

Desmond let out a mocking laugh.

“On behalf of the Hastings family?”

“Vernon, aren’t you taking yourself a little too seriously?”

“At the end of the day, you’re just hired help.”

Vernon didn’t even blink.

“You can look down on me all you want, Mr. Prescott. But I’m not here speaking for myself.”

“Claire’s Mr. Hastings’s only daughter and the future heir to Hastings Corporation.”

“The strategic marriage between the Prescott and Hastings families was founded on the interests of both heirs.”

“But you’ve publicly acknowledged your illegitimate child. That has seriously undermined the foundation of this marriage.”

Desmond’s expression darkened.

“Don’t try to strong-arm me.”

“So I have a kid. I’m not asking Claire to step aside.”

Vernon remained calm.

“This isn’t about the title of Mrs. Prescott. It’s about the uncertainty surrounding Prescott’s future equity and succession.”

“The Hastings family won’t pour its resources into someone who could trigger a family power struggle at any moment.”

That hit Desmond where it hurt.

More than anything, he cared about his position as heir.

And Vernon wasn’t wrong.

Desmond gave a cold laugh.

“Nice speech. This’s really just because Claire refuses to accept Nora and the kid, isn’t it?”

He acted like he was making some huge concession.

“Fine. I’ll agree.”

“Nora and the boy won’t live at the Prescott Estate, and they won’t show up around Claire. That good enough?”

He even looked at me like he expected a thank-you.

I only found it ridiculous.

He’d brought another woman and a child into my engagement party and wrecked the whole thing.

And now keeping them out of my sight was supposed to count as a concession?

Vernon frowned. “Mr. Prescott, you’re still not grasping what the Hastings family is saying.”

“The issue isn’t where they live. It’s the inheritance risk created by the child.”

Desmond’s face went completely dark.

“Vernon, you’ve got some nerve.”

“My son’s none of your business.”

Vernon lowered his eyes slightly.

“I’m only stating the facts.”

“If you insist on the status quo, the Hastings family will have to reconsider this partnership.”

Desmond hurled his wineglass to the floor. Glass shattered everywhere.

The room went silent for a moment.

He pointed at Vernon.

“Who the hell do you think you are?”

“You think you can threaten me on my own turf?”

I stepped forward and looked Desmond dead in the eye.

“He’s speaking for my family.”

Desmond turned toward me. His eyes were dangerously cold.

“Claire, are you really going to burn it all down?”

I shot back, “Am I the one burning it down?”

Nora suddenly collapsed in front of me, Leo still in her arms.

A chorus of gasps rippled through the room.

She begged. “Miss Hastings, please don’t make things harder for Desmond.”

“Please don’t let me and Leo ruin things between your families.”

“I know my place. I know I can’t compare to you.”

“And I know Leo shouldn’t have been born.”

Her shoulders shook as she cried.

“If you really can’t accept us, I’ll take my son and leave.”

“We’ll go far away. You’ll never have to see us again.”

Leo started crying too.

“Mommy, I don’t want to go. I want Daddy!”

Desmond pulled Nora to her feet right away.

“Nora, what are you saying?”

“I told you, I won’t let anyone mistreat you or our son.”

Nora collapsed against him, crying even harder.

“But Miss Hastings doesn’t like us.”

“The Hastings family has so much power. I’m scared.”

The moment she said it, the look Desmond gave me turned even colder.

As if I were the villain trying to tear apart a poor mother and her child.

I’d had enough. I wasn’t about to waste another second on them.

I turned to Vernon.

“Let’s go.”

“There’s nothing left to talk about.”

Vernon nodded and signaled for his men to escort me out.

We’d barely taken two steps when the ballroom doors suddenly slammed shut from the outside.

Over a dozen men in black suits poured in through the side entrance and surrounded us.