He Revealed a Secret Son, So I Swapped Grooms Instead Chapter 06

He Revealed a Secret Son, So I Swapped Grooms Instead Chapter 06

It was the third day since Desmond was taken into custody.

His mother Camille Prescott came to the Hastings family home.

Every time I saw Camille, she acted like she already had the right to tell me what to do.

Her voice had been gentle, but every word had come with an expectation.

“Claire, once you marry into the Prescott family, you need to be more understanding of Desmond.”

“Men work hard out there. A woman’s place is in the home.’

“You’re a Hastings. You should see the bigger picture.”

But this time, she couldn’t put on that act.

Her eyes were swollen, and she looked exhausted.

The moment she sat down, she reached for my mother’s hand.

“Mrs. Hastings. Desmond really did make a terrible mistake this time.”

“But he’s still young. That woman led him astray.”

My mother pulled her hand away.

“Mrs. Prescott. He’s twenty-eight. Hardly young.”

“And breaking the law can’t be waved off as a mistake.”

Camille’s face stiffened. Then she looked at me.

“Claire, I know you’ve been wronged.”

“Don’t worry. Once Desmond is out, I’ll make him apologize in person.”

“As for Nora and that child, the Prescott family won’t recognize either of them.”

“If you’re willing to drop the charges, then you and Desmond could still…”

I cut her off. “Mrs. Prescott.”

“Let me be clear.”

“I’m never marrying Desmond.”

She panicked. “But everyone already knows about the strategic marriage between our families.”

“Letting things end like this won’t look good for either family.”

I met her gaze, calm.

“You’re right. It doesn’t.”

“But the one who looks bad is Desmond. Not me.’

Camille’s face tightened.

She opened her mouth to argue, but my father beat her to it.

“Show her out.”

Camille stood. Her voice turned sharp.

“Mr. Hastings, are you really going to burn it all down?”

My father fixed her with a stare.

“When Desmond was trying to destroy my daughter, where was that concern about going too far?”

Camille had nothing to say. She got to the door, then looked back at me.

Resentment burned in her eyes.

“Claire, don’t push people too far.”

I smiled. “Mrs. Prescott, you should save that advice for your son.”

Her face fell as she left.

That night, more news rippled through the Prescott family.

| Arthur personally summoned Camille to the Prescott Estate and tore into her.

The next day, several Prescott projects under her name were taken away.

After that, she finally went quiet.

Nora had it even worse.

She’d believed she was Desmond’s true love.

She’d figured the kid would be her ticket into the Prescott family.

But Arthur showed no mercy.

He had the family attorneys issue a statement.

The Prescott family would not recognize any assets Nura had received through illegal financial dealings with Desmond.

All properties and vehicles involved would be subject to recovery.

As for the child, the Prescott family would provide basic child support,

But he would not enter the line of succession.

The statement shattered Nora.

She went live online, sobbing.

She said she’d simply loved the wrong man.

She said raising a child alone was hard.

She said rich families were heartless and wouldn’t even claim their own flesh and blood.

But the public wasn’t buying it anymore.

[Life’s so hard for you, so you spent someone else’s fiancé’s money on three houses?]

[You had plenty of nerve showing up at the engagement party.]

[The kid’s innocent. His mom sure isn’t.]

[Stop crying and pay the company’s money back first.]

The livestream barely lasted half an hour before she shut it down under a barrage of hate.

Later, I heard she’d sold one of the houses and tried to leave the country.

She was stopped at the airport.

Her assets were tied to an ongoing investigation, so she wasn’t allowed to leave the country.

When Desmond found out, he lost his temper in the County Detention Center.

He had his lawyer tell Nora to insist that she hadn’t known where the money came from.

But Nora chose to protect herself.

She turned over their chat logs.

They clearly showed how Desmond had instructed her to accept the money.

How he’d told her to put the properties under other people’s names.

How he’d arranged for her to bring Leo to the engagement party.

One message even read: [If Claire makes a scene, I’ll get something on her so she won’t dare call off the engagement.]

Once that message surfaced, Desmond was finished.