Oops! Keep the Fiancé… I’m Taking the Fake Heiress Chapter 06

Oops! Keep the Fiancé… I’m Taking the Fake Heiress Chapter 06

The next day’s welcome at the Grant estate was so extravagant it startled me.

Mr. Grant had arranged an entire private dinner with every detail designed to display old-money hospitality.

A long spread of lobster, filet mignon, scallops, spicy chicken bites, tangy barbecue ribs, and garlic-roasted

asparagus covered the table.

When I looked closely, I noticed several dishes I’d casually mentioned liking.

I didn’t even remember telling him.

Apparently, the possibility of profiting from the Shaws had improved his memory.

Martin had changed his attitude too.

The moment he saw me enter, he hurried over with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

His smile was so wide it nearly split his face.

“Tessa, you’re here!”

“Sit down, sit down.”

“I just had this squeezed for you.”

“It has a little honey in it.”

“Try it and see if you like it.”

I took the glass and set it on the table without drinking.

His smile froze for half a second.

Then the enthusiasm returned just as quickly.

He pulled out my chair, arranged food on my plate, and handed me a warm towel.

lan didn’t come.

He had business to handle, but he’d sent three members of his security team and two legal advisers with me.

They were waiting in the adjoining sitting room.

Martin had probably guessed as much.

His eyes kept darting toward the neighboring room, and his tone carried a trace of cautious probing.

After nearly half an hour of pleasantries, Mr. Grant finally raised his glass.

He turned it slowly in his hand before speaking as though the question had only just occurred to him.

“Tessa…”

“You mentioned having eight brothers.”

“Are they the Shaw brothers?”

I picked up a rib and chewed slowly.

Then I gave a vague sound of confirmation.

Mr. Grant’s eyelid twitched.

He exchanged a lightning-quick glance with Martin.

Martin immediately continued.

“And the hospital mix-up…”

“We investigated it afterward.”

“Could Vera also be a long-lost daughter of the Shaw family?”

The question was cleverly phrased.

If Vera also carried Shaw blood, then the Grants would suddenly have two family connections to Shaw

Industries.

They would have enough benefits to gorge themselves sick.

I set down my fork, wiped my mouth, and explained everything one sentence at a time.

“The hospital switch was real.”

“But when I was three, I was kidnapped and later abandoned outside a children’s home.”

“My adoptive parents were there supporting a charitable program when they saw me.”

“They liked me immediately.”

“They completed the adoption process and brought me home.”

“My eight brothers are all their biological sons.”

“I’m the Shaw family’s only daughter.”

“As for Vera, she has no biological connection to the Shaws.”

“Her biological parents were an ordinary working-class couple whose daughter was born at the same

hospital.”

“The two girls were born minutes apart.”

“A nurse made an identification error, and the newborns were switched.”

“Vera’s biological parents moved to Australia ten years ago.”

“The Shaws contacted them.”

“They made it clear they had no intention of rebuilding a relationship with Vera.”

“They said everyone should continue living separate lives.”

Vera sat beside me with her head lowered.

Her fingers twisted the napkin tightly.

Mr. Grant and Martin exchanged another glance.

This time, the excitement in their eyes visibly dimmed.

Mr. Grant lifted his glass, took a sip, and set it down.

The smile remained on his face, but it had shrunk considerably.

“I see.”

He paused, then turned toward Vera.

His tone remained warm.

“Vera, you’ve lived with this family for eighteen years.”

“We did provide for you.”

“Now that Tessa has returned, we need to make sure she receives the place that belongs to her.”

He pulled a check from the inside pocket of his suit and slid it across the table.

“This is seventy-five thousand dollars.”

“Use it to find an apartment and establish yourself independently.”

“If you run into an emergency, you can still contact us.”

He spoke gently, even adding a trace of fatherly concern.

Vera didn’t touch the check.

Her nails dug into her palms.

Her lips trembled, but not a single word came out.

I was just about to speak when the sound of several cars stopping came from outside.

A rapid succession of footsteps followed.

I looked up.

My brothers filed into the room one after another.

Marcus, the second-oldest, led the way.

He set his briefcase on the table and raised an eyebrow at me.

“Little sister, I checked.”

“Of the Grant family’s current business partners, eleven are secondary suppliers to Shaw Industries.”

“Six more are negotiating renewals with us right now.”

Behind him, Colin, my third brother, continued at an unhurried pace.

“Of Grant Holdings’ three largest clients, two are deeply tied to Shaw’s international operations.”

Kyle, my fourth brother, turned his phone screen toward me.

A dense list of contacts filled it.

“It’s all here.”

“Say the word, and I’ll have every one of them terminate their agreements with Grant Holdings today.”

Mr. Grant’s fork clattered onto the table.

I stopped my brothers.

“I have my own plan.”

“There’s no need to make the scene too ugly.”

Mr. Grant visibly relaxed.

He seized the opening I’d given him.

His face filled with smiles.

“Tessa, ask for anything you want.”

“We’re family.”

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony.”

I lifted my eyes to him.

“I only have one request.”

“Call the Ford family right now.”

“End Vera and Ethan’s engagement.”