Oops! Keep the Fiancé… I’m Taking the Fake Heiress Chapter 08

Oops! Keep the Fiancé… I’m Taking the Fake Heiress Chapter 08

Ethan showed up at the Shaw estate the very next day.

He was dressed to perfection.

His hair was slicked back with gel.

His leather shoes were polished to a mirror shine.

An orange box from an exclusive jeweler hung from one hand.

I was arranging flowers with my mom when the house manager announced him.

I looked up and saw Ethan standing in the foyer.

He wore what he clearly thought was a charming smile and nodded slightly at me.

“Tessa…”

His voice was as gentle as if he were coaxing a child.

“Back at the Grant house, I was too blind to recognize your worth.”

“I had no idea you were a designated heir to Shaw Industries.”

“The truth is, I was drawn to you from the moment I saw you.”

I pushed a lily in crooked.

The stem punched a hole straight through the floral foam.

He didn’t notice my expression at all.

Holding the box, he strode over and set it on the coffee table.

Then he slid it toward me.

“My relationship with Vera was only an arrangement between our families.”

“I never had genuine feelings for her.”

“You know how families like ours operate.”

“Marriage is often decided according to business interests.”

He spoke with complete self-righteousness, as though he were explaining something perfectly reasonable.

Then he bent down and opened the box himself.

Inside was a diamond necklace with a stone so large it flashed harshly beneath the lights.

“A formal alliance between the Shaws and the Fords would benefit both companies.”

“As for Vera, I won’t leave her with nothing.”

“I’ll fund an independent design studio for her.”

“I’ll cover all of her living expenses.”

“She can live separately, build her career, and have whatever freedom she wants.”

“Neither of you would need to feel threatened or neglected.”

He stressed the word neither, then added:

“I understand how close you are to her.”

“Whatever she needs in the future, you can come directly to me.”

“I’ll pay for everything.”

I slowly set down the flower stem in my hand.

“Aren’t you afraid Vera won’t agree?”

Ethan smiled and leaned back against the sofa, crossing one leg over the other.

“Vera has lived in luxury for eighteen years.”

“If I give her a studio, a home, and enough money to maintain that lifestyle, she’ll accept it.”

“Why wouldn’t she?”

“Besides, Mr. Grant won’t object.”

“He already approved a new match between our families.”

He lifted the teacup from the coffee table and took a sip.

I lowered my head and, without drawing attention, tapped the record button on my phone.

“So you think,” I said, my voice so calm it surprised even me, “that Vera is someone you can silence with

money?”

Ethan frowned, as though the question struck him as unreasonable.

But he probably assumed I was testing his feelings.

So he softened his tone with exaggerated patience.

Tessa, that isn’t what I mean.”

“You and Vera are different.”

“You would be my wife and my equal.”

“Of course you’d be the only woman in my heart.”

“Vera is dependent.”

“As long as someone pays her bills and gives her a comfortable place to live, she won’t cause trouble.”

“I won’t allow her to interfere with our marriage.”

The moment his words landed, a sharp crack came from the doorway.

I turned.

Vera stood behind the half-open door.

Her face was deathly pale.

Her lips were slightly parted.

Her eyes were full of tears, but she bit down hard on her lower lip and refused to let them fall.

The relaxed expression on Ethan’s face froze solid.

I stood.

I walked over to Vera and pulled her slightly behind me.

Then I turned and strode back to the coffee table.

Before Ethan could react, my hand was already in the air.

Crack.

A solid slap landed across his face.

Ethan clutched his cheek and stared at me in shock.

He had probably never been slapped in his entire life.

He stood there rigid, like a puppet someone had paused.

I raised my phone and hit speaker.

Our conversation from moments earlier poured from the device.

His voice echoed clearly through the living room.

“Vera is dependent.”

“As long as someone pays her bills and gives her a comfortable place to live, she won’t cause trouble.”

“I won’t allow her to interfere with our marriage.”

The color drained from Ethan’s face.

“A piece of trash like you,” I said, my voice cold as ice, “has the nerve to talk about marrying either of us?”

He shot to his feet, his face scarlet.

He jabbed a finger at my nose and was about to explode when footsteps sounded on the staircase.

He looked up just in time to see lan descending slowly from the second floor.

My other seven brothers followed behind him.

Ethan’s mouth opened.

Then closed.

Then opened again.

Finally, he stumbled backward toward the door.

His polished shoes slipped on the marble floor.

He nearly fell and had to grab the doorframe to steady himself.

At the entrance, he turned back.

Where he found the courage, I had no idea.

“Tessa Shaw, don’t regret this!”

All eight brothers stepped forward at the same time.

Ethan fled so fast he nearly tripped over himself.

I didn’t chase him.

I turned and walked back to Vera.

She was crouched on the floor, picking up pieces of broken glass.

A thin cut had opened on her fingertip.

A bead of blood welled beneath the light.

I pulled her up, took the glass from her hand, and held her injured fingers.

“From now on, you live here with the Shaws.”

“No one will ever force you to do anything again.”

Vera’s tears finally fell.

She threw herself into my arms and hugged me so tightly that her whole body trembled.

Her voice was muffled against my shoulder.

“Tessa, no one has ever protected me like this.”

Once she had calmed down, I wiped her tears and led her to the couch.

I cleaned the blood from her finger and placed a bandage over the cut.

Then I spoke.

“lan, do it.”

“I don’t want to see the Ford family again.”

lan nodded.

“Alright.”

“I’ve already reviewed the Fords’ finances.”

“Their cash flow is full of holes.”

“Once Shaw Industries withdraws its supplier guarantees and their lenders see the evidence, the company

won’t last three days.”

“By tomorrow morning, the story will be in every major financial outlet.”

“As for Vera, I’ll assign two additional security officers to her.”

“If Ethan does something reckless, we’ll be ready.”

“Good.”

Mom came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of sliced mango.

The moment she saw Vera sitting on the couch with red-rimmed eyes, she set the fruit down and hurried

over.

She took Vera’s hand, her face full of concern.

“Oh, sweetheart, what happened?”

“Who upset our Vera?”

Vera shook her head and forced a small smile.

“I’m fine.”

Mom looked at me, then back at Vera.

She didn’t press.

She simply nudged the mango closer.

“Have some fruit.”

“Something sweet won’t fix everything, but it may make you feel a little better.”

Vera held the plate.

Her eyes reddened again.

She lowered her head and slowly took a bite.

Now it was time to get down to business.