She Called Me A Kept Woman, I Kept The Family Fortune Chapter 09

She Called Me A Kept Woman, I Kept The Family Fortune Chapter 09

Ethan stared at the scene in shock. When he finally spoke, his voice trembled.

“M-Ms. Hart… who are you?”

“How do you know Julian Sterling?”

This time, I didn’t even have to answer. Richard, who’d been holding himself back all night, stepped

forward.

“You fool. Shut your mouth. Haven’t you done enough damage already?”

The former chairman of Caldwell Holdings had finally reached the end of his patience.

“Ethan, do you still not understand why I insisted you marry Ms. Hart three years ago?”

“If you’d offended almost anyone else tonight, I might have been able to fix it. But you had to go

after Ms. Hart.”

“Without her, the Caldwell family would’ve gone bankrupt three years ago.”

By the end, Richard was roaring at his son.

He wasn’t exaggerating. Without that marriage three years ago, Caldwell Holdings wouldn’t be thriving today.

While the rest of the room was still reeling, Ethan dropped to his knees in front of me, tears streaming down his face.

Every look in the ballroom changed. The mockery vanished, replaced by fear.

After all, they’d all chosen Ethan’s side earlier.

Madison, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen. Shed disappeared the moment Julian walked in.

I looked down at Ethan, my voice cold.

“You should thank your father for getting here when he did. Otherwise, you might not even be kneeling here talking to me right now.”

Regret flooded Ethan’s face as fresh tears spilled down his cheeks.

“E-Evelyn, I know I was wrong. I was angry and impulsive. I never should’ve divorced you.”

“Can we start over? I promise I’ll do whatever you want from now on. I won’t fight you on anything

again.”

By the end, his voice was breaking.

“I just became chairman. I can’t be the one who destroys Caldwell Holdings.”

The corner of my mouth lifted as I held his gaze.

“Mr. Caldwell, nothing you say now changes anything.”

“You handed me those signed divorce papers yourself. Did you forget?”

My words cut like a knife. Ethan fell silent.

Richard, standing beside him, had nothing more to say either.

He knew better than anyone that everything that had happened tonight was the result of his son’s

own choices.

The ballroom was deathly quiet. Everyone waited to see what I would do with the Caldwell family.

After a long moment, I turned to Richard and spoke slowly.

“Richard, you’ve worked hard your whole life. Take your son and retire to the family estate.”

“No. I can’t go back there.”

Ethan sprang to his feet the moment I finished.

“Evelyn, you can’t do this to me. Maybe we never loved each other, but we were still married for three years.”

“What gives you the right to send me away?”

I had no interest in wasting another word on a man who still refused to understand.

“Because I have the power and you don’t. Is that enough?”

Those final words were meant for Richard too.

I was making my position clear while still leaving Richard what dignity I could.

After all, he and my father had been close. Otherwise, I never would’ve agreed to the marriage in

the first place.

Father and son exchanged a look, then lowered their heads at the same time.

Before he left, Ethan tried one last time to make me stay. I turned him down without hesitation.

“I have no interest in a man who cheats.”

Years later, after raising another round of donations, I traveled to rural Appalachia to review the

charity projects in person.

On the way back, a familiar figure came running after my car, trying desperately to catch up.

“Evelyn Hart! Do you remember me?”

I gave him a small wave and quietly rolled up the window.

“Sorry, sir. I’m terrible with faces. Can’t say I remember you.”

(The End)