Revenge Of The Jilted Bride (Ophelia)
Jilted Bride 118

Chapter 118

Listening to their mocking words, Heather felt a chill creep over her body. She glanced at Owen, then at the daughter she had cherished for twenty years in disbelief. Her mind flashed back to that paternity test, and the memory of how Owen had always favored Emily

flooded her thoughts. At this moment, everything became painfully clear.

For the past twenty years, Heather had thrown away her own flesh and blood only to raise the child of Owen's mistress.

Ophelia sneered faintly, devoid of any sympathy for Heather, She thought, "How does it feel to hear the truth from the mouth of the daughter you loved the most?"

The shock was too much, and Harry, Nathan, and Scott froze, unable to process the devastating revelation.

Just then, a group of uniformed police officers burst through the door. "Excuse me, who here is Harry Hastings?"

All eyes in the room turned to the table at the front.

Still, in a daze, Harry heard his name called and stood up defenselessly. "I... I am."

The officers strode over, flashing their badges. We've received reports that the upscale housing project, Lakeview Cottage. which you oversaw, has severe structural issues, making it unsafe for habitation. You are suspected of deceiving consumers and committing serious fraud. Please come with us." The officer stated firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Before Owen could say anything, two officers cuffed Harry and led him away like a criminal.

Dad. please, help me," Harry pleaded, panic and terror filling him.

Owen thought. It's over. It's all over... His vision darkened, and he nearly collapsed.

Sophia was on the verge of tears, her tear-streaked face almost a perfect replica of Emily's. Heather finally understood everything.

Sophia pleaded, "Mr. Hastings, please think of something. You need to save our son."

"Our son? What did you say? Your son Heather's head exploded with shock. She had always thought she only gave birth to one child, but everyone around her had insisted it was twins-two sons. Now, it all made sense.

"Owen, you...you better explain this to me. Are Harry and Emily both your children with her? Were you two involved even before we got married? Heather shouted, her body trembling uncontrollably. She grabbed a champagne glass from the table and hurled it at Owen. Owen dodged. "You're right, you crazy woman. I'm not afraid to tell you the truth anymore. If your family hadn't agreed to fund my business, do you think I would've married you? You were the third wheel between me and Sophia all along

Heather laughed hysterically. For all these years, she had been played for a fool, tricked by the two people she trusted the most. She had been raising others' son and daughter, pouring her heart and soul into a lie. Heather collapsed onto the floor, slapping her own face in despair, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Mom, please stop. Scott rushed forward to stop Heather.

Emily stood there, indifferent to the chaos. Her mind was consumed by hatred for Ophelia-she was the one who had ruined everything today. She wanted to kill her.

But as Emily scoured the ballroom, Ophelia was nowhere to be found.

Watching Emily's cold detachment, Nathan felt a wave of shock wash over him. Harry was an illegitimate child, and Emily

Was too.

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III

12:50 Wed, Nov 13

Chapter 118

Staring at the wreckage of his family, Nathan couldn't take it anymore. Trembling he pushed through the crowd of onlookers and fled the scene.

Bad news traveled fast. In less than an hour, the internet was flooded with stories about the Hastings family, with the hashtags: "The Hastings and Lewis families call off engagement, Scandalous wedding video", and "Heather raised her husband's mistress' children. These trending headlines were everywhere, but the news about Hastings Group's substandard housing was the most severe issue. This was a public concern

Hundreds of residents from several buildings banded together, demanding authorities launch an investigation. The impart was massive, and the judicial authorities soon opened a formal inquiry.

After everything had wrapped up, Ophelia met Kenneth at Sinclair Group for lunch.

"Got quite an appetite today?" Kenneth asked with a smile as he watched Ophelia across from him, nibbling away like a lite squirrel

Ophelia raised an eyebrow. She was in a good mood, which explained her increased appetite. "Mm, I really envy your employees. They get to eat such good food at work."

"Then eat more." Seeing how much Ophelia enjoyed the pork chop, Kenneth cut his portion into her plate

"Thanks" Ophelia didn't stand on ceremony. After all, she'd been planning this day for a long time.

With the Hastings family now riddled with problems, they wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure from the investigation. Soon, they would be facing bankruptcy and liquidation, and when that time came, Ophelia could buy out Emily's shares for a fraction of the price. "All those stories online-that was your doing?" Kenneth asked. He usually didn't pay attention to online gossip, but he didn't believe that the cascade of events wasn't being orchestrated

Ophelia tilted her head, her clear eyes gleaming as she looked at Kenneth as if waiting for praise.

But Kenneth only chuckled, "Not ruthless enough"

"What would make it ruthless?" Ophelia asked.

The way you handled Ronald Noyes, for example, Kenneth said That kind of decisive action was what made Ophelia his woman. With him backing her, there was nothing to fear.

"It's not over yet. Just watch. Ophelia's smile was as sly as a fox. She had already done a DNA test and confirmed she had no biological connection to the Hastings family. So, when it came to them, there would be no mercy.

Soon, Hastings Group was plagued by more than poor housing quality. Investigators uncovered massive amounts of falsified company accounts. Early one morning, several police officers arrived at the company

Owen had been staying at the office for the past couple of days, sleepless and haggard, a far cry from his once confident commanding presence.

The officer stated. "Mr. Hastings, correct? Our investigation suggests you're suspected of tax evasion. Please come with us for questioning

"You..you must be mistaken." Owen shot up from his chair, but in his agitation, everything went black, and he collapsed to the floor. He was rushed to the hospital

III

12:50 Wed, Nov 13

Chapter 118

Heather, who had spent the past few days crying at home, received a call from the hospital and rushed over.

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The nurse said, "The patiem has suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage. He needs urgent surgery. Please prepare 70 thousand dollars for the operation."

"Seventy thousand dollars?" To Heather, that was an enormous sun now. She didn't even have seven thousand dollars, let alone 70 thousand dollars. Preparing the lavish wedding to win over the Lewis family cost over 300 thousand dollars. Aside from their real estate, there was no liquid cash left. Heather was anxious and angry. She wanted to harden her heart and leave Owen to his fate, but as his legal wife, she couldn't ignore him. She had no choice but to make phone calls to gather the money for the surgery.

However, no one was left in Heather's family anymore, and selling off assets would take time. As Heather prepared to return home and sell the jewelry and accessories she had bought over the years, she was shocked to replace that court officials had already arrived at Hastings Villa. They were placing seals all over the property, marking it for confiscation.

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