Chapter 3Ruin My Mother's Life, Now I Ruin Yours

Mildred kept her eyes fixed on me. "Do you really think that just because you married into the Harrison family, you've become someone important?"

She stood up and looked down at me with a condescending gaze. "You're just a man with no family background and connections. You know damn well how you got to where you are today."

Her eyes swept over me from head to toe like a deadly knife.

"My husband and I have spent 40 years building our foundation in Crownyork. The connections and influence we've accumulated aren't something a man like you can obtain. So, don't push your luck."

I looked at Mildred calmly. For someone who had stolen another person's life, I wasn't surprised to see she had remained rotten to the core.

No amount of expensive, custom-made dresses or gigantic diamond rings could erase the fact that she was wicked and cruel.

"Are you done?" I asked, standing up, picked up the envelope from the table, and shoved it into her hands. "Please leave, Mrs. Lowe Senior. There's nothing more to discuss about your grandson."

…

That night, Josie knocked on my door. "Dad, can I come in?"

She sat across from me and stayed silent for quite a while. "Dad, about Simon… I want to know why."

I looked into her eyes. They were sincere, without anger or interrogation. She had always been like this since she was little—obedient, thoughtful, and never worrisome.

"You must have your reasons for refusing to let me marry Simon, Dad. I just… want to know what they are."

I sighed. It just wasn't time yet.

"Josie, I can't tell you everything right now. But do you trust me?"

She looked at me and replied without hesitation, "I do."

Josie stood up and walked to the door. Before leaving, she turned around. "I've already told Simon that I won't bring him here again until you give us your blessing."

The door closed behind her. I sat there, my eyes burning slightly.

Josie had never made me worry for even a single day since she was a child. It wasn't that I wanted to tear her relationship apart, but she and Simon shared a grandfather.

The Lowes were the very reason Mom had died. No matter how I looked at it, whether by emotion or by reason, I could never agree to this marriage.

…

The next day, the housekeeper walked in with a complicated look. "Sir, Mr. Lowe Senior is here."

My hands curled into fists. "Let him in."

The moment Harlan Lowe walked in, I confirmed he was the man Mom had spent decades longing for, my biological father.

His hair was white as snow, but it was neatly combed back without a single strand out of place. He wore a black tailored suit with pure gold buttons at the cuffs that caught the light and almost hurt my eyes.

Behind him were two men. One carried a briefcase, while the other held an insulated bottle.

Quite the entrance, I had to say.

Harlan stood at the doorway, his eyes sweeping over me without the slightest change in expression. He didn't recognize me. He had never known that he had another son, after all.

"Mr. Gardner."

He gave a slight nod. His voice was calm and unhurried, carrying the effortless composure of someone who had been treated with respect and admiration for decades.

"My apologies for the sudden visit. Nice to meet you. I'm Harlan Lowe."

"Have a seat, Mr. Lowe Senior."

Harlan sat down and looked at me. "Actually, Mr. Gardner, I came here today because of our children."

He paused, then smiled faintly. "Simon is my grandson. He's been a little spoiled since young, but he's by no means a bad person. It's obvious that they love each other, and as their elders, we should support them if we can."

He set down his insulated bottle, folded his hands together, and rested them on his knees.

"I know that everything you have was earned through your own efforts. It must not have been easy. To have no family background and still marry Bella Harrison of all, that alone is an undeniable feat.

"But it's precisely because you know how difficult it was to get here that I thought you'd understand one thing. Some opportunities, once missed, are gone for a lifetime."