He Cheated Nonstop, I Seized His Fortune

Chapter 4

I no longer looked at him.

I turned around and bowed deeply to Julian's parents and Old Master Sterling.

"Mom, Dad, Grandpa, I'm sorry for disappointing you. Thank you for taking care of me all these years. But this company, and all the other assets and properties... I don't want a single thing from them. I only want..."

I paused for a moment.

Countless memories flashed through my mind, before finally stopping on that tiny memorial tablet.

"I only want a divorce from him."

After saying that, I held the nameless memorial tablet in my arms and slowly walked off the stage under everyone's gaze.

Behind me were Julian's heartbreaking cries and desperate pleas for me to stay.

But none of this had anything to do with me anymore.

My older brother, Marcus Whitmore, quickly walked toward me.

He took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around me, pulling me protectively into his arms.

When we were children, whenever I was bullied by the other kids in our neighborhood, he was always the first one to rush over and shield me behind him.

"Claire, I'm taking you home."

The steadiness in Marcus's voice had always been the source of my courage since childhood.

Julian rushed over like a mad dog and grabbed onto my knees, begging me not to leave.

"Claire! Claire! Don't go! Please listen to my explanation!"

Marcus kicked him away.

Julian fell to the ground and clutched his chest, unable to get back up for a long time.

"Julian, don't ever come near my sister again."

Marcus's voice carried an undeniable warning.

"Starting today, all cooperation between the Sterling family and the Whitmore family ends here. My sister has nothing to do with your family anymore."

I never turned back to look at Julian.

I didn't even spare him a glance from the corner of my eye.

As the car drove away from the Sterling family estate, the shadow that had hung over my heart for five years finally disappeared from my sight.

I had finally escaped.

When I returned to the Whitmore family home, Grandpa and Dad were already waiting at the entrance.

The entire house was brightly lit.

The moment my father saw me, the man who had always been strong and unshakable throughout his life broke down in tears.

He pulled me into his arms, wanting to comfort me, but his own voice had already become choked with emotion.

"Claire... why didn't you tell me sooner..."

My grandfather, a shrewd strategist who had always been undefeated in the political world, also had tears in his eyes.

He took the box from Marcus's hands and stared silently at the tiny nameless memorial tablet inside for a long time.

In the end, he simply stroked my hair, just like he did when I was a child.

"You're home now. Grandpa will handle everything that comes next."

That night, I held the tiny memorial tablet and carefully laid out all the baby items I had prepared.

Then I fell into a deep sleep in the room where I had grown up.

For the first time in all these years, I had a dreamless night.

The next day, the Sterling family came to the Whitmore family home.

Old Master Sterling, Julian's parents, and Julian himself.

The four of them stood awkwardly in the Whitmore family's living room.

Grandpa, Dad, and Marcus sat in the main seats, their expressions distant and cold.

They didn't even ask the servants to serve tea.

"Mr. Whitmore, we came today to apologize to Claire."

Julian's mother spoke first. Her voice was hoarse, likely because she had cried for a long time.

"This useless son of ours, Julian... we have already punished him severely. The Sterling family owes Claire, and we owe the Whitmore family."

As she spoke, tears once again filled her eyes.

Julian suddenly dropped to his knees in front of me.

Overnight, he seemed to have aged more than ten years. The elegance and confidence he once had were completely gone. He looked nothing like the man I had seen yesterday.

"Claire... I was wrong."

He looked up at me. His eyes were filled with desperate pleading, and the bloodshot veins from sleepless nights were painfully obvious.

"You can hit me, you can curse me, you can do anything you want. If you want to stab me with a knife, that's fine too! Just... please, don't divorce me. Please?"

He crawled forward a few steps and reached out, trying to grab my pant leg.

I instinctively stepped back. That tiny movement felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat. It pierced straight into his heart. His hand froze in midair.

He looked like a stray dog that had lost everything.

My father let out a cold laugh and threw the divorce agreement onto the table.

"The divorce agreement has already been prepared. Our Whitmore family doesn't want anything from the Sterling family. We don't care for it, and frankly, it disgusts us. Julian, you only need to sign it."

"No! I won't sign!" Julian stumbled back up.

His expression twisted with panic and desperation.

"Dad! Claire and I have been together for so many years. We still have..."

"Enough!" Marcus cut him off.

A teacup smashed onto the floor in front of Julian.

"Julian, do you still have the nerve to talk about the bond between you two? Do you think we're the only ones who remember those years more clearly than you do? Where were you when my sister was pregnant? You were with your mistress! Where were you when your mistress wanted to cruelly harm my mother? You stood by and allowed it to happen! Where were you when my sister lost her child and was fighting for her life in the emergency room? You were celebrating a happy family reunion with another woman, holding an illegitimate child in your arms! My sister lost her baby, and you actually tried to dismiss her with a bank card! And now, a heartless, ungrateful bastard like you thinks you're worthy of talking to my sister about your relationship? How come I never knew the Sterling family's upbringing was so 'impressive'? Turns out all that so-called upbringing was just piled onto your face!"

Every word Marcus spoke was powerful and forceful. Each sentence landed like a sharp slap across Julian's face, humiliating not only him but the entire Sterling family.