The Cold Heir's Contract Wife

011

The atmosphere in the Collins family living room felt far more tense and suffocating than usual.

Elizabeth, having just walked in after returning from the mall, looked bewildered to see all the core family members fully assembled. Alexander sat in his grand chair with a gloomy face, James stood stiffly near the desk, and Edward paced back and forth with an anxious expression.

"What is actually going on? Why are your faces all so tense?" Elizabeth asked in confusion.

No one answered immediately. Instead, Alexander raised his head, staring at his wife with a sharp, piercing gaze. "You met Harper today?" Elizabeth nodded casually while setting down her bag. "Yes."

"And?"

Elizabeth let out a soft snort, recalling the incident at the mall. "That girl seems to be living quite well after leaving this house."

James instantly looked up, staring at his mother in disbelief. "Quite well?"

"Yes," Elizabeth nodded convincingly. "She carried many shopping bags from expensive boutiques. All branded items. I even thought to myself, don't tell me she's become a rich man's mistress now. That child has truly been a bad influence on Harper."

Brak!

Alexander’s palm slammed hard against the wooden table. Elizabeth spontaneously jumped in shock. "Alex! What is wrong with you?!"

"You actually accused her of something as low as that, right to Harper's face?" Alexander’s tone sounded incredibly heavy, laden with demanding pressure.

Elizabeth’s brow began to furrow in confusion seeing her husband’s overreaction. "What is wrong with that? My words were true, weren't they?"

Alexander rubbed his face roughly. For the first time, the middle-aged man looked as though he had truly lost control of his own temper. "The Collins family could be torn to shreds just because of those careless words of yours, Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth froze instantly. "What do you mean?"

Alexander was in no mood to answer further. Instead, he reached for a document folder beside him and tossed it onto the table. James immediately slid the thick file toward his mother. "Read it yourself, Mom."

With her lingering confusion, Elizabeth opened the first page of the document. The furrows in her brow deepened slowly, but it only took a few seconds for all the color to drain from her face.

"This... this is impossible...?"

Alexander let out a short laugh, a dry sound that did not sound the least bit humorous. "That was my reaction, too, the first time that report landed on my desk."

Elizabeth read the name printed in bold on the white paper again, her hands beginning to tremble violently.

Darian Vane. Jesslyn Vane.

"So..." Elizabeth’s voice suddenly shrank and choked in her throat. "Jesslyn is... Darian Vane’s biological child?"

"Yes," Edward chimed in, breaking the silence.

The room was once again enveloped in quiet. For the first time in her life, Elizabeth was truly rendered speechless. However, the shock did not last long before her old ego rose to the surface again.

"And what if she is Darian Vane’s child?" Elizabeth held her chin high. "That little child was still born outside of a legitimate marriage bond, wasn't she?"

Alexander instantly closed his eyes, holding back a headache, while James looked increasingly frustrated at his mother’s way of thinking. "Mom..."

"What? Am I wrong?"

James let out a long breath, trying to control his emotions. "Do you actually know, Mom, who Darian Vane is?"

"Of course I do, he is the owner of the Vane Group."

"No, Mom, you truly do not know just how terrifying that man is," James shook his head weakly while pointing at the document on the table. "One absolute decision from Darian Vane’s hand could collapse the entire octopus-like Collins business empire in a single night."

Elizabeth’s face went pale instantly. "You're exaggerating, James."