After He Hurt My Family, I Won

Chapter 3

The moment Benjamin finished speaking, Mrs. Weston leaned close to my ear, her expression grave, and explained what was happening.

Carteret Shipping was the very foundation of the family's wealth and power.

Without making a sound, Benjamin had managed to become its second‑largest shareholder.

At the same time, my finance director sent me an urgent email.

Ten million dollars in liquid funds had been transferred out of the company, leaving the cash flow on the brink of collapse.

Benjamin wore a confident, triumphant smile. "Adelaide, you have lost! I have woven myself into almost every part of the Carteret empire. What do you have left to fight me with?"

I remained silent.

Thinking I had admitted defeat, he spoke in a falsely gentle tone, "Adelaide, we once shared a life together. If you behave, you can still keep what little dignity you have left. But if you refuse, do not blame me for being ruthless and cutting off the Carteret line for good."

I lifted my head, but did not look at him. Instead, I fixed my gaze on the small figure standing behind him and spoke sharply, "Owen, you are my son. How could you betray me like this?"

Transferring such a large sum of money would require my personal seal. And only Owen could have taken it without raising any alarm.

Owen stepped forward slowly. His tender face held the same cold, unfeeling expression as Benjamin's.

He stared at me with bitter resentment and spoke without a trace of guilt, "Why not? You never intended to leave your fortune to me! You do not deserve to be my mother!"

Seeing the disgust clearly written on his face, I felt my heart turn cold.

After he was born, I kept him by my side and raised him myself, making sure he had almost no contact with Benjamin.

Was this some instinct shared by father and son?

They had only met a handful of times, yet they had already joined hands to take me down.

A sharp, tearing pain spread through my chest.

I pulled my lips into a faint, bitter smile, my voice growing hoarse, "Benjamin, when I pulled you out of that underground fighting ring, the first lesson I taught you was to be ruthless.

"You have learned well... even better than your teacher. From this day forward, there will be no peace between us. Only one of us will remain standing."

From that day on, Benjamin openly declared war against the Carteret family. Our two factions clashed fiercely, neither willing to back down.

Because Owen had handed over countless confidential documents, our businesses began to lose ground. One subsidiary after another was forced into bankruptcy.

While I stayed in the office to hold things together, I received constant updates of Benjamin and Felicity parading their affection in public.

One month later, their engagement was announced and broadcast live across the city.

Everyone praised Benjamin's devotion and envied Felicity's luck.

I sat alone behind my large desk, watching the broadcast.

On screen, Benjamin looked powerful and self‑assured, his eyes soft and full of love as they rested on Felicity.

Yet almost no one knew that Benjamin and I had once been legally married.

When I first brought him home, he looked at me with such admiration and longing.

We grew close, and eventually we became a couple. Then I fell pregnant.

He was overjoyed, saying again and again that he finally had a home, and begging me to sign the marriage papers.

When I was three months along, he knelt at my feet and said earnestly that he wanted to build a career, to become a strong support for our child.

In the end, all I got was this cruel betrayal.

Hearing Benjamin announce that their wedding would take place in three months, Mrs. Weston could not help but speak up, "Madam, do we let him continue like this?"

"There is no need to rush," I replied calmly. "To destroy someone, you must first let them believe they are winning. Let him climb as high as he can. Then we will shatter his dreams completely." My tone remained cold and steady. I released my grip on the crystal glass in my hand.

It crashed to the floor, breaking into a thousand sharp shards.

I waited patiently, but I never expected that Felicity, foolish as she was, would dare to come and provoke me directly.