I Married The Disabled Billionaire Then My Family Begged Me To Come Back Chapter 02
The Deal
The second I agree, relief spreads across all four faces. They even breathe easier.
A cold smile touches my lips. I slam my glass down on the table.
“I’ll be your replacement bride.”
“But I have two conditions.”
Silas frowns at me.
“Claire, don’t push your luck.”
“Stella already gave you the title of Hale heiress.”
“What more do you want?”
I don’t waste a glance on him.
My eyes stay on my biological parents, whose faces are getting uglier by the second.
“First, transfer the fifteen percent of Hale Holdings my grandfather left me in his will. Immediately.”
“Second, hold a press conference tomorrow morning.”
“Tell all of Manhattan that I am the only real Hale daughter.”
“And that Stella Hale is just an adopted daughter who stole my place.”
The room goes dead silent.
Stella’s face drains of color. Her fists clench tight.
But her voice comes out soft and wounded.
“Claire… do you really have to push me out before you’re happy?”
“I know I had your place for twenty years.”
“But I gave everything to this family too.”
“If you want shares, I can give you mine.”
“Why do you have to ruin me in front of all of Manhattan?”
“Stella, don’t say that.”
Silas grabs her hand, looking heartbroken.
“None of this is your fault.”
Then he glares at me.
“Claire Hale, you are utterly vicious!”
“Do you know how many nights Stella stayed up working on Hale projects?”
“Do you have to destroy her?”
Evelyn Hale rushes at me and points right in my face.
“You ungrateful little brat!”
“Your grandfather was out of his mind when he left you those shares.”
“You grew up with nothing. What do you know about running a company?”
“You’ll burn it all to the ground.”
“And the press conference? Don’t even think about it.”
“Stella grew up with me. She is my daughter.”
“If people find out she’s adopted, how is she supposed to show her face in Manhattan?”
“You’re trying to ruin her life!”
I stare at her.
At the way she shields Stella.
For one second, my chest hurts so bad I almost can’t breathe.
I’m the daughter she gave birth to.
But since the day I came back, she’s hated everything about me.
My clothes. My manners.
The fact that I don’t play golf. The fact that I don’t know how to kiss up to her rich friends.
In her eyes, only Stella, the perfect socialite trained for charity galas, is worth being proud of.
And I am a stain.
I snap out of it and step back before Evelyn’s finger can touch my face.
“You won’t agree? Fine.”
“Then tomorrow, send your fake daughter to the Sterling estate.”
“Adrian may be paralyzed, but Old Mr. Sterling is still alive.”
“If he finds out you tried to pass off a girl who isn’t even your blood on the Sterlings…”
“Do you think he’ll take that as an insult?”
“The Sterlings can crush the Hales without blinking.”
“And when they do, forget Stella’s future.”
“The entire Hale family, plus Silas and Cole Group…”
“You can all go down with Adrian Sterling.”
Henry’s face changes. He knows what the Sterlings can do.
They sit at the very top of Manhattan.
Even with Adrian ruined, the Sterling family will never swallow being lied to.
Henry stares at me, calculating.
“Henry, you can’t agree!” Evelyn cries. “Stella is getting engaged to Silas. If she becomes the adopted daughter, what will the Coles think?”
“Shut up!”
Henry’s voice cracks through the room.
Evelyn flinches.
He takes a deep breath and looks at me with dark eyes.
“Fine. I agree.”
“The lawyer handles the shares tomorrow morning.”
“And we’ll hold the press conference.”
“But Claire Hale, remember this.”
He points at the front door.
“Once you take the shares and marry into the Sterlings, you belong to them.”
“If they torture you to death, don’t come crying back here.”
“As far as the Hales are concerned, we don’t have a daughter named Claire.”
I look at his eager, ugly face. Then I smile.
“Deal.”