Tristan leaned back in his chair, his tone brimming with arrogance. “Give me two weeks, Dad—or at least until after my wedding next week.”He continued confidently, “I promise I’ll personally bring Jason Kingsley to sign the partnership.”Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Two weeks? I heard Jason Kingsley turned down five major investment groups just last month.”“That’s because those groups didn’t have the Hilton name backing them,” Tristan scoffed dismissively. “High-level business needs patience and prestige. A family like the Kingsleys won’t sit down with just anyone.”Sitting across the table, Gregory calmly took a sip of water from his glass.An unreadable expression crossed his gray eyes.Tristan was sitting there boasting about needing two weeks just to secure a meeting with Jason. Yet just the previous afternoon at Hartley Medical Center, Jason had walked into Gregory’s office, shaken his hand, and personally signed a $100 million venture capital agreement right in front of him.Gre

“To protect me from the family’s cruelty and satisfy the elders’ demand for an heir, your father arranged a surrogacy, which I consented to,” Catherine revealed in a low whisper. “Tristan was born through an anonymous surrogate mother using your father’s arrangements. To the outside world and the city elite, I was the one who went away for nine months and gave birth to him. We raised Tristan as our firstborn son, giving him everything a child could ever ask for.”Gregory listened in profound silence. The final piece of the puzzle had finally clicked into place.Tristan wasn’t her biological child.“Then… What about me?” Gregory asked, curiosity in his voice.Tears welled up in Catherine’s eyes, rolling down her cheeks.“One year after Tristan was born,” Catherine whispered, her voice breaking, “a miracle happened. Against every prediction… I got pregnant with you.”She reached out, tightly gripping Gregory’s hand once more.“It was a difficult, dangerous pregnancy,” Catherine sobbed q

Arthur and Catherine were joined in the study by Gregory and Tristan.Arthur sat in his high-backed chair, reviewing the financial summary Gregory had handed him. Catherine sat on a nearby sofa, her hands folded tightly in her lap, her eyes fixed on Gregory with desperate hope. Tristan stood near the window with his arms crossed, watching them quietly.“A $10 million investment in the CoPioneer subsidiary,” Arthur read aloud. He looked up at Gregory. “You believe this subsidiary holds real value?”“It does,” Gregory answered confidently, his tone calm and composed. “The company’s main focus is AI microchips, but its neural research division has made some progress. Backing this doesn’t just build a bridge to the company’s board—it also gives us direct access to the division.”Catherine leaned forward, her face filled with emotion and urgency.“Honey, we have to do this,” Catherine urged, looking at her husband. “If there’s even a small chance this can help Julian stand up again… if it

Tristan descended the steps with deliberate strides, his hands tucked casually into his pockets. His gaze shifted from the liquid-silver Aston Martin to Jake, who was casually stretching his arms.A condescending chuckle slipped from Tristan’s lips as he stopped a few steps away from Gregory’s wheelchair.“Julian,” Tristan called, his tone unwelcoming.“I don’t recall sending an invitation to your room. The pre-wedding dinner is strictly reserved for my groomsmen and their partners.”Gregory remained completely relaxed as he fired back calmly. “It’s an open terrace, Tristan. I came to get some fresh air.”Tristan’s gaze drifted back to the supercar parked on the red carpet. In his mind, the math was simple. A man sitting in a wheelchair who had spent the last four years broke in a basement couldn’t possibly drop about a million dollars on a flagship Aston Martin. That meant the guy standing beside him—in casual clothes—was the one who owned the car.Tristan assumed Jake was some anony

The air outside the Grand Riviera Country Club turned cold almost immediately.Gregory’s heart hammered against his ribs, but his face remained completely blank. His eyes didn’t widen, and he didn’t flinch. Inside, however, alarm bells were ringing.Robert Carnegie leaned closer to the side of the wheelchair, his smirk widening into a predatory grin.“Did you really think your brother wouldn’t mention the lost Second Young Master?” Robert whispered, his voice full of mockery. “Tristan and I go way back, Julian. When he told me his crippled brother had returned from the dead, I almost couldn’t believe it. But seeing you sitting right here… it all makes sense now.”Robert tapped the silver rose pinned to his lapel, his eyes burning with arrogance.“You thought you were playing games in the shadows,” Robert mocked softly. “Enjoy your little ride in the sports car, Julian. Because very soon, the Hilton family won’t have room for a broken child.”Without waiting for a response, Robert let