Slept With An "Ex-convict Nobody" - A Hidden Trillionaire!

Chapter 12: He’s not a pauper

Emma turned around, and just as she had expected, it was her cousin Leif, who always seemed to look for the slightest opportunity to belittle her before the rest of the Robbins family.

Leif had always been a pain in Emma's butt, right from when they were kids. And sometimes, Emma had stopped to ask herself why Leif seemed to hate her so much when, in fact, he was their grandfather's favorite.

"Why didn't anyone tell me that paupers were also invited? I might have also invited a couple of them who live in my neighborhood.” Leif remarked with a mock grin.

Emma heaved a frustrating sigh as the word "pauper” hung in the air like a poisoned dart. 

Someone laughed. Another shook their head in disgust. The sting of their judgment burned Emma’s skin, but all of that didn't compare to what was coming after they found out that the "supposed pauper," whom Emma had come with, was not just anyone but their son-in-law.

“He’s not a pauper,” Emma said, steadying her breath.

Her palms were clammy, but she stood her ground

“He…” She drew in a deep breath, her gaze sweeping across the sea of mocking eyes fixed on her. She knew the weight of what she was about to say, and yet she pressed on. “…is my husband.”

The words rang through the hall like the crack of thunder. For a heartbeat, silence blanketed the room. 

Emma could almost feel the heat of her relatives’ stares pressing against her skin, each pair of eyes widened in disbelief, each mouth slightly agape as if struck dumb.

“Your what?” Leif finally broke the silence, his face twisted in a smirk. 

But the stunned quiet didn’t last long. Within seconds, laughter exploded around the room—cruel, mocking, rolling waves of amusement at her expense. 

Of all the outrageous scandals the Robbins family had weathered over the years, Emma declaring that the man standing beside her, with his calm posture and unassuming clothes, was her husband, was instantly branded the most ridiculous of all. 

To them, Ethan looked like nothing more than a beggar dressed in borrowed dignity.

But what they didn't know was that he was A.M.E.N, the one name that could make the Robbins one of the most respected families in the country.

“Emma!” Her mother, Lizzy, snapped. “Are you out of your mind?”

Emma swallowed hard, turning toward her mother. “Mom… I can explain.”

“Explain what?” Lizzy’s voice climbed higher, dripping with disdain. “What on earth could you possibly explain? That you’ve tied yourself to a man who has nothing? Nothing at all to offer you! No wealth, no status, no future. You’ve disgraced yourself, Emma. Worse—you’ve disgraced all of us.”

Emma’s chest tightened, but before she could respond, another voice chimed in, one sharper and more venomous than her mother’s.

“That’s not even the real problem here,” Jennifer said, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she stepped forward. 

“This man…” She let her gaze sweep across the room before delivering the final blow. “…just got released from prison.”

A collective gasp rippled through the hall. Shock gave way to disgust as whispers erupted like wildfire.

“Prison?”

“Did she say prison?”

“My God, Emma, what have you done?”

Emma froze, her breath caught in her throat. She had expected opposition, yes, but she didn't expect her own PA to be the one fanning the flames of her humiliation.

“Oh, this just keeps getting better. Not only did you marry a beggar… you married a criminal?” Leif gestured dramatically toward Ethan, who stood silent and steady beside Emma. “Truly, Emma, you’ve outdone yourself. I didn’t think it was possible to shame this family more than you already have, but you’ve managed it.”

“Enough, Leif. You don’t know him—" Emma snapped.

“Know him?” Leif replied with a mocking laugh. “We know all we need to know. A man who’s been in prison, who has no wealth, no power, no standing. And this is who you thought was worthy of our family name?”

The rest of the guests murmured among themselves with words that Emma couldn't hear. And all along, Ethan hadn't said anything, waiting to see how far Emma could go to defend him.

“Tell me, Emma,” Leif continued, his voice loud enough for the whole hall to hear. “Did you marry him for love? Or was it pity? Or perhaps you wanted to rebel against your family, and this man here—” he waved dismissively at Ethan “—was your way of spitting in all our faces.”

The other family members laughed even harder, making Lizzy more angry towards Emma for bringing her so much embarrassment on such an important day.

“Enough.” Ethan eventually intervened, his voice steady, deep, and carrying a weight that silenced the hall. He didn’t shout, but the power in his tone commanded attention. The relatives shifted uncomfortably in their seats, surprised that the “pauper” dared to speak back.

Ethan’s eyes locked on Leif. “You may despise me. You may look down on me. That doesn’t matter. But you will not mock Emma for standing by her choice."

“Bold words… from a beggar,” Leif sneered, his voice loud. “Tell me, Ethan or whatever name you go by do you truly believe anyone here takes you seriously? Look around you.” He swept a hand across the vast hall. “This is the Robbins family. You don’t belong here. Not now, not ever.”

But Ethan did not flinch, not even for a second. He knew who he was, and whatever the Robbins family thought they owned was not even up to one percent of all that was under his name.

And then, suddenly, it happened.

A sharp, pained gasp shattered the rising voices. All heads turned in alarm as Grandpa Robbins, the Grand Patriarch himself, who had been sitting silently, watching the scene unfold with a storm of emotions written across his weathered face, suddenly stiffened. His hand shot up to his chest.

“Grandfather!” the cry went up as the old man’s body trembled. His face contorted in agony, his breaths shallow and strained as he hunched forward, clutching desperately at his chest.

“Grandfather, what’s wrong?”

“Somebody help him!”

Chaos erupted instantly, and the earlier mockery was forgotten almost immediately, replaced by frantic shouts.

“Call the physician, now!” someone screamed.