Chapter 10 I knew Olivia only wanted me to marry Lawrence to secure his position as the family heir. Her fondness for me was merely an attempt to win my favor. She was well aware of the tension between Lawrence and me because of Clarissa, and she was certain I loved Lawrence so deeply that I would never leave him. That was why she had never interfered. "Olivia, I'm not acting out of spite. "I'm sure you know what happened between Lawrence and me. "The company is full of people who report to you. You think it's normal for a man to cheat, and you just want to put me in my place." Lawrence's father, Fabian Chavez, had more than one mistress, yet Olivia had never done anything about it. But she was wrong to think I was the same as her. I could never accept being with a cheating husband. I continued, "Too bad that I'm not a fool, and I don't want to be one." After saying this, I took a step back and stood behind Austin. Just then, my father and Theo Chavez, Lawrence's grandfather, walked in together. "My, my. It's so lively here! "It's been quite a while since your family has been this lively, wouldn't you agree, Sir Chavez?" my father smiled. Theo smiled at the sight of my hand clasped tightly in Austin's. "Yes. It's all thanks to Hattie." With that, he shot Fabian a glance. Understanding the cue, Fabian quickly pulled at Olivia and Lawrence's sleeves. "Cut it out. "Dad has something important to announce today." Theo went onstage and began with some formal remarks. Then, he began the official proceedings. "There are three reasons we are here tonight. The first is to bring our family together for a reunion. The second is to announce the marriage of Austin and Harriet. And the third..." 0.0 % 08:17 Lawrence suddenly had a bad feeling. Meanwhile, Olivia kept staring at me intently. After a pause, Theo continued, "The third is to announce Austin as the sole heir of the Chavez family." Immediately, the entire banquet hall was in an uproar. Three years ago, Theo had placed Lawrence in the office on the twenty-eighth floor. Everyone assumed Lawrence was the family heir. But today, he lost both his position as my fiancé and his status as the heir. Everyone turned to look at him. His expression darkened utterly as he sprang to his feet, wanting to demand an explanation from Theo. But Olivia and Fabian held him back, restraining him firmly. "You good-for-nothing! "I told you to secure your ties to the Wheatly family, but you just couldn't keep it in your pants!" Disappointed and furious, Olivia cursed under her breath. "Do you honestly believe Theo would have chosen you over Austin back then without the Wheatly family? Can you be any more naive?" Her harsh words jolted Lawrence out of his illusion. Only now did he realize the terrible mistake he had made. It'd been so long that at some point, he had forgotten the most crucial thing. Everything he had-his status, his privi- lege was only ever owed to the Wheatly family's backing. As Theo was about to descend from the stage, Lawrence gritted his teeth and suddenly gave me a deep bow, his hands desperately clutching the hem of my gown. I was startled. "Harriet, I'm sorry. I was really wrong. "I was the biggest fool in the world to make such a horrible mistake. Please... Can you forgive me? "I'll fire Clarissa today. You know I don't love her... I love you. She's ... just a meaningless fling. "Let's get our marriage license right now, alright?" Lawrence, who had always been so proud and aloof, was now pleading with me humbly, like a beggar. "No. 28.2 % 08:18 Chapter 10 "Lawrence, I never look back." I firmly pulled my gown from his grip and retreated behind Austin. Suddenly, a group of police walked through the door and headed straight to Clarissa. 288 Vouchers "Clarissa Webb, you're under arrest on suspicion of intentional homicide. Come with us." Clarissa's expression changed drastically as she panicked, crying out for Lawrence's help. Lawrence was taken aback. Clarissa was a murderer? How was that possible? "Lawrence, Clarissa's mother was never sick. It was all a scheme they orchestrated to get her close to you. "And then, to stand between you and Harriet, Clarissa gave her mother the special medication that led to her death. "If you had paid the slightest bit of attention, you could have easily uncovered the truth. "But you were so enamored with her that you chose to see none of it," Austin sneered. It was only then that I understood what Austin had meant when he said, "I'll take care of Lawrence's secretary." Hearing Austin's words, Lawrence was utterly dumbfounded. Memories came flooding back-every time he had ac- companied Clarissa to see her mother, she had invented all kinds of excuses to send him away. When her mother died, she had never shown him the death certificate. The truth finally dawned on him-he had been completely deceived. A tidal wave of regret swept over him. He let out a wail and began crawling toward me, only for Austin to kick him away. The Chavez family banquet ended with Lawrence and his parents' remorse. I later heard that Austin's first act upon taking over the Chavez Group was to have Lawrence exiled to a project in an underdeveloped country. Under Austin's leadership, the Chavez Group underwent a major restructuring, with all shares split and reorganized. Lawrence's branch of the family could only ever receive a portion of the dividends. As for Clarissa, she was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for the murder of her mother. She later committed suicide in her cell. The following May, Austin and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl. At her month-old birthday celebration, Austin gave me an amulet, He said, "May the amulet keep you safe." I knew he was still afraid. 58.2 % 08:18 When giving birth, I had suddenly developed a severe hemorrhage, and Austin had prayed outside the OR for a day and a night. Fortunately, both my baby and I were safe. Then he bought this amulet for me. It wasn't worth much, but it represented his deep love for me. A life well-lived was about loving and being loved. I was undoubtedly fortunate-I was loved, and I had someone to love.