Chapter 4

After some negotiation, they decided to hold a press conference on Vincent's twenty-fifth birthday to announce the official merger of Taylor Group and Maxwell Group, with Vincent being appointed as the new CEO.

The venue was absolutely packed—everyone who was anyone in the business world was there.

People just couldn't stop talking; envious glances, congratulatory chatter—there was no end to it.

T&M Group was now the kind of powerhouse everyone aspired to do business with—and the most sought-after partner on the market.

With the lawyers watching and the shareholders' unanimous support, Vincent walked up to the stage, signed the share transfer agreement, and gave his acceptance speech.

The applause was thunderous, and the whole place erupted with excitement.

As soon as the speech ended, Grover wheeled Kate, who was dressed to the nines, onto the stage.

With Grover's help, Kate shakily got to her feet and wrapped Vincent up in a tight embrace.

Her voice trembled with emotion as she said, "Vincent, you've finally grown up. No one can ever force us apart again—not now, not ever."

Then Kate pulled out a paternity test report from twenty years ago and handed it to Vincent right in front of all the reporters.

"Laurel, you were jealous that Grover treated me so well. You couldn't bear to see me happy—so you orchestrated that car accident, killed Derick, left me crippled, and in the end, you even took my son away from me." Kate's words trembled with raw emotion.

I shot her a cold, hard stare as she spewed nonsense. I always knew she didn't have any shame, but I never imagined she'd actually hit rock bottom like this.

Blatantly twisting the truth in broad daylight, with a straight face and everyone watching, she really didn't care about getting caught.

'Does she really think fate won't catch up to her? With luck, maybe she'll get what she deserves the minute she steps outside,' I scowled.

Everyone was stunned at the scene—Kate crying and shouting her accusations, while eyes darted wildly between me, Grover, and Vincent.

Murmurs and heated whispers exploded through the crowd.

"What the hell is this?"

"Hold up. Vincent isn't Laurel's kid?"

"Laurel stole her own sister-in-law's son?"

"Now that the kid's all grown up, and she actually wants to take him back? So all those years Laurel spent raising him—was that all for nothing?"

"Wait a second. Laurel practically gave away the whole Maxwell Group to Vincent. If he's not even her real son, she's ended up with nothing at all."

Grover just looked genuinely pained as he spoke. "Laurel, I know losing your child all those years ago was devastating, and it took a real toll on you. That's why you've always insisted Vincent was yours.

"For the sake of your health, Kate has endured years of heartbreak, being kept from her own son. Now that Vincent's grown up, he deserves to know who his real mother truly is."

I shot Grover a frosty, disdainful look as he spun his ridiculous story—totally living in his own fantasy. Honestly, these people really did deserve each other.

He could spit out lies without blinking, not the slightest bit embarrassed. Shameless didn't even begin to cover it.

My gaze swept over Truman, who just cleared his throat and turned away, refusing to meet my eyes.

It hit me in an instant—they'd all known the truth from day one. Grover's little scheme to switch things up? The whole Taylor family had been in on it, every step of the way.

No wonder Kate never remarried all these years, and no one in the Taylor family ever said a word against it.

They'd been stringing me along, letting me raise their kid and fight their battles for them.

What a masterful trick—hiding everything in plain sight while pulling the rug out from under me.

If I hadn't kept my wits about me back then, I'd be flat broke and sleeping on the streets, with nobody to help and those snakes lining up just to mess with me whenever they felt like it.

With everyone staring in shock, I shot Vincent a calm, slightly amused smile. "So, Vincent, what's it gonna be?

"You thinking about recognizing your birth mom and sending me packing, or are you gonna remember who actually raised you and still call me 'Mom'—just like always?"

As soon as I finished talking, Kate instantly burst into a dramatic cry. "Vincent, I'm really your mom! All these years, I never stopped dreaming about reuniting with you.

"There were countless nights when I wanted to just throw everything away—even my own life—just to come find you.

"I wasn't afraid to die for you. What really terrified me was that cruel woman might hurt you."

Saying that, she broke down completely in Grover's arms, crying her heart out.

Grover wrapped Kate in his arms, trying to soothe her as she sobbed, quietly whispering reassurances and brushing away her tears with obvious care—his whole body radiated protective affection.

Then he spun around to face Vincent, his expression hardening, and snapped sternly.