Blurb：
After being publicly named the Morcant Group successor, Elysia Morcant faces betrayal from Keanu Strathmore, who conspired with the fake heiress Eliana Morcant. Heartbroken yet resolute, Elysia shocks everyone by choosing Micah Kingswell—the eldest son of the Kingswell family—for a strategic marriage alliance. Despite rumors of his impotence after a car accident, Elysia prioritizes power over love, vowing to secure her inheritance and expose the deceit of Keanu, Zayn Blackwell, and Eliana’s childhood friends. As she takes control of the Morcant Group, Elysia’s eidetic memory and cunning maneuvers begin to unravel the web of lies, starting with firing the corrupt accountant Jennifer Brown. But with Keanu and Zayn confronting her, the battle for dominance has only just begun. Will Elysia’s alliance with Micah bring her the victory she seeks, or will the past haunt her rise?
Content：
On the very first day I’m welcomed back into the Morcant family, my grandfather announces to the public that I am the future successor of Morcant Group.
My father handpicks three potential marriage candidates for me, but all of them only have eyes for the fake heiress, Eliana Morcant.
The three of them go out of their way to isolate and embarrass me in publicexcept for Keanu Strathmore, who always comes to my defense. Somewhere along the way, I fall for him and decide to choose him.
Before our engagement, Eliana threatens to jump off a building. I rush to the scene, only to find Keanu kneeling before her, vowing, “You’re the only one I love. Once I help you take back your family’s inheritance from her, I’ll kick her to the curb!”
Her two childhood friends chime in, “Keanu has made so many sacrifices! He put himself on the line time and time again just to make her fall for him.”
It dawns on me that all the humiliation I endured is part of Keanu’s plan.
When my grandfather asks me one last time, “Marriage is no trivial matter. Are you sure he’s the one you want?”
“I don’t want Keanu anymore,” I answer with a smile.
Chapter 1
My grandfather seemed relieved after hearing my response. “You’ve finally come to your senses. I’ve heard that Keanu has been entangled with another woman. So, among the three men your father introduced you to, did any of them catch your eye?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I choose Micah Kingswell, the eldest son of the Kingswell family. Since this is a marriage of alliance, I might as well choose someone powerful.”
My grandfather frowned. “But he just left the clergy. I heard he became a priest after a car accident left him impotent. What if you two can’t have a normal married life?”
For the first time, I raised my gaze to meet his stern yet kind eyes. “It’s a business marriage, Grandpa. It’s all about benefits, not love. Besides, I’ve long given up on love. Isn’t my mom’s life the perfect proof that men can’t be trusted?”
As soon as I mentioned my mother, the authority in my grandfather’s gaze dimmed, and he glanced at me a few times. In the end, he sighed and lamented, “You’re truly all grown up now. If only your mother had been as clear-headed as you”
I sighed inwardly. My grandfather once told me that my dad claimed my mom died giving birth to me. My grandmother had passed away early, leaving my mother as their only child.
Stricken with grief, my grandfather handed the company over to my father. Yet, he became suspicious when he noticed that Eliana Morcant didn’t resemble anyone in the family.
By the time he reclaimed the company and found me, I was already 15. I was small, frail, and painfully self-conscious.
Beside himself with anger, he announced on the spot that I, Elysia Morcant, would be his only heir. However, since I had been forced to drop out of school when I was young, I lacked the ability to manage such a massive corporation.
My father volunteered to take me back home, claiming he wanted to make it up to me. He took it upon himself to find me a husband. From then on, the three underprivileged students he sponsored, who were also Eliana’s childhood sweethearts, were often arranged to stay close to me.
Yet, in truth, I had an eidetic memory since I was little. If I’d studied for just a few years, I would’ve been perfectly capable of running the company on my own.
That morning, after walking out of the finance department and ignoring the accountant, Jennifer Brown’s snide remarks, I went straight to the human resources department and fired that woman.
Before noon, Keanu Strathmore came storming into my office. He cut straight to the chase, glaring at me coldly. “Why did you fire Jennifer?”
Zayn Blackwell, who came in right after him, fumed, “You’re seriously unbelievable! You clearly don’t know a thing. Can’t you ask for our opinions before you act?
“Do you even know how long Jennifer has been with the company? The accounts will be a complete mess without her!”
Julian Sullivan, who had always been hot-tempered, rolled his eyes. “If you’re that bored, go shopping or something instead of wreaking havoc here!
“Go apologize to Jennifer, or we won’t let Keanu help you manage the company anymore. If she doesn’t come back, we’re quitting too. Let’s see who’s still willing to help you then!”
Right after saying that, he grabbed me by the collar, and I instantly felt my breath catch. Keanu merely leaned against the doorframe, coldly watching this scene unfold.
Anger flared in my chest, and I stomped hard on Julian’s foot. He yelped, and I turned to look at him apathetically. “She couldn’t explain a 20-million-dollar expense. Why can’t I fire her?”
Julian leaned toward Keanu and muttered under his breath, “Didn’t you buy Heart of the Sea last week for 20 million dollars?”
Chapter 2
I arched my brow and demanded, “Who exactly did you buy it for with the company’s money?”
Keanu’s jaw tightened. “You have some nerve asking that! If you hadn’t snatched Ellie’s necklace, I wouldn’t have wasted a whole week tracking this one down just to make it up to her.”
I was about to question him when Zayn beat me to it. He cut in with disgust written all over his face, “You snatched something from Ellie again? Do you have no shame? Do you seriously think the company belongs to you?
“Everything we bought was for her! It has nothing to do with you! Who gave you the right to take them?”
Julian clenched his fists while glaring at me furiously.
“What did you snatch from Ellie? Give it back to her right now! Ever since you came back, she’s done nothing but compromise for you! But why won’t you leave her alone?”
Noticing how tense the three of them were almost made me laugh, though deep down, I felt sad for myself.
When I was first brought back, I was sensitive and insecure. I’d never received a gift before, and the very first one I received was from Eliana. I even cautiously wore it to the first banquet my father brought me to.
However, when I returned home after being mocked by everyone there, my father slapped me across the face. “How could you be so vicious? Even if Ellie accidentally gave you a fake one, you could have just asked her to apologize to you! Why did you destroy all of her jewelry?”
That was the first time Keanu, who had always been gentle to me, looked at me with disgust. “Every piece of Ellie’s jewelry was bought by us. She doesn’t even know which ones are real or fake!”
I believed Eliana. However, she kept losing things after that.
My father’s loathsome glares and slaps would come down on me time and time again. Keanu’s gaze, too, grew colder with every incident.
I endured it all because I was terrified of being sent back to that chauvinistic family in the mountains, terrified of being abandoned again. So, I put up with them until now.
However, realization dawned on me then. My grandfather was the one who called the shots in the company.
“Forget it. We don’t need her to return it. Even if she does, Ellie won’t want it.” Keanu waved his hand impatiently before turning to leave.
I stopped him. “Hold on. Since the 20 million dollars were your personal expense, you’ll need to reimburse them.”
Zayn immediately flipped. “So what if Keanu spent 20 million dollars? He just closed a billion-dollar deal for the company yesterday!”
Julian appeared even more upset than Keanu. “Let’s go! Let’s see how she manages this company without us. If she doesn’t get down on her knees and beg us to come back, she deserves to watch it collapse!
“Let’s see what she has left to use against us! She’s nothing but a yokelshe can’t even hold a candle to Ellie. Let’s see how far she can go without us!”
“Don’t think I’ll compromise just because you’re my fiancee,” Keanu snorted before turning and walking away. Zayn and Julian shot me a gloating look before following after him.
I was well aware of the reason they were so confident.
After years of meticulous planning, my father had planted his men in almost every department of my grandfather’s company. These three were the ringleaders. If they left, the company’s operations would immediately fall into chaos.
Unfortunately for them, that setup had already crumbled a year ago. My grandfather had since taken full control of all the critical departments.
Even that billion-dollar deal Keanu boasted about was finalized only because my grandfather’s assistant intervened and negotiated it behind the scenes.
Chapter 3
The next morning, as soon as I walked into the company, a figure ran up to me and dropped to her knees in front of me. “I’m sorry, Lyss. It’s all my fault. Please don’t fire Kean and the others.
“If you don’t like me, I’ll leave! They’ve worked here for so many years. I know how much they’ve done for the company.
“This is the necklace Kean bought for me. I’ll give it to you. I’ll never compete with you again!”
Eliana clutched the hem of my skirt tightly. The employees around us started whispering.
“This is too much! Ms. Morcant and Mr. Strathmore practically kept this company afloat these past few years. Now that she’s back, she wants to kick them out?”
“Does she really think she’s all that special just because she’s rich? If Keanu leaves, I’m quitting too! I’m not staying here just to end up getting tossed aside like trash!”
Their accusations made my cheeks burn with humiliation.
I was about to call my grandfather’s assistant when someone shoved me hard from behind. I lost my balance and hit the ground with a loud thud. The impact knocked the air out of me, and a sharp, metallic taste filled my mouth.
“Elysia Morcant! It’s just a necklace! If you want the money, I’ll return it. Why can’t you leave Ellie alone?” Keanu gritted out.
I tried to get up, but Julian kicked me in the stomach before I could. Pain shot through my body, and the blood I’d been holding back spilled from my lips.
“I’ve had enough of you! If I ever see you bullying Ellie again, it won’t end with just one kick!” he snarled.
Zayn held Julian back before he could kick me again. “Drop the act! Julian didn’t even kick you that hard. You were the one who bullied Ellie first, so don’t pin this on us.
“If you get down on your knees and apologize to Ellie now, we’ll let bygones be bygones and even come back to work.”
I closed my eyes, swallowed the blood in my throat, and felt tears of humiliation roll down my cheeks. For a moment, I actually considered giving in.
Just then, gasps rippled from the entrance. Keanu immediately helped me up. “This all started because of you. I’m sure you know what to do. Don’t let Mr. Morcant Senior hear about this, or I won’t be showing up at our wedding.”
His threat echoed in my ear, and a bitter smile tugged at my lips. He would get what he wanted soon enough. Since he liked Eliana that much, I’d give them my blessing.
By the time my grandfather arrived, I had already straightened myself up. He shot them a displeased look, while I silently followed behind him with my head lowered.
Chapter 4
For the past month, I’d practically been living at the company, attempting to get the hang of everything as fast as I could. Before I knew it, the night of the company banquetwhere my engagement was to be officially announcedhad arrived.
After a month of absence, Keanu and his two friends finally decided to grace me with their presence.
“It has been a whole month since we last saw Mr. Strathmore. I thought he had left for greener pastures.”
“If he ever does, I suggest you start making plans too. Did you know that he was the one who landed the company’s biggest deal last month? It resulted in a profit of more than 100 million dollars!
“He’s so young, yet he’s already that capable. If he leaves, and the company falls into the hands of that heir from the countryside, we’re done for!”
I sneered. Zayn noticed it and reminded me, “Don’t start. It took us a whole month to calm Keanu down. If you hurt Ellie’s feelings again, I won’t be able to save you from whatever happens next.”
I noticed the knowing look in Keanu’s eyes and felt a wave of disgust. So, I made up an excuse and went to the restroom.
I hadn’t expected to run into Eliana there. The moment she saw me, she smiled. Then, she bent over and started groaning in pain.
I was perplexed until a sharp slap cracked across my face. My cheek stung, and when I looked up, I found Keanu glaring at me furiously. “I knew you were up to no good!”
“K-Kean, our baby” Blood started pooling beneath Eliana.
Julian’s eyes were bloodshot as he struck me hard across the face. “You heartless bitch! Don’t marry her, Keanu! She’s definitely going to ruin you one day!”
Without sparing me a glance, Zayn hurriedly stopped the two livid men. “Let’s rush Ellie to the hospital first!”
Before leaving, Keanu took one last look at me. “I’m giving you one last chance. If you can’t accept Ellie, it’s over between us.
“I’m sure you can find another man, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Not everyone is as capable or restrained as I am. If you encounter someone ruthless, they’ll chew you up until there’s nothing left of you!
“I suggest that you think long and hard about how you’re going to apologize to Ellie this time. If she doesn’t forgive you, our wedding will be postponed indefinitely.”
I didn’t miss the triumphant glint in Eliana’s eyes. I smiled as well, remembering that it was the day my engagement would be announced.
After touching up my makeup, I returned to the banquet. The moment I walked in, I could feel everyone’s strange looks on me.
“I just saw Mr. Strathmore leaving with a woman in his arms. Isn’t Mr. Morcant Senior going to announce their engagement tonight?”
“I guess that’s not happening anymore. Mr. Strathmore hasn’t even shown up to work this past month. For all we know, Mr. Morcant Senior might’ve already appointed a new heir.”
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