CHAPTER 527: SETTLING OLD SCORES

Joe admitted it!

The situation flipped again!

The supposed victim, Selina, turned out to be the product of an affair?

Grandma Morris, sharp-tongued and venomous, sneered, "Selina, you’re nothing but the child of your mother and her lover. You’re the one making a scene, embarrassing both yourself and your mother!"

Among the crowd, a few greasy middle-aged men suddenly felt a strange sense of sympathy for Joe.

They were just like him—weak, spineless men—yet they blamed the world for why no woman wanted them. Now, finding a kindred spirit, they unleashed their scorn without hesitation:

"Chairman Morris is still too kind. If my girlfriend ever dared to cheat on me, I’d beat her to death!"

"Exactly! Why’s Selina making such a fuss, insisting on cutting ties with the Morris Family? Look what happened now! Her name isn’t legitimate anymore, and she’s ruined her mother’s good reputation too!"

At that moment, the anxiety, hesitation, and guilt in Joe’s heart oddly melted away.

Yes, yes—everything he had done was for Victoria, for Selina.

Victoria insisted on leaving him, and that’s why she died out there. Everything he did was to keep Selina close, to give her a safe harbor.

"Selina, Daddy doesn’t despise you. Daddy loved your mother, so no matter your origins, I’ll accept you. Don’t be upset anymore, just stay with Daddy..."

"Joe, I dare you to say it again—who cheated?!"

Before Selina could even respond, an earth-shattering roar suddenly cut through the air!

Everyone instinctively turned around, only to see an elderly lady storming in, her face dark with fury yet radiating authority.

And beside her was Logan.

Those same middle-aged men who had dared to mock Selina earlier didn’t so much as breathe wrong in front of Logan.

Selina’s eyes lit up at the sight of him, though her curiosity was piqued—who was this imposing older woman?

The lady gave Selina a respectful bow before turning to Joe with a cold, mocking smile. "Joe, do you still remember who I am?"

The calm Joe had forced onto his face instantly shattered into raw terror.

"You—you..."

"Joe!" the old lady snapped, not giving him time to tremble. "You’re saying my young lady cheated? What a joke! Shall I lay out the truth of what happened back then in front of everyone here, so you can finally have your moment of fame?"

"Shut up..." Joe muttered instinctively.

"Was it truly the young lady who cheated, or was it you—using force, keeping her captive illegally? Today, I’ll settle this once and for all, right here with you!"

As her words landed, Grandma Morris suddenly realized what was happening. Her face drained of all color.

She had heard about the upheaval in the Hill Family, knew Victoria’s identity—but she hadn’t expected them to show up so quickly! And for a dead young lady, no less. What was the point of such a big show?

In Grandma Morris’s mind, the dead were nothing—gone and forgotten. The living were what mattered.

The Morris Family was a renowned household in its own right. The Hill Family’s master had only just taken power, Helen had only just recovered from being in a coma, her health still fragile—surely they wouldn’t care about a dead daughter. That was why Grandma Morris had dared to twist the truth!

But who could’ve guessed...

"So it seems some of you do recognize me."

The lady hadn’t introduced herself, yet her presence alone was enough. Everyone could see how commanding she was. And since she addressed Victoria as "young lady," it meant she wasn’t Victoria’s elder—she must have been a housekeeper or steward in the Hill household.

And yet, just a housekeeper was enough to terrify Grandma Morris and Joe into this state...

Mrs. Cole’s voice rang out, sharp and powerful.

"Joe, you claim my young lady and you were childhood sweethearts, mutually in love?"

"Shall I remind you—my young lady has a fiancé! They were betrothed when they were young. What does that have to do with you?"

"The only man my young lady ever loved was her fiancé. Was it you? Who do you think you are?! Acting on lust, kidnapping and imprisoning her—she went through hell just to escape! And your whole family helped you maintain this fake ’devoted lover’ image. Shameless, isn’t it?!"

The crowd gasped in shock, and Joe’s face went deathly pale.

"You’re lying... you’re lying..."

"Lying?" Mrs. Cole sneered. "I swear, if a single word I said isn’t true, may I die a terrible death. Do you dare say the same?!"

"Do you dare, in front of everyone here, swear that if you’re hiding the truth, you’ll be struck by lightning?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than a deafening crack split the air.

Under a cloudless sky, a sudden flash lit up with a thunderous boom.

"Ah!" Joe’s eyes widened in terror. Whatever thought crossed his mind, it sent him stumbling backward until he fell flat on the ground.

Mrs. Cole loomed over him, her voice searing.

"Your family caused her to be separated from her loved ones, to die far from home. And now, you want to harm her daughter, slander her name, and steal her possessions? What more do you want?!"

"Joe, how much praise have you won by clinging to that false persona of devotion? How many people have bought into the lie that you were a man who, out of love, stayed unmarried for twenty years?"

"Why don’t you tell them the truth—that you kidnapped and imprisoned that woman? That you tore her from her brother, leaving her mother and brother to search endlessly for her? That she died without ever making it home again?"

The more Mrs. Cole spoke, the fiercer her eyes grew, burning with killing intent, rimmed with tears.

Selina bit her lip hard, and even those watching from the sidelines couldn’t help but well up.

This was Joe’s so-called devotion?

His so-called devotion was nothing more than self-delusion!

He claimed to love, yet he robbed her of her family, her fiancé, her freedom. In the end, he destroyed her reputation and stripped her of her inheritance. And even twenty years later, Joe still came after her daughter.

Who would want such devotion? Who would want such degrading, humiliating devotion?!

And besides, with Grandma Morris despising Victoria so much, what kind of life could she possibly have had in the Morris Family? She was a dignified young lady. Even if her mother had become a vegetable, she still had a brother and a fiancé. Why would she need to suffer such indignity in the Morris household?

The Morris Family was truly revolting!

Grandma Morris, hearing the tide of voices turning against her, the curses growing louder all around, broke down in panic. She screamed desperately, "No! No! Don’t listen to that woman’s nonsense! Victoria loved my son so madly she couldn’t live without him! She left home for him..."

"My son took a liking to her—that was her honor! My son is so outstanding, he could marry a princess if he wanted. Why would Victoria dare disagree? He gave her face! When my son takes an interest in someone, it’s their blessing! So what if she had a fiancé? My son said he wanted to marry her—why couldn’t she just throw her fiancé away?!"

"All the women in the world should love and admire my son!"

In her terror, Grandma Morris lost all restraint, spewing every arrogant, twisted thought that had been festering in her heart.

The onlookers’ disgust only deepened. Joe stumbled and collapsed again, crumpled on the floor.

Selina stepped forward, her voice cutting through the chaos.

"Chairman Morris."

Joe lifted his head in a daze.