Chapter 11
It felt like even the air stopped moving at that moment.
In the silence, Bernadette slowly stepped forward and, under everyone’s shocked gaze, walked onto the stage.
Dario looked at her and said softly, “This is my daughter, Bernadette, and she’s also the future president of the Mallins Group American Branch.”
There were a few seconds of silence, like people were just coming back to their senses from the shocking news. It wasn’t until some light applause started in the corner that it was like breaking the ice, and suddenly there was thunderous applause.
Bernadette stood under the lights and took in everyone’s expressions in
the audience.
Jessica, whose face looked stiff, Nolan, whose pupils were shaking, and everyone else with different expressions.
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She stepped forward and smiled, saying, “I’m really grateful to my father for letting me run the branch. As our first project in the country, we’re happy to work with the Crowley Group. I’ll seriously consider the two proposals from the Crowley Group, and in the end, I’ll choose between Mr. Nolan and Mr. Declan.”
། །
She had a smile on her lips, but her eyes were cold as ice.
Bernadette knew how important this choice was for Nolan and Declan. She could just announce Nolan’s failure right now, but since Nolan had tortured her for so long, she wanted Nolan to feel what it was like to be tortured by time too.
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Nolan clenched his fists, his face pale.
This news was just too big. Even after the party ended, everyone still couldn’t snap out of it.
Even when leaving, I still couldn’t believe it.
“How could that be? Didn’t everyone say Jessica was the Mallins Group’s daughter?”
“Yeah, but Bernadette’s last name wasn’t Mallins, and I never heard she had anything to do with the Mallins Group.”
“I badmouthed her online before, she wouldn’t get back at me, right?”
***
Everyone was more or less thinking about whether they’d gone too far when Bernadette was down, only Nesta was shocked and loud on the way
back.
“Ah, you really scared me! This is such an important thing, why didn’t you tell me first? I was so nervous just now, my heart almost jumped out!”
She sat in the back seat, her eyes so wide they almost filled up the whole rearview mirror.
“And hasn’t Jessica always said she’s Mr. Mallins’s daughter? Was she lying?”
Bernadette leaned on the window, the breeze felt a bit chilly on her face: “Her mom was my dad’s mistress, had a kid with him in secret, and my dad never really accepted her. Even after my mom and dad got divorced, she still never even set foot in the Mallins Group. To outsiders, yeah, she was my dad’s kid.”
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Back then, she didn’t get along with Dario for a while because of his divorce from her mom, and she didn’t even invite him to her wedding.
So, nobody knew about her relationship with Dario.
“So that’s how it was.” Nesta calmed down, “Jessica, this is a case of taking over someone else’s place!”
Bernadette smiled and didn’t answer.
Actually, she hadn’t seen Dario for almost ten years. Jessica guessed she had even forgotten that Dario actually had a daughter. After sucking up to Dario for a few more years, she really thought Dario had accepted her.
What a pity, Dario was born cold and heartless, only had some feelings for her mom. Back then, if Jessica’s mother hadn’t come to him and insisted on a divorce, Dario actually didn’t want to get divorced.
This didn’t stop his mom from being angry, and after her mom left, she
blamed it all on Jessica’s mom.
Now they weren’t even lovers, and she didn’t know why Jessica was so full of herself to think Dario came to acknowledge her.
She was just
When the phone rang and interrupted her thoughts.
Bernadette looked down and saw it was Nolan,
and saw it was Nolan.
Her eyes darkened, waitedent, and picked up.
Nolan’s low voice came through the mic: “Let’s talk.”
