My Ex Asks Me To Adopt His Son

On the day of the engagement party, my fiancé showed up with his illegitimate child in his arms.

He even declared that the child should become my son and inherit my business.

"If you agree, I'll be your loyal servant for life," he said.

Without a word, I stepped forward and gave him a resounding slap.

"Don't flatter yourself. I only said it was an engagement party, not that you were the groom."

1

On the day of my engagement party, my fiancé presented me with a "surprise".

At a five-star hotel, I wore a wedding dress flown in from abroad, custom-made.

On either side of the stage, vibrant red roses bloomed, filling the air with their alluring fragrance.

Not far away, a ten-tier cake stood at the center, adorned with pearls, each one naturally cultivated and worth no less than ten thousand dollars.

Yet, this engagement party, which should have been a celebration of blessings, had turned into a total farce.

And I, in my wedding dress, was an absolute joke in everyone's eyes.

The man standing before me wore a suit that matched my wedding dress, a set worth five million dollars.

Yet, he held a child tightly in his arms.

There was no need for a closer look; one glance was enough to tell that the child was undoubtedly his.

Even so, when he spoke, I found his words incredibly hard to believe.

"This child is mine. I hope you can accept him."

The room erupted in whispers immediately, and ironically, the large screen behind us still displayed intimate photos of the two of us.

Guests and media couldn't contain their curiosity, whispering among themselves.

They all knew today was my engagement party with my fiance, Cormac Murphy, yet he not only arrived late but also unexpectedly brought a child from another relationship.

It was a public embarrassment for me.

"Katherine, I know you've always been kind-hearted. Could you do a good deed this time and treat this child as your own son? If you're willing, I'll be your loyal servant for life."

I squinted at him, unable to believe that a man who had always been so obedient to me in private would say such things in public.

And to think he would corner me in front of everyone!

I, Katherine Haynes, was the president of the Haynes Group, successful in business world, yet my fiance was trying to force my hand with his illegitimate child at our engagement party.

I looked at him and scoffed coldly. I prided myself on not being easily manipulated.

I hadn't held him accountable, yet he had the audacity to make demands of me.

It was completely absurd.

But facing a room full of guests, I tried hard to hold back my anger and minimize the impact of this farce.

"Cormac, let's discuss this after the party. For now, let's focus on the engagement."

This was the last concession I offered him, but he was too foolish to accept it.

"No!" he insisted stubbornly. When he saw my bodyguards approaching to take the child away, he clutched the child even tighter.

It was as if I were some wicked woman, and he was the father willing to risk everything to protect his child.

"Katherine, he's so young. Can't you help by acknowledging him as your son?"

I was so infuriated by this foolish man that I laughed.

Did he not understand the occasion? Or his own status?

"Do you think you can blackmail me on this occasion?"

My hands, gripping the hem of my wedding dress, had long since formed tight fists, creasing the fabric.

"Katherine, I know it was wrong of me to betray you, but the child is innocent. And you have to believe me, I truly love you."

I sneered, looking at the child in his arms with cold detachment. "Love me? You love me, so you secretly had an illegitimate child behind my back? You love me, so you force me to acknowledge your illegitimate child in front of everyone? Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Do you think you're too clever, or that I'm too foolish? You want your illegitimate child to become the future heir of the Haynes Group and control it, right?"

My words left Cormac speechless.

Perhaps he never imagined I would so bluntly expose his intentions in such a setting. Now, he was left with nothing but a flushed face.

"Don't you want me to go through with the engagement? Fine, as long as you take him in, I'll do whatever you want, without complaint."

Seeing that his hard approach wasn't working, Cormac softened his tone immediately.

But it was too late.

Seeing me stand there silently, Cormac assumed I was hesitating.

He tentatively stepped towards me, emboldened by the lack of intervention from my bodyguards.

"Katherine..."

The moment his hand touched my wrist, I felt a wave of disgust wash over me.

I shook off his hand in revulsion and pushed him hard.

He hadn't expected me to act so decisively.

Without warning, he fell to the floor with the child in his arms.

The bodyguards, all under my command, dared not assist him without my orders.

Perhaps the impact was too great, and he failed to hold the child properly. The piercing cries of the child quickly filled the entire venue.

The scene was nothing short of chaotic.

"Do you know he's not even a year old? Even if you want to reject me, there's no need to be so ruthless. He's just a baby, innocent and unaware of the whole affair! How could you do this to a child, you heartless woman?"

Before I could react, Cormac slapped me hard.

My head buzzed, and my mouth quickly filled with the metallic taste of blood.

But that slap brought me to my senses.

I stopped wasting words on him, grabbed a pair of scissors from the nearby bar, and without hesitation, cut off the hem of my expensive wedding dress.

"Cormac, you'll regret this slap for the rest of your life."

2

I quickly composed myself, then walked onto the stage in high heels, ignoring the mocking and scornful gazes from the crowd. With my head held high, I stepped to the center of the stage.

"Thank you all for attending today. I apologize for the earlier incident. I now announce that this event is canceled."

The room buzzed with whispers, and Cormac's face turned ashen instantly.

He knew I valued my reputation, which was why he tried to coerce me with his child on such an occasion.

Seeing his face turn purple with rage brought me immense satisfaction. I continued, "But I won't let you leave empty-handed. The Haynes Group will soon open bidding for the South Mansion project. As you know, this is the first time the Haynes Group has opened a public tender. The successful bidder will secure a five-year partnership with the Haynes Group."

As expected, my words reignited the crowd's interest.

Compared to the earlier gossip, this rare business opportunity was far more enticing.

With a smile of disdain and contempt, I glared down at Cormac, who was staring at me intently.

After the guests dispersed, Cormac remained, sitting with the child in his arms, eyes vacant.

Perhaps hearing my footsteps, he looked up in my direction.

His eyes filled with panic and regret. I pretended not to see and stood directly in front of him.

"Katherine..."

He barely uttered my name before I slapped him hard.

The imprint of my hand quickly appeared on his face, but it still wasn't enough to vent my anger.

How dare he, to slap me in front of so many people?

"Have you forgotten that everything you have now is because of me?"

Before he could react, I slapped him, even harder this time.

The sound of the slap echoed in the banquet hall for a long time.

As I raised my hand to slap him again, he caught my wrist.

"Katherine, can't you just talk things out? This isn't like you at all."

I was so infuriated by his shamelessness that I laughed. Did he still think he could gaslight me?

It turned out Cormac never really understood me; he didn't even know what kind of person I truly was.

"Cormac, you really overestimate yourself. Who do you think you are? Have I been too good to you, letting you forget your place?"

3

Once I took off the wedding dress, I reverted to my cold, authoritative self, making Cormac feel out of place and uneasy.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted this child to have a perfect family."

I leaned in with a mocking smile. "A perfect family? Cormac, I can see right through your little schemes."

Cormac's face turned pale instantly, as if his sordid thoughts had been laid bare for all to see.

He gritted his teeth and roared, "If you still want to be engaged to me..."

I raised my hand to cut him off, grabbing a wine glass that hadn't been cleared away, and splashed the wine right in his face.

My aim was perfect, not a drop touched the child.

His face turned red and pale alternately, a truly spectacular sight.

"Cormac, who do you think you are? Irreplaceable? I could easily find someone else to marry if I wished."

Cormac wiped the wine stains off his face angrily, his usually refined demeanor now burning with rage.

"What do you mean? If you won't marry me, who else would you marry?"

His eyes reddened as he grabbed my hand tightly, leaving faint finger marks on my wrist.

"Don't tell me you were seeing someone else while we were together, Katherine. You, a woman who can't even have children, dared to cheat on me!"

Seeing that this despicable man had lost his mind, I stomped on his foot hard with my heel, forcing him to let go of me in pain.

Still unsatisfied, I slapped him again.

"Cormac, don't think everyone is as filthy as you. You've always been the vile one, not me."

"Ha-ha-ha, you're something else..."

Cormac laughed wildly instead of getting angry. His smile in the vast space seemed so terrifying.

But I wasn't afraid at all. If he dared to harm me, I had countless ways to make him regret it.

"Katherine, keep being stubborn. I don't believe anyone else would want you besides me. I'll wait for you to beg me to be the mother of my child."

With that, he swaggered out of the banquet hall.

Cormac seemed to think he knew me well.

But he never understood that I was someone who always meant what I said.

Even if I might never have children in this lifetime, I would never go back to Cormac.

I immediately instructed my assistant to announce internally that a shareholders' meeting would be held at eight o'clock the next morning.

The next day, as soon as I arrived at the company, I spotted Cormac waiting for me at the entrance.

He was dressed impeccably in a suit, as always.

If it weren't for the farce yesterday, I would never have imagined that the man who humiliated me publicly and betrayed me would be him.

Yet here he was, shamelessly appearing at the company entrance as the manager I had promoted.

But I paid him no mind, intending to walk past him into the company.

However, he hurried over and blocked my path.

"Katherine, why are you holding a shareholders' meeting on such short notice? What are you planning to announce?"

Unlike his calm demeanor yesterday, Cormac now stood before me with unmistakable panic in his eyes.

I sneered coldly and brushed his hand away.

"There is no rush. Now that you're in the company now, you'll find out soon enough."

An hour later, at the Haynes Group shareholders' meeting, I announced something Cormac could never have anticipated.

"Let's welcome the new president of Haynes Group, Ms. Katherine Haynes, to speak."

4

Yes, today I would announce my appointment as the president of Haynes Group.

Cormac and a bunch of old-timers never expected my parents to hand over the company to me so quickly.

Some of them even thought Cormac would be the future head of Haynes Group.

As a result, many in the company secretly flattered him and engaged in underhanded dealings.

I knew all about it, but since he was my fiancé, I chose to turn a blind eye.

But now, such tolerance was entirely unnecessary.

He had personally destroyed his chance to rise to the top, and he had no one to blame but himself.

Cormac's face was full of disbelief when he heard the news. He stood up agitatedly.

"Katherine... Ms. Haynes, this sudden succession might affect all our current projects, and the appointment of the president should be decided by a shareholder vote."

I leaned back in my chair leisurely, looking at him with amusement. "What? It's my family's company. Do I need your permission to join? And for the rest of you, if anyone is dissatisfied, feel free to leave your resignation on my desk. I won't stop you."

With that, not only Cormac but also the shareholders sitting in their chairs fell silent instantly.

"The appointment documents will be distributed shortly. This meeting is adjourned."

I didn't plan to say anything more and returned to my office after the meeting.

While I was organizing documents in the office, Cormac barged in.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his face turned purple with rage as he looked at me, as if I were his enemy.

After I publicly announced my appointment at the shareholders' meeting, his feelings were understandable.

I knew he always believed the position of president of Haynes Group would eventually be his.

But he had ruined his own chances.

"Katherine, you're something else! I can't believe you stabbed me in the back!"

I sneered coldly, putting down the documents I was organizing, and turned to face him with my arms crossed.

"Cormac, you brought this upon yourself, didn't you? I promoted you to general manager at Haynes Group, allowing you to enjoy luxuries you never dreamed of. Power can be quite intoxicating, can't it? So much so that you forgot it was all because of me!"

In terms of ability, Cormac wouldn't even be able to set foot in Haynes Group, let alone become a manager.

But considering his status as my fiancé, I persuaded my father to let him have the position.

Unfortunately, he didn't cherish it or show gratitude.

He didn't understand who could truly be his strong support.

"If it weren't for your inability to have children, would I have come up with such a plan?"

Cormac conveniently justified his betrayal, as if his infidelity and illegitimate child were somehow for my benefit.

He found a convenient excuse for his betrayal, claiming it was because I couldn't have children and would never have my own.

I let out a cold laugh, pulling a medical report from the drawer and throwing it in his face.

"Cormac, even if I can't have children, I have the entire Haynes Group behind me. There are countless people eager to curry favor with me, far more than just you. Who do you think you are in front of me?"

5

Upon hearing this, Cormac immediately picked up the document.

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach.

He would never have guessed that I was pregnant.