THE ILLEGITIMATE SON

"Bellamy, you're only 20 and haven't even graduated college yet. What do you know about running a company?"

"Exactly! Handing Hawkins Corp over to you is just plain reckless."

"We should call a family meeting and pick someone actually qualified."

"Yeah, if this company ends up in your hands, we might as well sell off our shares and start fresh."

"Seriously, Bellamy, just let this go. Be that carefree rich girl, no stress, no pressure."

Carefree... rich girl?

Bellamy, sitting quietly on the couch, gave an internal cold laugh. The calm mask she'd forced on finally started to crack. Her eyes slowly swept across the people in front of her one by one.

These so-called relatives, putting on airs of concern, acting all high and mighty.

Her dad had just passed away, not even buried yet, and all they could talk about was the company and who should inherit what.

"You were never officially part of the Hawkins family. You're not in the family registry, which means you have no right to inherit my son's shares, let alone sit in the chairman's seat."

That line came from him-her grandfather. Thomas Hawkins' own father.

But he'd never treated her like family, never once showed warmth.

As the most senior figure in the Hawkins family, not a trace of grief could be found on his face. His sharp eyes sparkled with shrewdness, not sadness.

He kept staring at Bellamy, who looked so quiet and seemingly fragile, his voice gentle but full of hidden threats.

When she didn't respond, he added in an almost kind tone, "If you give it up, I'll make sure you're taken care of for life. No worries."

Taken care of?