Chapter 5
Thinking of my thoughtful, gentle son—how he died on the most important day of his life and at the hands of the person he loved and trusted most—my heart ached with unbearable grief. Serena scowled. “All I did was not take him to his exam! Are you really going to keep harping on such a trivial thing?” “With this petty, fault-finding attitude, you’re not even fit to be a father—let alone the son-in-law of the Portman Family!” “You want a divorce? Fine! I’ll give it to you. Just bring our son here and I’ll sign the papers on the spot!” Her voice rang through the hall, loud and sharp, as though she could no longer stand the sight of me. Seeing her so resolute, Serena’s mother jumped in eagerly, “Serena, you should’ve done this long ago.” “Bryan is just a small man from a humble background—he’s never belonged in our Portman Family.” “People from different classes can never truly mix. If our precious grandson stays with him, he’ll only end up tainted—learning the wrong values, forgetting the rules of the elite.” The other members of the Portman Family joined in, scolding me in unison. “Hurry up and bring out the Portman heir. Don’t let this rotten man ruin the bright future of our young master!” Surrounded by hostility, I caught Ricky smirking again, his expression openly gloating. The wealthy elites and high-society women present all nodded in agreement, praising Serena for her decisiveness. They sneered that I was unworthy of the Portman name—that I had overstepped, overreached and should’ve known my place. To them, I was a disgrace—nothing but an eyesore to their aristocratic circle. Looking at their indignant, self-righteous faces, I laughed. So this was the world they lived in. Where cheating, affairs, mistresses and illegitimate children were excusable—natural even. But staying faithful and silent made me the villain. I hadn’t done anything wrong. Yet I was the one being judged, mocked, condemned. What a joke. I took a deep breath, then turned to Serena and said clearly, “I brought our son.” Her brow furrowed. She glanced around. “Where is he?” The other Portman Family members looked around too, scanning the hall for a young boy. Serena’s mother even put on her reading glasses and squinted toward the crowd. “Where’s my precious grandson?” I reached into my bag, pulled out the certificate and placed it firmly on the main table. “He’s right here.”