Chapter 29

Snow swirled outside the car window, but Chase was too preoccupied to notice. His face was clouded with worry, a mixture of anticipation and dread. He repeatedly checked his phone, then put it away again. Only when the car pulled up to their marital home, and he saw the lights on, did he finally relax slightly.

Eagerly, he exited the car and approached the front door. I watched him straighten his clothes before casually opening the door, his face settling into its usual cool composure. As he changed his shoes, he called my name.

“Amanda, you actually came back! Do you have any idea what these past few days have been like…?”

The living room lights were on, but instead of me, Davin greeted him. Chase looked up, momentarily surprised. “Dad, what are you doing here?”

“Your uncle’s at the family estate, so I came to talk. What, Amanda hasn’t returned yet?”

My disappearance hadn't registered with either of them. Chase and I had grown up together; even when we argued, I always made amends. To them, even skipping the wedding seemed like one of my usual antics. I always came back eventually.

Chase, unwilling to appear embarrassed, fabricated an excuse. “Tomorrow’s her grandmother’s birthday. She wouldn’t miss it. She must already be at the Kennedy family estate.”

Davin casually lit a cigarette, his voice calm and clear above the smoke. “When she gets back, make sure you smooth things over. It’s about time you gave your grandfather a grandchild. He’s recently recovered his sanity and is becoming friendly with that illegitimate child.”

“Hasn’t Uncle Derek always resented Grandpa?” Chase’s eyes narrowed.

Davin smirked. “What’s a little hatred compared to the lure of money? The moment your grandfather regained his sanity, Derek flew home. If not for the inheritance, then what? And I hear he’s already planning an arranged marriage.”

“An arranged marriage?” Chase’s face paled as he quickly moved to the sofa. “Has Uncle Derek chosen his partner?”

“If it’s not the Hoffman family, it’s the Graham family.”

Both the Hoffman and Graham families were powerful, on par with the Reyes family. The Kennedys, while wealthy, were no match for these centuries-old dynasties. If not for my childhood connection with Chase, his own match would have come from one of those families.

With his overseas business and a lucrative marriage alliance, Derek could easily eclipse Chase. Chase ground his teeth. “He was born a bastard and thinks he belongs in our family?”

Davin glanced at him sideways. “Ten years ago, maybe not, but do you know how much Derek’s company is worth now?”

“How much?”

“A hundred billion! And that number keeps climbing every year!”

Chase sank heavily into the sofa. He knew his uncle had been successful, but he hadn’t realized the extent. A hundred billion was nearly equivalent to the Reyes Corporation.

The Reyes family had built its empire on generations of wealth and connections, standing as the second most powerful player in the domestic real estate market. Derek, starting from scratch and achieving this level in just over a decade, was poised to surpass the Reyes family.

Once Ryan handed Derek the Reyes family fortune, his value would skyrocket, not just nationally but globally, placing him among the top 1%.

“How could this happen?” Chase looked dazed, his face a mixture of confusion and worry.

“You’ve made a series of poor decisions lately that angered your grandfather. He feels he owes Derek, and if he takes this opportunity to hand over the Reyes Corporation…”

Chase interrupted, “No way! Grandpa would never hand over the entire Reyes family fortune to…”