Aubree chuckled and wondered, “As if I came here to ask the Wilson family’s permission?”

“Looks like I can’t avoid troubling Caesar after all,” Aubree said. She had already anticipated the Wilson family’s dogged refusal to sign, and the two lawyers she’d originally hired had prepared all the necessary groundwork.

On the way here, Caesar had assured her that if the Wilson family proved unwilling, she could leave it entirely to his discretion.

With that assurance from Caesar, the two lawyers Aubree had hired gladly handed over the case, without her needing to say another word.

This was none other than Caesar, the Legal Titan. They could gain invaluable insights just by watching him defend a case.

Alice’s face darkened with rage, while Ronald’s eyes were blazing with suppressed fury.

Upon Aubree’s instruction, Caesar stepped forward and gave a courteous bow. “Mr. Wilson, Ms. Diamonde, if you refuse to sever all ties with my client, I will initiate legal proceedings against you on her behalf.”

‘What the hell,’ Ronald thought, his face twisting in disbelief. ‘Sue me? What right does Aubree have to sue me?

‘I raised her for three damn years. Didn’t even demand she repay me for everything I’ve done, and now she wants to sue me? That’s completely outrageous.’

Bryan pleaded desperately, “Aubree, please don’t cut ties with me. Just name it. Whatever you want, if it’s within my power to give, I’ll give it to you.”

To everyone’s astonishment, Bryan was the first to erupt.

Bryan suddenly spoke up, his eyes bloodshot. “Didn’t you say last time I should repay what I owe you? You told me if I cut myself – to match the scar on your abdomen – you’d consider coming back. I’ll do it. Please, Aubree, don’t leave, okay?”

Aubree glanced at him and smirked. Bryan was actually begging her now. He would even go so far as to hurt himself just to keep her here.

This realization filled Aubree with savage satisfaction, yet her gaze remained icy. They never gave her an ounce of hope before, so she wouldn’t offer them any either.

Under Bryan’s hopeful gaze, Aubree smirked coldly, “I refuse. Even if you died right in front of me, I still wouldn’t stay, let alone stab yourself.

“That was last time’s condition. Since you didn’t act on it then, there’s no way I’m reconsidering now. Or rather, even if I did consider it, the answer would still be no.”

As her words sank in, the light in Bryan’s eyes flickered and died, inch by agonizing inch.

Alice seethed with rage as she wondered, ‘Bitch, is she really trying to incite Bryan to commit suicide? How could she be so heartless?’

Seeing that Aubree showed no reaction, Caesar cleared his throat and continued, “Regarding this adoption arrangement, ever since you took in my client, she was repeatedly injured to the point of hospitalization, systematically deprived of adequate nutrition.

“Despite her outstanding academic record, she was forcibly transferred to an art program. These documented patterns of behavior allow me, on behalf of my client, to file a lawsuit asserting that what you called adoption was, in reality, systematic abuse and maltreatment.”

He continued, “Regarding the biological parent–child relationship, despite being her biological parents, after locating my client, you chose to register her as an adopted daughter rather than acknowledge her as your own.

“I have reasonable grounds to suspect that your true intention was, in fact, to abandon her.

“Mr. Ronald and Ms. Diamonde, you must understand that if I proceed with a lawsuit on these grounds, the inevitable outcome would be the complete severance of all legal ties with my client, and you could even be facing criminal charges and prison time.”

Chapter 143

The man standing before them was Caesar, and every word he said was no laughing matter.

Ronald’s expression grew grim. This was Caesar, the undefeated Legal Titan. Ronald simply couldn’t afford to gamble against him.

No matter what, the Wilson family was clearly in the wrong. Aubree’s medical records, medical examination reports, and school transfer records were all hard evidence.

“Are you truly going to sever all ties with us?” Ronald asked.

Aubree nodded, her voice unwavering. “More than anything.”

“But have you really thought about what comes after severing…” Ronald coaxed gently.

‘I can’t let Aubree cut ties with me,’ Ronald thought anxiously. ‘Otherwise, wouldn’t all my schemes go down the drain?’

But Ronald knew he truly couldn’t afford to cross Caesar. At this point, his only hope was that Aubree still held a sliver of compassion for them, or maybe, just maybe, she needed something from the Wilson family.