Chapter 673

“Christie, don’t listen to that loser’s nonsense. He’s just making stuff up to mess with you—none of it is true!” Irene said hurriedly, noticing her daughter’s shaken expression.

Leroy snorted. “Christie, you’re not actually buying Andrew’s crap, are you? Come on, he really stood there and claimed he built Stevens Corporation from the ground up. What a joke!”

Christina did not respond. Her face had gone pale, her expression hollow and exhausted as her entire worldview began crumbling.

Aspen stood quietly, her eyes filled with contemplation. She had always considered Stevens Corporation’s rise from a small, struggling workshop to the powerhouse it was today an anomaly.

For the longest time, she had assumed Christina was some kind of prodigy, a brilliant businesswoman who single-handedly made it happen. However, after working closely with her for a while, Aspen realized Christina was not as extraordinary as everyone believed.

Sure, she was smart enough to handle her CEO duties, but to single-handedly build an empire? Aspen had always been skeptical.

Then, there was Irene and Leroy—one was a greedy, self-absorbed woman obsessed with money, while the other was a spoiled, arrogant, rich boy with neither brains nor work ethic.

All they ever did was beg Christina for money while prancing around in public like they were business royalty.

Aspen shook her head. Two useless parasites like that could never have contributed anything meaningful to Stevens Corporation’s success.

The only other family member of note was Douglas, but the old man had retired long ago and barely paid attention to the company anymore. Hence, all signs pointed to one thing: the company’s rise had been driven by someone working in the shadows.

When Aspen connected the dots, there was only one logical candidate—Andrew. The company’s golden era coincided perfectly with the time when Andrew was still with Christina.

In fact, it was during that peak that Christina dumped him.

And what happened afterward? The company did not crash, but the rapid growth slowed to a crawl.

Aspen was certain now—Andrew was the invisible hand behind Stevens Corporation’s success.

However, she kept these thoughts to herself and put on a reassuring smile, saying, “Christie, don’t let Andrew’s words get to you. It’s just empty talk. Think about it. He didn’t show a shred of proof, right?

“And you know better than anyone—success isn’t built on stories. You’re the one who turned Stevens Corporation into what it is today. And breaking up with that freeloader was the smartest decision you ever made.”

She added, “If you let his lies mess with your head, you’ll just end up falling into his trap. You’re too smart for that, Christie.”

Christina forced a faint smile, but the storm inside her did not calm. Andrew’s words echoed through her mind like hailstones, sharp and icy, impossible to ignore.

Whether he was lying or telling the truth, she had to find out. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her phone.

She murmured, “Let’s start with the first thing he said. I’m going to find out if the South City project really came from Andrew—or if Marvin gave it to me on his own.”

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Irene rolled her eyes with a scoff. “If Andrew really had that kind of influence, I’d light a candle for him out of shock. That man’s gotten way too full of himself. Christie, you need to expose him for the fraud he is!”