Chapter 8
1267words
"Mitchell," Old Mr. Hawkins began slowly, his voice laden with authority, "will you confess, or shall I present the evidence?"
Mitchell's body trembled as he suddenly dropped to his knees. "Grandfather! I made a mistake! I wasn't thinking clearly! The company had cash flow issues, so I... I just borrowed a little money temporarily, planning to return it once we turned a profit. How was I to know—"
"That you'd keep losing money and digging yourself deeper?" Ethan cut in from his wheelchair, his tone glacial. "In ten years, you've embezzled three hundred million dollars, and you still have the audacity to call it 'a little'?"
Mitchell's face turned ashen as he stammered incoherently, "I didn't mean to... Cousin, please forgive me just this once..."
His parents from the second branch joined in pleading, "Father, Mitchell knows he was wrong. Please give him another chance."
Old Mr. Hawkins slammed his fist on the table. "Another chance? I gave him a chance years ago! Placing him in finance was an act of trust! Is this how he repays the Hawkins name?" He turned to the lawyer. "Proceed according to company protocol."
The lawyer stepped forward. "Mr. Hawkins, according to Hawkins Group bylaws, any individual who embezzles significant company funds will be stripped of inheritance rights and referred to law enforcement."
Mitchell crumpled to the floor, his face drained of color. Members of the second branch wailed in protest but were promptly escorted out by security.
After the meeting, Old Mr. Hawkins asked Ethan and me to remain. "Zoe," he regarded me with a complex expression, "we owe you our gratitude for this."
I shook my head. "I only did what was necessary."
"Good child," he sighed, "the Hawkins family is indebted to you, and I intend to repay that debt in full."
Ethan took my hand. "Grandfather, Zoe doesn't need repayment. She's my wife—the Hawkins family is already partly hers."
Old Mr. Hawkins smiled. "Good, good. As long as you two are happy together."
Pamela's trial began a week later. I didn't attend, merely sending my lawyer to observe. I heard she broke down sobbing in court, deflecting all blame—claiming she was coerced by the Gray family and manipulated by Leo Lambert.
But the evidence was damning. She received three years for criminal trespassing and conspiracy in the Gray Group's financial fraud.
When Leo Lambert heard about Pamela's sentence, he immediately distanced himself, publicly declaring he was also a victim. Yet barely a week later, police arrested him on suspicion of investor fraud.
The Gray family imploded completely. Gray Group filed for bankruptcy, my father's hair turned white overnight as he drowned himself in alcohol. My stepmother suffered a stroke from the shock and became bedridden. They desperately sought my help but couldn't even get past the Hawkins estate gates.
One day, Franklin informed me that an elderly woman was at the gate, asking to see me and claiming to be my grandmother. I was startled before remembering my birth mother had her own family. After marrying my father, she'd severed all ties with them.
I instructed security to escort her in. She was frail, wearing faded clothes that had been washed countless times, clutching a cloth bundle tightly. Upon seeing me, she became too emotional to speak, repeatedly wiping away tears.
"Child, you've endured so much," she whispered, holding my hand, her eyes brimming with tears. "After your mother passed, I wanted to find you, but your grandfather was gravely ill and needed me... When I heard you'd married into the Hawkins family, I finally found the courage to come..."
My throat tightened as tears welled in my eyes. Here, at last, was a relative who genuinely grieved for me.
Grandmother unwrapped the cloth bundle to reveal a yellowed photograph of my mother as a young woman, smiling with crescent-shaped eyes. "This was your mother's favorite photo. She wanted you to have it when you grew up."
I took the photo, my fingertips gently tracing my mother's face as tears finally flowed freely.
Grandmother stayed with us for several days, sharing countless stories about my mother's childhood.
I learned my mother had once been a vibrant, joyful girl—only after marrying my father did she gradually become withdrawn and subdued.
"Your mother always said she failed you, that she couldn't give you the childhood you deserved," Grandmother said, clutching my hand. "But you were always in her heart. She secretly saved money for you, hiding it in a crack in the wall of the old house, but sadly..."
Sadly, she never got the chance to tell me before she was gone forever.
After bidding my grandmother farewell, I stood by the window, watching the sunlight. Years of pent-up bitterness seemed to dissolve with my tears.
Ethan came up behind me, wrapping his arms gently around my waist. "It's all behind you now."
I turned around, leaning into his embrace. "Yes, it's finally over."
"Zoe," he tilted my chin up, gazing at me earnestly, "let's have a real wedding ceremony."
I blinked in surprise. "A wedding?"
"Yes," he nodded, his eyes warm with affection, "a ceremony that's truly ours—no stand-ins, no schemes, just you and me."
My heart fluttered as warmth rushed to my cheeks. "Okay."
We scheduled the wedding for three months later. By then, Ethan could walk normally. He diligently continued his rehabilitation daily, his health improving remarkably. His once-pallid face had regained its color, and he had reclaimed his position as the confident Hawkins heir.
Together we selected my wedding dress, planned the ceremony, and dreamed of our future. All the old wounds seemed to heal in these simple moments of shared happiness.
On our wedding day, the sun shone brilliantly. I wore a pristine white gown, my arm linked with Ethan's as we walked toward the hall. His gaze was tender yet resolute as he gripped my hand, as if trying to weave me permanently into the fabric of his life.
Old Mr. Hawkins occupied the seat of honor, his face lit with an unwavering smile. My grandmother attended too, clutching my hand and repeating, "How beautiful, how beautiful."
Without the Gray family's interference or outside judgment, our wedding was simple yet profoundly warm.
When the priest asked if we would love each other and never part, I gazed into Ethan's eyes and said with absolute certainty: "I do."
His eyes glistened with tears as he responded with matching conviction: "I do."
As we exchanged rings, warm applause filled the venue. I knew this celebration marked not just our love, but my own rebirth.
For our honeymoon, we escaped to a secluded island. Each day we watched the sunrise and sunset together, strolled hand-in-hand along the shore, and shared our deepest thoughts.
"Zoe," Ethan whispered one evening as he held me close, "thank you for never giving up on me."
Nestled in his arms, I smiled. "And thank you for waiting ten years for me."
He bent down to kiss my forehead. "For every decade to come, I'll be right here with you."
I kissed his lips. "Finding you is the greatest blessing of my life."
He smiled and returned my kiss. "I feel exactly the same way."
Outside our window, golden sunlight filtered through as a gentle breeze carried the sweet scent of tropical flowers.
I knew then that my happiness had only just begun.
