Betrayed and Dumped She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 485

“That’s a lot to put on me.” Stephen narrowed his eyes at Brett. “You really think this is my fault?”

Brett didn’t hesitate. “Joan raised that kid all by herself for years. You have no idea what she’s been through. Maybe you didn’t know about the kid before, but now that you do, and you’re still not stepping up for them? That’s just cold, Stephen. If that’s not abandoning them, I don’t know what it is.”

“Brett!” Stephen didn’t even get a chance to answer before George cut in, clearly annoyed. His face was tight. “She chose to have the child. She and Stephen had already broken up, but she still went ahead anyway. Seems to me she had her own reasons.”

Brett’s fists clenched, and his voice got sharp. “Grandpa, how can you say that about Joan? The one who should be blamed is Neil. Joan had nothing to do with any of that. Just because she’s Neil’s daughter, you’re treating her differently? That’s not fair.”

The old man’s expression darkened, his gaze turning strange as he stared at Brett. “You’re actually defending Joan? Have you forgotten what happened to your father and uncle?”

Brett closed his eyes, frustration and helplessness washing over him. “I could never forget.”

The mention of that old kidnapping case—the one that rocked not just Coralbridge but the whole country—made the whole house fall silent.

After a quiet pause, the butler spoke softly. “Sir, dinner is ready.”

The butler helped George up, and Stephen and Brett followed. Stephen watched Brett’s profile, lost in thought. Two days ago, his mother had told him that after Brett came back, he’d gone to visit Neil’s grave. Back then, after that incident, Brett left the country with his mother. Joan had left too.

Could something have happened between them since then? And now, did Brett know what Joan was really up to? How much did he know? Stephen’s eyes grew colder as he wondered. This cousin of his was clearly not as simple as he looked.

At dinner, the mood finally eased up. George didn’t mention Joan or the kid again. Instead, he started asking about the company. He’d already had the latest financial report read to him, and the numbers were looking great.

“Brett, how’s your side coming along?”

Sunforge Tech had only recently joined Duncan group, so it wasn’t in the latest report. George didn’t know the details.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify