Betrayed and Dumped She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 498

Joan gripped her water glass tighter. “I… I heard…” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “I heard it from Marissa. Oh, right, Marissa is my cousin. She works at Sunforge Tech too.”

Stephen raised an eyebrow. “Your cousin is nothing like you. Wait, she’s the daughter of which side of your family?”

Joan tucked her hair behind her ear. “She’s my mom’s sister’s daughter. My mom passed away when I was young, but my aunt has always looked after me.”

“Oh? You two are close? Funny, I don’t remember you ever mentioning her.”

Joan managed a small, awkward smile. “I always felt insecure around you. I guess I was too embarrassed to talk about my family, about how poor we were.”

Stephen didn’t know what to say. In the six months they’d been together, he’d never picked up on her insecurity. He blinked slowly, then asked, “Any relatives on your father’s side?”

Joan’s fingers tightened around her glass, her lips losing all color. “No. My father was an only child.”

Stephen noticed how tense she’d gotten and let it go. He leaned back in his chair, looking every bit the man in charge.

“You don’t have to give my grandfather any answer right away. Take your time. If you agree, just know you might have to be apart from your son one day. On the plus side, you won’t need to worry about his education.”

Joan’s brow furrowed as she twisted her hands together. “Stephen, is there any way I could stay with Ben and take care of him?”

Stephen didn’t hesitate. “No.”

“But he’s still so young. I’m worried he won’t adjust if he moves in with the Duncan family.”

“That’s not your concern. There’s a professional team for that.”

“But I…”

“That’s enough. You’re asking too many questions. If you can’t handle this, just say no to my grandfather and be done with it.”

He stood up and looked down at her, his voice cold. “I don’t want to see you at Duncan Corporation again.”

Joan’s shoulders shrank in on themselves. Ben had to be recognized by the Duncan family. That much was certain. As for her, she’d just have to take things one step at a time. If the family accepted Ben, then maybe, eventually, they’d accept her too.

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