Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 713

At the Harper Residence.

Ever since the incident involving Irene, the atmosphere in the Harper household had been unbearably tense. Even the servants walked on eggshells every day, terrified of displeasing their employers.

If not for the exceptionally high wages the Harper family offered, some of the staff would have quit long ago.

The oppressive mood was simply too much to bear.

After Irene was sent to prison, Nathan began groveling before Earl and Kendra daily, desperately expressing his remorse.

And he truly *was* remorseful! After all, he had only done all this because Irene was his adoptive parents' daughter—he'd wanted to win their favor, especially that of his adoptive mother, who held all the power.

But who could have guessed? Who could have guessed that Irene *wasn’t* even their biological daughter?

Had he known, why would he have bothered with all that pointless effort?

Though his adoptive mother had treated him and Irene equally since childhood, Nathan had always believed it was just for show. After all, what parent wouldn’t favor their own flesh and blood?

That was why he had doted on Irene all these years—just to earn his adoptive mother’s approval.

And now?

Irene had ruined him. His position at the company—gone...

These days, he was drowning in dread.

He was truly terrified—terrified that his adoptive mother might actually replace him as the heir. Though she had raised him with her own hands, he had never once doubted her capacity for ruthlessness. He believed she was capable of anything. And so, these days, he found himself apologizing almost incessantly, desperate to regain his adoptive parents' forgiveness.

Though he had been adopted, it was only because his birth parents were gone, and his adoptive father needed an heir. That was why he had been allowed into the Harper family.

But if he were to lose his position as the Harper family's successor...

Then everything would be over for him.

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In the study, Earl was practicing calligraphy with quiet focus. Truth be told, when it came to calligraphy, Kendra's skill was unmatched. Back in school, her handwriting had been the envy of many. Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

The butler spoke softly, "Master, Madam has returned."

In an instant—

Earl's brush jerked unconsciously, ruining the final stroke. He froze for a moment before hastily setting the brush down and striding out.

When he reached the hall, he saw Kendra. But unlike her usual self, she looked unusually disheveled, the sharpness in her demeanor dulled.

Earl hurried over, his voice cautious. "Kendra, you're back."

She had been at the company all this time.

Even when she wasn’t working, she hadn’t returned to the Harper residence. It had left Earl restless, itching for a fight. To make matters worse, the elders had been whispering in his ear, lamenting how the Harper family’s reputation had been tarnished, and so on.

He knew full well that the scandal involving Irene had dealt a heavy blow to the family.

Even the stock market had taken a hit.

The elders blamed Kendra—and him. Even if the allegations were true, they argued, it should have been swept under the rug. By airing it out so publicly, the Harper family had suffered the most! If not for the fact that Kendra now controlled the majority of Harper Corporation’s shares, the board would have long since demanded her replacement.

Of course.

Kendra's brows furrowed slightly, her patience wearing thin. Without words, her expression seemed to say, "What's wrong with you? Did you mess up again?" Over the years, she had dealt with plenty of Earl's messes—so many that she had grown accustomed to it.

Earl's face darkened. Quietly, he said, "No... I just wanted to ask you—what do you really think about Irene?"

He had already uncovered some of the truth from back then and now knew that Irene wasn’t actually Kendra’s biological daughter.

A complicated mix of emotions churned inside him—embarrassment, discomfort, even a vague sense of resentment.

After all, the reason he had doted on Irene all these years was that he believed she was Kendra’s child. But the truth had slapped him in the face, revealing that all his efforts had been misplaced. How could that not leave him feeling awkward and humiliated?

Sure, he still had *some* affection for Irene, but it was nowhere near as deep as he had pretended.

Earl had no shortage of daughters.

In his younger days, before he fully understood his own feelings, he had taken many lovers—partly to spite Kendra during their arranged marriage. Later, when he finally realized his own emotions and saw that Kendra couldn’t care less, he regretfully abandoned all those childish antics. But his mistakes had left behind traces.

Namely, a number of illegitimate children.

His doting on Irene had mostly been a performance for Kendra’s benefit.

Had Irene been more observant back then, she would have noticed that whenever Kendra wasn’t around, Earl’s attitude toward her became indifferent at best.

Now, Earl was asking Kendra this question because he wanted to gauge her feelings. If she truly saw Irene as her daughter, he could use this as an opportunity to play the devoted father in front of her. If she didn’t care, then so be it.

After all, this whole mess was her doing.

Just as Kendra had once said, she was an adult now. She ought to take responsibility for her own actions.