The Bride They Rejected Owned Half Their Empire Chapter 07
“Mrs. Harrington, this pendant was passed downÂ
to me from my own grandmother.”Â
Seraphina’s voice shook with panic, but she keptÂ
her hand clamped tightly over the necklace.Â
The elderly matriarch ignored her weak lie, turningÂ
to me instead.Â
“What unique marking does your mother’s pendantÂ
have?”Â
“There’s a tiny engraved inscription on the back- my personal birth date and time engraved inÂ
traditional script.”Â
I stared directly at Seraphina.Â
“If this truly belonged to your grandmother, the back would have no way of bearing my birth.Â
details.”Â
“Unless your grandmother had the power ofÂ
foresight to engrave my birth information decadesÂ
before I was even born.”Â
Seraphina’s lips pressed together into a tight, paleÂ
line.Â
Kael stepped forward, his tone firm andÂ
restrained.Â
“Seraphina, take the pendant off.”Â
She refused to move an inch.Â
He reached out toward her.Â
She stumbled backward in panic, then roughly ripped the necklace off her neck and tossed itÂ
down onto the table.Â
The elderly matriarch picked up the pendant, flipped it to the back, and examined the tinyÂ
engraved characters closely.Â
She glanced up at me, holding the piece out.Â
“Is this your birth inscription?”Â
I took the pendant into my palm, my fingertips.Â
brushing the carved grooves gently.Â
“It’s mine.”Â
A heavy silence settled over the room.Â
Seraphina squeezed her sleeves tightly, her faceÂ
as white as paper.Â
“One old necklace doesn’t prove anything. MyÂ
mother could have easily received it as a gift fromÂ
Linette before she passed away.”Â
“Marigold didn’t marry into the Voss family untilÂ
long after Linette’s death.”Â
I looked straight at her without hesitation.Â
“How could she have received a gift fromÂ
someone who was already gone? Through alÂ
ghostly visitation?”Â
Seraphina fell silent, unable to retort.Â
“I have far more proof than just this heirloom.”Â
I pulled out my phone and opened a saved document file.Â
Bank transfer records appeared on the screen.Â
“Over the past two years, four large sums have.Â
been illegally transferred from official Voss familyÂ
accounts to a venture capital firm named Aurora Venture Capital.”Â
“Each transfer ranges from two hundred thousandÂ
to five hundred thousand dollars.”Â
Alden, still lingering by the doorway, looked upÂ
sharply in shock the second he heard the name.Â
“The legal representative of Aurora Venture CapitalÂ
is Rowan Sloane.”Â
I turned my phone screen toward Alden.Â
“Dad, did you authorize any of these four largeÂ
transactions?”Â
Sweat began to form on Alden’s forehead.Â
He turned to stare directly at Seraphina.Â
“Seraphina, what is the meaning of this?”Â
“Dad, these are completely legitimate businessÂ
investment collaborations. We have officialÂ
contracts on file at the company.”Â
“Show me the contracts now.”Â
“They’re stored at the corporate office. I cantÂ
retrieve them for you later today.”Â
“There’s no need to wait.” I pulled up anotherÂ
document file on my phone.Â
“I already had my legal team run a full background check on Aurora Venture Capital.”Â
“The firm was registered three years ago as a corporate compliance consulting agency forÂ
luxury real estate.”Â
“It has never acquired a single legitimate client since opening. Its only source of revenue is these illegal transfers from the Voss family accounts.”Â
Alden’s face turned deathly pale.Â
“Seraphina… what exactly have you been doing?”Â
“Dad! You can’t believe everything she says!”Â
Seraphina’s voice rose in desperate defense.Â
“What authority does she even have to auditÂ
private Voss company finances?”Â
“You forgot the oldest rule written in the Voss.Â
family lineage archive.”Â
My voice remained calm and steady.Â
“The eldest daughter of the Voss bloodline holdsÂ
permanent trust access privilege to all familyÂ
financial records.”Â
“This rule was established by your grandfather decades ago, and no one has ever amended it.”Â
Seraphina swayed unsteadily on her feet, stunnedÂ
speechless.Â
She’d never known this ancient family rule existed.Â
No one had ever bothered to mention it–becauseÂ
for twenty years, the official eldest daughter hadÂ
lived far away from the family, never expected toÂ
return and claim her rights.Â
Marigold could no longer stand silently by. SheÂ
stepped forward, grabbing Seraphina’s arm tightly.Â
“That’s enough, Seraphina. We’re leaving rightÂ
now.”Â
“There’s no need to rush off so quickly.”Â
The elderly matriarch’s voice was quiet, yetÂ
Marigold froze in her tracks instantly.Â
“Total amount transferred?” She asked me plainly.Â
“Four transactions adding up to a total of oneÂ
point three million dollars.”Â
“After receiving these funds, Rowan Sloane usedÂ
the money to assemble a dedicated project team.”Â
I swiped to the next page of documents.Â
“Their sole focus? Developing bidding proposalsÂ
for the Eastside Urban Renewal Bid project.”Â
I turned to face Kael directly.Â
“Eastside Urban Renewal–isn’t that the Harrington.Â
Realty’s largest and most high–stakes biddingÂ
project this year?”Â
Kael’s eyes narrowed sharply with realization.Â
“Rowan is using stolen Voss family funds to bidÂ
directly against the Harrington empire.”Â
“And all the while, Seraphina was in a romanticÂ
relationship with you, secretly funneling him financial support behind everyone’s backs.”Â
“Kael… what would you call this exactly?”Â
Kael ignored my question entirely.Â
He turned slowly to face Seraphina.Â
She stumbled back until her shoulders pressedÂ
flat against the wall.Â
“Kael, it’s not what you think. Rowan is just an oldÂ
school friend who came to me for a personal loan.Â
It has nothing to do with the urban renewalÂ
bidding.”Â
“You funnel your family’s corporate funds to a manÂ
who sends you flirty texts talking about a secretÂ
baby?”Â
She opened her mouth but couldn’t form a singleÂ
word of denial.Â
Sudden commotion erupted from outside theÂ
parlor door.Â
A security guard’s voice echoed clearly throughÂ
the closed door.Â
“Sir, this is a private family event. You can’t enterÂ
uninvited.”Â
Another male voice sounded urgent andÂ
frustrated.Â
“I need to see Seraphina immediately–it’s anÂ
emergency.”Â
Seraphina’s pupils blew wide with pure terror.Â
The door was pushed open forcefully.Â
A man in a navy polo shirt strode into the room.Â
He looked to be in his late twenties, fair–skinned, wearing an expensive luxury watch on his wrist.Â
His gaze swept across the entire room before locking onto Seraphina instantly.Â
“Seraphina, you haven’t answered any of my callsÂ
or texts all afternoon.”Â
He hadn’t even noticed Kael standing nearby yet.Â
Seraphina’s voice came out as a broken whisper,Â
filled with panic.Â
“Rowan… what are you doing here?”

