Hazel quickly reminded everyone, “Caitlin is already divorced from Sebastian. The shares are no longer hers!”
Sebastian cast a cold glance at Hazel, making it clear that he didn’t need her to chime in about his and Caitlin’s affairs. Hazel, feeling the sharpness of his gaze, shrank back and stopped speaking.
“That means the 10% of the shares are still part of The Vanderbilt Family, right?” Freya asked, her voice laced with a glimmer of hope.
“If they are still within The Vanderbilt Family, there’s still a chance,” she thought.
Freya started to argue again, “I don’t believe what you’re saying! This will is fake! You all must have tampered with it!”
“Freya, this will has been notarized by the public prosecutor’s office,” Michael said calmly, glancing at the two notarization officers. “They can testify to its authenticity.”
The two notarization officers showed their credentials, confirming Michael’s words.
“That’s right,” one of the officers added. “This will was officially processed through our office. If you doubt its authenticity, you’re welcome to go to the police for verification.”
When Freya heard that, she immediately backed off. “I’m not going! I won’t go! I know you’re all bullying me!”
Her voice grew louder, taking on a more dramatic tone, “That old woman! You just wait! Why are you so heartless towards me? Am I not your daughter?”
“Slap! Slap!”
Sebastian couldn’t take it anymore and, in a fit of anger, slapped Freya twice across the face.
“Sebastian! What are you doing?!”
Freya screamed in pain, her cheek stinging from the force of the blows. She began throwing a tantrum, completely losing control.
“You’re lucky it’s just a slap!” Sebastian seethed with rage, glaring at her. “Since you want to push things so far, let me tell you the truth!”
“You, Freya, are not a true member of The Vanderbilt Family!” he declared, his voice like an icy chill. “You’re the daughter of my grandfather’s comrade, adopted by The Vanderbilt Family!”
Everyone in the room was stunned by Sebastian’s revelation. Freya, in particular, looked like she had been struck by lightning, unable to process what she had just heard.
“Impossible!” Freya protested, turning to Beatrice for confirmation. “This is all just a lie you’re making up to get rid of me from The Vanderbilt Family, isn’t it?”
Beatrice sighed deeply. “Freya, it’s time to end the charade. You are not our biological daughter. Your parents tragically passed away, and it was my husband who took pity on you and adopted you. We told the outside world you were our daughter, but you never were.”
She pulled out the adoption papers, which had been kept secret for so many years, and handed them to Sebastian.
Sebastian tossed the papers in Freya’s face.
“Can you see clearly now?” he spat. “The Vanderbilt Family took you in, raised you as their own, and loved you as if you were their flesh and blood. But how did you repay us? If you hadn’t sabotaged everything, The Vanderbilt Family wouldn’t have had to expel you. Everything that happened is your own doing!”
Sebastian’s towering presence and cold glare forced Freya to shrink back. “This is all on you!”
Freya’s eyes glazed over as she looked at the adoption papers in her hands, her entire world collapsing around her. The 10% of the shares, which she had hoped for, were no longer hers. They had been given as a favor, and without that favor, she had no right to claim them.
As she thought of her tumultuous past and the enormous gambling debts she had accumulated overseas, she began to feel the weight of her fate.
Finally, Freya collapsed in despair. She crawled towards Beatrice, crying pitifully, “Mom! Mom, I know I was wrong! I’ve done so many foolish things! I know I’ve disappointed you and Dad, but I truly know my mistakes now! I’ll change! I’ll be a good daughter! Please forgive me, Mom! I won’t cause any more trouble. I won’t disgrace The Vanderbilt Family anymore! Please forgive me!”
Beatrice turned her face away, unwilling to acknowledge her. She had been deeply hurt by Freya’s actions. “Grace, please! Help me! Help me beg her for mercy!”
Freya pleaded with Grace, clutching at her pants. But Grace wasn’t about to help. If anything, she was thrilled to see Freya lose her grip on the family fortune.
“No way, Freya,” Grace said coldly. “You’ve caused enough trouble for The Vanderbilt Family already. There’s no point in me helping you. No matter what, this family listens to Beatrice.”
Freya looked around at everyone in the room, only to find that no one was willing to speak up for her.
Just as she thought she was out of options, someone else entered the room. It was Raymond, with Molly and Vincent following him.
Freya quickly grabbed Raymond’s arm, “Raymond! You’re back just in time! Please help me beg for mercy, so I can stay in The Vanderbilt Family!”
Raymond shook off her hand, looking at her with disdain. “Haven’t you caused enough trouble already?”
He had already heard from Marcus and his daughter about how Freya had made life unbearable for the elderly members of the family. How could he let such a person stay in The Vanderbilt Family?
With no one willing to help her, Freya turned to Molly. “Molly, my dear niece, please help me! Please beg them to forgive me.”
“Help you beg for mercy?” Molly scoffed. “You’ve already caused enough chaos for The Vanderbilt Family. My advice to you? The further you go, the better.”
Molly was cold and unapologetic, and Vincent was even more resolute.
As Raymond, Molly, and Vincent entered the room, they exchanged a glance with Sebastian. Raymond, seeing that Sebastian was fully recovered, was both surprised and pleased. “Sebastian, you’ve really recovered! That’s great!”
Sebastian, however, didn’t even look at him, his expression cold. He ordered his subordinates, “Take Freya and throw her out of The Vanderbilt Family immediately! No one is to let her in from now on. If anyone tries to help her enter, they’ll leave with her! If she causes any more trouble, take her straight to the police and make sure she stays there!”
Sebastian was relentless, his voice as cold as ice, leaving no room for any further objections. His words struck like a thunderclap, silencing the room.
Freya, already broken, couldn’t say a word. His decision was final.
The subordinates came in and dragged Freya out of the building, throwing her out into the cold, unforgiving night.
The doors of The Vanderbilt Family slammed shut, cutting her off from any hope of returning. Freya had nowhere to turn. Like a lost dog, she was cast out. But with her enormous gambling debts, she knew she would have to seek help from someone, even if she had to swallow her pride.
With Freya’s matter handled, the lawyer and the notary officers left The Vanderbilt Family.
Molly sighed with relief. “Finally, that troublemaker is gone,” she said, giving Sebastian a thumbs up. “Well done!”
Sebastian’s cold gaze swept over everyone in the room. “Now that everyone is here, it’s time to settle the matter of the snakes and fires from before. Let me show you who the real culprit is.”
Everyone fell silent, wondering what Sebastian would do next.