Herman, who didn’t know that he had already hit Justin’s sore spot, was still talking about how powerful Philip was.
As he spoke, Iris gradually lowered her head.
She knew that she had destroyed the family’s peace and tranquility.
Just as she was suffering through her psychological ordeal, and while Herman stood on the moral high ground and criticized her…
Justin suddenly said, “So, that’s why you were willing to give your wife to someone else? And even cooperate with him to act as if your son had been kidnapped?”
His simple few words made all the sounds in the room cease abruptly!
Iris’ head also whipped up and she looked at them in disbelief.
Herman’s mouth was still open. He was staring at him in shock because he had been exposed, and it seemed like he’d never expected Justin to say such a thing.
Iris went from being confused to being shocked. Her brows slowly drew together and she looked at Herman in disbelief. She swallowed and asked, “Justin, what do you mean?”
Herman immediately shouted, “Justin, don’t you dare make false accusations!”
Justin lowered his eyes. “I didn’t want to thoroughly embarrass you, but since you insist on getting into the line of fire, then let’s just speak frankly here!”
He looked at Herman and said, “When Philip Coleman visited the house as a guest and talked about his ex-girlfriend, you already knew that the ex-girlfriend he was talking about was Mom, right?”
Herman didn’t admit it, but he suddenly didn’t dare to look at Iris. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Justin sneered, “In the following few years, the Hunts showed faint signs of being suppressed. During those few years, the Smiths also gradually gained the upper hand, and it looked like they would soon surpass us and become the number one family in New York, didn’t it?”
Herman immediately said, “That’s because Ian Smith is very impressive, whereas I don’t have any talent for business!”
“Is that so?”
Justin cast his eyes down. “The Hunts do not have the custom of only letting the eldest son or people from the direct lineage inherit the title of the head of the family. Although you were a bit of a jerk back then, Grandpa had chosen you. He must have a reason for doing so, right? Uncle Raymond, as well as my other uncles, were eyeing your position, yet they couldn’t take it from you. Why was that? Is it also because you don’t have any talent for business?”
Herman choked.
Justin continued to speak with a contemptuous smile on his face. “Outsiders all say that the elderly Mr. Smith had placed all his energy and focus into the company during those few times because of the heartbreak he’d suffered, but he had been in a total daze at that time, so how could he possibly have had such great ambitions?”
Feeling that there was nothing to live for anymore, Ian had sought death at one point. He hadn’t even cared about his family property anymore and had given everything to his nephew.
In fact, one could even say that before Nora’s return, he hadn’t even considered adopting Joel as his son. Instead, he was just giving it away.
Even if Ian had turned his sorrow into motivation after Yvette’s departure, it was still impossible for him to really want to expand and develop the Smith Corporation. He would only casually work for the Smith Corporation out of sheer boredom.
But even when Ian was in a bad state of mind, the Hunts had gone from bad to worse. In addition, during that time, his grandfather had still been around and had been the person in charge of the Hunts. Herman hadn’t taken over the family yet!
Herman was not at all as incompetent as what outsiders made him out to be. Otherwise, how would it have been possible for him to take Lauren with him to another country, start from zero, and achieve what he had currently accomplished in just twenty years?
That’s right, Herman and Lauren already had a successful business abroad. The fact that Lauren had immediately organized such a large orchid exhibition when she’d only just returned to the country was enough proof of their current economic strength. Moreover, there was something that Justin had actually been unable to figure out all these years.
Even if Herman had done something wrong and cheated on his wife, would anyone really be like the old Mr. and Mrs. Hunt, and drive their son out of the house but keep their grandson?
All of these were choices that the Hunts had been forced to make back then!
When the elderly Mr. Hunt and Herman felt like they had come to their wits’ end regarding the company, they immediately understood what had happened. Thus, Herman had promptly and decisively cheated on Iris, in order to make her give up hope on
him.
They’d originally thought that Philip would let them off once they sacrificed Iris, but they were wrong.
At that time, the only thing Iris had cared about was her son. When she went traveling, she’d actually run into Philip. However, she had no plans to rekindle her relationship with him.
This caused Philip to become even crueler, and he found someone to kidnap Justin!
One could say that the Hunts had abstained from taking action at that time, despite their ability to do so. The Hunts were so powerful in New York, how would they possibly be unable to find the child when he was first discovered missing?
It wasn’t that they couldn’t find him; rather, they hadn’t searched for him at all!
By the time Iris returned and found that he was been abducted, too much time had already passed. By then, even if she sought help from the Smiths, the kidnappers would have already fled New York. Even the Smiths wouldn’t be able to do anything about it!
Therefore, the Hunts had forced Iris to approach Philip.
They wanted to use Iris as a sacrificial offering
Unfortunately, Iris still didn’t have any thoughts of reconciling with Philip. Instead, she reached a different agreement with him, which was to watch her son grow up in the Hunts without interfering with his life.
After the old Mr. Hunt heard about this, he realized and understood that since Philip loved Iris so deeply, he would never hurt her. Additionally, if he wanted Iris to protect the Hunts, then it would only be possible if Justin stayed in the family.
Thus, Mr. Hunt had pretended to drive away Herman, and also declared that he would take it that he never had a son like him. His purpose in driving him away was so that Herman could go overseas, start a new business, and open up a new world for the Hunts.
This was so that the Hunts could avoid a crushing defeat should something ever go wrong with Philip and he targets the Hunts in the future!
Herman might look like he had left the family without taking a cent, but when he went abroad back then, his father most certainly would have secretly given him a sum of money as start-up capital.
All of their schemes were closely linked with one another. The elderly Mr. and Mrs. Hunt, who seemingly had a deep sense of love and righteousness, were just doing all that for the sake of the Hunts.
Justin had only slowly pieced everything together after Iris told him the truth.
This was also the reason why he hadn’t immediately sought revenge on Lauren for kidnapping him-because she wasn’t the one who had instigated the kidnapping at all.
It was Philip!
Justin’s words, like a sharp knife, cut open the Hunts’ veil of pretense, exposing all of their ugly and nasty true colors.
Iris was shocked and astounded. She felt like the worldview she’d held all these years had come crashing down all around her. She thought that she had caused the Hunts huge trouble, but little did she think that the Hunts had been using her all this time?
Herman refused to admit it. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand at all, you…”
“You don’t understand? Is that so? In that case, shall I lay out all the evidence one by
one?”
Justin’s voice was low and deep, but there was a mocking smile on the corners of his lips.
Herman narrowed his eyes.
After some time, he finally dropped his pretenses. He calmly said, “Since you’ve already figured out everything, then take your mother with you and leave the Hunts at once
-because, I, the real head of the Hunts, am back.”
Justin stared at him.
Herman lowered his head and looked at the family members who had hurried over after hearing about his return and the argument. He straightened his back. On his visage that was three parts similar to Justin’s, his eyes were dark and deep.
He calmly said, “My father left all the shares in the family to me back then.”
After saying this, he immediately took out a will.
Upon seeing the share transfer agreement, everyone was shocked.
When the elderly Mr. Hunt passed away, in his final words, he had only left instructions saying that Justin was to take charge of the company. Therefore, Justin had naturally inherited his shares.
With the will, though, Justin would be kicked out of the picture.
Everyone in the family fell silent. They all stared at the will and then at each other, all of them at a loss for words.
Roger said, “Uncle Herman, if a will exists, then Grandpa’s shares should indeed be given to you. In that case, from today onwards, you will be the head of the Hunts!”
Some defenders of Justin said, “But is the will really valid? Who can prove it?”
Along with these words, someone supported a shaky Mrs. Hunt as she walked out. She said unhurriedly, “I can prove it.”
