Chapter 838
Richard said, “Sharon, what happened before… it was indeed my fault. I should never have spoken those harsh words. All these years, I’ve been waiting-telling myself that if you would just reach out, I would let go of the past without hesitation. Sharon…”
He was preparing to launch into a long, sentimental speech, but Sharon cut him off.
“Since you admit the matter was your mistake, let us first handle the legal procedure to change my identity. It won’t take long. Soon, I’ll be competing internationally, and the spotlight on me won’t be limited to within the country. By then, rival countries may resort to every trick imaginable to undermine me. I don’t intend to let this become their weapon against me.
She smiled faintly at Richard. “Surely, you don’t wish to see me attacked over something as trivial as my
academic record?”
Richard replied, “You are my daughter. Who would dare laugh at you? Sharon, don’t worry. As long as the Kalen family stands, I will never allow anyone to slander you.’
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At his words, Sharon’s lips curved into a smile, but inwardly she sneered. 1
Where had the Kalen family been when Abigail and the others smeared her name? Not one of them had stepped
forward to defend her.
She could hear the hidden meaning in Richard’s promise. He would protect her-but only if she acknowledged
herself as a Kalen, only if she stood as one of his own. His help came with conditions.
Her voice turned coldly deliberate.
“If you want me to return to the Kalen family, it’s not impossible. But I have one condition.”
Richard’s face lit up instantly, as if he had just been reunited with a long-lost child.
“As long as you’re willing to come home, Sharon, I’ll agree to any condition.”
Sharon nodded.
“Before my mother passed away, she left me an allotment of original shares. Those shares belong to me. I will
never transfer them to anyone. Dad, I trust you won’t have any objections to that?” 1
Richard’s smile froze for an instant. Even Rick’s expression shifted, the faintest flicker betraying his unease.
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Chapter 838
So Sharon knew. She knew about the original shares. When had she found out? Recently, no doubt.
+35 BONUS
They had tested her before, probing, but at the time she had shown no awareness at all-no hint that she understood the existence of those shares. Who had told her? Shayla’s lawyer? One of the company’s veterans?
Rick reacted instinctively, his words sliding out almost too quickly.
“Sharon, even if you hold those original shares, they won’t be of much use to you. You don’t know how to manage a company. Keeping them will only draw envy and resentment. If it’s dividends you want, we can exchange them for common shares at the current repurchase price. That way, you’ll still receive annual
dividends without taking on any risk.”
But in truth, Rick already knew better.
These past weeks had proven Sharon was no naïve girl to be manipulated. The only reason Kelly—a woman
unfit even to stand beside her-had once bullied her so easily was because Sharon had no allies. Carter, though
her husband, had stood on Kelly’s side. Nate had been little more than Kelly’s lapdog.
With no money, no power, and no network, Sharon had been at a disadvantage.
But things had changed.
Since she had crossed paths with Xavier, Uriah, and others of influence, Sharon had seemed almost untouchable. Public opinion, instead of crushing her, had only strengthened her reputation and visibility. Even
Carter, in her hands, had been left humiliated.
Cole, Damien, Lex… one by one, each of them had fallen to her, their faces smeared with defeat. 2
It was proof enough-once Sharon had support, she was nearly impossible to suppress.
To think she would simply hand over her shares was a fantasy. Even without the tangled past, even if she were
only acknowledged as Rick’s blood sister, no brother in his right mind would leave her with nothing. 1
