Reborn Heiress: Taking Back What Is Rightfully Hers!
Chapter 259: Choosing to Hide the Truth

Chapter 259: Choosing to Hide the Truth

Henry discreetly exhaled a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. When he had sent Grace the earring, he had suspected that Eric might have placed a second listening device. But his overconfidence at the time, believing Grace could never be so duplicitous, led him to overlook the warning signs. Now, he realized the gravity of his mistake. And it all stemmed from Grace.

"I... I’ll tell her," Henry said, his face pale. If Eric really released the recording, it would likely cause his parents to have a massive falling out, breaking their relationship irreparably.

James, still in denial and unwilling to believe Eric, sneered coldly, "What recording? Play it for everyone to hear!" He stubbornly continued, ignoring the shareholders’ concerned glances as he challenged Eric.

Eric raised an eyebrow, deliberately pulling the phone back. He wasn’t about to let James listen to the recording just yet.

Why give James the satisfaction so soon? Eric wanted Grace to play the victim first, to adamantly declare her innocence. Only then would he present the evidence and let James slap himself in the face.

"Sorry, I still have some use for it. You won’t be getting it today. Henry, I trust you know what you need to do now, right?" Eric’s voice was cold and taunting.

Henry’s face drained of color. "Brother, please... for the sake of my support, don’t take this out on my mother."

"Support?" Eric scoffed, his eyes flashing with disdain. "You were only supporting Grace. Make sure to give her the message—I’m hungry and don’t have time for this drama. Let’s go, darling." He turned to Ella with a lazy smile, clearly unbothered by James’s tantrums.

Ella linked her arm with Eric’s as they sauntered out of the conference room, leaving James fuming. Eric felt no more anger or sadness over James’s actions. Severing their father-son relationship had given him a sense of freedom.

He had long since become used to being overlooked and dismissed. Now that the ties were officially cut, he felt no burden of expectation from James anymore.

As Eric and Ella left the room, James, furious and frustrated, was left with the odd behavior of his son Henry.

He glared at the remaining shareholders and, trying to regain control, snapped, "I expect that today’s events will remain confidential. If anything gets out and harms Nelson Group, it’ll be on your heads!"

One of the shareholders, already fed up with Grace’s antics, shot back. "What are you saying, James? It’s your wife’s actions that put Nelson Group in jeopardy, not us. Are you blaming us now?"

"Exactly!" another shareholder added. "It’s Grace and her scheming that caused this mess. Even if Nelson Group faces more crises, it’s your family’s fault. What’s the point of threatening us?"

James had inadvertently ignited their frustration, and realizing his mistake, quickly lowered his tone. "I apologize for being harsh. I just meant we all need to protect the company’s interests. I’ll take care of Grace’s situation and give you all an explanation."

The shareholders remained visibly displeased, but James had no choice but to swallow his pride and deal with the fallout. He turned to Henry, "Henry, come with me to the office."

James needed to understand exactly what the recording in Eric’s possession contained. He couldn’t risk another blow to Nelson Group, especially if the content of the recording proved disastrous.

Henry followed his father into the office, silent and apprehensive. Once inside, James locked the door, shutting out the noise of the shareholders’ meeting and isolating them from the outside world.

James looked at his son with urgency. "Henry, tell me the truth. What’s on the recording Eric has?"

Henry stood stiffly, staring at the floor, too afraid to meet his father’s eyes. If James learned that Grace had been involved in shady dealings with another man, the family would be torn apart.

After a moment of tense silence, Henry clenched his teeth and replied, "It’s nothing... just some recordings that don’t reflect well on me."

James narrowed his eyes, sensing his son’s evasion, but Henry kept his head down, determined to protect Grace.

After all, she was his mother. How could he bear to see his parents’ relationship destroyed over a single recording?

James looked at Henry with suspicion. His son couldn’t even lift his head, and James knew from experience that Henry had never been able to lie convincingly. Whenever Henry tried to deceive someone, it would show immediately. So James was certain his son was hiding something from him.

"Henry, I’ve always treated you well... Don’t lie to me, okay?" James sighed, softening his tone. "If Eric truly is my son, then I’ve treated him terribly all these years."

Henry clenched his jaw tightly. "Dad, it really has nothing to do with you. I... I got drunk a few days ago and ended up sleeping with a woman. Someone recorded it, and now that video is in Eric’s hands."

James frowned, growing even more suspicious. Henry had never shown much interest in women. Grace had even once suspected that Henry might be gay.

How could he suddenly get drunk and end up in bed with a woman?

Plus, Henry’s story didn’t add up. Eric had explicitly told Henry to pass along a message to Grace, asking for a man to come and see him. Who was this man? And why would Eric want to deliver a message to Grace?

Realizing that he wasn’t going to get the truth out of Henry, James dismissed him. After Henry left, James quickly made a call to Grace, ordering her to come to his office immediately.

Grace had been out shopping nearby, so it took her less than ten minutes to arrive at James’s office.

"You finished the meeting already? Honey, I bought you two new suits! Come on, try them on..." Grace chirped excitedly. She had been stuck at home for so long, and now that she was finally out, she was in high spirits. The media had lost interest in her scandal, and most people no longer recognized her as the once-revered charity figure who had been exposed for child abuse.

"No need. I called you up here because I have some questions," James said coldly.

Grace froze for a moment. James rarely spoke to her in such an icy tone. Even after her scandal had come to light, and they had gone through a brief period of coldness, their relationship had improved in the past few days, returning almost to its former closeness.

"What’s wrong? You look so upset. Did Eric bother you again?" Grace knew that Eric and Ella had visited today, so she deliberately feigned a sympathetic expression. "Honey, Eric’s just having a hard time accepting everything. Don’t be too hard on him."

James paused before responding, his voice calm but tense. "He did come. But he brought a DNA report from ten years ago, and he declared that he doesn’t want anything from me."

Grace blinked, surprised. She hadn’t expected that Eric’s ambitions wouldn’t include James’s shares.

"Well, don’t get too worked up about it," Grace said, attempting to soothe him. "It’s not good for your health to stress over these things..."

But James suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of irritation. Grace’s gentle demeanor, something he had once found endearing, now struck him as insincere, even rehearsed.

"Enough," James interrupted, his voice sharp. "That’s not what I want to talk about. I want to know if you’ve done anything lately that might weigh on your conscience."