Today is Sterling's company anniversary celebration. Alexa attended Sterling's company anniversary as a guest. Unlike most daughters in law, Alexa brought El as her partner. The gold and black decorations were very fitting, and two pairs of eyes were fixed on one object in front of them. Sean and Liora stood side by side on the podium. As the Sterling family's daughter in law. Yes, they knew that Liora was the daughter in law of the Sterling family. They only knew that the wedding had a few obstacles, without knowing that the bride had changed. Alexa was the one who replaced Liora at that time. With Liora's wedding dress. There was no dream wedding for Alexa. Alexa was only a substitute.
Alexa was never the main character, even on her own wedding day.
The corners of her lips turned upward. She released El's embrace and stepped up onto the podium. Shouldn't I be in Liora's position right now?
Alexa shook Sean's hand and kissed him, shocking all the guests, including Liora, who had already taken a few steps back.
"You forgot about me, huh?" Alexa whispered.
Sean stared at Alexa. "Don't do anything crazy, Lexie."
Alexa chuckled, her hand pushing Sean's body away to give her a little space to speak. Liora held Sean's arm, her face very pale.
"Hi everyone, I am Alexandra, the legal and religious daughter in law of the Sterling family. And this woman..." Alexa turned to the couple who were holding hands at that moment.
"This woman is just Sean's secret lover. Look at me, I'm pregnant with his child." Alexa looked down, her hand moving to the bulge in her stomach and rubbing it.
Jeers were heard, some of the guests covered their mouths and chuckled.
"Crazy woman." whispered someone.
"No wonder, in this day and age, slutty women like you are everywhere. Women are even willing to trap rich men so they can have their children. Then, they drain their wealth." replied an old man.
"Women are willing to do anything to fulfill their lifestyle." said a woman in a red dress.
"She's nothing compared to Liora, who is the best doctor in this city." replied another.
Alexa rolled her eyes lazily. "I don't care what you think of me. Live with your assumptions."
"I could even withdraw all my investments from your company."
Suddenly, laughter filled the ballroom. Who was this woman to dare to speak like that? She didn't know who she was talking to. The owner of a leading company.
Not many people know about Alexa. They know that the Hart family has two daughters, but one of them lives abroad. Alexa deliberately hides her identity except from the company she works for. All this time, she has only used the name Alexandra Marielle.
She simply dislikes the sycophants who approach her because of who and what she is. Alexa wants a normal life. She wants to be respected and treated well, not because of who she is, but because that is her right. She has had that right since she was conceived in her mom's womb.
People assume that old money knows how to behave. Old money is more educated. Old money never shows off, unlike the lower classes who force their lifestyle on others. But the truth is, the upper classes are even crazier. Murder, kidnapping, threats, and other illegal activities are often committed by the upper classes.
They won't show their faces in public. They rely on someone else to be their pawn.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you talk like that. Dreaming of becoming a princess of the Hart family, eh?" said the old man.
All of their companies were under the control of the Hart family. If the Sterling family was rich, the Hart family was richer.
The woman in the red dress chuckled. "Don't compare her to a Hart family princess. The Hart family doesn't have cheap princesses like this. I've seen one of the Hart family princesses and she was very graceful and elegant, unlike this arrogant woman."
Sean pulled Alexa's hand.
"Lexie. Stop this." Sean growled.
Alexa ignored Sean's words. She immediately pushed his hand away and stepped down from the podium.
A voice interrupted everyone there. "Stop! Don't you dare touch my wife and child!" El hugged Alexa and glared sharply at anyone who dared to raise their head.
"How dare you insult my child!" he said, his voice rising slightly.
Alexa smiled smugly at their frightened faces.
The woman immediately smiled broadly. "Wow, she really is a slut for high-class men. Earlier she was acting like Ocean Sterling's wife, and now she's the young master Pierce's secret lover. It's really questionable whose child she's carrying."
"ENOUGH!" his voice rose, his face contorted with rage. El raised his hand, and soon the bodyguards dragged the woman out of the event.
"ANYONE ELSE WHO DARES TO INSULT MY CHILD WILL FIND THAT THEIR LIFE WILL NEVER BE SAFE!" El glared angrily at the old man who had been arguing with Alexa from the start.
"It's very likely that this woman is carrying the heir to the Pierce family. Look at Gabriel's anger. He is very protective of his future child." Sean, who had just stepped down from the podium and was about to follow Alexa, overheard the gossip among the guests. His heart burned with anger, and for some reason, he didn't like it.
Alexa's gaze wandered, searching for something in the crowd. Alexa was sure he would come. Their eyes locked. A slight smile appeared on the man's face. She walked towards the man who was sitting at the end of the room under the dim light. It was as if she was engrossed in watching the drama unfold. Her every movement attracted the attention of all the guests.
"Don't you want to explain who I really am?" she whispered, then kissed the man on the cheek.
He looked up, staring intently at the face he hadn't seen in a very long time. He couldn't even remember the last time Alexa had kissed him.
The man stood up from his seat. As the light from the lamp reflected on his face, his good looks became clearly visible. The guests, who had been busy laughing, were now transfixed, some even wide eyed. A small murmur arose from the guests. Some held their breath, while others looked at each other in disbelief.
The old man swallowed before speaking.
"Brayn Hart." he muttered.