He Brought His Bastard to Our Engagement, So I Married His Uncle

On our engagement day, my fiancé, Julian Vance, walked right up to me, holding the hand of his first love, Melody Green, and their threeyearold illegitimate son, Leo. "The title of Mrs.

Vance will be yours, but my heart and my body belong to them." Looking at his smug, condescending face, I smiled and dialed his grandfather's number right in front of him. "Grandpa Arthur, your grandson has found his 'true love' outside.

Isn't it time to change the heir of the Vance family?" Julian thought I was just throwing a jealous fit.

He didn't realize how serious I was until the police kicked the door open and handcuffed him.

Then, the new heir of the Vance family—his uncle, Dominic Vance—personally handed him the termination of our engagement contract.

With bloodshot eyes, Julian roared as he was dragged away, "Chloe Sterling, you ruined me!" I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and didn't even spare him a glance. "You've got it wrong.

What ruined you was your own greed, and your utter lack of respect." Julian's face darkened the second the words left my mouth.

He grabbed my wrist in a tight grip. "Chloe, stop right there." "Today is the day of our families' merger.

This is not the place for you to throw a spoiled tantrum." I looked down at his hand on my wrist. "Let go." Instead of releasing me, he lowered his voice, his tone threatening. "If you walk out now and drag this drama to my grandfather, you'll only make both of our families look ridiculous." I looked at him and let out a cold laugh. "Ridiculous?" "Julian, you brought your mistress and your bastard to our engagement party, and now you're telling me I'm making things look ridiculous?" His expression turned even colder. "I've made myself clear.

The title of Mrs. Vance is yours.

Melody and the child won't threaten your status." "What more do you want?" I almost laughed at his sheer shamelessness. "Won't threaten me?" "Does that kid carry the Vance name or not?" "Is he going to get a share of the Vance family estate in the future?" "If you and I have children, will they have to call this bastard their older brother?" Julian frowned. "Leo is my own blood.

I can't just ignore him." I nodded. "So, you want the Sterling family's money and resources, you want your true love, and you want your bastard to have a legal claim to the family fortune?" "Julian, you really want to have your cake and eat it too, don't you?" A few snickers broke out around us.

But they weren't laughing at Julian. They were mocking me for being "unreasonable." A few of Julian's trustfund friends stepped forward.

One guy in a flashy floral shirt holding a whiskey glass said dismissively, "Come on, Chloe, that's enough." "In our circle, who doesn't have some fun on the side?" Another friend chimed in, "Exactly.

Julian is willing to give you the ring and the title.

That's plenty of respect for the Sterling family." "So what if he has someone else?" "As long as she stays in the shadows, we all just turn a blind eye." I slowly looked at them.

I knew every single one of these faces. Tristan Ward. Brooke Hayes. And Ryan Cooper, a guy who lived on the TikTok drama pages.

They were all useless playboys kept by their families. They didn't run companies. They didn't handle major business deals.

The only thing their families expected of them was not to cause a massive public scandal. Of course they didn't care. They were never in line to inherit anything anyway.

But Julian was different. He was the designated heir of the Vance empire, personally chosen by Grandpa Arthur. Our engagement wasn't about love.

It was a strategic merger of the Sterling and Vance families. It was about capital, supply chains, connections, and shares.

It was about securing the legitimacy of the next generation. Yet, before the ink on our contract was even dry, he threw his bastard in my face.

He had just destroyed the Vance family's biggest bargaining chip with his own hands.

I pulled out my phone and shot a quick message to my dad on Snapchat: "Julian has a mistress and a bastard. The engagement is off." The moment I sent it, Julian noticed.

His eyes darkened. "Who are you messaging?" I slipped my phone back into my clutch. "None of your business." While we were deadlocked, Melody took a step forward, holding the crying child in her arms.

Her eyes were red and watery as she looked at me. "Chloe, please don't blame Julian.

It's all my fault." "I shouldn't exist, and I shouldn't have come today." She looked down, stroking the boy's head. "But Leo just wanted to see his dad." "I only wanted him to know he isn't fatherless." On cue, the boy hugged Julian's leg and whimpered, "Daddy, please don't abandon Mommy and me." The anger in Julian's eyes instantly melted into pure heartbreak.

He knelt down and scooped the boy into his arms. "Daddy won't ever leave you." Melody's tears flowed even faster. "Chloe, Julian is just a man of deep feelings." "You are the heiress of the Sterling family.

You have everything." "I only have Julian and Leo. I swear, I will never fight you for the title of Mrs. Vance." Oh, she played her part beautifully. Not fighting for the title?

Then why show up at my engagement party if not to make a statement?

I looked at her, my voice icecold. "Melody, you don't need to act so pathetic." "After all, I didn't force you to have his baby, nor did I force you to sleep with my fiancé." Her face went pale.

Julian stood up immediately, shielding her. "Chloe!

Keep your mouth clean!" I locked eyes with him. "You think my words are dirty?" "Then why did you do something so filthy in the first place?" Julian's chest heaved with rage.

He raised his hand, looking like he was about to slap me. Just then, the heavy doors of the ballroom were pushed open by a rush of footsteps.

Seeing the man walk in, the tension in my chest finally eased.

My father's personal assistant, Vincent, walked in with several security guards. He had worked for my father for decades and was always calm and collected.

Even when the company faced major crises, his face never showed a hint of panic. But today, his expression was terrifyingly cold. He looked at me first, making sure I wasn't hurt.

Then, he turned to Julian. "Mr. Vance, Mr.

Sterling sent me to collect Chloe." Seeing Vincent, Julian reluctantly lowered his hand, though his voice remained arrogant. "My future fatherinlaw didn't even bother to show up?

He sent an assistant instead?" Vincent's voice was dead calm. "Mr.

Sterling is on his way." "Until he arrives, I represent the Sterling family." Julian sneered. "Represent the Sterlings?" "Vincent, you're forgetting your place.

At the end of the day, you're just an employee we pay." Vincent's expression didn't change. "You may look down on me, Mr.

Vance, but I am not speaking for myself today." "Chloe is Mr.

Sterling's only daughter and the sole heiress of Sterling Enterprises." "The engagement between our families was based on the mutual benefits of our heirs." "But now that you have publicly acknowledged an illegitimate child, the foundation of this agreement has been shattered." Julian's face turned ugly. "Don't use those corporate threats on me." "I have a kid, so what?

I'm not calling off the wedding." Vincent continued, "The issue isn't the marriage itself.

It's the instability it brings to the future ownership and inheritance of the Vance Group." "The Sterling family will not invest our resources in an heir who could trigger a massive succession war at any moment." That hit Julian right where it hurt.

The one thing he cared about most was his position as the heir. And Vincent was entirely right. Julian let out a harsh laugh. "Cut the corporate BS.

This is just Chloe refusing to accept Melody and my son." He acted as though he was making a massive sacrifice. "Fine.

I can make a compromise." "After we marry, Melody and the kid won't live in the main estate, and they won't appear in front of Chloe.

Is that enough?" He looked at me, seemingly expecting me to be grateful. It was absolutely laughable. He brought his mistress and kid to ruin my engagement.

And now he thought promising to keep them out of my sight was a generous compromise? Vincent frowned. "Mr.

Vance, you are misunderstanding the Sterling family." "What we cannot accept is the financial and legal risk this child brings to the table." Julian's face completely darkened. "Vincent, you've got a big mouth." "Who gave an outsider like you the right to judge my son?" Vincent lowered his eyes slightly. "I am merely stating facts." "If you insist on keeping things as they are, the Sterling family will officially reevaluate our partnership with the Vance Group." Julian slammed his whiskey glass onto the floor.

Glass shattered everywhere. The room fell into a stunned silence.

Julian pointed a finger at Vincent. "Who the hell do you think you are?" "Threatening me in my own venue?" I took a step forward, blocking his path. "His words are my father's words.

They represent the Sterling family." Julian glared at me, his eyes filled with a terrifying malice. "Chloe, do you really want to burn this bridge?" I countered, "Am I the one burning bridges here?" At that moment, Melody suddenly dropped to her knees, clutching her child.

The dramatic move caused a collective gasp in the room. "Chloe, please don't make things hard for Julian." "Don't let me and my child ruin the partnership between your families." "I know I come from a humble background.

I'm nothing compared to you." "I know Leo shouldn't have been born." Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. "If you really can't stand us, I will take my son and leave." "I'll go far away, and we will never show our faces to either of you again." The little boy started crying too, caught up in his mother's hysterics. "Mommy, I don't want to leave.

I want Daddy." Julian immediately bent down to pull her up. "Melody, what are you saying?" "I told you, I won't let anyone mistreat you or our son." Melody leaned into his chest, crying even harder. "But Chloe hates us.

The Sterling family is so powerful... I'm terrified." Julian's gaze shot back to me, colder than ice, as if I were some monster trying to drive them to their deaths.

I was sick of this cheap drama. I had no desire to waste another second on them.

I turned to Vincent. "Let's go." "There's nothing left to say." Vincent nodded, gesturing for his security guards to escort me out.

But we had only taken two steps before the heavy double doors of the ballroom slammed shut.

A dozen security guards in black suits poured out from the side doors, completely surrounding us.

The ballroom fell dead silent. But Julian's playboy friends looked excited.

The guy in the floral shirt let out a low whistle. "Julian is actually pissed now." "Chloe, stop playing tough." "When Julian loses his temper, nobody can calm him down." Another laughed. "You should have just swallowed your pride.

Why push him to this?" "Women always need to be taught a lesson before they learn to behave." I looked at Julian. "What are you doing?" Julian walked toward me, step by step. "You know exactly what I'm doing." "The engagement stands." "The wedding stands." "And the partnership between our families will continue." I said coldly, "You want the Sterling family's wealth, but you also want Melody and your bastard." "So you're going to force my hand?" He didn't deny it. "I have the power to have both." "Chloe, you're not a little girl anymore.

How many marriages in high society are actually clean?" "You want the status of Mrs. Vance and the business mergers.

I'm giving them to you." "Melody wants my heart, and I'm giving it to her." "They don't conflict." I stared at him, feeling an overwhelming wave of disgust. "Don't conflict?" "Julian, you've never seen me as a human being." "To you, I'm just a package of assets delivered by the Sterling family." He frowned. "Don't put it so harshly." I laughed. "Fine, let me put it in a way you can understand." "You don't meet the Sterling family's standards anymore.

You've been disqualified." Julian's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Say that again." I spoke slowly, pronouncing every word clearly. "I am canceling the engagement." "The Sterling family has no interest in a man who can't control his pants and brings a bastard to threaten our assets." "If you think you're so tough, go explain this to Grandpa Arthur." Hearing this, Julian suddenly laughed, though his eyes remained dead. "You think running to my grandfather will ruin me?" "Chloe, you are so naive." He raised his hand.

One of his guards immediately stepped forward with a highend camera. The black lens pointed directly at my face. My heart sank as a sickening realization washed over me.

Sure enough, Julian smiled. "Chloe, I know you feel like you're losing because of my son." "That's an easy fix." "Once I have something on you, we'll be even." My stomach turned. "Julian, don't you dare cross that line!" He leaned in close, his voice a dark whisper. "I'm just teaching you how reality works." "Once we record something interesting tonight, do you think you'll still dare to run to my grandfather?

Will your father still dare to cancel the wedding?" "You'll have no choice but to marry me quietly." Melody stood behind him, her face turning pale.

She whispered, "Julian... is this really a good idea?" Julian sighed, his voice softening as he looked at her. "Melody, you are too kind." "People like Chloe need to be broken before they learn to submit." Then, he turned back to me, his voice freezing over. "Take her phone." Vincent's guards immediately stepped in to block them.

But they were outnumbered. Within seconds, they were pinned to the ground by Julian's security. Two heavy hands grabbed Vincent, holding him down.

Vincent thrashed against them, yelling, "Julian Vance!" "If you touch Chloe tonight, there will be no turning back for the Vance family!" Julian just laughed. "Once I have her in my pocket, the Sterlings will be more eager to cover this up than I am." A guard lunged forward to grab my phone.

I held on as tightly as I could, feeling my fingernails bend back painfully.

With a harsh rip, the phone was torn from my hand and thrown onto the floor, the screen shattering into pieces.

Two guards grabbed my shoulders, dragging me toward the VIP lounge nearby.

I kicked out, hitting one of them in the shin. "Get your hands off me!" Julian stood under the bright chandelier, watching coldly. "Chloe, you brought this on yourself." The red light on the camera blinked to life.

The lens crept closer to my face. A wave of icy terror washed over me. I never imagined someone could be this vile, this desperate. Just to keep his title as heir.

Just to swallow my family's assets. He was willing to use such disgusting, criminal methods to force me into submission.

Vincent's eyes were bloodshot with rage. "Chloe!" I bit my lip, kicking another guard. But in the next second, a heavy hand slapped my left cheek.

The force of it sent me crashing to the floor, my forehead hitting the hard wood. A sharp pain bloomed behind my eyes.

As the guards stepped closer with the camera, a thunderous bang echoed from the entrance.

An elderly man, holding a cane topped with a silver dragon, walked in. "You worthless bastard!

What do you think you are doing?" The moment Julian saw the man, every drop of color drained from his face.

Grandpa Arthur stood at the doorway. Behind him was a small army. The Vance family butler. The family's legal team. And several elite personal bodyguards.

The ballroom fell into a dead, suffocating silence. The playboys who had been cheering Julian on stood frozen, their smirks completely gone. Julian stood paralyzed.

His throat cleared. "Grandpa..." Grandpa Arthur raised his heavy cane and slammed it onto the floor. "Don't call me Grandpa!" "How did the Vance family raise such a beast?!" Julian's face was white.

He instinctively glanced back at Melody. Melody was already shaking like a leaf, clutching her crying child. She looked around frantically for an exit. But the doorway was blocked.

There was nowhere to run. Grandpa Arthur walked into the room, step by step. With every strike of his cane against the floor, my heart beat faster. He looked at me first.

I was still sitting on the floor. There was blood dripping down my forehead. My left cheek was burning and swollen.

Vincent broke free from the guards and rushed to my side. "Chloe!" His hands were trembling as he helped me up. "Are you okay?" I shook my head. "I'm fine." It hurt terribly.

But the physical pain was nothing compared to the disgust pooling in my stomach. Grandpa Arthur's eyes darkened when he saw the blood on my face.

He whipped around to face Julian. "This is the engagement you promised me?" "This is how you show respect to the Sterling family?" Julian panicked. "Grandpa, it's not what it looks like." "Chloe started it.

She threatened to cancel the wedding and run to you.

I was just desperate..." Grandpa Arthur let out a bitter laugh. "Desperate?" "So you ordered the doors locked." "You had your guards pin down the Sterling heiress." "And you brought a camera to film her?" "Julian, do you take me for an old fool?" Julian's lips trembled. "I wasn't actually going to hurt her." He turned to me, his voice pleading. "Chloe, I was just trying to scare you." "I wouldn't have actually done anything." I stared at him, feeling sick. "Scare me?" "Julian, if Grandpa Arthur hadn't arrived, what would you have done next?" He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Everyone's eyes were locked onto him. The friends who had been defending him a minute ago were now trying to make themselves invisible.

The guy in the floral shirt quietly took a step back. Grandpa Arthur swept his gaze over them.

His voice was terrifyingly calm. "Which one of you just said that women need to be taught a lesson before they learn to behave?" Their faces turned pale.

Nobody dared to make a sound. Grandpa Arthur asked again, "What? You're mute now?" Tristan Ward, the guy in the floral shirt, was the first to crack. "Mr. Vance, I...

I was just joking." "I didn't think Julian would actually..." Grandpa Arthur cut him off. "You didn't think?" "It looked like you were all enjoying the show." He turned to his butler. "Get copies of the security footage and the recording from that camera." "Send them directly to the Ward, Hayes, and Cooper families." "Let them see exactly what kind of sons they've raised." The three playboys looked like they were about to throw up. "Mr.

Vance!" "Please, no!" "We were just drunk!" Grandpa Arthur ignored them completely. "If alcohol makes you accomplices to a crime, then you shouldn't drink anymore." As soon as he finished speaking, several police officers stepped forward. "Julian Vance, you need to come with us." Julian gasped. "For what?" The lead officer replied blankly, "Unlawful confinement, assault, and coercion." "We'll take your statement at the station." Julian finally lost it. "Grandpa!" "I'm the heir of the Vance Group!" "You can't let them take me!" Grandpa Arthur looked at him, his eyes devoid of any warmth. "As of today, you are no longer the heir." That single sentence.

It felt like a guillotine dropping on Julian's life. He froze. Even Melody gasped, looking up in horror.

Julian's voice shook. "Grandpa, what did you say?" Grandpa Arthur said, word for word, "The Vance Group will never be handed over to an idiot." "And certainly not to someone who throws away our core business partnerships for a mistress and a bastard." "Since you love your little family so much, you can go enjoy them in the real world." "There is no place for you in the Vance family anymore." Julian's eyes turned red. "Grandpa, you groomed me yourself!" "You can't throw me away just because of a few words from Chloe!" Grandpa Arthur sneered. "You think I'm doing this because of her?" He raised his hand.

His lawyer immediately handed him a thick folder.

Grandpa Arthur threw the files right at Julian's feet. "Take a good look." "Every single shady deal you've done behind the company's back over the past few years—do you think any of them are clean?" Julian's face went dead white.

He bent down and picked up the papers. By the second page, his hands were shaking violently. I wasn't close enough to read the details, but I saw the bold headings.

Offshore Accounts. Kickbacks on Major Projects. Insider Trading. Embezzlement. And there was another document.

The purchase records for three luxury apartments under Melody Green's name. The source of the funds: a subsidiary of the Vance Group. The room gasped.

Melody's face went completely pale, her grip loosening on her crying child.

Grandpa Arthur looked at her. "Miss Green." "You kept saying you didn't want anything." "Then where did those three apartments, two luxury cars, and the offshore accounts come from?" Melody's lips trembled. "I...

I don't know." "Julian gave them to me." "I swear I didn't know the money belonged to the company." Grandpa Arthur replied flatly, "You can explain that to the police." Melody's knees buckled.

She almost collapsed.

She turned to Julian, sobbing. "Julian, please explain it to them!" "I really didn't know there was a problem with the money." "You told me it was yours!" Julian stared at her, his eyes filled with hatred for the first time. "Are you trying to throw me under the bus now?" "Why didn't you ask questions when you were spending the cash?" Melody looked absolutely devastated.

The child was screaming in terror. "Daddy! Mommy!" The crying made everyone wince.

Julian, desperate for any leverage, grabbed the boy and pushed him toward Grandpa Arthur. "Grandpa." "Leo is innocent." "He's your greatgrandson." "Even if you hate me, look at the boy..." Grandpa Arthur looked at the child.

A flash of conflict crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by steel. "The child is innocent." "But the adults are not." "If you're willing to use a child as a shield today, you'll sell out the entire company tomorrow." "Julian, you are beyond saving." Julian tried to speak, but the police officers grabbed his wrists, cuffing him.

This time, he didn't fight back. But before they dragged him out, he shot me a poisonous glare. "Chloe, are you happy now?" I wiped the blood from my forehead.

My voice was quiet and calm. "Why would I be happy?" "I'm just taking back the justice that belongs to me." He was dragged away. Melody was also taken in for questioning.

The child was temporarily taken by the Vance family butler. The ballroom was a chaotic mess.

The guests who had been enjoying the drama earlier now kept their heads down, terrified to say a word. Grandpa Arthur walked over to me.

He was old, but his eyes were still sharp as knives. "Chloe." "The Vance family has failed you today." "I will personally visit your father to apologize." I looked at him, keeping my expression neutral.

If this were in the past, I might have tried to keep the peace for the sake of the business. But tonight, I was almost ruined. I wasn't going to sweep this under the rug for anyone.

I said, "Grandpa Arthur, you can talk to my dad about the apology." "But my engagement to Julian is officially over." Grandpa Arthur nodded. "Of course." He hesitated for a second before adding, "Julian isn't the only young man in the Vance family." "If the Sterling family is still open to a partnership..." I cut him off. "Grandpa Arthur." "I have no interest in talking about marriage right now." "I just want to go home." Grandpa Arthur stared at me for a few seconds.

Finally, he let out a soft sigh. "Alright." "Go home and rest." "The Vance family will give you a proper resolution." Vincent helped me toward the exit.

Just as we reached the doors, my parents rushed in.

The moment my mom saw the blood and bruises on my face, she burst into tears. "Chloe!" She ran over and threw her arms around me, carefully avoiding my injured forehead. "How did this happen?" "Who did this to you?" My dad stood behind her.

His face was terrifyingly calm, but the rage in his eyes was palpable. "Vincent." "Who laid a hand on my daughter?" Vincent quickly explained what had happened.

When my mom heard about the camera, she actually stumbled.

My dad caught her, his eyes turning to ice. "The Vance family is going to pay for this." Grandpa Arthur stepped forward. "Marcus." "It was my failure to raise him properly." My dad looked at him, completely ignoring the usual polite social codes. "Arthur, I respect you." "But this time, Julian crossed the line." "As of this moment, Sterling Enterprises is freezing all new joint ventures with the Vance Group." "Our legal team will reevaluate every current project for risk." Grandpa Arthur went silent for a moment. "I understand." "Julian has been stripped of his inheritance." "We are calling an emergency board meeting to remove him from all positions." My dad let out a cold laugh. "That's your family's internal business." "As for the harm done to my daughter, my lawyers will pursue it to the fullest extent of the law." Grandpa Arthur nodded. "As they should." My mom kept holding me, her tears never stopping.

She kept whispering, "I'm so sorry, Chloe. I'm so sorry we were late." Leaning against her shoulder, my throat tightened. I didn't blame them.

They had gotten here as fast as they could once they got my message. But sometimes, the tears only come when you're finally safe in the arms of the people who love you.

I whispered, "Mom, I want to go home." She nodded instantly. "Yes. We're going home. Right now."