?Chapter 16:


    Alexander attempted to call her, but it went to voicemail.


    Anger surged within him.


    What bullshit game was Dani ying this time?


    He thought to send her a message, only to realize he had been blocked. As he contemted his next move, his phone rang once more. It was none other than Caiden.


    “Alexander! What the hell is wrong with Dani? Joyce is at home sobbing like crazy now!”


    Thements online had grown so rampant that Caiden found himself unable to face the others.


    People used him of favoring his stepdaughter. Some questioned whether he derived some twisted pleasure from parenting another man’s child.


    Each bitingment sliced through Caiden’s pride like a sharp knife. Some branded him a brazen social climber, suggesting he ascended the societal ranks on the coattails of Dani’s deceased mother. Following her passing, he had allowed her daughter to be bullied by his stepdaughter.


    Critics mocked his so-called fragile masculinity, iming he resorted to such demeaning tactics merely to uphold it.


    Caiden, seething with fury, shattered several cups at home and bellowed at Alexander, “Tell Dani if she’s not home by the end of the day, she’s out of the family for good!”


    Alexander responded, “I divorced Dani today.”


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    “What?” The room seemed to tilt around Caiden.


    “Dani divorced you? How dare she!”


    Alexander maintained hisposure.


    “Our divorce is all over the inte.”


    Staggered, Caiden clutched at his chest, his breath hitching as his legs folded beneath him.


    Upon Alexander’s arrival at the hospital, Katrina’s loud sobs echoed down the hallway before he even stepped into the room.


    As he entered, he noticed the pronounced veins throbbing on Caiden’s forehead, a testament to his simmering rage.


    The moment Caiden’s eyes locked on Alexander, hemented, “You have endured much. It is our disgrace that we raised such an ungrateful girl. Joyce has cleared everything up with us. The audio clip and footage are fabricated. She didn’t say those things!”


    With tears streaming down her face, Katrina added, “Absolutely, they’re nothing but lies! Alexander, don’t fret over the divorce with Dani.


    You and Joyce have grown up together.


    You two are a perfect match.”


    She then turned to Caiden, seeking confirmation.


    “Isn’t that right, dear?” Caiden nodded vigorously, his face a mask of firm agreement. The intensity of his defense made it seem to any observer as though Joyce was his own flesh and blood.


    “Indeed, it’s well known that a marriage alliance exists between the Harper and Bet families. Alexander, you could marry Joyce instead. That way, we’d still unite our families as intended.”


    Caiden nodded again, more eagerly this time.


    “Yes, I’m going to make a public deration immediately, cutting ties with Dani. From this moment forward, Joyce is my only daughter.”


    Overwhelmed, Joyce burst into tears and rushed into Caiden’s embrace.


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