?Chapter 1418:


    A thought flickered across her mind: if she had grown up in the Harper family, could she have ended up with someone so extraordinary, too?


    Sandra’s pulse quickened as her eyes lingered on Ethan a moment too long, and when his piercing stare caught hers, she panicked and quickly turned away. Keira faltered, words failing her, before forcing out a scoff. “So what? You’re still an outsider. Until you marry Brenna, this has nothing to do with you. Shepard hasn’t spoken yet, so you don’t get to say anything about the matter.”


    Sandra tugged at Keira’s sleeve. “Don’t talk to him like that. He’s been on the cover of finance magazines before; he’s the CEO of the Mitchell Group, the richest man in the world.”


    Keira’s jaw dropped in shock. “What did you just say?”


    Her eyes snapped back to Ethan, and her attitude toward him shifted in an instant.


    Shepard finally spoke up. “The test leaves no doubt—Sandra is my daughter. She can remain here. But you, Keira, cannot.”


    Keira’s heart leapt with triumph, a sense of superiority swelling inside her. To her, the Harper family suddenly seemed beneath her; she was the one dictating terms now, and they had no choice but toply.


    “I understand. I never intended to stay anyway.” Deep down, she had once entertained the idea of marrying Shepard, but reality had extinguished that hope. With a sharp snort, she added, “I don’t mind leaving, as long as my daughter’s future is secured. But raising her all these years has cost me dearly—piano lessons, dance training, college tuition… none of it came cheap. You owe mepensation.”


    Without hesitation, Shepard pulled a check from the desk and filled it out with a few quick strokes of his pen.


    Darrell took it and thrust it toward Keira. “Take it and get out!”


    Keira’s eyes dropped to the figure on the check, and rage made her hands shake. “Just a hundred million? You expect me to leave with this? I spent years raising your daughter…”<fn3a10> Find the newest release on </fn3a10>


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    “…shaping her into who she is today, and this is what you give me? I want at least two billion—nothing less—or I’m not leaving!”


    The Harper family regarded Keira with icy stares, a trace of resentment in every face.


    Brenna calmly pulled out her phone, opened the calctor app, and said, “So you believe one hundred million isn’t enough? We consider it quite generous. But since you insist on more, why don’t we do the math and figure out how much you spent on your daughter before? You want reimbursement for raising Sandra, correct?”


    Keira lifted her chin defiantly, refusing to be cowed even as Brenna’s piercing gaze unsettled her. “That’s right. I want the cost of raising her covered. My daughter is a sessful fashion designer now. You’ve heard of Catherine Fletcher, haven’t you?”


    Because Brenna’s best friend was among the world’s leading fashion designers, she had naturally be familiar with many renowned names in the industry. Ellie often spoke about them, analyzing their styles and exploring their design philosophies. Brenna knew Catherine—a graceful designer in her fifties whose reputation carried weight across the industry.


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