Twenty-eight years ago, Fred Wentworth the patriarch of the Wentworth family- died in a ne crash. Not a trace of his body was ever found.


    The tragedy struck out of nowhere. Fred was gone in an instant, leaving behind only his wife, Fiona rke, and their seven-year-old son, Stewart.


    Fiona knew nothing about running a business, and Stewart was just a child. Overnight, the Wentworth Group lost its backbone, sending the stock market into turmoil.


    Shareholders circled like vultures, ready to seize whatever they could, while the Wentworth family''s distant rtives schemed and plotted, each hoping to im the lion''s share for themselves.


    Back then, Fiona was a lone woman with a young son, utterly isted.


    Everyone in Northborough assumed the Wentworth Group was as good as finished-about to be carved up and devoured.


    And yet, within a month or so, the chaos subsided. Against all odds, Fiona and Stewart weathered the storm and held on to the family legacy.


    Rumors quickly spread throughout Northborough: Fiona must have resorted to underhanded tactics, manipting the major shareholders and securing her ce in both thepany and the family.


    The Wentworths'' foundation was rock solid. Even without Fred, they remained the city''s most formidable business empire.


    Fiona hired a professional CEO to steer the Wentworth Group and put together a team of elite tutors to groom Stewart as the future heir, subjecting him to eleven years of rigorous, isted training.


    Some whispered that the CEO was Fiona''s old me.


    But these stories were little more than drawing-room gossip, whispered behind closed doors—no one dared mention them openly.


    After all, who could have predicted that Stewart, after years of such strict conditioning, would turn away from the family business and pursue a career in politics andw?


    He went abroad for two years, and during that time, the Wentworth Group faced another wave of turmoil. But that crisis ended the moment Stewart returned home.


    Back in Northborough, Stewart wasted no time in cleaning house.


    Not a single major shareholder escaped scrutiny. The family''s distant rtives and every minor yer who''d once tried to carve up thepany were all exposed- illegal dealings discovered, punishments handed down, prison sentences served.


    Everyone knew what this was: a ruthless purge, a warning to anyone who might think of crossing the family again.


    For years after, the Wentworth


    Group remained rock steady-s


    much so that Stewart could focus on his political and legal am


    without distraction.  fo


    Four years ago, he officially took the reins.


    Since then, all those old rumors about the Wentworth Group have disappeared.


    No one dares bring them up anymore.


    But just because people are afraid to speak doesn''t mean those secrets have vanished.


    Ferdinand said, "Fiona''s the real usurper here. My father was forced out by her. If she hadn''t cared so much about power and profit, he would have abandoned his own family."


    That was a lot to take in all at once.


    Briony found herself at a loss for words.


    "I shouldn''t be telling you any of this," Ferdinand went on, "but I can''t stand by and


    watch Mario be another Stewart."


    Another Stewart?


    "What do you mean, ''another Stewart''?"


    Ferdinand let out a weary sigh.


    "Fiona''s way of raising children is all wrong. She threw money at a team of experts who molded Stewart like some kind of machine. She stripped


    away his need for love, tookped


    him the very ability to ask forfort or show weakness. Now, Mario is in danger of going down the same path Stewart once did."


    Briony''s eyes widened in shock. "That can''t be..."


    Her voice trailed off abruptly.


    She thought back to how much little Mario had changedtely.


    From his time at that elite private school, right down to the pressure of his homework at home...