?Chapter 277:


    Eugene’s scowl deepened. He turned to Omar. “You’re really going to trust this woman? She’s talking pure nonsense.”


    But Omar stood his ground, calm but resolute. His father had passed down clear orders through the butler, and with his father remaining unseen, it was obvious: Eloise’s fate was squarely in Christina’s hands.


    “Eugene, I apologize for the inconvenience. Please.” Omar extended a hand, politely but insistently gesturing Eugene toward the door. “Let me escort you to the inner hall.”


    By doing so, Omar spared Eugene the embarrassment of being stuck in the same ce as the guests, the outsiders Christina had cataloged.


    Eugene bristled, still resisting. “And where’s Freddie in all this? Is he really just going to stand by while some outsider touches Eloise—after all the years we spent searching for her? What if something goes wrong? Has anyone even thought about the consequences?”


    Eugene clung stubbornly to his spot, frantically name-dropping Freddie as if it might save him. After all, his mother and Freddie had been siblings. His mother had adored Freddie and had once even risked everything to pull him back from death’s door.


    Eugene understood that it was because of his mother that Omar was being courteous. But those old ties would fade once his mother died, and the connection between their families would thin even more if Freddie passed away. Without the Hubbard family’s support, nothing would remain but a hollow thread of kinship—one that wouldn’t stop the Happer family from sliding into irrelevance.


    Omar’s tone hardened, leaving no room for argument. “You don’t get it, do you? This is Freddie’s choice. Now, please—don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”


    Reality crashed down on Eugene. So, that was why Freddie hadn’te out himself, only sending Josh to deliver his decision. The truth was simple—Freddie had already staked everything on Christina, trusting her with Eloise’s fate.


    Eugene’s hands balled into tight fists, his jaw set in silent fury. How could Freddie trust an outsider over him? If Freddie had just tossed him a sliver of the Hubbard family’s empire, the Happer family would have meant something by now. They wouldn’t have spent all these years groveling in the Hubbard family’s shadow, forced to watch from the sidelines. He could’ve shown everyone what he was capable of—could’ve built the Happer family into a real dynasty, just like Omar had. But no. Every time the Happer family came up, the same words followed. “They’re only where they are because of the Hubbards.”


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    To Eugene, the phrase stung like salt in a wound. Was he truly that useless? What did Omar have that he didn’t? Their whole lives had been one longparison—every sess, every failure, weighed and measured against each other. And now even their children were caught in the same cruel game. “Bruno will never be as good as Elliott.”


    “Has Freddiepletely lost it? What kind of lunatic hands Eloise’s life over to a damn vet from the middle of nowhere?” Bruno, shaking with indignation, stepped forward to argue—only to be silenced by a sharp p that echoed through the room.


    Bruno staggered back, a crimson handprint blossoming on his cheek. The blow left his ears ringing and his pride in shreds. Stunned, he pressed a trembling hand to his face, shame burning hotter than the sting.


    “You insolent brat! Who gave you the right to question your great-uncle’s decision like that?” Eugene bellowed, his fury echoing off the walls. “You may have lost your mind, but he never would!”


    Bruno’s jaw tightened, swallowing every ounce of humiliation along with his outrage. He knew better than to talk back now, so he turned his scowl on Christina instead—nothing ever went right when that woman showed up.


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