Chapter 509

“Mr. Lancaster is right,” Murray conceded quickly. “We should hear Ana out before making any judgments.”
“Go on,” Harrison said, his hand never leaving Anastasia’s. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “I’m here. No one will wrong you or bully you.”
His tone was casual, but it carried an authority that no one in the room could challenge. It was clear to everyone that he cherished the girl beside him, protecting her fiercely and tolerating no slight against her. Read complete versıon only at
Anastasia looked up at him, her smile sweet and radiant. “I know. With you here, I’m not afraid of anything.” Lauren could have the Brennans in her corner; she had Harrison. And her husband alone was more than a match for all of them.
A ghost of a smile touched Harrison’s lips, the first he had shown since entering the room. It was gentle and filled with affection.
Anastasia turned her attention back to Winni. “You asked if I had anything to say? Of course, I do.” Her gaze shifted to Lauren on the bed. “Regarding Ms. Brennan’s answers to my questions, I have a few corrections.”
“First, the location was Unison Pharma. That is correct.”
“However,” she continued, a scornful smile playing on her lips, “your second answer requires some clarification. You claim to be an intern, which is fine. But have you forgotten that the company belongs to me? What’s with the ‘future boss’ act you put on every time you’re there?”
“What is it? Was being named the heir not enough for you? Did you have to go after the company my mother left me as well?”
Her words hit like a physical blow. The Brennans, Lauren included, all flinched. They turned to Lauren, and Murray’s brow furrowed. “Lauren?”
Lauren quickly composed herself. “Uncle Murray, that’s not true. The employees are just respectful to me because I’m a Brennan. Anastasia must have seen that and misunderstood.”
It was a plausible explanation, and the tension in the room eased slightly.
But Anastasia’s cold voice cut through the air again.
“Misunderstood? Lauren, do you
take me for a fool? When I arrived at Unison Pharma, no one in that entire company knew who I was. But they all knew you, bowing and scraping, calling you ‘Ms. Brennan, our future boss.’ They were all talking about the bright future the company would have under your leadership.”
“And don’t tell me those were just rumors you knew nothing about. If the entire company is saying it, you would have to be deaf and blind not to have heard it during your frequent visits.”
“Yet, to this day, you’ve never corrected them. In fact, no one in that company even knows you’re adopted. When I arrived, they demanded to know who *I* was!”
The Brennans
stared in stunned
silence. The employees’ respect could be explained away by her
family name, but this? If the rumors
were that widespread it meant they
it mean they
had become accepted fact How
Could Lauren not have known?
Furthermore, Unison Pharma was Anastasia’s inheritance. Lauren’s presence there was already questionable. Her grandfather had only agreed to let her intern there because it was the most suitable option. But given the sensitive nature of her adopted status and Anastasia’s inheritance, she should have clarified her position from the start. Otherwise, people would naturally assume Unison Pharma was also hers. Yet Lauren, who was always so meticulous, had let the entire company believe she was Cecilia’s biological daughter.