Who Is This Man?

Anastasia feels emotional and humiliated. The mixture of emotions grilling in her chest can no longer be contained. Tears streamed down her beautiful face. Every roll of tears streaming down her cheeks was a testament to the pain she had endured these past years in the family. Thaddeus, however, remained unfazed, glancing at her with cold indifference as he decided. "It's final. Divorce him by the end of today, and I'll arrange for someone to visit the Clays tomorrow."

"Who says so? Who said it is final? You have no right to meddle between me and my wife!" A chilling voice cut through the tension, and a tall, imposing figure radiating an icy aura pushed open the conference room door and strode in with determination.

"Who is this man?"

"I have no idea. Why did he barge in?"

Anastasia looked up, her eyes widening in disbelief as she recognized the figure. "Ethan? W-why are you here?"

Everyone watched in stunned silence as Ethan walked up to Anastasia and gently wiped the tears from her face. "It's alright. No one can force you to do anything against your will."

In a daze, Anastasia stared blankly at Ethan's face, his words resonating deeply within her. He spoke with such confidence and resolve as if he alone could shield her from all the torment she had faced.

For someone who had long been the target of mockery and blame, Ethan's unwavering support stirred something within her heart.

Having been defied, Thaddeus looked absolutely livid, his face contorted with rage.

The younger generation of the Reeds didn't dare to challenge Thaddeus, let alone some random stranger! He must be courting death!

With a furious and stern look in his eyes, Thaddeus roared, "Are all the security officers dead? How could they allow this musketeer to barge in?! Get this person out of here immediately!"

Seeing an opportunity to stir the pot, Brendan rolled his eyes and chimed in with a smirk, "Grandpa, this is Anastasia's worthless missing-in-action husband who just crawled back from wherever he was hiding."

Thaddeus squinted, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits as he sized up Ethan. His disdain was palpable, and his face twisted with contempt as he saw the man who dared to defy him.

How dare this penniless nothing-but-poor nobody stand in his presence and disrupt the order of his family? The audacity was genuinely infuriating!

The memories of Ethan were vague, mostly shrouded in the belief that he was perpetually penniless. In Thaddeus's eyes, nothing seemed to have changed. Ethan still looked as poor as ever, dressed in shabby clothes that barely passed for decent.

Thaddeus, the esteemed patriarch of the Reed family, felt a surge of disapproval. Ethan's blatant disregard for him was infuriating. What a scoundrel, he thought. The man is as ill-mannered as ever.

Thaddeus's eyes bore into the two of them, his displeasure growing with each passing second.

Seeing the anger etched on his grandfather's face, Brendan seized the moment to fan the flames. "Anastasia, you've disregarded Grandpa's words and even dared to bring your loser husband here to barge into our family meeting. He's openly defied Grandpa's decision. If you have grievances, say so. No need to resort to these antics."

Brendan might have been generally incompetent, but he was an expert when it came to sowing discord.

Desperately, Anastasia tried to explain, "Grandpa, I swear I didn't know he would come." She then turned to face Ethan and barked furiously, "Who told you to come here? Have you nothing to do?! Leave now!"

Though she sounded harsh, she wasn't being insensitive. Deep down, she knew Ethan was trying to stand up for her. However, his presence would only infuriate Thaddeus even more, and she doesn't want to add any more baggage to her situation right now.

With a look of utter disgust, Thaddeus said, "Enough. Stop this charade in front of me. I don't care about your real feelings. My decision is final. Get a divorce, and you, Anastasia, will marry into the Clay family."

He pointed a commanding finger at Anastasia and then shifted his accusatory gaze to Ethan. "And you, get out of this house, as you don't belong here!"

Anastasia's face turned ashen. She gathered her courage to speak, but Ethan stepped forward before she could utter a word and declared defiantly, "I said no one can make decisions for us. You don't have the authority." 

Thaddeus was so infuriated that he sprang up abruptly, his face contorted with exasperation. It was the first time he had been contradicted so boldly by a junior—one who, to make matters worse, was a penniless good-for-nothing!

"Alright, enough!" Thaddeus laughed bitterly, his voice shaking with fury. "It seems I've been too lenient, and now you youngsters have no respect for me or take me seriously at all!

"You're nothing but a loser who wormed his way into the Reed family by sleeping with a woman. If it weren't for shameless people like you, the Reeds would have flourished and become a top-tier family in Emerald Coast County! And yet, you still have the audacity to talk back to me so insolently!"

Anastasia's face turned as pale as a ghost; her body trembling as though struck by lightning. The scolding and humiliation from the kin she had always respected cut her deeply, leaving her almost unable to stand.

Ethan stared at Thaddeus's enraged and twisted face with a gaze as cold as ice. "Aren't you the one who knows the truth of that incident best? I'm not as shameless as someone who is consumed by lust yet pretends to be virtuous!"

After discovering the truth from Dylan last night, Ethan was seething with rage! The scandal that had sullied Anastasia's reputation was nothing more than a nefarious plot orchestrated by the Reeds to wrest control of Spark Enterprises from her. Their audacity and malevolence in deploying such despicable tactics were utterly revolting!

Yet, Thaddeus Reed had the gall to berate his victims self-righteously. What a shameless, detestable old man! Ethan would have exposed their true nature long ago if not for Anastasia's fragile state.

"You!" Thaddeus pointed at Ethan, his hand shaking violently with a mix of fury and the shock of his secret being revealed. Moments later, he collapsed backward.

"Grandpa!" Anastasia cried out in panic, rushing to help, only to be shoved aside by Brendan.

"Move!" Brendan barked, his eyes blazing with fury as he supported Thaddeus. He turned his wrathful gaze on Anastasia. "Anastasia, as usual you upset Grandpa! If anything happens to him, I swear! You'll pay for it!