But what I didn't expect was that the first person to come to me would be my mother-in-law.

She had always favored boys over girls, and when Rita saw that I wouldn't budge, she went to my in-laws with the child.

My mother-in-law was a straightforward and harsh woman from the countryside.

"Olivia, we've already had the child tested. He's our family's blood."

"Now that Leo is gone, you can't let our White family line die out."

I smirked. "So, what do you want me to do?"

My mother-in-law thought she had convinced me and grabbed my hand. "Since the child is Leo's, he should get his share of the inheritance. When he grows up, the company should be handed over to him."

She really had the nerve to say that.

Didn't she know how the company came to be?

Without my family's support and without my endless efforts, could Leo have built the company to this size?

And now she wanted me to hand the company over to the mistress' child, just because her son cheated.

I couldn't help but laugh coldly. "Why should I?"

My mother-in-law responded as if it were obvious. "Oscar is a boy. You can't give the company to Grace, can you? She's just a girl. She'll get married someday, and we can't let outsiders benefit."

Outsiders?

I pondered for a moment. "You're right. I shouldn't hand the company over to outsiders."

My mother-in-law was overjoyed. "So, do you agree? I knew you were the reasonable one, Olivia. I'll go tell Rita the good news right away."

I cut her off. "Who said I'm giving the company to that bastard?"

Her smile froze. "What do you mean?"

I looked at her coldly. "How can a bastard from some random woman be considered part of our family?"

My mother-in-law's face darkened. "Olivia, you're being unreasonable. Oscar and Grace are both Leo's children. Now that my son is gone, can't you be a little more generous? How can you call him a bastard?"

Generous?

he should want me to be generous to the mistress' child.

I sneered. "What else should I call a child born from a mistress?"

"And by the way, Leo has been dead for a year, and this child is just a month old. How can you be sure he's Leo's?"

But my mother-in-law smirked. "Rita told us everything. She felt sorry for our family, so after Leo died, she went to the hospital to freeze embryos or something. Anyway, this child is definitely Leo's. We've already tested it at the hospital, and there's no mistake."

"Rita is a filial woman. And really, you only have yourself to blame. If you had given me a grandson back then, none of this would have happened."

I was stunned by her words.

I never thought Rita would go to such lengths for money.

That was a life.

It wasn't just a bargaining chip in her quest for wealth and inheritance.

"In any case, things are what they are now. The child should get his fair share."

My mother-in-law had always been dissatisfied with the inheritance distribution. Now that she had an excuse, she wouldn't hesitate to take the money from me.

Since that's the case, I had no reason to hold back anymore.

I made it clear. "Whether or not you recognize this child is your business. But what belongs to me and Grace, I won't give up a single bit!"

After that unpleasant encounter, Rita moved in with her in-laws, taking the child with her.

She provocatively sent me a few photos—my mother-in-law holding her grandson, her smile bright enough to sting my eyes.

She used to despise my daughter, Grace, simply because she was a girl and had never helped me take care of her for even a single day.

Now, she even hosted a belated full-month celebration for that child.

On the day of the celebration, Rita brought the child, brazenly showing up in front of all the relatives.

It was as if she couldn't wait to announce to the world that the mistress had borne a son for the White family.

Since they weren't afraid of losing face, why should I care?

As long as they didn't provoke me, whether they acknowledged the grandson was none of my business.

But I underestimated their shamelessness.

A few days later, I received a lawsuit.

Rita was suing me.

She claimed that her illegitimate son had the same right to inherit as any other child and demanded a share of Leo's estate.

When I received the lawsuit, I couldn't help but laugh in anger.

They must have forgotten that I majored in law at university. Did they really think they could scare me off and carve up what's rightfully mine and my daughter's? What a pipe dream.

I'll make them face reality.

When my best friend heard about this, she was furious. "That Leo! If he weren't already dead, I'd twist his head off!"

"He actually dared to cheat on you. Did he forget what he said when pursuing you. And that mistress, how can she have the nerve to fight for the inheritance?"

Jodie, my daughter's godmother, finished cursing and then looked at me with concern. "What are you planning to do?"

I took a deep breath. "There's no way I'm letting them take what's mine."

Jodie slammed the table. "That's the spirit! We can't let that mistress get her way."

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she added, "By the way, do you remember Steven?"

"Steven Hawking?"

He was a legend at our school back in the day, always topping every class. After graduating, he went abroad and apparently did quite well for himself.

Jodie nodded. "I heard he's back in the country recently. Why don't I ask him if he'd be willing to take on your case?"

I hesitated. "Do you think he'd be interested?"

He's been handling major cases abroad, and a small inheritance dispute like this might be beneath him.

But Jodie reassured me, "We can at least ask. If it doesn't work out, we can always look for someone else."

I could only nod in agreement.