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Falling for the Disgraced Heir
img img Falling for the Disgraced Heir img Chapter 4 The Lawyer Appears
4 Chapters
Chapter 11 After the Fall img
Chapter 12 Strings of Control img
Chapter 13 Collateral Damage img
Chapter 14 Breaking Point img
Chapter 15 Small Mercies img
Chapter 16 The Interrogation img
Chapter 17 Unwanted Ally img
Chapter 18 Underground Truths img
Chapter 19 Echoes of Blame img
Chapter 20 Return to the Lion's Den img
Chapter 21 Ground Zero img
Chapter 22 Sabotage at Dawn img
Chapter 23 Lines Crossed img
Chapter 24 The Setup img
Chapter 25 Public Enemy img
Chapter 26 Losing Faith img
Chapter 27 Target Acquired img
Chapter 28 Bait and Trap img
Chapter 29 Falling Further img
Chapter 30 Rock Bottom Rising img
Chapter 31 Starting Small img
Chapter 32 Hard Lessons img
Chapter 33 Rumors Reversed img
Chapter 34 Name and Nothing Else img
Chapter 35 Headlines Again img
Chapter 36 Father's Shadow img
Chapter 37 Parallel Lives img
Chapter 38 The Bargain img
Chapter 39 Under Surveillance img
Chapter 40 Echo of Change img
Chapter 41 Ghosts of the Factory img
Chapter 42 Paper Cuts img
Chapter 43 Fire and Family img
Chapter 44 Ashes Between Us img
Chapter 45 The Weight of Forgiveness img
Chapter 46 The Fire Next Door img
Chapter 47 What We Deserve img
Chapter 48 Lines We Cross img
Chapter 49 Beneath the Same Sky img
Chapter 50 When the Rain Falls img
Chapter 51 The Visit She Can't Avoid img
Chapter 52 Arthur's Smile, Her Mother's Plan img
Chapter 53 Two Worlds Collide img
Chapter 54 Dinner for Three img
Chapter 55 The Roof and the Rain img
Chapter 56 What Mothers See img
Chapter 57 A House Divided img
Chapter 58 The Distance Between img
Chapter 59 Rumors That Burn img
Chapter 60 When Fear Finds Them img
Chapter 61 Scars and Second Chances img
Chapter 62 That Lie That Feels True img
Chapter 63 The Contract of Blood img
Chapter 64 The Price of Peace img
Chapter 65 Trial by Fire img
Chapter 66 In the Shadow of His Name img
Chapter 67 The Father's Bargain img
Chapter 68 Smoke and Mirrors img
Chapter 69 A Promise in the Rain img
Chapter 70 Ashes of a Name img
Chapter 71 The Rings That Survived img
Chapter 72 What We Keep Hidden img
Chapter 73 The Mother's Warning img
Chapter 74 Echoes of Power img
Chapter 75 Paper Wars img
Chapter 76 The Man Who Chose Her img
Chapter 77 Ashes Again img
Chapter 78 The Promise Before Goodbye img
Chapter 79 Love in Mourning img
Chapter 80 The Day the Rain Fell Soft img
Chapter 81 After the Vows img
Chapter 82 The Name That Won't Die img
Chapter 83 Backlash Reborn img
Chapter 84 Enemies Within img
Chapter 85 The Father's Table img
Chapter 86 Accident or Warning img
Chapter 87 Proof in Shadows img
Chapter 88 The Gala Trap img
Chapter 89 Peace Without Permission img
Chapter 90 The Letter and The Light img
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Chapter 4 The Lawyer Appears

Julia's hands trembled as she gripped the ID card tighter. The name Hughes burned like acid across her vision. She set it down on the table with a sharp snap.

When Brandon finally stirred, rubbing sleep from his eyes, Julia was waiting. Arms crossed, jaw set, eyes blazing.

"Care to explain this?" She shoved the ID card toward him.

Brandon froze, the lazy smirk fading from his lips. For once, he didn't have a witty retort ready. He stared at the card, then back at her.

"Why lie about who you are?" Julia demanded, her voice low but fierce. "Brandon Carter, Hughes... whatever your name is. Do you think this is funny? Do you know what your family has done?"

He sat up slowly, running a hand through his messy hair. "It's not what you think."

"Then tell me what it is."

A long pause stretched between them. Brandon's gaze darkened, his usual arrogance replaced by something guarded.

"I just... wanted to start fresh." His tone was flat, evasive. "I don't want to be Hughes anymore. That's it."

Julia's heart hammered. He wasn't denying it, but he wasn't confessing either. The ambiguity only sharpened her anger.

"Start fresh? In my apartment? With my rent money?" she snapped. "What kind of game are you playing?"

Before Brandon could answer, a sharp knock echoed at the door.

Julia frowned. "Who is it?"

The knock came again, firmer this time. Brandon's shoulders stiffened. He stood, running a hand through his hair as if trying to appear more composed.

When Julia opened the door, a tall man in a pristine suit stepped inside uninvited. His presence filled the cramped apartment, his gaze sweeping over the room with thinly veiled disdain.

"Brandon," the man said crisply. "You look like hell."

Brandon's lips curved into a mocking smile. "Nice to see you too, James."

Julia blinked. James?

The man adjusted his cufflinks, ignoring her completely. "Your family is furious. Do you realize what you've done by disappearing like this? You're lucky I tracked you down before the press did."

Julia's stomach churned. So he was a Hughes.

Julia excused herself to the kitchen, pretending to busy herself with dishes, but her ears strained at every word.

"You can't stay here," James said sharply. "Hiding in some dingy apartment with... people like her? It's beneath you, Brandon."

Julia's hand froze on the dishcloth.

"Beneath him?" The words echoed in her skull, stinging sharper than any insult she'd heard before. She bit her lip hard, forcing herself not to storm back into the living room.

James's voice lowered. "This girl-what's her name, Julia?-she's a distraction. You don't belong in this world. You're Hughes, whether you like it or not."

Julia's throat tightened.

For a moment, silence stretched. Julia's chest ached. Then Brandon's voice cut through, firm and cold.

"Don't talk about her like that."

Julia's breath caught.

James scoffed. "You can't be serious. She's... ordinary. Disposable. You think this girl can help you rebuild your life?"

"I didn't ask for your approval," Brandon snapped. "Julia's worth ten of the parasites I grew up surrounded by. She doesn't care about my name, and that's exactly why I'm here."

Julia's heart twisted. She pressed a hand to the counter, steadying herself.

Why would he defend me like that?

Her pulse thundered with confusion. He was hiding something-big enough to terrify him into running away. And yet, he stood up for her, as if she mattered.

When James finally left, the air in the apartment was thick. Brandon leaned against the doorframe, shoulders tense. Julia avoided his gaze, her emotions tangled between fury, doubt, and... something else she refused to name.

"You heard everything, didn't you?" he asked quietly.

Julia turned away. "Don't flatter yourself. I don't care what your lawyer thinks."

But her voice wavered, betraying the storm inside her.

Brandon's jaw tightened, but he didn't push. He simply walked past her into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click.

Julia slumped against the counter, her fists trembling.

The next morning, Julia's phone buzzed as she prepared for her shift. An unfamiliar number flashed across the screen.

"Miss Julia Reed?" a smooth voice asked.

"Yes?"

"This is Hughes Corporation. We've reviewed your application. There's an opening, and we'd like to schedule you for an interview this week."

Julia nearly dropped her phone. Her? At Hughes Corporation? She hadn't applied-she knew better than to step foot anywhere near them.

"W-what position?" she stammered.

"Administrative support. Recommended through Mr. James Whitmore."

Julia's blood ran cold. James.

Her gaze slid to Brandon's closed door, her heart pounding. Was this a trap? A chance? Or another way for the Hughes family to pull her into their web?

Either way, she was about to be pulled into a world she'd sworn never to touch again.

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