Chapter 501 You Are All Disowned
Michelle stumbled, nearly falling. James quickly caught her arm. "Mom, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she whispered, struggling to compose herself before turning to the matriarch. "Mrs. Garcia... what did you just say?" Her voice was hollow with disbelief.
"Are you deaf?" Mrs. Garcia struck her cane against the floor, her voice commanding without raising its volume.
"I said James must surrender the level-eight formula. Since he improved it from Beckett's level-six tea, it rightfully belongs to the Green Group."
She gestured magnanimously. "Of course, I won't forget your contributions. If James hands over the formula, I'll give him one million dollars. You can return to the Garcia family, and we'll consider all past grievances settled."
With a dismissive wave, she ordered, "Have James write down the formula now."
"You heard her," Beckett chimed in. "The Garcia family is giving you an opportunity. Surrender the formula, and I'll drop all charges. Otherwise, you'll spend the rest of your lives in prison."
Githa smirked coldly. A pathetic mother and son thinking they could challenge Beckett? Demanding his leg be broken? How naïve.
"Mrs. Garcia, how can you do this?" Michelle pleaded desperately. "This formula is James's creation. How could it possibly be an improvement on the level-six formula?"
She appealed to their shared expertise: "We're all tea makers. Everyone knows how difficult it is to advance beyond level five. The Garcia family has struggled for thirty years to reach level six."
Her voice grew stronger with conviction. "Do you honestly believe someone could jump from level six to level eight in a single day? The Garcia family couldn't achieve that in three hundred years!"
"This only proves James already had the level-eight formula. And the level-six formula was his creation too, stolen by Beckett!"
She looked directly into the matriarch's eyes, hoping to reach her. "Mrs. Garcia, please see the truth..."
"SILENCE!" Mrs. Garcia cut her off harshly. "I don't need you telling me how to conduct my affairs."
Her eyes narrowed. "Based on the evidence, the level-six formula belongs to Beckett. If James could produce level-eight tea, it must have been built upon Beckett's work. Perhaps he has unusual talent, or perhaps there are other explanations."
She tapped her cane impatiently. "Regardless, it belongs to the Garcia family assets. You must surrender it."
"Justice?" Mrs. Garcia's lips curled with contempt. "Ask anyone here who's right and who's wrong."
The family members immediately responded:
"Michelle and James are clearly in the wrong! Stealing a formula was bad enough, but refusing to surrender the improved version compounds their crime!"
"Without Beckett's level-six formula, how could James possibly create level eight?"
"At James's age, without experience or knowledge, how could he have developed this without building on Beckett's work?"
"James deserves some credit, but Beckett is the true hero. James merely stood on the shoulders of giants!"
"These two are so greedy! The Garcia family is willing to overlook theft and assault, even offering a million dollars—what more do they want?"
"They're just being avaricious, but Mrs. Garcia won't be fooled."
The family closed ranks, twisting facts to paint Michelle and James as villains.
Everyone understood the astronomical profits level-eight tea would bring—ensuring the Garcia family's monopoly for another fifty years.
In that moment, right and wrong ceased to matter. Only profit remained.
Sensing the unified front against them, Beckett seized his advantage. "Michelle, everyone says you're wrong. What more can you say?"
Seeing the Garcia family's true colors, Michelle's face drained of color.
For the first time, she realized how foreign the family she'd longed for had become—and how fundamentally she didn't belong. The twenty-year suffering in guilt seemed meaningless now.
"Mom, you're only now realizing they have no principles?" James stepped forward protectively.
"This is who they've always been. When direct intimidation failed, they simply distorted the truth to steal what's ours."
His eyes flashed with sudden insight. "It's the same now as it was twenty years ago. Did you really believe you accidentally leaked that formula back then?"
Mrs. Garcia and the others tensed, their gazes sharpening as they stared at James.
Michelle asked reflexively, "James, what do you mean?"
"Think about it, Mom." James's voice turned cold and clear. "If the formula had truly been leaked, could Garcia tea have dominated the market for thirty years without competitors challenging it?"
"Would Xanthe steal the formula and not sell it to competitors to challenge the Garcia family? Was she saving it for future generations?"
"If my guess is correct, Xanthe's theft was orchestrated by them, designed to make you feel guilty."
He saw through Mrs. Garcia's strategy instantly. "Once you felt guilty, you'd naturally surrender your assets and shares in the family business."
"James, is this speculation or do you have proof?" Michelle clutched his hand anxiously. "You can't make accusations without evidence."
She still couldn't bear to think so poorly of her blood relations.
"It's my theory, Mom, but I'm certain it's true. I'll find evidence eventually," James replied firmly. "The Garcia family never considered you family."
His words cut like ice. "They saw you as a woman who would eventually marry and leave, becoming an outsider. They never intended to let you keep assets they believed should be theirs, even if those assets rightfully belonged to you."
"Claiming the level-six formula as their own is just an extension of this mindset. They can't stand seeing you possess anything valuable."
James exposed their thinking mercilessly. "In their eyes, anything of value automatically belongs to the Garcia family, and you should surrender it without question."
Githa couldn't resist interjecting: "Once she married out, she had no right to covet the Garcia family's wealth. Everything belongs to Beckett!"
James laughed coldly. "See? I wasn't wrong. They never considered you family."
Michelle's lips trembled. "But they invited me back... they were so kind... they gave us a house..."
"Because they had ulterior motives—" James began.
"ENOUGH!" Mrs. Garcia slammed her cane repeatedly against the floor. "James, you disgraceful pair! Don't insult the Garcia family!"
She turned on Michelle. "You've disappointed me deeply. Making mistakes is one thing, but refusing to acknowledge them shows truly despicable character."
Her voice hardened as she addressed James. "Stop wasting my time. The police will arrive shortly. If you don't surrender the formula now, face the consequences."
The icy threat penetrated Michelle's heart, finally making her realize that Mrs. Garcia had never considered her family. The kinship she'd longed for had been entirely one-sided.
"Mom, this is the Garcia family you've felt guilty toward for twenty years," James said, supporting her.
"They've slandered your reputation, stolen my work, and now threaten us with police action. In their eyes, profit is all that matters. Why hold onto these illusions?"
From outside, police sirens wailed in the distance.
Mrs. Garcia smiled triumphantly. "James, the police are here. You assaulted people—prepare for prison."
"Mrs. Garcia, this is the last time I'll address you by that name." Michelle's voice shook with emotion.
"You and the Garcia family have truly disappointed me. From today forward, I sever all ties with the Garcia family. I am no longer a Garcia."
"No, Mom. You're wrong." James stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the assembled family members. "People of low character are the ones who should be expelled from the Garcia family."
His voice rang with authority: "Mrs. Garcia, Beckett, Githa—everyone present—from this moment forward, you are no longer members of the Garcia family."
The hall fell silent as his declaration echoed off the walls.
"You have all been disowned."
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