Chapter 589: Howard's Illegitimate Son Likes Men?
The bodyguard was freakin' out. Richard just had a case of amnesia. If he messed up and lost Betty 'cause of it, how was he gonna cope once he got his memory back?
Nah, he had to get him back ASAP.
A bunch of folks crowded around Brandon.
"Mr. Douglas, who's this?" someone asked, eyeing Bradley.
Howard was about to spill the beans with a grin.
"He's my hubby's kid with some other chick, and he's been hiding him all this time," Claire strolled over, cool as a cucumber.
She shot Howard a frosty look and sneered. "Howard, look at you, raising a kid on the side without a peep."
Howard's face went dark as night.
Seeing the drama, everyone bailed.
Brandon smirked. "Mrs. Douglas, who's this?"
Claire kept her smile. "Mr. Russell, you might not know, but this is my hubby's love child."
Bradley kept his head down, not saying a word. Being called a "love child" stung like hell.
Daniel was just as tense. He didn't wanna be here; it was super awkward.
"Looks like Mr. and Mrs. Douglas have a lot to chat about, so I'll bounce," Brandon said wisely and walked off.
Daniel didn't wanna stick around either. He didn't wanna see Bradley and Howard, so he turned and split.
Claire glared at Howard, fuming. "When did this happen?"
Howard gave her the cold shoulder.
"If you don't want me to spill all your dirty secrets right now or drag Ethan over to tell him the truth about his mom's death, you better start talking," Claire hissed. "Is it that skank Leah Martinez?"
Howard snorted. "Watch your mouth."
Claire laughed, tears in her eyes. "Howard, you married me just to use me to get rid of Ethan's mom, didn't you?"
Howard motioned for Claire to zip it.
Claire suddenly felt both sad and amused. She'd always been just a pawn for Howard.
No wonder she never got into his heart all these years.
Howard wasn't heartless. He didn't love her, Claire, or Ethan's mom, but he loved some barmaid, who even gave him a son.
How ridiculous.
"Love child, he's Howard's love child."
"What kind of homewrecker is his mom to make Howard hide him for so long?"
"Beats me."
A crowd gathered, gossiping about Bradley.
Scandals in rich families were nothing new, but seeing one out in the open got people talking.
"I heard Howard wants to groom Bradley as his heir."
"Leaving a son like Ethan aside, he wants to groom a love child."
Bradley stood in the corner, staring off into the distance, silent.
"Do you wanna replace Ethan?" Brandon walked over and asked.
Bradley snapped back to reality and glanced at Brandon. "I don't wanna replace anyone."
Brandon sneered, his eyes cold.
If Bradley's existence threatened Ethan, he wouldn't hesitate to take him out.
"Howard introducing you to me shows he's pretty impressed with you. You're good, but you ain't got nothin' on Ethan," Brandon said. "Why should I choose to work with you and ditch Ethan? What can you offer me?"
Bradley stayed silent.
After what felt like forever, Bradley finally said, "I ain't here to compare myself to anyone."
Brandon raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Bradley continued, "My mom never compared me to anyone. I just gotta do my thing without worrying about Ethan."
"Man, you're so full of it," Brandon shot back. "You came back to compete with Ethan for the Douglas Group's inheritance, don't play dumb."
Bradley bit his lip, staying silent.
Brandon stepped closer, towering over Bradley with an intimidating presence. "If you wanna go up against Ethan, you better show me what you got."
Bradley clenched his fists and looked Brandon in the eye. "My father said you swing both ways."
Brandon squinted. "He's willing to go that far, huh?"
He picked up a champagne glass and took a sip.
"Some folks say you got a thing for Ethan," Bradley said, watching Brandon closely.
Brandon almost choked on his drink. The rumors were getting out of hand.
"People also say I look a lot like Ethan," Bradley added.
Brandon sneered. Bradley was willing to do anything to compete with Ethan, but the rumors were just that—rumors.
Raising an eyebrow, Brandon thought he might just ruin Bradley to eliminate the competition for Ethan.
"Alright, let's see what you got," Brandon said, slipping his room key into Bradley's pocket. "Think it over and come find me."
Brandon lounged on the sofa. If he called the media and said Howard's love child was gay, the Douglas Group might steer clear of Bradley to avoid the scandal.
Meanwhile, Jasmine and Ethan were chilling in the lounge area. No one was coming up to Ethan, which was weird since he used to be the center of attention.
Now, everyone was avoiding him.
Jasmine glanced at Ethan. "This is actually kinda nice. No one's fighting me for you."
Jasmine could imagine that once everyone knew the president of the Raymond Group was actually Ethan, and he had full control of the Douglas Group, women would be all over him.
Right now, they were ignoring him, but in a week, they'd be out of his league.
Jasmine felt a mix of anxiety and hope, worried but also wanting him to shine again.
He was meant to be a star, hanging high in the sky.
"Are you worried someone will steal me away?" Ethan held Jasmine's hand. "I get it. I worry every day that someone will try to take my wife."
Jasmine laughed. "You really think someone would take me away?"
"What do you think, Mrs. Douglas?" Ethan pulled Jasmine into his arms.
"Ethan." Deborah's voice came from behind.
Deborah walked over with a bunch of big shots from the business world, smiling as she introduced them to Ethan. "Ethan, this is the president of Apex Global Enterprises, and this is the president of Horizon Innovations Group."
She was here to show off in front of Ethan.
Everyone had been ignoring Ethan, and she wanted to flaunt her connections and offer him a hand.
Ethan stood up, smiled at the two presidents, and introduced Jasmine. "This is my wife, Jasmine Cunningham."
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