No Wife, No Life Chapter 53

Overnight, the Orsini Group was engulfed in a scandal.

An online post revealed that Brad Orsini, the president of the Orsini Group, had an affair with a barmaid while he was married, and they had an illegitimate daughter. On top of that, after Alvina Taylor, Brad's wife and the founder of the Taylor Group, passed away, Brad shamelessly took over her company and rebranded it as the Orsini Group.

The post also revealed that Brad and his illegitimate daughter had been bullying the legitimate daughter of the Orsini family for years. This legitimate daughter, now a top exec at the Lavien Group, had saved the company multiple times by landing big contracts.

The topic dominated the hottest searches online for days. The netizens quickly figured out that the illegitimate daughter was Emily and the legitimate daughter was Harper.

As a result, the Orsini Group's stock tanked immediately.

Harper was standing by the big floor-to-ceiling window in her office, looking down at the city when she saw the online posts.

From up here, everything looked so tiny and unimportant.

But she knew that only by getting to this height could she look down on everything.

"You know, by doing this, you're putting yourself out there. You'll be labeled for life. Years from now, people will still be gossiping about you," Alex said, standing next to her with a cup of coffee.

He knew Harper was behind the leak. She had told him she would handle it her way, but he hadn't expected her to go this far.

Harper lowered her eyes and gave a faint smile.

"Even if I didn't leak it, would they spare me? Brad would spin other stories, guilt-tripping me, calling me an ungrateful daughter who doesn't care about her sister, a heartless, selfish woman who defies her father. People believe what they want to believe; who would dig for the truth?"

She paused, her eyes darkening.

"After the leak, people will say I'm the Orsini family's legitimate daughter who exposed the scandal. But so what? I'll work hard to become better, to reach the top, and attach more impressive labels to myself. New labels will overshadow the old ones. People will only remember me at my peak. I'll become a role model, an example to follow. They'll admire how someone who went through so much still achieved success through their efforts."

With that, she turned and left.

As soon as she sat down in her office, her phone rang loudly.

She glanced at the caller ID—it was Brad, who was calling to chew her out.

Harper picked up her water glass, took a sip, and then answered the call.

"Harper, fuck! Are you crazy? Do you want to destroy the Orsini Group?" Brad's furious voice roared through the phone.

"Bitch! Like your mother! If I had known you'd turn out like this, I would have strangled you at birth. What a jinx!"

Brad continued to curse.

Harper stayed calm, eventually tossing the phone aside, letting him rant.

After a while, he ran out of steam and lowered his voice, softening his tone.

"I know it was you, but what good does it do you? If the Orsini Group falls, you'll suffer losses too. You'll get less money. Haven't you thought about that?" Brad's voice was laced with desperation.

"Even if the Orsini Group thrives, do you really think you'd share the profits with me? I doubt it," Harper replied coolly.

Of course, he wouldn't.

When Alvina died, the inheritance was supposed to be split between her and her brother, Dennis Taylor. But Brad had strong-armed her into transferring 50% of the shares to him, leaving her and Dennis with just 25% each.

Brad's silence confirmed her guess. He'd rather give the shares to Emily than to Harper. Harper had seen this coming a mile away.

"So why should I stop?" she asked coldly.

Brad was speechless but kept trying, "We're all family. I'm still your father. How can you be so heartless?"

Harper chuckled, her laughter dripping with sarcasm. "You're my father, yet you treat me so heartlessly," she shot back.

Before he could respond, Harper added, "If you want me to stop, give me a hundred million dollars. I'll stop."

Brad gasped. "Harper, where would I get that kind of money?"

"Well, no money, no negotiation. Oh by the way, you can sell your properties, since you have bought a lot. " Harper suggested.

Over the years, Brad had snapped up a ton of properties, many in prime locations, worth a fortune. 

Brad was frustrated. He knew Harper still had shares in the Orsini Group. He had planned to buy them back at a low price, but now he would have to cough up a hundred million dollars. Harper was no longer the same. She was now capable and no longer under his thumb.

After hanging up on Brad, Harper made another call. The call was quickly answered by a middle-aged woman.

"Hello?" the woman asked.

"Hello, is that Cecilia White?" Harper inquired.

"Yes, who are you?" Cecilia responded.

Harper didn't reveal her name immediately but smiled and said, "Are you interested in the Orsini Group's shares?"

There was a brief silence before Cecilia responded, "Of course, I'm interested. How many shares do you have?"

Harper smiled, her tone still calm, "I have 25%. Do you have that much cash?"

She didn't plan to sell her brother's 25% shares. 

After a pause, Cecilia said, "You're Harper Orsini."

Brad would never sell the Orsini Group's shares, leaving Harper as the only major shareholder who might consider selling. Cecilia, who was capable of running a large company, wasn't a fool and quickly figured it out.

Harper smiled, "It's hard to explain over the phone. If you're interested, would you like to meet at the Lavien Group Building?"

Cecilia didn't hesitate and agreed readily. "Alright, see you at three this afternoon."

Though she couldn't guess Harper's intentions, she decided to meet her.

"Deal," Harper confirmed.

With that, Harper ended the call. She told her to meet at the Lavien Group Building to show her that she had the backing of a powerful company and shouldn't be underestimated.

She checked the time—it was just ten in the morning. She had plenty of time to prepare. The show was just beginning, and she anticipated it would get even more exciting.