Novel1Chapter 262 Zayn's head pounded violently as his phone jolted him awake.
He had downed over a dozen bottles of beer the night before. It was a miracle he hadn't ended up in the hospital.
He reached for his ringing phone and glanced at the caller ID. When he saw Joe's name, he let out a cold chuckle. Then, he tossed the phone back onto the table.
Something felt off. Normally, Joe would give up after a few unanswered calls. But today, he called relentlessly.
Zayn finally picked up when he was irritated beyond measure.
"Say whatever the hell you need to say. Make it quick," Zayn snapped.
At this point, he had no respect for Joe. Joe had never shown him an ounce of kindness either.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtZayn was the legitimate son of Joe's wife, Teresa. By all rights, he should have enjoyed the best treatment within the family. It was all because Teresa wasn't Joe's true love.
Joe had always loved another woman. Family pressure had forced him into marriage with someone of similar social background.
Then, fate took a cruel turn.
Not long after Teresa married into the Forbes family and gave birth to Zayn, her family went bankrupt. Zayn's grandmother passed away. His grandfather was imprisoned and died in his cell shortly after. The rest of the family fled overseas to escape ruin.
Teresa lost everything she had.
When that happened, Joe wasted no tand brought Layla, the woman he truly loved, into their household. Along with her ctheir illegitimate son, Yvan.
But unlike the tic stories in movies, where mistresses clawed their way to power and oppressed the wife, nothing happened. And that was what enraged Zayn the most.
Layla was soft-spoken and gentle. She never tried to suppress Teresa. On the contrary, she treated Teresa with kindness and never once retaliated.
It was Teresa who had lost her mind.
Day after day, Teresa would lash out at Layla. She screamed, cursed, and even physically attacked Layla. The worst cwhen she deliberately took Yvan out and intended to stage an accident to have him killed in a car crash.
Joe was furious when he found out. He nearly threw Teresa out of the house. But Layla begged him not to. So, in the end, Joe let her stay.
From that moment on, however, Joe treated Teresa as if she didn't exist. Even when he saw her at home, he walked by as if she were nothing but air.
Crushed under the weight of it all, Teresa spiraled into deep despair. Depression consumed her. Before long, she passed away.
From then on, Zayn was truly alone. He had neither a mother nor a father.
Every day, he watched Joe, Layla, and Yvan live in their perfect little world. They were a picture-perfect family. The sight burned into his soul, and his resentment grew.
He realized then that he didn't belong in this family. It was only a matter of tbefore they cast him out, too.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSo, before that could happen, Zayn was determined to make himself powerful in order to survive.
That was how he beca man who valued profit above all else. From a young age, he displayed an uncanny ve talent for business. Every venture he touched turned to gold. By 16 years old, he had already made his first fortune.
His outstanding talent alarmed Joe. For the first time, Joe took an interest in him. Joe began to train Zayn. He even let him manage parts of the family business. To everyone's shock, Zayn thrived. He handled everything with brilliance and managed the business well.
But Zayn's success did not gain Joe's approval. Instead, it made Joe wary.
Joe was afraid that Zayn would outshine van and eventually turn, against him.
his peak when Zayn reached his peak, Joe forced him to leave the business. He sent Zayn abroad to study. Zayn only returned when Joe needed him. Joe wanted to arrange a marriage alliance with the Dunn family to strengthen their business ties.
When Zayn first heard of the plan, he scoffed. Still, he didn't object.
His childhood had long crushed any illusions about love or marriage for him. He had no particular interest in women. He could take them or leave them.
What he never expected was to fall head over heels for Josephine at first sight.
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