The Consortium's Heir

Chapter 306

Even Austin’s broken ribs did not hinder him from loudly voicing the shock in his heart.He gradually dropped his hand, widening his eyes and clenching his teeth at Maurice.

"That's impossible!" Darius shrugged but did not speak anymore.

That was when a woman’s voice rang out from a nearby car.

Apart from Darius, no one else had noticed it arriving at the scene.

Moments passed when Kate descended the car, her arms crossed, and chin held high at Austin.

"Today is the first time I’ve ever heard your name.I know my father secretly had more than one family and how he fathered many bastards."

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A corner of her lip curled as she sneered, "I don’t care.What concerns me more is that your mother— my aunt—had been plotting to inherit the Anderson family wealth many years ago.She even used the despicable method of switching yours and Maurice’s places without us knowing."

Still kneeling on the ground, Austin paled as his gaze shifted from Darius to Kate.

Austin had seen Kate on television many times and knew she was a relatively naive person.

At least, among everyone at the scene, she was the purest and most easily fooled.

Thus, Austin scrunched his nose and crawled, trying to approach her.

Kate stood unmoving, her eyes locked on Austin with complicated emotions.

In truth, she was willing to accept the boy as her half- brother when she first learned of his existence.

However, she never expected to receive a scandalous document shortly after.It relayed information and evidence about how Austin was a fraud.

Many years ago, Kate’s aunt lied about her biological son, which was Austin, being Kate’s half-brother.

She then adopted Maurice to cover her tracks.

All of that baffled Kate, especially when she heard how her real brother, Maurice, had been living a life full of torment all these years.

It made her feel very uncomfortable, even though she had never met Maurice, nor did she initially welcome the idea of a half- brother.

She stood rooted to the spot, uncertainty clouding her once bright eyes.

Maurice was already heading into Darius’ car, but he halted when he heard Kate’s voice.

Then, he swung his head around to look at her.

His gaze, akin to a brilliant beam, struck through her body.

Sensing someone staring at her, Kate frowned and turned toward the side of Darius’ car.

An adorable teenage boy’s face soon came into her sight, causing her features to soften.

Although she was unwilling to admit it, she felt fond of the blond boy, which made her sigh.

She then silently turned her head to face Austin, who seemed confused and had his hands on his hips.

The truth coming from Kate and Darius’ lips puzzled him more.

Little did he know he was once aware of the switch when he was much younger.

It was just that a lot of time had passed, so he forgot.

That was why everything seemed new to him.

Austin pressed his hands against the ground in hopes of standing, but it was to no avail because his heart would ache every time he exerted force through his hands.

That was only natural since his chest got injured earlier.

Darius raised his wrist to look at the time before clearing his throat to announce, "I’ve wanted too much time here."

That instantly alerted Kate, who straightened her back.

Austin was struggling to stand but suddenly felt a sense of foreboding when he saw Darius and Kate’s interaction.

He knew he would be in grave danger if his condition did not improve.

Meanwhile, Kate had already stopped thinking about things.

She stood still with her hands behind her back and spoke calmly.

"I never saw you as my competitor because I believe the Anderson family's assets were the products of my father’s hard work.Thus, those belong to him and have nothing to do with me.Of course, I’ll be delighted if he’s willing to bequeath them to me— but I won’t care too much if he doesn’t.That said, many of the Anderson family members have tried to harm me in pursuit of my father's wealth.That has made it clear to me that we may be a family, but money means more to them than blood relations—just like how you’re behaving now."

A long but subtle sigh came from Kate.

She then shook her head and commented, "You're supposed to be my cousin, brother, or whatever.Yet, you're treating me as an enemy because you’ve fallen victim to your mother's scheme."

Hearing her disapproving sigh, Austin stopped resisting.

He allowed his body to lay flat on the ground again as he raised his head and sneered at Kate.

"How funny.Firstly, you’re standing before me and saying many things, but you never mentioned giving up the Anderson family’s wealth.Secondly, you didn’t reveal what you’re going to do next.I bet you’re secretly going after the money too."

He shut his eyes but flashed a smirk while he taunted, "Don’t be offended by my words.I'm not trying to humiliate you or cause you trouble.Besides, everyone here knows what you’re doing — you’re showing off your victory at claiming the inheritance to me, your rival who'll likely die tonight." Kate frowned and shook her head.

Instead of anger, she adopted a gentler expression, knowing better than to blame the boy for a fate he had no say over.

"I know you might not believe me, but I still want to tell you this— whatever you think I’m trying to achieve isn’t true.Seeing you run out of strength—well, I only wish for you and Maurice to live on and continue your carefree lives.Also, I hope to bond with you two through this incident.I want to up for whatever shortcomings you previously faced and ensure that both of you live happily."

She stared straight into Austin’s eyes, her gaze bold and unwavering.It was so intense that the latter felt uncomfortable, especially since he could not detect any malice from her.