My Husband Slapped Me for Defending His Mother—Then She Whispered a Secret His Family Never Wanted Me to Hear.

Jessi stood motionless by the window, the digital tablet glowing in her hands as the cool evening breeze swept through the drawing room.

Patricia noticed the sudden change in Jessi's posture and stood up from her armchair. "Jessi... what is it? What does the message say?"

Jessi looked up from the screen, her dark brown eyes calm, calculating, and fierce. "Arthur didn't act alone twenty-four years ago, Patricia. He had an international partner in Switzerland who financed the buyout of my father's firm."

Patricia’s breath caught in her throat. "Who?"

"A man named Baron Sterling," Jessi revealed softly. "My father's estranged elder brother."

The piece of the puzzle that had remained hidden for decades finally clicked into place. Arthur Vance hadn't just been a ruthless opportunist—he had been hired by Jessi's own uncle to strip Thomas Sterling of his American corporate holdings!

"Baron Sterling lives in Geneva," Patricia whispered, her hands trembling slightly. "He controls the European banking consortium that funded Arthur's expansion."

Jessi set the tablet on the table, a cold, confident smirk touching her lips. "Then it looks like our trip to Switzerland won't just be a vacation, Patricia."

Suddenly, the drawing room door opened, and Luca stepped inside. He carried a single leather duffel bag, dressed in a simple jacket, his hand cast still resting in his sling.

He looked at Jessi and his mother, his posture completely humbled, his arrogant aura extinguished forever.

"I'm leaving, Mom," Luca said softly, his voice gravelly and quiet.

Patricia walked over to her son. She looked at his bruised face and his broken hand, her heart aching as a mother, but her expression remained firm.

"Where will you go, Luca?" Patricia asked gently.

"I took a teaching job at a small business college in Boston," Luca murmured, looking down at his shoes. "I sold my sports cars to pay off my personal debts. I'm starting over."

He turned to Jessi, offering a quiet, respectful nod. "Thank you for not sending me to prison, Jessi. You were right about my father. He made me into a monster... but I don't want to be one anymore."