01
My mother-in-law-to-be wanted to lay down the rules and put me in my place.
So at the engagement banquet, she slapped my sister across the face in front of everyone.
"Angela Henson, a shameless slut who got herself pregnant out of wedlock, and you dare show up at an engagement banquet? Trying to drag the Gilbert name through the mud, is that it?"
My sister's head snapped to the side from the blow, but she still forced a small, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I only came to drop something off for Sophie. I'll go right now."
Once the slap had landed, she turned to me with a look of open provocation. "No offense, Sophie. That's just how things work in the Gilbert family. You'll have to bear with it."
Watching her preen like that, I couldn't help but laugh.
She must have forgotten exactly who kept the Gilbert family perched at the very top all these years.
I threw my bouquet to the floor, pulled out my phone, and dialed the patent office.
"Hello, this is Sophie Henson, the independent inventor of the Aurora chip. I want to revoke Gilbert Group's patent license and donate the patent to the government, free of charge."
1
The staffer on the other end didn't seem to catch it. There was a stunned pause of several seconds before they repeated it back to confirm.
"Miss Henson, did you just say you want to revoke Gilbert Group's patent license, and donate it to the government at no cost? Are you certain?"
"I'm certain." I gripped the phone, my gaze cold as I fixed it on the mother and son frozen white-faced near the entrance of the banquet hall.
"All licenses are terminated. I'll have my lawyer deliver the paperwork first thing tomorrow morning. And from today on, every right to use this patent belongs to the government. If Gilbert Group so much as touches it again, treat it as infringement, plain and simple."
I hung up, and the noisy hall fell dead silent.
"So... Sophie Henson? Have you lost your mind?"
Corey Gilbert came back to himself and charged over in his custom leather shoes.
His eyes were red enough to devour someone. "My mother slaps your sister once, and you'd destroy the entire Gilbert Group over it?"
Watching Corey come apart like that, all I felt was how absurd it was.
Back when Gilbert Group was on the brink of collapse, I was the one who handed over the Aurora chip technology, the one who helped them land a national new-energy project and vaulted them to the top of the elite families.
I never imagined it would earn me a show of force like this.
Fine. If sincerity buys nothing but this, then I'll just flip your whole Gilbert table.
"That's right. Anyone who hurts my sister, I'll finish them." I stepped back, out of reach of the hand he'd thrown toward me.
"And since your mother looks down on us Hensons, then this engagement can go ahead and not happen at all."
