Forced Marriage: My Wife, My Redemption by Lilyheart

Chapter 197: Desmond Dilemma

~Allen Mansion~

The walls of the Allen Mansion stood still, but inside, a storm brewed.

Desmond had just returned from an arranged meeting with the mysterious caller. The same caller who had vanished for months without a trace had suddenly reached out again.

Desmond didn’t expect it. In truth, he had hoped the man would stay gone. But here he was—back, and with him came a new, unsettling aura. Something had changed about him. Desmond couldn’t place what it was, but he could feel it in his bones.

Their conversation had lasted long, yet it had brought little satisfaction. Desmond had asked many questions, eager to know where the man had been hiding all this time.

But every question was met with silence. It was like talking to a shadow—one that spoke only what it chose and slipped away before being fully seen.

Now, back in his room, Desmond paced restlessly, his hands behind his back, brows furrowed in deep thought. He muttered aloud to himself, unable to shake the sense of urgency pressing down on his chest.

"Something has to be done. And it must be done really fast," he whispered.

He stopped by the window, staring at the empty garden below.

"I have no real share anymore. Not just any share, but one that gives power." His tone grew bitter. "If this gets out, I will be finished. Stripped of influence. No one will want to exchange their shares with someone like me."

His fists clenched at his sides. "Who would have thought? In the bid to keep my place in this family, I ended up losing everything. Even Aaron, my own son, now has more shares than I do." He scoffed and shook his head, a mocking laugh escaping his lips.

"But that man—he made sense. If I want to take back what belongs to me, I must act now. I need to reclaim my place. My wealth. My worth. It was all mine to begin with."

He turned and began pacing again, steps faster this time.

"Meeting him might have been risky... but the enemy of my enemy could be my friend. He could be useful." His voice dropped to a cold whisper. "Unlike that heir who thinks he’s better than everyone else—making me a ceremonial vice president while he enjoys the real power."

He stopped before the mirror, studying his reflection.

sneered. "After Davis died, I should have been the one to take over. It was my rightful place. But

a shadow

a headache forming. That meeting hadn’t solved anything, but it had lit a fire in him. Desmond now knew—he had no time to waste. He had to act before word spread that

out his phone and dialed Alfred’s

rings, the

"Sir," Alfred answered.

lips thinned. "What’s the old

danger, sir. The doctors say

heart sink. His grip

voice low. "That’s not what I wanted

and tossed the phone

The old man would never allow him to take over—not while Davis’s memory

himself. "Why is he protecting the Allen Group like this? Is it truly love? Or fear?" He frowned. "Why make things difficult for

from his secret

what you’re capable of. He’s afraid you’ll dominate the entire empire and erase

bitterly. "If he truly hated

he walked over and opened the drawer, pulling out a brown envelope. It was the same

are in here,"

it when a knock

paused, straightened his back,

inside, his expression troubled. He

can I speak with you briefly?" Aaron asked, his voice

had hoped to be alone. But something in Aaron’s eyes—desperation,

is it?" he

the folder. Desmond opened it, expecting something ordinary. But

showed Vera—Aaron’s wife—in compromising positions with another man. A man who,