I Lost a Husband, But I Gained an Empire

Aurelia's POV

She stepped right up to me, pointing a finger in my face. “Listen, Aurelia. Don’t think the Ellingtons can’t live without you. Forty million? Four hundred million? Forty billion? If I say it’s nothing, then it’s nothing!”

Crossing her arms on her chest, she added, “Mrs. Ellington was kind enough to give you a way out, but you ignored her and embarrassed her in public. Get over here and apologize. Now!”

Callum then joined in coldly, “Aurelia, you really crossed the line today. If you don’t apologize to Mom, you’re not leaving.”

The crowd outside kept growing, and I even saw some of our clients’ cars pulling up.

They really went all out for today’s show.

I glanced toward the entrance, calculating my next move, when suddenly, a sharp pain exploded at the back of my head.

It turned out, Melina yanked me by the hair and dragged me toward Mrs. Ellington.

But in the chaos, someone pushed me, and I stumbled, falling hard onto the ground. To make it worse, a nearby reporter also lost his balance and his camera slammed straight into my lower abdomen before he collapsed on top of me.

As a result, a sharp, piercing pain shot through my stomach, and within seconds, I felt warm blood spreading beneath me.

Unknowingly, Mrs. Ellington was already in front of me, but Melina still pulled my hair, dragging me closer as she yelled, “Move! Apologize to Mrs. Ellington right now!”

Mrs. Ellington’s eyes flickered with hesitation when she noticed the blood pooling beneath me. She knew better than anyone that for the past eight years, I had been crucial to their family.

So, she bent down, about to help me up.

But Melina cut her off sharply. “Auntie, you can’t go soft on someone like her. Don’t worry about your family business. Trust me and leave everything to me. I’ve already talked to my grandfather about the four-hundred-million project I mentioned earlier, and the money will be in your account soon!”

Hearing that, Mrs. Ellington’s hesitation vanished instantly. Her eyes lit up, and when she looked at me again, her expression had completely changed into arrogant and condescending.

“Aurelia,” she said coldly, “you’re older than Melina, yet you still don’t act as mature as she does. Out of respect for all these years as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, just apologize to me and return the clients you took from our family. Do that, and we’ll let this go.”

Melina took a step forward. She glanced at the blood soaking through my clothes, then leaned close to my ear and hissed through gritted teeth, “Aurelia, you’re pathetic. You can’t even hold onto a man, let alone a child.”

She chuckled and then sneered, “Once my grandfather transfers that four hundred million to the Ellingtons, your real suffering will finally begin.”

I clenched my teeth, pushed myself up, and without a second thought, swung my hand across her face with a loud slap.

“Your grandfather will be here any minute,” I said coldly. “When he arrives, we’ll see whose suffering is really about to start.”

Melina’s eyes widened in fury, and she opened her mouth to argue. But before she could speak, a deep, steady elderly voice roared from behind her. “Melina!”