Clifford finally found the strength to speak, even as the heavy presence of his father made his throat dry.
"Sir, I thought Jude Moretti was your younger brother—"
"Stepbrother," Gerald snapped, cutting him off sharply. His voice was cold, like ice cracking through the air.
Clifford flinched slightly but kept his eyes lowered.
"The Moretti Foundation should've been shut down years ago," Gerald continued bitterly. "My father never cared for it. He had better businesses running across the globe—import, export, shipping, real estate. But for some reason, he left that company to his illegitimate son."
He let out a short, bitter laugh and shook his head.
"I thought the foundation would sink in a year or two. But no—that woman came into Jude's life, and everything changed. Sandra turned him into a multi-millionaire overnight. Suddenly, the company that should've failed was topping the state's charts. At one point, it was even close to overtaking mine."
