1 My mother, Eleanor Stone, stood accused of sexual assault, a charge so heinous it had driven her accuser to a mental breakdown. In the packed courtroom, I watched in stunned horror as my own wife, Cici Bennett, sat on the plaintiff's side. "My mother-in-law's conduct was utterly reprehensible," Cici declared, her voice ringing with conviction, her gaze piercing. "She repeatedly harassed the underprivileged student I sponsored, and then, while I was away, she committed this assault." "As an attorney, even if my mother-in-law raised me, I am bound by justice. The law must deliver a fair verdict!" In a single night, Cici soared to notoriety, hailed as the city’s most uncompromising lawyer. Meanwhile, my mother became a public pariah, her once-thriving company—the very empire she had built—teetering on the brink of collapse. I confronted Cici, demanding the truth. Her response was chillingly detached: "Once Caleb inherits the company, I'll naturally work to reduce her sentence. As long as she behaves herself in prison, I'll continue to support her upon her release." As I desperately searched for a defense attorney for my mother, hitting dead ends at every turn, a reputable legal firm unexpectedly contacted me. It was then I learned that our subsidiary branch was facing imminent bankruptcy due to mismanagement, but my mother had long ago secretly transferred the true parent company into my name. Leaving the courthouse, I cut Cici off, blocking her path. "Cici Bennett," I seethed, my voice barely controlled. "You would frame my mother for an outsider? Do you understand? You've utterly destroyed her life!" The crowd gathered around, drawn by my outburst, their eyes brimming with scorn. The memory of her ruthless accusations in court ignited a fresh surge of fury within me. "That's not what happened at all! You manipulated everything behind the scenes!" Cici's lips curved into a triumphant, self-satisfied smile. "Alex Stone, I am an attorney upholding justice. Your mother committed a shameless act. Instead of disciplining her, you're yelling at me?" My heart felt a vicious twist, a cold, crushing grip tightened around my chest. I stared into her eyes, my usually mild voice raw and hoarse. "From childhood, my mother treated you like her own daughter. When you were sick, she burned the midnight oil tending to you. When you wanted to become a lawyer, she took you across the country for specialized studies." Cici raised a hand, cutting me off. "Your mother raised me for twenty years, wasn't it just to force me to marry you? Your 'generosity,' Alex, it always had a price tag." After her own family fell on hard times, Cici had been taken in by my mother. When Cici expressed her desire to become an attorney, my mother leveraged her connections, paving the way for her at a prestigious law firm. But now, it seemed, Cici viewed that path to success not as a gift, but as a burden, a sinister plot against her. A bitter wave washed over me. Cici, her face darkening, hurled a stack of documents at me. "Stop acting insane! I owe your family nothing! All you need to do is ensure your mother reflects properly in prison! Caleb, though from a poor background, is nothing like you, a spoiled, good-for-nothing rich kid. He's ambitious, diligent, and resilient. The company will only truly thrive if he takes over. I'm doing this for your mother's good!" I stared at her face, so familiar yet so alien. The initial shock faded, replaced by a hollow numbness. We had once been childhood sweethearts. When I was wronged, she would bravely stand before me, shielding me. When I fell ill, she would watch over me relentlessly, day and night. So when she proposed marriage, I had agreed without a moment's hesitation. But now, she was a stranger. The innocent, kind Cici I had known was utterly gone. My hands clenched, my heart aching with an unbearable pain. My voice, though trembling, was firm. "My mother did nothing wrong. I will never let her admit to something she didn't do. I will find the evidence." Caleb, standing nearby, tugged at Cici's sleeve, his voice a pathetic whimper. "Cici, just let it go. I'll accept what Auntie did to me. Don't fight with Alex because of me." Seeing tears glistening in Caleb's eyes, Cici’s expression softened with concern. She stroked his arm. "Don't be afraid. I'll make sure the culprit is brought to justice." Then, her gaze turned cold, aimed squarely at me. "Alex Stone, don't think about finding evidence to overturn the case. That will only make your mother's time in prison worse." I didn’t acknowledge them further. I turned and walked away. The immediate priority was to gather evidence, to pull my mother from this nightmare. I sought help from Mark, a friend and fellow attorney, but found his office door barred. I called him, my hands trembling, only to find my number blocked. A long while later, a text message from him arrived, a plea: "Your wife is a prominent lawyer, Alex, with powerful backing. Don't make things difficult for us. Just apologize to her. Why make marital issues public?" My heart felt as if it were being repeatedly pierced by a sharp blade. I doubled over, gasping for breath, tears silently tracking paths down my face, landing on my phone screen. Just then, a call came through from my mother's legal team. "Mr. Stone, the subsidiary branch is facing severe financial difficulties. It's on the brink of bankruptcy. But Mrs. Stone had already transferred the main company into your name." 2 The lawyer explained that my mother had secretly transferred the main company, Stone Industries, into my name. It was my pre-marital property, untouchable even by Cici, my wife. Stone Industries was my parents' life's work. If it fell into the wrong hands, I would never be able to face my mother again. The most urgent task now was to find evidence to clear her name. After leaving the law firm, I immediately went to visit my mother in prison. Her face, haggard and pale, her eyes vacant behind the cold bars, made my fists clench in helpless rage. "Alex, I didn't do it… I truly didn't do it!" My mother wept, tears streaming down her face. And I knew it. This was a naked frame-up—a meticulously orchestrated deception by my wife, designed to transfer the company to Caleb. I turned away, fighting back my own tears. "Mom, I believe you. I've found a lawyer. Don't worry, you'll be out in a few days." My mother sat there, dazed, merely whispering. "I never imagined Cici would do this to me. From childhood, I treated her like my own daughter." "That day, I drank the tea she offered without a second thought. I was even picking out a birthday gift for her." ... My mother choked back sobs, her eyes brimming with profound disappointment, a deep, weary defeat. I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth, my gaze unwavering as I looked at her. "Mom, my lawyer friend says there's still a chance. Once you're out, I'll take you abroad for a change of scenery." As visiting hours ended, I bade my mother farewell and walked out, my heart heavy with a profound sense of loss. Despite my reassurances to her, I knew the situation was dire. No one wanted to take on this case, to go up against Cici and her powerful connections. "Caleb, make sure all the documents are ready. The company will be transferred to you shortly." Not far away, Cici was carefully instructing Caleb on the transfer process. By the time I fully processed their conversation, I was already standing before them, my gaze sharp and unwavering, piercing through her. "Cici Bennett, are you truly going to transfer the company to him?" She frowned, her voice icy. "Why are you still fixated on this small matter? The company belongs to Caleb." I hadn't held out much hope, but hearing her words, my heart was viciously impaled all over again. I took a deep breath, asking, my voice raw with indignation, "For him, you would frame the woman who raised you since childhood?" Cici shielded Caleb, her voice laced with impatience. "Caleb is an underprivileged student I sponsored. This is a graduation gift for him. Stop being as unreasonable as your mother!" I stared at this woman, so familiar yet so alien. For a moment, I thought I had misheard. But her cold, mocking gaze rested squarely on me. "Your mother was too stingy. Caleb’s family is poor. What's wrong with giving him the company? If she hadn't refused, I wouldn't have treated her this way." So, my mother's years of selfless devotion were worth less than a few empty words from an underprivileged student she sponsored. And for her own selfish desires, she had allowed my mother to be burdened with a false accusation. Caleb, hiding behind Cici, whimpered, his eyes brimming with false vulnerability. "If Alex doesn't want me to take over the company, then I don't want it." He pulled his hand away and turned to leave. "I was foolish to dream. Cici, I won't bother you two again." Cici grabbed his arm, her breathing quick and shallow. "Caleb, what are you saying? The company is compensation for my mother-in-law assaulting you. No one can stop this." My gaze was locked onto her arm, wrapped intimately around Caleb's. It was only then that I fully grasped the brutal truth: years of nurturing, of selfless care, meant nothing compared to a poor student's fabricated story. My heart churned with bitterness, tears, unbidden, welled and spilled. 3 Done with their charade, I turned away and headed straight to the company headquarters. As per my lawyer's instructions, I signed the stock transfer agreement. Sitting in the boardroom, my voice was firm, resolute. "Effective immediately, cease all funding to the subsidiary branch." The lawyer, holding the agreement, paused, a cold understanding settling over him. "Understood, Mr. Stone. I'll arrange it at once!" Unexpectedly, after the lawyer left, I encountered Cici and Caleb. Seeing me, Cici’s smile vanished instantly. She strode purposefully towards me, her voice dripping with contempt. "Alex Stone, why are you like a persistent shadow? Still trying to complain to Aether Global? If you ruin Caleb's good fortune, I won't let you get away with it." I looked at her, my expression cold, saying nothing. Caleb’s gaze fell upon me. He feigned distress, lowering his head. "Cici, is Alex refusing to give me the company? Why else would he be here? What if he spreads rumors, making Director Davies unwilling to invest in the company…" His words choked off mid-sentence, causing Cici’s face to harden. She glared at me, her eyes blazing with fury. "Alex Stone, why must you constantly oppose me? The company can only belong to Caleb. Don't challenge my bottom line any further, or your mother's life in prison will become even more miserable!" Caleb, standing beside her, looked smug, a flicker of triumph in his eyes. He assumed I was intimidated, a sneer playing on his lips. "Cici said the company is mine. As her husband, you should naturally support her decision wholeheartedly." The commotion in the boardroom attracted many onlookers.
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