Chapter 13 Let Him Continue His Act

• Since it was Fraser's sixtieth birthday, Mirabelle naturally dressed up to the nines.
• In a long white gown, her slender body with curves in the right places made her look especially captivating.
• Amidst the thronging crowd, her stunning beauty stood out just like a glowing pearl.
• “Haha, Belle!”
• Smiling vibrantly, Derek walked up to Mirabelle with his arms wide open.
• However, the bruises on his face made him look pitiful.
• “What are you doing here?”
• Frowning instantly, Mirabelle threw him a look of disdain.
• “Why can't I come? I'm your fiancé. Everyone...”
• When Derek gestured with his palms facing downward, the noisy courtyard began to fall silent as everyone turned their attention to him.
• “Derek, today is my dad's birthday. Whatever it is, let's talk tomorrow!” Mirabelle demanded as she stared daggers at him.
• “Haha, since there are so many guests here today, why don't we let them judge?” Derek replied with a sly smile.
• “Belle, let him speak. I'm confident that people are inherently just,” Fraser ordered in a deep voice.
• “Haha, Mr. Shersby is just as wise as expected.”
• After laughing smugly, Derek bowed at the crowd, “Excuse me for interrupting this joyous occasion. All I ask is for a few minutes of your time so that I can show you the Shersby family's true colors.”
• “True colors? What is this man talking about? We have known Mr. Shersby for decades. How can we not know what kind of person he is?”
• “Exactly. This person must be nothing but a troublemaker. Why is he wearing such a cunning smile? Doesn't he know what occasion this is?”
• “I think he's the eldest son of the Lineker family. Hmph, he's nothing but a disgrace!”
• Derek's behavior had evidently outraged the crowd.
• Glancing at Derek, Ronan continued to monitor the situation patiently. As Derek was still calm and wasn't doing anything reckless, Ronan wanted to see what the former had hidden up his sleeve.
• “Looks like my words don't carry any weight since none of you believe me. In that case, why don't I show you the first present I'm about to give the Shersby family.”
• Upon his nod, Derek's subordinates brought out a huge stack of contracts.
• It was the same one that Mirabelle had torn up in the hospital. Derek had subsequently gotten his men to put it back together and made tens of copies of it.
• “Distribute them!”
• As Derek's subordinates moved through the crowd, they left a copy of the contract on every single table. Subsequently, the curious guests began examining it closely.
• A few minutes later, Derek inquired with a gleeful smile, “Has everyone finished going through it? You can clearly see Mirabelle's signature on it. She has agreed to publish in the papers to inform the city of Wildefield that she will marry me. Furthermore, she stated that she was to hand over all the shares of the Shersby family.”
• “Derek, I did it under duress!” Mirabelle couldn't help but retort.
• “Oh? There's a surveillance camera covering the hospital corridor. Why don't I obtain the surveillance feed and show everyone whether I put a gun to your head?” Derek responded with a shrug.
• “Belle, what in the world is going on?”
• Fraser slammed the contract on the table, for he was unaware of its existence.
• “Dad, the situation was desperate, as you were poisoned back then. Derek claimed that only Dr. Hall could save you. That was why I...”
• Mirabelle's eyes began to moisten as she explained.
• “It's just as you said. Only Dr. Hall can save your father. Besides, hasn't your father already recovered? Isn't that right, Dr. Hall?” Derek's gaze shifted toward Quentin.
• “That's right. I can vouch for it. Back then, Ms. Shersby signed the contract willingly and I subsequently carried out Mr. Derek's promise by curing Mr. Shersby,” Quentin lied without batting an eyelid.
• “Hehe, I'm not bluffing, am I? None of you would have imagined that the Shersbys are an untrustworthy family. Not only does Mirabelle want to annul the marriage, but Mr. Shersby also doesn't seem intent on handing over his shares to me. I'm just demanding for what is due to me, I'm sure it's fair to say that I'm not here to cause trouble, isn't it?”
• When he saw the thoughtful looks on everyone's faces, Derek seized upon the opportunity to make his point.
• “It seems to be true! You know, it's important to be trustworthy in one's dealings.”
• “Exactly. Since the contract has been signed, it should be executed accordingly, let alone the fact that Mr. Shersby would still be in the hospital if it wasn't for Dr. Hall.”
• “This is such a disappointment. I didn't expect the daughter of the Shersby family to turn out to be someone like that.”
• As the crowd, in turn, shook their heads, the way they looked at Fraser began to fill with contempt.
• Despite being advanced in age, this old man is still as sly as ever.
• “I... Belle...”
• Fraser's face was red in anger. Although he was cognizant that Derek was twisting the facts and spewing nonsense, he didn't have any evidence to disprove the latter's words.
• Sitting in his chair filled with rage, Fraser could feel his chest heaving while being on the brink of throwing out blood.
• As for Mirabelle—eyes reddened and fists tightly clenched—she was filled with the urge to stab Derek with a knife.
• Throughout the twenty years of her life, she had never seen such a shameless man before.
• “Haha, silence everyone!”
• Derek, satisfied with the crowd's response, gestured for the guests to calm down before continuing, “As I have said just now, that was my first present to the Shersby family. And now, let me present to you my second gift!”
• No sooner had he finished than Derek turned toward the members of the Wildefield Chamber of Commerce and instructed with a smile. “Mr. Chance, Mr. Wallace, Mr. Lambert, it's your turn.”
• “Ahem, with regard to the Shersby Group betraying their word, we, Shersby Group's business partners and suppliers, deeply regret their actions. Therefore, we have decided to stop supplying them with goods. On top of that, we'll initiate legal proceedings to demand a three-fold compensation,” a man in a black suit declared in a righteous tone.
• “Mr. Chance, you guys...”
• Fraser, hands trembling, felt his vision go black. If it wasn't for Nathaniel holding him, he would have collapsed under the table.
• If it was only Derek making threats, he wouldn't have thought much of it.
• However, now that his suppliers were demanding compensation for breaking the contract, it felt as if they had stabbed Shersby Group right in the chest.
• “Mr. Shersby, don't let his words affect you. Let him finish his act first. If I'm not mistaken, he still has another surprise coming up,” Nathaniel comforted Fraser while gently patting the latter on his back.