Chapter 31: Exposed Secrets

Julian raised an eyebrow, stepping closer to the microphone. "Father, since I’m the adopted son... what about my dear younger brother, Leo? Is he your biological son or the adopted one?"

Arthur Vance’s eye twitched violently. Glaring at Julian, he spat through gritted teeth, "Leo was raised by our side since birth. Naturally, he is my biological son!"

Arthur immediately lowered the microphone, muttering in a harsh whisper, "Julian, what are you trying to pull?! You better behave yourself tonight, or I will officially disown you!"

Arthur had always assumed Julian valued family ties and would yield under pressure. Confident that his threat had silenced the boy, Arthur raised the microphone again to address the crowd.

Julian chuckled softly, casually tapping his own microphone.

"That’s funny, Father. Because as far as I remember, I am your biological son, and Leo is the adopted one."

Boom!

An explosive murmur rippled across the grand ballroom.

"What is going to happen now?! Why would Julian say that on stage?"

"If Julian is telling the truth, why did the Vance family claim Leo was their biological heir all along?"

Elenor Vance sprinted onto the stage, her face contorted in anger. "Julian Vance! What nonsense are you spouting?! Shut your mouth right now!"

Ever since Leo learned he wasn’t biologically related to the family, he had lived in constant fear of being cast aside. Elenor had deliberately kept his true origin a secret from high society, insisting Leo was her real son to protect his fragile ego and preserve his marriage prospects with a wealthy heiress.

Julian completely ignored her, continuing into the microphone, "When Leo and I were born in the hospital, we were accidentally switched. Leo was raised in the lap of luxury by the Vance family, while I was sent to a poor rural village."

He paused, glancing coldly at his stunned parents. "When the truth was uncovered, I was brought back at age ten. But because my parents looked down on my rural background, they refused to acknowledge my true identity to the public. If anyone doubts this, we can perform a live DNA test right here on stage."

The room erupted into furious hushed conversations.

"Now that he mentions it, Julian shares a striking resemblance to Elenor and Sienna Vance, whereas Leo doesn’t look like either of them at all!"

"I genuinely don’t understand the Vance family. How could they treat their biological son like dirt while treating an adopted child like a prince?!"

"So that’s why Julian has such natural elegance despite growing up in the countryside—he has the genuine bloodline of the Vance family!"

Several high-society matriarchs who had previously considered Leo as a prospective son-in-law immediately crossed him off their lists. A boy who managed to manipulate his adoptive parents into disowning their biological son was far too scheming and dangerous.

Elenor leaned in close to Julian, her voice trembling with cold rage. "Julian Vance... how dare you expose this in front of everyone?!"

Julian smirked. "What? You had the nerve to do it, but I’m not allowed to speak the truth?"

Leo Vance stood at the foot of the stage, his face drained of all color. Now that his true origin was exposed, the entire elite circle would look down on him.

"Well, Mr. Vance?" Julian asked Arthur casually. "Shall we order the DNA test right now? Or are you ready to admit it?"

Cornered under the piercing gazes of hundreds of prominent guests, Arthur had no choice but to nod stiffly into his microphone. "It... it is true. Julian is my biological son, and Leo is our adopted child."

The surrounding guests stared at Arthur Vance and Elenor with utter disgust. High-society families favored certain children all the time, but doting on a fake heir while completely mistreating the real one was sheer insanity.

"The Vance family’s bias is downright disgraceful," an elder businessman muttered to his peer. "My son went to school with Julian. Back then, Julian wore worn-out clothes and ate plain bread every single day. I thought he was just an neglected orphan—I never imagined he was their actual flesh and blood!"

"And to make matters worse, they forced their real son into a arranged marriage with the Ross family just to secure corporate backing!"

Overwhelmed by the judgment of the crowd, Elenor grabbed the microphone, her voice high-pitched and hysterical. "You don’t understand! We raised Leo from infancy! He is gentle, sweet, and sensible! When he found out he was switched at birth, he was devastated! We called him our biological son to protect his feelings!"

She pointed an accusing finger at Julian. "As for Julian, he returned from the countryside with horrible habits and constantly bullied Leo out of jealousy! If we acknowledged his true status, he would have become completely uncontrollable! I will only acknowledge him when he fixes his terrible attitude!"

The crowd gasped at her shameless defense.

Julian stood there looking dignified, polished, and perfectly composed—nothing like the wild, abusive brute Elenor painted him to be. It was obvious her sheer prejudice made her view everything Julian did through a distorted lens.

Several prominent CEOs silently made mental notes to break off any future commercial ventures with the Vance family. Partnering with people this irrational and cold-hearted was a liability.

Arthur Vance’s face turned ash-gray. He glared at Elenor, furious that her emotional outburst had utterly humiliated their family in public.

Desperate to damage-control, Arthur turned quickly toward Mr. Ross. "Old Ross... regardless of the title, Julian is still my legal son. Our arrangement between the families stands. What do you think?"

Mr. Ross glanced at his daughter, who was practically swooning over Julian, and nodded. "Of course. The agreement continues."

Arthur breathed a massive sigh of relief. As long as the Ross family partnership held, the Vance corporation would survive this PR disaster.

Miss Ross wheeled herself onto the main stage, wearing an elegant white gown. She looked up at Julian shyly, her voice soft. "Julian... after tonight, we’ll be officially engaged. I hope we get along wonderfully."

Julian frowned slightly, adjusting the microphone. "Miss Ross, I’m sorry, but I—"

"Calling me Miss Ross is way too formal, Julian," she interrupted cutely, offering him a radiant smile. "From now on, just call me by my nickname."

Arthur laughed nervously, trying to smooth things over. "Look at that, Chairman Ross! They already look like a match made in heaven!"

Before Julian could explicitly state his refusal, the heavy double doors at the entrance of the grand ballroom were slammed open with a deafening crash.

A suffocating, icy pressure instantly swept through the hall, freezing every conversation in its tracks.

Outside on the VIP driveway, a fleet of black luxury sedans had come to a halt—and Victoria Sterling had arrived.

Authers note -BIG THANK YOU TO :-Babak ramati ,kiril ushav, Rocky budek , solo , Brogan For daily power stone 🥰 it will always encouraged me to post daily Chapters

and special thanks to Minkhji to my first golden ticket .🌹