The Return Of the Invincible Heiress
Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Chapter 65

The reporters were stunned, and even the elders and elites of the Moran family were astonished.

Richard said, "Alexander, you need to clarify everything and give everyone in the Moran family and the shareholders an explanation. If you’ve really hired someone to pretend to be Lucy and deceive the public, you should resign from the board and leave the Moran Group."

A middle-aged woman stated, "Alexander is a madman. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do. I wouldn’t be surprised if this were true."

Despite the barrage of accusations and criticism, Alexander remained calm. He even unscrewed a bottle of water and drank it slowly, letting everyone else argue and shout.

A full minute passed, and after the crowd’s emotions had somewhat subsided, Alexander finally stared at the old man questioning him and said, "Uncle Richard, any rational person would know that a face-to-face video call can’t be faked. Yet, you’re insisting my sister is an imposter, even with all this evidence. What’s your agenda?"

Richard sneered, "I’ve watched Lucy grow up and worked with her for years. I could recognize her even if she were reduced to ashes. You can fool others, but you can’t fool me with that imposter."

"Reduced to ashes?" That comment stirred some murmurs among the crowd.

A man said, "I heard that Richard and Lucy are archenemies. Looks like it’s true."

Another man stated, "They say the person who knows you best is your enemy. No one else sees it, but Richard does."

Alexander ignored the gossip and continued to stare at Richard. "I grew up with my sister. I know her better than you ever could. I can vouch for all my positions in the Moran Group. The person in that video just now was my sister. Your accusation is nothing but groundless nonsense."

Richard slammed his cane on the floor and shouted, "And I’ll also swear on my position as Chairman of the Supervisory Board that the woman in that video was definitely not Lucy! If you’re not hiding something, bring Lucy here and let everyone see for themselves whether she’s alive or dead, healthy or gravely ill, clear-headed or mentally unstable!"

The entire room fell silent. Both men held real power within the Moran Group. The older one represented the traditional forces of the past generation, while the younger one spoke for the rising new talent. This was a showdown, and who would come out on top?

Alexander’s gaze turned cold and emotionless as he said, "Uncle Richard, what you’re saying now about me and my sister is nothing short of defamation. It’s even an insult to both of us. I’ve always believed that words alone are meaningless. Do you have the guts to sign an agreement with me in front of all these reporters and the elders? If I can convince my sister to come to Valemont City and prove to everyone that she’s healthy and fully capable, you’ll step down from every position you hold in the Moran Group. If not, I’ll resign from all my positions in the Moran Group."

The crowd was in an uproar.

An elder woman said, "This is insane! Alexander is out of his mind. He fought so hard to rise to the position of CEO and become the second-largest shareholder of the Moran Group. But now, in a fit of temper, he is willing to gamble his power, status, and future."

People shook their heads, thinking that Alexander was impulsive.

Richard gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. If you can bring your sister back to Valemont City and prove that she’s alive and well, I’ll leave the Moran Group."

His words were like adding fuel to the fire. Everyone was about to go crazy.

A middle-aged man commented, "The young one is crazy, and so is the old one. Why are there so many madmen in the Moran family?"

Another man agreed, "Winning would bring the enemy down for good, but losing would cost either of them everything!"

"These two are ruthless. Lucy was removed from the board three years ago for not attending meetings, so she’s just an ordinary shareholder now. And yet, they’re both willing to risk everything for her. This is unbelievable!" a woman said.

A trace of disdain flashed across Richard’s eyes when he heard the discussions. He thought to himself, ’What could these mediocre and clueless fools possibly understand? My target has long shifted from Lucy to Alexander. But Alexander is too cunning. I’m unable to have a hold on him. Now that I have finally gotten such a great opportunity, I definitely have to take the gamble!’

Alexander looked at his assistant and said, "Prepare the agreement."

Even if he won the bet, he wouldn’t send Richard to jail for spreading rumors. All he needed was solid, written evidence that Richard wouldn’t be able to deny later.

The Moran family members looked at Richard, trying to dissuade him.

"Richard, the video looked pretty convincing, and Alexander has always been so close to his sister. It’s unlikely he’d call an imposter his sister in public. Let’s drop this."

A man with a gray beard advised, "We’re all family. There’s no need to escalate things to this level."

"Alexander is young. Even if he loses, he’ll have a chance to recover. But you’re already over eighty. If you lose, there’s no going back," a woman said.

Nothing could change Richard’s mind. He waved his hand and said, "Don’t try to persuade me. I trust my own judgment." He pointed his cane at Alexander and said, "I have a condition. You must bring Lucy to Valemont City within three days."

Richard was in a hurry to push Alexander out of power. With his age, time was running out, and he needed to clear the biggest obstacle for his lineage.

Alexander shook his head. "Three days won’t do. My sister is still recovering, and traveling long distances requires preparation. Plus, she doesn’t want to see any of you. I need time to convince her."

"No more than seven days!" Richard remained firm. "If you take longer, I’ll suspect you’re deliberately stalling for time."

"Seven days it is," Alexander replied calmly. "I hope you won’t regret it then, Uncle Richard."

Richard tapped his cane on the ground and smiled wickedly. "You young ones don’t know the limits. Let me teach you a lesson."

Alexander responded indifferently, "I’ve had plenty of lessons from the family members. I remember them all."

The other family members twitched nervously at his words, wondering if he was implying them.

Richard retorted, "The lesson I’m giving you will be the best one yet."

Alexander Moran smiled faintly, picked up a fountain pen, and signed the agreement.

The room buzzed with chatter.

"Oh my god, they’re actually doing this? This is too wild and exciting!"

A woman said, "Regardless of the outcome, one of them is bound to leave the company. Are they sure they can handle the consequences?"

A man said, "My money’s on Alexander. I mean, there was a video call. How could it be fake?"

"I don’t know what Richard’s thinking. Lucy was in the videos, but he’s still insisting she’s a fake," said another man.

Meanwhile, in the suburbs of Dichester, Avery had just woken up from a nap and was sipping her afternoon tea when she casually checked the news on her phone. She saw the livestream of the press conference trending everywhere.

Her expression instantly became solemn. She couldn’t believe Alexander was betting that Lucy would wake up within seven days.

From her professional experience, Lucy’s surgery had been a great success. With her strong will to survive, it was possible she could wake up in seven days. But with such a major surgery involving the brain, it wouldn’t be surprising if she took half a month, a month, or even several months to wake up. Anything could happen during this period.

She didn’t understand why Alexander was making such a high-stakes gamble on something so uncertain.

On the screen, after signing the agreement, Alexander picked up a copy and left without saying a word. Two minutes later, the press conference ended.

Avery didn’t bother reading the news commentary and sank into deep thought.

After a while, she sent Alexander an email from Dr. Annie’s professional account:

[Why are you gambling on your sister’s condition? There’s no guarantee she’ll wake up in a week.]

She did not expect Alexander to reply to her immediately with a smiley face:

[I believe you will definitely make my sister wake up. It will be no problem.]

Avery was stunned. Alexander was betting everything on her. It was only their first meeting—or rather, the first time Alexander had met Dr. Annie—and yet, he had so much confidence that she could pull off such a miraculous feat.