My Birthday, My Downfall novel Chapter 25

My dad's face turned pale, and he hung up the phone to call me, only to find that my phone had been turned off.

“Dad, the opening ceremony is starting soon. Let’s go,” Gina said, pulling him to the stage. But before they could even cut the ribbon, the crowd below had already started to stir.

“Isn’t that him? The chairman of Hardin Corporation-so heartless! He covered for his adopted daughter, leaving his own biological daughter in a wheelchair for life. Impressive!”

“Hey, isn’t the person standing next to him familiar? Could it be his adopted daughter?”

James hurriedly ran to the front with his phone. “Dad! Something’s happened! We need to leave!”

My dad was pulled away, leaving a stunned Gina standing there.

In the car, James rushed forward, and my mom anxiously asked him what had happened.

When they finally got home, he took out some emergency heart medicine and gave it to my mom before speaking.

“Gloria found out about the things we hid from her!”

“What?!”

My mom’s face was filled with shock, and my dad sighed deeply.

“The doctor just called and confirmed that Gloria overheard us talking that day. I’ve already asked him to come to the house; we’ll explain it when he arrives!”

James interrupted him urgently. “We don’t need to wait, Dad. Gloria has already posted all the evidence online!”

He handed his phone to my dad, who grew even paler as he scrolled through it.

When he opened the audio, it was unmistakably me, drugged and unconscious, with him and the doctor talking about everything.

The comment section was filled with people condemning him as cruel. My mom only glanced at it before clutching her chest and collapsing.

“Even tigers don’t eat their young! You deceived your own daughter for your adopted one, leaving her to live a life of disability. Amazing!”

“Didn’t they just say they destroyed the evidence? Isn’t that illegal?”

“The husband even issued a letter of forgiveness! Even if they’re guilty, they won’t serve time, right?”

The comments got angrier and more intense, asking how evil people could escape punishment like this.

James tried to comfort my mom as the phone kept ringing with questions about whether he was juggling two relationships.

My dad looked at the records from James’s small account that had been exposed and cursed angrily.

Seeing her selfish attitude, my dad’s eyes flickered with a hint of suspicion.

“The butler said your sister left last night. I sent someone to check, and she’s gone abroad.”

“While we’re looking for her, you should step forward and say that you were young and ignorant and hurt her. This is the best way to resolve this.”

“After all, you have a letter of forgiveness; you won’t go to prison.”

Gina shook her head repeatedly. “No! Dad, didn’t you forget? James and I didn’t actually get married! If it’s discovered, I could still be sentenced! No, I won’t do it!”

My dad’s face darkened.

“Then what do you think we should do?”

“I’ll go abroad now, just like before. You guys can tell everyone that Gloria went crazy and made up all these things. The audio is synthetic, the chat logs are photoshopped-problem solved!”

As she said this, my dad, James, and my mom all trembled with anger.

“You’re going to hide abroad and leave us to clean up your mess?”