Third person's POV
Ambrose turned around and looked at Phoebe, saying in confusion, "Aren't you the one who kept insisting on leaving?"
Phoebe's expression froze for a second, and then she immediately burst into tears, saying with a grievance, "Do you think I want to stay here? I just can't bear to leave Zander behind. He has suffered so much with us over the years while we were building our career."
Then she walked up to Alpha Elliott, and crouched down, grabbing his hand as she cried, "Elliott, do you know how much we've suffered these years? I know I come from a humble background, and you look down on me, but what did Zander do wrong? He has the Greenwood family's blood in his veins, too.
"Ambrose chose me to be his mate. Then you forcefully separated us and expelled him from the Greenwood family. Now, even though we are already married, we are still looked down upon by others.
"It's most unfair to Zander. He comes from a normal family, yet everyone thinks of him as the illegitimate bastard. He was bullied by his peers when he was little, and he came back every day with bruises. I'm his mother. Do you know how much it hurts me to see him like that? What did he do? He was just a kid and did nothing wrong. He should have enjoyed a good education and various social connections just like Derek. However, he's despised and even insulted. It shouldn't be like this!
"Ambrose has always been tough on the outside but soft on the inside. It has been years since you expelled him from the Greenwood family. Do you know how much he misses you? Every year on your birthday, he'd always prepare gifts for you, but he has never dared to give them to you. He just put them at home and drank alone.
"Please, just pity us and acknowledge Zander. He is your grandson!"
Her affected speech didn't move Alpha Elliott in the slightest.
Alpha Elliott turned to Truman and said, "Go and bring me the box from my study."
Truman nodded.
Ambrose wanted to help Phoebe up, but she wouldn't let go of the great opportunity at all and pulled him down.
"Ambrose, say whatever you wanna say. Don't hold back."
Ambrose turned his face away. "I have nothing to say."
Phoebe bit her lip, feeling both a bit helpless and angry.
She blamed Ambrose for being so stubborn, or they could have been back to the Greenwood family long ago. She wouldn't have had to put on an act at all.
Truman held a tin box in both hands, and Alpha Elliott opened the box and took out something from inside.
"Back then, I kicked him out and froze all his assets because I wanted to see if you'd reveal your true colors after knowing he had no money. But then Andrea, this kind and foolish woman, lent him money. This is the IOU."
The IOU stated 100 million dollars.
Alpha Elliott continued, "Andrea was the one who got hurt the most, yet she still couldn't bear to see Ambrose suffer a little. She lent him money behind my back, and upon knowing he was going elsewhere, she even reached out to local contacts to pave the way for him to start his own business."
Ambrose looked at Andrea in disbelief and asked, "Really?"
Back then, his start-up was on a roll, and he had always figured that it was all thanks to the influence of the Greenwood family. Little did he know that it was actually because of Andrea's assistance.
Andrea said indifferently, "It's all in the past and doesn't matter anymore."
"Do you think those businesses just appeared out of thin air? She went around seeking help from influential families and contacting relatives. That's the only reason you were able to run things smoothly. And while she was running around for you, what was this woman beside you doing?" Alpha Elliott asked.
Ambrose was almost stupefied. He shook his head in a daze, indicating that he didn't know.
Alpha Elliott threw a bunch of photos onto the table.
It was all photos of Phoebe buying all kinds of luxury goods and fancy cars, dining at high-end restaurants, visiting house-selling departments, and traveling.
Alpha Elliott continued, "She took your money and used it to buy luxury cars and mansions for herself, bringing her whole family out of the slums. It was like she wanted to drain you completely."