Bianca became furious upon hearing this, but she didn't know Alessia's exact background, so she could only speak up to defend her, retorting, "Hmph, you're dreaming! If Alessia wants to expand LR Studio in Canada, my family will help. We don't need Ramirez family, which is on the verge of collapse."
"Well said, Miss Carter," Riley chimed in to defend as well.
Margaret sneered, "The Carter is indeed powerful, but, Miss Carter, isn't your brother in charge of the Carter's affairs? And Dr. Riley, even if your medical skills are superb, do you have enough money?"
Margaret spoke with arrogance. However, she failed to notice the drastic change in Harrison's expression, who had been calm until now.
Harrison seemed to have reached his limit and unexpectedly lashed out, forcefully slapping Margaret twice and cursing, "Stupid woman, shut up!"
Margaret was stunned by Harrison's sudden outburst. She covered her face, transitioning from shock to disbelief and then to aggrieved anger.
However, just as she was about to ignore everything and confront Harrison, she saw him step forward and grab Ava's hand.
Ignoring whether Ava had just been splashed with water, Harrison pulled her up from the bed and threw her in front of Alessia.
"Ava, tell the truth. What's the truth about Alessia's identity?"
"Brother, what are you talking about? I don't understand. I'm just this child's mother. Why are you suddenly asking?" Ava still clung to a glimmer of hope, hoping to stall for time and figure things out later.
But Harrison was genuinely enraged. He roared, "Enough with the act! Most of the Ramirez's shares are now in Alessia's hands. If you have any conscience left, speak the truth."
Ava pursed her lips and instinctively glanced at Alessia, who remained emotionless. She hadn't expected Alessia's words to be true.
She had underestimated Alessia.
Alessia had enough money to buy Ramirez group shares, presumably because she had latched onto Dominic. She was just as despicable as her mother.
Ava's eyes filled with resentment.
Seeing this, Harrison understood that Ava still didn't want to speak. He shouted again, "Ava, have you really lost your conscience? If it weren't for you provoking Gordon Laroux back then, our family wouldn't have declined. Are you willing to see the Ramirez completely ruined by your hands?"
Alessia raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected that Gordon Laroux was the reason behind the Ramirez's downfall; it was the first time she had heard about it.
When she had investigated the Ramirez before, she hadn't found any grudges between the Ramirez and Gordon, and there were no traces of it either. It seemed that it had been deliberately concealed.
Just as Alessia was about to withdraw her thoughts, she heard Ava finally seem to have figured it out. She closed her eyes and said, "Fine, I'll tell you. Alessia isn't my biological daughter."
No one in the room was surprised by Ava's statement.
Alessia followed up, "Then who is my mother, and why did you go to such lengths to recognize me?"
She didn't like the feeling of being watched, so she had to clarify everything. That was also the reason why she had been dealing with Ava.
Ava took a deep breath, climbed up from the ground, and seemed to have made a big decision before saying, "I don't know who your mother is because you were conceived with Gordon's genes through artificial insemination abroad."
Her father is Gordon Laroux!
Alessia was stunned, and in the room, Bianca and Riley were also stunned. Only Harrison and Margaret remained expressionless, apparently already knowing about it.
It all made sense now. Holding such a grand banquet was meant to attract Gordon's attention and find an opportunity to connect with the Laroux family.
But...
Alessia asked, "What was your relationship with Gordon, and why did you use his genes to cultivate a child?"
Alessia's tone paused. Being discarded wasn't a good experience.
"It's a long story!" Ava suddenly looked dazed, as if lost in memories. "I met Gordon at a banquet abroad. We fell in love at first sight. We agreed that we would be together once we returned to Canada. But when I finished dealing with my affairs and returned to the country, I found out that he had married someone else. It was then that I discovered I was pregnant."
As Ava spoke, sadness filled her eyes.
Ava had actually been pregnant before.
Alessia narrowed her eyes. Ava had tried so hard to recognize her as her daughter, indicating that something might have happened to her child.
Just as Alessia finished guessing, Ava continued, "I'm not the kind of person who pesters others. Since he was already married, I thought we should have no further connection. I decided to raise the child on my own. However, his wife refused to let me go. My child was killed, so I wanted revenge..."
"So, you had someone give birth to Alessia, and then, after giving birth to her, you regretted it and abandoned her?" Bianca, who was impatient, spoke up for Ava. She looked disdainful. "It's your business if you want revenge, but why play with someone else's life?"
"No, it's not like that," Ava hurriedly denied. "I didn't mean to play with anyone's life. Although I wanted to use Alessia, I genuinely wanted to raise her well. But Gordon's wife found Alessia and wanted to harm her. In order to protect her, I sent her to the welfare institution. And Gordon had been brainwashed by that woman. He sent me to a mental hospital, and even the Ramirez family was suppressed by the Laroux family."
After Ava finished speaking, she looked at Alessia pleadingly and said, "Sia, I admit that I was wrong, but I never intended to harm you. Since you don't know who your mother is, let me be your mother, okay? I'll give you the best, and I'll help you get back what the Laroux family owes you."
Her words sounded better than singing, but it was clear that she wanted to use Alessia to deal with the Laroux family, to deal with Gordon's wife!
Alessia sneered and refused, "No need. I'm not interested in these things."
"No one would reject having more money..." Ava wanted to say more, but she was met with a sharp gaze from Alessia.
"Miss Ava, it just so happens that I'm the kind of person who doesn't like having too much money. I hope this matter ends here. You clarify to the media yourself that I have no relationship with you."
Ava widened her eyes, faced with Alessia's rejection, her expression changed several times, and she stood there dumbfounded.
After saying this, Alessia was about to leave, but Harrison hurriedly stepped forward to intercept her.
Smiling apologetically, Harrison said, "Alessia, are you leaving? What about the company...?"
Alessia glanced coldly at Harrison, who could bend and stretch, and said lightly, "Mr. Ramirez, rest assured, as long as you can supervise Miss Ava, clarify our relationship in a timely manner, and ensure that she will not bother me again in the future, I will leave the company to Jessie to manage."
"What did you say? How can you hand the company over to Jessie? She's still so young, what does she know!" Harrison was excited and opposed immediately.
Alessia didn't give him any face and said decisively, "As far as I can see, among the entire Ramirez family, Jessie is the most capable and understands the situation the best. If Mr. Ramirez disagrees, I will convene a shareholders' meeting to re-elect a new general manager. Think about it carefully."
With two options in front of him, although Jessie was the daughter he despised the most, she was still better than having an outsider manage the Ramirez in the end.
Harrison opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only watch Alessia leave.
After leaving the room, Bianca excitedly asked Alessia, "Sister-in-law, when did you start buying the Ramirez shares? I couldn't help but laugh when I saw Mr. Ramirez's expression earlier."
"The first time I set foot in the Ramirez family's door," Alessia said truthfully without hiding anything.
She liked the feeling of being in control. Ava's behavior had seemed strange to her, and if she wanted to investigate the reason, she couldn't be too passive.
"Sister-in-law, you're amazing." Bianca's eyes lit up. She hadn't expected her sister-in-law to start planning so long ago.
But seeing the Ramirez family being embarrassed by her sister-in-law, she felt extremely satisfied. To think that the family that used to bully Jessie would finally get their comeuppance.
Just the thought of Jessie having the upper hand over the Ramirez family made her want to laugh out loud three times.
Meanwhile, in the room.
Listening to the receding footsteps in the stairwell, Harrison turned around and slapped Ava behind him.
"Brother!" Ava covered her face where she had been slapped, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked up.
Harrison didn't give her a good look. "Enough, are you happy now? The Ramirez is finally ruined in your hands. You heard what Alessia said just now, didn't you? If you can't do it, then get out of the Ramirez family, and don't ever mention your surname again."
After venting, Harrison hurriedly left the room. He needed to contact the company's shareholders again and get a more detailed understanding of Alessia's share acquisition. Just as Harrison left, Margaret couldn't hold back any longer and rushed towards Ava.
***