"Christie, don't listen to that loser's nonsense. He's just making stuff up to mess with you—none of it is true!" Irene said hurriedly, noticing her daughter's shaken expression.

Leroy snorted. "Christie, you're not actually buying Andrew's crap, are you? Come on, he really stood there and claimed he built Stevens Corporation from the ground up. What a joke!"

Christina did not respond. Her face had gone pale, her expression hollow and exhausted as her entire worldview began crumbling.

Aspe