She acted innocent, as if oppressed by a vile mother-in-law.
Debra, visibly irritated, responded,
“You must be planning something, aren’t you?”
Sandra smiled once more.
“Wow. In a room full of elders, you want to hear my plan?”
Debra’s face darkened instantly.
Angela gritted her teeth in anger, “Sandra, don’t try to stir up trouble here!”
Wesley’s expression became stern.
“That’s not the way you talk to your sister-in-law. Apologize.”
Angela thought she was hearing things. “She was disrespectful to Mom first!”
“Apologize,” Wesley commanded again.
It was an order, not up for discussion.
Angela, who had been doted on since childhood, was not someone who would easily lower her head in apology.
She snorted coldly.
“Joey.”
What was Angela thinking?
Sandra wasn’t to be trifled with.
Wesley’s tone was icy. “Throw her out.”
Angela was shocked. “Wesley? She is just an outsider. You’re throwing me out to defend her?”
Wesley didn’t respond.
But his cold demeanor already made his stance clear.
Debra wouldn’t let Angela suffer and immediately stepped in front of her.
“Joey, stand down!”
Joey didn’t move.
“Madam, I hope you would step aside. Please don’t make this difficult for me.”
Debra, who always appeared so composed at home, could no longer maintain this pretense.
“How dare you!”
As her words faded, a group of bodyguards charged forward.
Joey was unbothered at all.
One after another, the bodyguards collapsed to the ground. Debra’s face darkened. “Wesley, do you still consider yourself a member of the family?”
Wesley glanced at her, his eyes filled with coldness.
“Wesley, do you still consider yourself a member of the family?” she repeated. “You haven’t thrown her out yet? Joey, you’ve degraded your work.”
Joey was speechless. “You’re asking for too much, Wesley!”
Joey quickly moved, taking down the last bodyguard. Then he went straight to Angela’s side. Grabbing her shoulder, he started heading outside with an apologetic smile.
“I won’t delay your meeting. I’ll handle her outside,” Joey said.
Debra stepped forward to stop him, but Wesley spoke first.
“If the Madam wants to accompany Angela, let her,” he said.
Debra’s heart was about to explode with anger, but she had no one to support her at the moment. The people in the room all had their own thoughts and wouldn’t help. Hailey had remained silent, warning Debra not to overstep her boundaries.
Now, Debra had no choice but to swallow her anger. Slowly, she stepped aside.
Joey didn’t hesitate and dragged Angela out. Soon, the sound of Angela’s screams echoed from outside. Wesley’s expression remained unchanged. Sandra wasn’t worried either. Joey knew where to draw the line and wouldn’t go too far with Angela.
Debra’s face turned pale. Wesley’s actions had instantly scared the elders in the room. They couldn’t help but remember the past when Wesley had been in a vegetative state.
“A tiger may lose its teeth, but it is still a tiger.” The room was filled with silence, as everyone harbored their own thoughts.
“Alright, let’s now discuss the garment department,” Hailey said, breaking the silence.
Maria spoke up once more. “We still hold the same view as before, hoping to raise funds to settle this matter.” The others nodded in agreement.
Hailey sighed, her voice tinged with resignation. “It may not be the most clever solution, but it works.”
Maria smiled, “We’ll pay according to our share.” Aside from Victor, the rest of them held comparatively smaller shares, so naturally, their financial contributions would be smaller.
Sandra felt dissatisfied. It was their actions that had caused this mess, and now, when it was time to resolve it, they seemed eager to stay out of it.
Debra spoke firmly, “We must trace the origin of this and identify the instigator. The one who caused the trouble should bear the largest share of the responsibility.”
Maria’s expression grew strained. “If we delay further investigation, the celebrities could ruin our company’s reputation soon,” she asserted, her tone laced with concern.
Maria continued, “My suggestion is this: we could first contribute according to our shares. Once the crisis is handled, we can initiate an investigation, and then the responsible party should bear all losses. What do you think?”
Debra remained silent, but her displeasure was clear. She disagreed with the suggestion.
Maria’s daughter, Evie Cooper, spoke up. “There’s another solution.”
Maria frowned. “You’re just a child, be quiet.”
At twenty-three, Evie still carried an air of immaturity. She was so juvenile in appearance that even if she misspoke, no one would hold it against her.
Hailey smiled. “Evie, let’s hear your thoughts.”
“I’ve just learned that a famous actor is actually Sandra’s brother.”
The others, clearly unaware of this information, were taken aback.
“Vincent didn’t want to rely on his family name, so he uses a fake name, Patrick Olsen.”
As soon as Patrick Olsen was mentioned, realization struck.
His recent rise to fame was undeniable. Cast as a secondary lead in a wildly successful web series, he’d quickly become an online sensation.
Since Vincent rarely attended social events, few had seen his true face.
Hailey’s interest piqued. “Continue.”
“The celebrity we’ve offended is from the same company as Vincent.”
Evie shot a quick, apologetic glance at Sandra.
“If Sandra could ask Vincent to mediate, I’m sure they’d be willing to grant us a few extra days.”
All eyes turned to Sandra, filled with hope.
“Well?” they asked.
Sandra, her gaze sweeping over them, scoffed.
“Now you want my help?”
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Sandra didn’t allow anyone to respond.
“Who’s going to pay me for my efforts?”
The family members were puzzled.
“Wesley’s poor now?”
Sandra smiled lightly, adding, “Oh, you should also cover Vincent’s appearance fee, coordination fee, and travel expenses.”
She wore an expression of magnanimity.
“I didn’t even charge for the inconsequential expenses.”
Her family thought she was greedy. Who knew if she’d even make a profit as a middleman! It seemed more prudent to give the money directly to Vincent.
Although Evie only meant it as a suggestion, she didn’t expect it to be adopted. Maria asked, “Sandra, can’t you contribute selflessly to your family?”
Sandra smiled mildly, “I can’t. I refuse to be taken advantage of.”
Maria’s face flushed with anger.
Sandra smiled again, “If any of you can ask Vincent for help, then try it.”
Everyone was speechless.
Hailey clenched her teeth and maintained an authoritative tone. “Sandra, since you joined our family, I have regarded you with the utmost respect.”
“But you seem to be calculative in all matters. It disheartens us.”
Sandra expressed her astonishment.
“Madam, I’m not here to be your servant. I’m your granddaughter-in-law.”
“Have you ever truly intended kindness towards me before blaming me?”
Hailey was rendered speechless by the rebuttal.
Hailey took a deep breath, “So, what do you say?”
Sandra’s demeanor shifted to one of earnestness.
“Madam, since the garment department is still yours, you should pay for it.”
She articulated the sentiment shared by many, thus met with no resistance as she concluded.
Hailey was nearly overcome with exasperation.
Sandra pushed further, “Madam, with the effort you’ve shown in calling us together for this meeting, it’s clear you care deeply about the family business. Surely, you would be willing to pay, wouldn’t you?”
Her strategic move left Hailey speechless.
“Hailey has fainted!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply