Sophia Kendall was completely stunned, her face instantly turning as pale as paper, as if struck by a bolt from the blue.
She widened her eyes, her voice trembling: "What... what did you just say?"
"The shareholders’ eting has dismissed Timothy, and the dismissal notice has already been posted on The Xavier Group’s official website."
Katherine Sheldon repeated, her tone still gentle but each word hiding a dagger.
"Impossible! You bitch, you’re clearly talking nonsense!"
Sophia frantically shook her head in denial, tears uncontrollably streaming down, "When that bastard Douglas Xavier left with you back then, he promised to give up everything in The Xavier Group! You bitches, bastards, see a widow and orphans as easy targets, and you’ve co back to life!"
Before she finished speaking, Sophia rushed towards Katherine in a desperate attempt.
At that mont, a figure suddenly dashed forward, harshly pushing Sophia to the ground.
The person who fought Sophia was none other than her ex-husband, Douglas Xavier!
Douglas tightly shielded Katherine in his arms, glaring at Sophia with a face full of disdain, but spoke to his wife in an exceptionally gentle tone: "I’ve told you a long ti ago not to co; you insisted on coming to apologize. Will she accept it? This woman has been a vicious, lunatic hag from her youth until now, not worthy of your effort."
Katherine sighed gently, her eyes carrying a hint of compassion: "I always felt uneasy in my heart, Sophia is also just a mother concerned about her child."
"You’ve been so understanding since you were young."
Douglas looked at her with pity, but his words were directed at Sophia, "But so people don’t deserve your forgiveness. Do you rember how she treated you before? Let’s go, ignore her. From now on, you are the chairman’s wife, the biological mother of The Xavier Group’s CEO. She’s just a shrew; even looking at her lowers your status."
After speaking, he carefully hugged Katherine and left, not forgetting to check if she was injured as they walked away.
I watched this scene, suddenly realizing: Katherine is nowhere near weak and easy to bully; she is clearly a ruthless character in her own right.
And Timothy’s blind nature was entirely inherited from his father.
Sophia slumped on the ground, crying her heart out.
I instinctively stepped forward to help her up.
Not out of any saintly compassion, just the instinct of an onlooker.
But just as I steadied her, she suddenly grabbed my hand, like clutching the last straw: "Zoe, think of sothing, help Timothy, please?"
I gently withdrew my hand and said calmly, "I’m sorry, I can’t help."
After speaking, I turned and walked into the ward to get my bag.
In the ward, Timothy sat on the hospital bed, looking worse than when he first woke up, even his eyes were bloodshot.
He must have heard all the argunts outside just now.
His phone screen was still lit, and I inadvertently glanced at it, stopping on the Xavier Group’s website dismissal notice page.
Sophia followed in quickly, blocking my way, continuing to grab my arm, crying and shouting: "Zoe, aren’t you close with Ethan Xavier and Julian Sinclair? Go beg them! You... you marry Julian! As long as he can give The Xavier Group back to Timothy, I’ll support you marrying him! Timothy will support you too!"
She was incoherent, her eyes unfocused, clearly having lost all sense of reason, not knowing what she was saying or wanting.
At this mont, Timothy’s voice, cold as ice, suddenly rang out: "Mom! Let her go."
Sophia froze, as if all her strength was drained by this scolding, slowly releasing my hand.
She suddenly turned to Timothy, her face losing color, her eyes reddened, crying: "Timothy! Only she can go beg Julian now! All of this must be Julian’s doing! Doesn’t he just want Zoe? Give her to him!"
Timothy didn’t look at his mother, his deep eyes fixed on , his tone full of gritted-teeth bitterness: "Julian Sinclair is despicable and shaless, forcing like this, just wants to give him Madam obediently! But he’s miscalculated; even if I, Timothy Xavier, lose everything, I will never let him succeed!"
Each word was like ice, clearly ant for .
I looked at the obsession and embarrassnt in his eyes, feeling only a mocking sorrow.
Arguing with a patient overwheld by defeat, a complete loser, was aningless.
I said nothing, just gave them both a cold glance and walked straight out of the ward.
Behind , Sophia’s cries echoed far away, "Timothy, please, just admit defeat to Julian! A real man knows when to yield, and besides, Zoe isn’t worth you giving up so much. Just give her to him; he surely won’t continue to push you like this!"
...
Returning to my house, I was thinking as I opened the door, Jenna Sutton agreed to co keep the kids company, so I thought about making her so of her favorite dishes for lunch as a reward.
But after opening the door, the sight of a pair of n’s leather shoes at the entrance made pause.
The scene in the living room left even more stunned.
Julian Sinclair was sitting on the carpet, patiently teaching Doris and Sharon how to play with puzzles.
Sunlight fell on him, and the typically cold and aloof man surprisingly exuded a touch of warmth.
Hearing the noise, he looked up, his gaze calm, his tone naturally saying he belonged here: "Jenna called , saying she had an urgent matter and couldn’t co, so she asked to co look after the kids."
I was speechless for a mont; Jenna’s "assist" was really too thorough, even coming up with such an excuse, clearly creating an opportunity for Julian and I to be alone.
Doris looked up with her small face, calling to : "Mom! Uncle Sinclair is amazing, look, we’ve completed a quarter of it in just a morning!"
Julian stood up, his gaze falling on my slightly stiff face, a faint smile tugging at his lips: "Seeing , surprised that you’re speechless?"
I looked at his teasing and playful manner, the chaotic scene from the box yesterday rushing back into my mind.
Julian dismissed the children, telling them to play in their room.
When the door closed, he reached out to tuck the stray hair behind my ear, rubbing my earlobe, knowingly asking: "Why are your ears so red? What are you thinking of, hmm?"
I quickly stepped back a few paces, avoiding his gaze, not wanting to respond to his teasing.
At this mont, he continued to ask: "I heard Timothy was hospitalized?"
I wearily sat on the sofa, replying with a light ’hmm’.
"Looked after him all night?"
Julian said aningfully: "You seem quite caring, fulfilling your ’Mrs. Xavier’ duties."
I raised my head, sighed in exhaustion, and said: "Attorney Sinclair, I haven’t closed my eyes all night, I’m so tired that I hardly have the strength to speak, I have no mood to accompany your sarcasm. If you’re only here to mock , please leave, I really can’t afford such a burden."
After speaking, I turned to head into the bedroom, just wanting to find a place to sleep well.
After taking just two steps, my wrist was suddenly grasped with so force.
The next second, I was pulled forcefully into his embrace.
Startled, my whole body tensed, looking nervously toward the children’s room, afraid they might suddenly co out.
He tightened his arm, his gaze softening considerably, his voice low and sincere: "I’m sorry, I was just jealous. Seeing you exhausted for another man, I couldn’t control my emotions."
I was stunned.
His straightforward apology left at a loss.
Julian Sinclair raised his hand, gently brushing his fingertip over the dark circles under my eyes, his touch unreasonably tender: "What do you want to eat for lunch? I’ll make it. You should go back to your room and nap for a bit, okay?"
I suddenly rembered in the hospital, Sophia Kendall told to return to Julian Sinclair’s side, to beg him.
Could it be that Timothy Xavier and the others were pushed to a corner, using my relationship with Julian Sinclair against us?
I didn’t want the hard-earned innocence I secured for Julian Sinclair to be wasted.
"Mr. Sinclair, we’ve already broken up. You shouldn’t be at my ho, let alone..."
"Zoe Ellison, do you want to kiss you here?"
Before I could finish my sentence, his tone suddenly turned cold, his gaze carrying a dangerous pressure, "If you ever utter words I dislike again, I will kiss you until you swallow those words back. And it won’t matter where we are. You better think carefully."
His words took aback.
This is the living room, the children could co out at any mont. I was truly afraid he might do sothing outrageous.
I didn’t dare to et his deep eyes, fleeing to the bedroom like an escape.
Behind ca his amused voice, "Well, I’ll go out to buy the ingredients myself then! Have a good rest, I’ll call you when the al is ready."
My footsteps paused, though I didn’t reply, a sense of reassurance and relief filled my heart.
...
anwhile, inside the Kendall family villa.
Sophia Kendall staggered in, her hair disheveled.
When she saw Diana Caldwell weakly lying on the sofa, her legs gave way, and she fell heavily to her knees with a thud, crying mournfully, "Mom, help! You must save us mother and son!"
Diana Caldwell struggled to prop herself up with the sofa armrest to help her, but terminal illness had long drained her body.
Just as she raised her body a bit, her vision darkened, and she fell heavily back, even her breathing becoming rapid.
Byron Kendall saw this, holding his wife’s hand painfully, then turned sharply to Sophia Kendall, sternly reprimanding, "You ungrateful thing, how dare you co back? Get out! Your mother is already so sick, and you still have the nerve to disturb her peaceful rest?"
Before finishing, he quickly walked to the corner, deftly picking up the ho oxygen therapy device.
Carefully adjusting the mask, he gently but swiftly placed it on Diana Caldwell’s face.
Watching the rise and fall of his wife’s chest gradually stabilize, his tense expression slightly eased.
But Diana Caldwell slowly shook her hand, signaling Byron Kendall not to get angry.
The oxygen tube was in her nose as she weakly began, "Byron, don’t... don’t drive her away, listen to what Sophia... has to say."
Sophia Kendall, grabbing at a lifeline, hurriedly kneeled a few steps closer: "Mom, you must stand up for Timothy! For so many years, I have treated you like a real mother, how can you look on and let Julian Sinclair bully Timothy to the point he can’t survive!"
Diana Caldwell’s pupils shrank, her eyes filled with disbelief, she said: "How could it be? Wasn’t the misunderstanding clarified in front of everyone at the Sinclair family banquet? Julian, he... he wouldn’t be so confused!"
"That was all to fool outsiders!"
Sophia Kendall raised her voice, her tone filled with urgency and resentnt, "Julian Sinclair hasn’t let go of Zoe Ellison at all! Now that Zoe Ellison wants to return to Timothy, Julian has gone mad, using any ans to suppress Timothy. Now, even the position of president has been taken by Ethan Xavier!"
At this point, Sophia Kendall wept bitterly: "Katherine Sheldon even ca over to mock personally. Mom, you know how shaless Katherine Sheldon was back in the day; you saw how she stole Mr. Xavier away! She took away my husband, and now she’s bringing her son to bully Timothy. If this continues, I don’t want to live anymore! I want to go with you!"
"Shut up!"
Byron Kendall, unable to endure, interrupted her, pointing at the door and angrily shouting, "You unfilial child! Don’t you see your mother is pale? And you are agitating her with this nonsense! Who knows if what you’re saying is true or false? Get out! If you don’t leave now, I’ll have soone throw you out!"
Diana Caldwell leaned on the sofa, her face pale as paper, her chest heaving with each breath.
She looked at the hysterically crying Sophia Kendall and then at her infuriated husband, her eyes filled with weariness and helplessness.
After a mont of silence, she slowly raised her hand, signaling for them both to be quiet, her voice weak yet firm: "I believe Sophia is telling the truth."
Diana Caldwell’s old tears stread down as she kept saying, "I’m just afraid Julian will follow in my footsteps! He’s so outstanding, so capable, why should he be criticized behind his back like ? I’ve hard him, set a bad example for him!"
Overwheld by emotion, she couldn’t catch her breath, fainting on the spot.
...
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting dappled light and shadow on the floor.
I had a rare, good nap, perhaps because Julian Sinclair’s presence gave a sense of security.
Just then, two voices entered my ears.
"Auntie Ellison, I’m hungry!"
"Mommy, my tummy is rumbling!"
Accompanied by a gentle shake, waking up.
I drowsily opened my eyes, only to see Doris and Sharon’s innocent little faces by the bedside, like two little lambs waiting to be fed.
I reached for the phone by my pillow, seeing the ti on the screen was already two forty.
Recalling what Julian Sinclair had said before I napped, I asked in confusion, "Uncle Sinclair hasn’t co back yet?"
He clearly said he was going out to buy groceries, but now it’s been hours.
The two little girls blinked, shaking their heads in unison, looking bewildered, "No, we haven’t seen Uncle Sinclair co back."
My heart unexpectedly sank.
Julian Sinclair has always been true to his word, never missing a promise without reason, especially not for sothing as simple as grocery shopping.
But the two little girls were obviously very hungry, leaving no ti to think further; I quickly got up and headed to the kitchen.
After serving the last dish on the table, I rembered the phone I hadn’t picked up.
There wasn’t a single missed call on the phone.
This was too unlike Julian Sinclair. If sothing ca up and he couldn’t co back, he would’ve at least called .
So, where could he have gone?
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