Henry looked at Grace with pleading eyes, "Mom, you’re already at this age, why are you still chasing after so much? We have plenty of money, houses, and properties. Why can’t you just live peacefully? If... if you’re exposed, how will I ever face people and tell them you’re my mother?"
Grace was stunned, her eyes gradually filling with a sense of sorrow. "Henry, I admit... I’ve done things that betrayed the company, but aside from that, I haven’t done anything immoral."
Henry stared blankly at the mother he had always respected. For a mont, he didn’t know what to say, his eyes filled with disappointnt and pain. The mother who had always taught him to live with integrity was now justifying her actions so confidently after committing such wrongs.
"Mom, promise you won’t make any more mistakes, okay?" Grace, seeing the anguish in Henry’s eyes, softened and tried to comfort him gently.
"I was just afraid that Eric’s thods were too harsh and would leave us with nothing. That’s why... I conspired with Deputy Director Lee to cut corners."
Henry gave a bitter smile but said nothing more. He knew that once Grace had made up her mind, no matter how sincerely he spoke, she wouldn’t change it.
"Mom, rember what you said today. I just hope... you’ll always stay by my side," Henry said, his eyes misty as he recalled Ella’s disdainful and dismissive gaze, causing his heart to ache.
Grace sighed softly, patted Henry’s back, and pulled him into her embrace. Yet, her gaze grew even darker.
After the two scandals, Nelson Group was severely weakened. Grace stayed ho every day, no longer visiting her beauty salon, keeping an extrely low profile.
She was, of course, clever, hiring an army of online influencers to clean up her image, claiming that Deputy Director Lee was under soone’s orders to fra her.
There were also rumors that the story of Grace abusing the little girl had been orchestrated by soone else. The influencers worked hard to portray Grace as a victim, saying that anyone in her position would have reacted the sa way to the girl under those circumstances.
As for the little girl’s whereabouts, no one could find her.
But despite all attempts to clear her na, the stain on Grace’s reputation was indelible.
At ho, Grace had mastered the art of playing the victim, acting heartbroken and sad. In Jas’s eyes, this seed like genuine suffering.
After all, they had been married for decades. No matter how angry Jas had been, his anger gradually faded. One evening, after Grace’s provocations, they finally ended up in bed together, and the resentnt he had bottled up disappeared.
Afterward, Grace cried, her face drenched in tears, sobbing about how Eric had set her up and exposed her, not only ruining her reputation but also causing significant damage to Nelson Group.
Jas’s resentnt toward Eric deepened, and he held Grace tightly around the waist. "I’m sorry, honey. I misunderstood you. I won’t let him succeed. I’ll schedule a secret shareholders’ eting soon and make sure my will leaves everything to Henry!"
Grace was shocked, her eyes flashing briefly with panic. "You shouldn’t do that. If word gets out, people will think you’re heartless and too biased!"
Jas sneered, "He’s not my son. Why should I leave him any shares?"
"But..."
"Don’t worry. I’m by your side. He won’t hurt you anymore." Jas was full of confidence, but the thought of the housewarming scandal still weighed on him.
Grace continued to sob softly, but the corners of her lips curled into a cold smile that Jas couldn’t see.
Jas gently patted her back to comfort her. "Don’t cry. I know now that I wronged you before..."
Grace’s smile deepened.
Eric, you think you can fight ? You’re still too inexperienced!
No matter how much my reputation suffers, I’ll rise again. And as for you, you’ll only make Jas despise you more and more!
Ti quietly passed.
Ella had recently noticed that Rachel was no longer around to annoy her, and Leah had also stopped flaunting herself. It was as if all those troubleso people had suddenly disappeared overnight.
Perhaps the falling out with Connor had caused the collapse of their alliance, and now they had to co up with a new plan?
Ella enjoyed several peaceful days, but on this particular day, she was feeling bored. Since Eric was away on a business trip abroad, she decided to go shopping with Lauren and Chloe.
After browsing through stores for a while, Chloe and Lauren walked away with a lot of new items, while Ella only bought a silk dress and nothing else.
In a nearby drink shop at the fashion square, Ella reserved a private room and discussed the direction of the company with Chloe.
There had been so much going on recently that the company they had been planning to start had yet to get off the ground. After Eric’s injury, most of their energy had been focused on the real mastermind behind the attacks, and since finding the right location required Eric’s connections, everything had been delayed.
"Chloe, do you think our company’s clothing line should lean towards more mature styles, or should we go for sothing more cute and youthful?" Ella asked as she opened a bottle of juice. She only drank from sealed bottles in public, so no one could tamper with them.
Chloe, resting her chin in her hand, looked a little troubled. "I’m not sure. You know I’m only good at eating, drinking, and having fun. When it cos to company strategy, I don’t really have any useful opinions. I can invest two million, but the rest is up to you."
Lauren, sitting nearby, looked at them with wide eyes, practically drooling. "Chloe, Ella, you two are seriously rich! Why don’t you just sponsor ?"
Ella laughed. "Oh, stop being so silly."
"I’m serious! If you’re serious about starting this company, I might have a good candidate for you. He’s my neighbor, though he left the village a year ago to work. He dropped out of college in his second year. His family is poor, but he’s really talented—he even won an erging designer award in the country. But his family didn’t understand, and his relatives mocked him, saying that as a man, designing won’s clothes was a disgrace."
Ella and Chloe exchanged glances, sympathy flickering in their eyes. "In this day and age, can you believe people are still so backward? Why shouldn’t n design won’s clothing?"
Lauren nodded. "I tried comforting him, but he couldn’t bear the constant ridicule. His friends, anwhile, were excelling in electronic technology and doing great before even graduating from college. That made him feel insecure, so he followed one of his friends down south."
Ella sighed. "What’s his na?"
"His na is Benjamin Martinez. He’s also one of our seniors—he went to Egerton University!"
Ella paused for a mont, recalling sothing from her previous life. Though she hadn’t attended Egerton University, she distinctly rembered reading a news article about him back then!
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