Chapter 390
The other shareholders didn’t care about office politics or who was running the show. All they cared about was profit and who could make them more money.
Emily was unbothered, but someone else wasn’t. It was Lucas. Ever since his big falling out with the Bennett Family, Lucas hadn’t gone back once.
He spent every day regretting how he had treated Emily over the years. He wanted to say sorry, admit he’d been wrong, and make things right. But after Emily snapped at him, he just couldn’t bring himself to face her again.
Still, he never stopped keeping track of what was going on with her. That was how someone like him, who normally didn’t care about anything related to the company, ended up finding out that Andrew was planning to hold a shareholders’ meeting.
Before Emily even had time to react, Lucas had already jumped in and tried to shut it down. He even barged straight into the president’s office.
Word quickly spread in the company’s group chats. Several people overheard Lucas telling Andrew that if he dared to fire Emily as VP, he would hand over all his shares to her with no strings attached and let her take over as president.
He even called out the Sinclair family, saying they were the reason behind all the company’s problems. If anyone should be kicked out, it should be Matthew.
The two Bennett brothers got into a physical fight in the office. If Gale hadn’t rushed over in time after hearing about it, nobody knew how messy it could’ve gotten.
In the end, the shareholders’ meeting got canceled. As far as the Bennett Family was concerned, Lucas had completely lost it. They believed he might hand over his shares to Emily just to prove a point.
Andrew backed down, and that made Lucas feel like he’d helped Emily. That gave him just enough confidence to go see her.
But the second Emily saw him acting like he’d done all this for her, she felt sick to her stomach. She frowned and didn’t bother hiding how annoyed she was. “Mr. Bennett, this whole display of concern just comes off as pitiful.”
Lucas froze. His face went blank. He’d already cut ties with his entire family for her. He had been crashing with Vincent for weeks instead of going back home. And now Emily said he was only trying to feel better about himself.
Lucas couldn’t wrap his head around it. Just moments ago, he was so proud and thought he’d finally done something that helped her. But now, that feeling was completely crushed.
He drove home distracted and disoriented. He nearly caused a couple of accidents on the way. When Vincent saw his state, he became worried and asked, “What happened?”
He already knew Lucas had been fixated on Emily lately. Just one look, and he could tell this was about her. Sure enough, Lucas spoke up in a daze, “Vincent, I stood up to my brother for her. Did I screw it all up?”
Vincent wasn’t sure what exactly had happened, but he knew Lucas had meant well. So he said, “You were trying to help her. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
They’d grown up together, so Lucas could tell Vincent wasn’t being honest. He frowned and grabbed Vincent’s arm, not letting him go. “Vincent, seriously, tell me the truth. Did I mess it up again?”
He was terrified. He’d already spent years getting it wrong. He’d hurt Emily so many times. He was scared he had just blown it again.
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Chapter 390
Vincent looked at him for a while in silence. Then he sighed and said. “Emily owns almost as many shares as your brother The projects she’s leading are bringing in real results.
“Even if Andrew had gone ahead with the shareholders’ meeting, there’s no way they would’ve voted to remove her that easily.”
So basically, Lucas’s big dramatic move didn’t change a thing. Worse yet, he made the Bennett Family, who were already under a lot of scrutiny, look like a complete joke in front of everyone.
Chapter 391
Chapter 391
Lucas was raised by the Bennett family, after all. Even though Vincent didn’t say the last part out loud, Lucas got what he
meant.
It hit him hard, like the strength drained right out of him. He let go of Vincent’s arm. They’d grown up together. And since Lucas was an only child, Vincent had always treated him like a real little brother.
Seeing Lucas like this hurt him, too. He was about to say something to comfort him when Lucas suddenly grabbed his hand again. “Vincent, you said you’d help me find out what happened to Emily during those two years at St. Gabriel. How’s that going?
“What did she go through? I swear I get it now. I messed up. I want to make things right. I want her to forgive me.”
Hearing that, Vincent hesitated. He wasn’t sure how to respond. Originally, Jeremy offered to help him get into St. Gabriel, and said he had to show he was serious about it. So Vincent waited for him to bring up what he wanted in return.
But weeks went by, and Jeremy never mentioned it again, like he completely forgot. Vincent had planned to wait a little longer. But watching Lucas spiral like this, obsessed with finding answers, he finally decided to step up and talk to Jeremy himself.
He figured, worst case, he’d just offer more in exchange. So he told Jeremy he was willing to hand over a few of his current business projects to prove his sincerity.
He asked him to speed things up and take him to St. Gabriel. But Jeremy just burst out laughing. It was not just a chuckle.
It was the kind of full-on, unfiltered laugh one would never expect from someone like him, because Jeremy was always polished, calm, put-together.
Vincent could tell something was off. He couldn’t quite say what, but it didn’t sit right. So he asked, “Mr. Windrose, what’s so funny?”
Jeremy laughed so hard that his eyes were watering. He raised an eyebrow and said, “You think St. Gabriel Reform Academy’s easy to get into? And this is Vincent’s idea of sincerity?”
He paused for a beat and then added, “Do you think the Windrose family is desperate for a few small-time projects?”
Vincent frowned slightly. “If there’s something you want, Mr. Windrose, just say it. I’m open to negotiating.”
Jeremy didn’t answer right away. He looked Vincent over slowly and then said with a faint sigh, “Looks like you still care about your ex-fiancée,”
Vincent’s heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, he shot back, “I’m doing this for Lucas.”
Jeremy smirked. He didn’t care to argue about who Vincent was doing this for. Instead, he leaned toward his assistant and whispered something.
A moment later, the assistant came back with a glass of freshly mixed liquor and set it in front of Vincent. Jeremy nodded at the glass. “If you’re serious, Vincent, why don’t we start with this drink?”
Vincent didn’t say a word. He just stared at the glass, clearly thinking hard, but didn’t touch it. Seeing that, Jeremy laughed again. “Come on, we live in a civilized society. What, are you afraid I spiked it with poison?”
Vincent looked up. His expression stayed cool and composed. “A lot of people know I came here to see you today. Of course, I trust Mr. Windrose wouldn’t do anything that reckless.”
