Once everyone was settled in the car, Ron started the engine and drove off to the school.
Estelle stayed in the car at the preschool until the teacher led Yohan into the classroom.
Afterward, Ron drove her to work.
****
York hadn’t returned yet.
The news of his going abroad spread rapidly within the company, causing anxiety among the staff.
As Estelle made her way to the CEO’s office, she overheard employees whispering about the situation.
“Did you hear that the payment for the gem project hasn’t been made yet? The supplier is threatening to sue us. Mr. Grantham has fled abroad!”
“Oh, my goodness! Is that true? No wonder Mrs. Grantham has been handling company affairs lately.”
“Ah, Mrs. Grantham doesn’t know anything about the company, and her decisions have been causing chaos. If she takes over, the company will go bankrupt, and we’ll be left with nothing.”
“I’m already sending my resume to look for another job. It’s just a matter of time before this company goes bankrupt.”
“I don’t think the company will go bankrupt. Miss Hudson is very capable. Maybe she can turn things around.”
“Miss Hudson? You mean the former president’s daughter?”
“Yes, that’s her.”
“Well, I’d place more hope on Mr. Grantham’s daughter than on her. After all, Mr. Grantham’s daughter is engaged to Mr. Hans from Hans International Corporation. I’m sure he won’t let his future father-in-law’s company fail. He’ll definitely help us out of this crisis.”
“But the relationship between Mr. Hans and Mr. Grantham’s daughter is not good. I’ve heard some gossip about them. They say that Mr. Grantham’s daughter was Mr. Hans’ mistress before, and Miss Hudson was Mr. Hans’ ex-wife!”
“Oh my goodness! I never saw that coming!”
“It appears that Mr. Hans and Miss Hudson have children together! Yesterday, while passing by the CEO’s office, I overheard Mrs. Grantham and her daughter discussing this. It seems Mr. Hans is hesitant to marry Mr. Grantham’s daughter because of the children. Now, Mrs. Grantham is trying to pressure him into marrying her daughter.”
“Miss Hudson is Mr. Hans’ ex-wife, while Mr. Grantham’s daughter is his fiancée. He might help our company for the sake of either of them.”
“I don’t think so. If he truly wanted to help, why did he withdraw his investment from the company earlier? It’s evident that he doesn’t want to offer any assistance!”
Seeing Estelle passing by, the employees immediately shut their mouths and pretended to concentrate on working with their heads lowered.
Estelle then took the elevator to the CEO’s office.
Gretchen didn’t come to the company today; only Melody was in the office.
“Good morning, Auntie Melody,” Estelle greeted Melody with a fake smile, sat down on the executive chair, and then turned on the computer.
Melody stared at Estelle with her eyes full of hatred and asked, “You are still in touch with Cristofer?”
Estelle ignored her without even raising her head and focused on reading the documents in her hand.
“Do you want to acquire this company?” Melody inquired. “I’m willing to hand over control of the company to you, should you wish. In return, I ask that you cease bothering Cristofer, and in exchange, I will withdraw my competition for the company.”
Upon hearing Estelle’s preposterous words, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “You want me to take charge of the company? How amusing! Let me clarify the situation for you. The company resulted from the merger of the Hudson Group and the Hans Group. I happen to be the only daughter of my late father, so naturally, I’m supposed to inherit the Hudson Group. As for the Hans Group, it belongs to Cristofer. Hence, the company has no connection to you whatsoever. Do you understand?”
Melody countered, “But now, your uncle is the one in charge of the company, and he holds the majority of the shares. Additionally, this company is considered our marital property. Even if he decides to divorce me, I would still be entitled to half of his shares.”
Estelle responded, “Currently, the company carries liabilities worth tens of millions of dollars. If we don’t repay the debt promptly, the late payment penalties will drive the total debt to over one hundred million dollars. So, if you were to divorce Uncle York, you’d not only get half of his shares but also inherit half of his debt. In that case, I should thank you on his behalf.”
“You…”
“Well, there’s no point in discussing this any further, and I have nothing more to say to you. Now, please leave,” Estelle asserted.
Hearing this, Melody’s anger flared, and she snapped back, “Don’t you dare! Remember that you have two children. I might not be able to harm you directly, but I can easily hurt them! Consider your actions carefully.”
“Don’t you dare!” Estelle retorted, her voice firm. “If you even think about hurting my children, I won’t let you get away with it, and neither will Cristofer. Moreover, if you were to do such a thing, Cristofer would break up with Gretchen. So, before you act, think twice about the consequences.”
Melody fell into silence.
Estelle picked up the internal phone with a composed demeanor and dialed, “Security department? Please send some guards to my office to handle an unwanted situation and clean up the trash here.”
Although it was the administration department’s responsibility for such matters, Estelle chose to call the security department, clearly indicating that the “trash” she mentioned was referring to Melody.
“Estelle, I’ll ask you one last time. Do you have to do this to me?” Melody asked angrily.
Estelle lifted her head to meet Melody’s gaze and responded coldly, “What I’ve done is nothing compared to the harm you’ve caused. You’ve taken away my father, Cristofer’s parents, and Mrs. Moorsum. My mother and my two children were almost killed by you as well. Unfortunately for you, even if you die, it won’t be enough to atone for the sins you’ve committed.”
A knock on the door interrupted the tense moment, and several black-clad security guards entered the room.
“Miss Hudson, how can we assist you?” the lead guard inquired.
“Escort her out and ensure she and her daughter don’t enter the company without my permission,” Estelle commanded.
“But Miss Hudson, Mr. Grantham…” The lead security guard seemed hesitant and brought up Mr. Grantham, likely implying that he might object to this decision.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it with him. Just follow my instructions,” Estelle assured them.
The security guard nodded and motioned to Melody, “Mrs. Grantham, please come this way.”
“Have you forgotten who pays your salaries? My husband still runs this company. How dare you treat me like this?” Melody protested in frustration.
With a stern expression, the security guard responded, “Mrs. Grantham, Mr. Grantham specifically called us last night and instructed us to forbid your entry into his office. There are confidential documents and trade secrets here that need protection. It’s best if you leave peacefully. Please don’t make it difficult for us.”