Arriving at the meeting room early, Bruno took his seat, brimming with anticipation for the Henley family relatives to arrive.
The thought of revealing Sophia’s situation once the meeting began had Bruno impatient with anticipation.
Ten minutes before half past nine, the relatives occupying key positions within the Henley Group had mostly arrived, including the matriarch Teresa.
However, the central figures, Sophia and her wasteful man, were yet to make an appearance.
Teresa settled into her main seat and scanned the room, inquiring, “Where’s Sophia? Hasn’t she arrived yet?”
Fanny responded casually, “Maybe she’s still in bed with some other guy and hasn’t woken up.”
Fanny emphasized the words “other guy.”
Her statement immediately drew discontented glances from the relatives present.
“Fanny, you can’t speak recklessly, especially about matters like this. It’s not a joking matter.”
“How old are you? Can’t you speak with any sense of propriety?”
The values of the Henley family were more conservative, especially for matriarch Teresa, who greatly valued morality and ethics. If anyone dared to touch this red line, she would not tolerate it.
As Teresa’s granddaughter, Fanny knew all of this. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t say such things, but today was different. Yesterday night, Philip had slept with Sophia.
Hearing the disapproval from the relatives, Fanny retorted, “I wouldn’t make up something like this. If you don’t believe me, ask Sophia when she comes.”
The meeting room fell momentarily silent, and expressions of incredulity appeared on everyone’s faces.
If Fanny’s claim was true…
Unimaginable-it was utterly unimaginable.
Teresa’s previously pleasant mood darkened at once. “Fanny, what’s going on?”
Fanny looked at Bruno and said, “Grandma, Bruno knows about this matter too. He’s more informed.”
Fanny shifted everyone’s attention to Bruno.
Teresa’s old eyes locked onto Bruno. She asked in a deep voice, “Bruno, is what Fanny just said true or false?”
You’re not afraid of god-like opponents, but you’re afraid of teammates who act stupid. Fanny’s impetuousness was not fit for major situations.
Initially, Bruno intended to wait until Sophia arrived before revealing this matter. That way, it would have the maximum impact.
Bruno considered his response carefully before speaking slowly, “Grandma, it’s like this. There was an issue with the import channels for the cosmetics company Sophia manages. I helped her investigate and found that a guy named Philip was behind it. So, I arranged for a meeting between Sophia and Philip to negotiate.”
“From what I know, Philip and Sophia agreed to meet at a countryside inn in Clearwater Bay, just outside the city. They spent last night there.” Bruno stopped here.
Since the Henley family started as an agency, everyone there knew of Philip’s background. Philip was essentially a thug who knew both sides of the law and had his fingers in some of Langstel’s import business. If Sophia spent a night with him and didn’t return home, it was easy to imagine what happened.
Listening to Bruno’s words, the relatives of the Henley family initially exchanged uncertain glances, which quickly transformed into anger.
If Sophia had truly done that with Philip, even if the Henley family advanced to become a top-tier family, they would likely become the subject of ridicule.
“Bruno, you shouldn’t speculate about something like this recklessly.”
“Exactly, if news of this spreads, what reputation will our Henleys have left?”
“We should avoid baseless speculation. Once Sophia arrives, everything will become clear.”
Although the relatives seemed to be defending Sophia, their true intention was to remind Teresa that if Sophia really had done such a thing, they couldn’t tolerate her staying within the Henley family.
Teresa’s expression grew darker as she stared at Bruno and asked, “Bruno, how do you know about Sophia spending the night at that farmhouse?”
“Grandmother, I know through an acquaintance of Philip’s underling. He said Sophia and Philip had dinner together and then went into a room together at the inn. They didn’t come out again after that.”
Bruno’s words ignited Teresa’s anger. She slammed her hand on the table, saying furiously, “If Sophia has really done something with Philip, I’ll definitely punish her according to family law!”
Bruno’s matter-of-fact statement left the Henley family relatives convinced that Sophia had indeed done something that brought shame upon the family’s name.
“Well, I didn’t expect this. For the sake of fixing her cosmetics company’s import channels, Sophia actually resorted to such methods to please Philip. It’s truly disappointing.”
“I’ve said it before-when you spend too much time with trash, you become trash yourself. Look at this: she’s brought a wasteful member into the Henley family, and now she’s done something so disgraceful with someone like Philip.”
“We need to find a way to stop this. If Philip spreads this news, the Henley family will truly become the laughingstock of Langstel.”
The conversations among the crowd fueled Teresa’s anger even further, and she couldn’t help but cough.
Bruno and Fanny quickly pretended to console the old lady.
At that moment, Sophia entered the room, but Leo was absent.
Upon entering the meeting room, Sophia apologized, “Grandma, there was a traffic accident on the way here, causing a traffic jam. I arrived late.”
“A traffic jam? That’s a convenient excuse. I thought someone was cozying up in bed and forgot about today’s family meeting.” Fanny’s tone was filled with mockery and sarcasm.
“Fanny, what do you mean by that?” Sophia’s anger flared as she looked at Fanny.
Fanny gave her a strange look and responded in a sardonic tone, “I don’t mean anything; I just find it disgusting when women degrade themselves by cheating on her husband. You know, it’s sickening.”
This time, Sophia’s expression changed completely.
It seemed that Fanny also knew about what was planned last night. If Leo wasn’t there, her reputation would be completely destroyed. Then, during today’s family meeting, she’d become Bruno and Fanny’s target.
Thinking of all this, Sophia felt a mix of regret and anger.
“Fanny, did you have a hearty meal of excrement this morning? Why are you speaking so disgustingly?”
Fanny abruptly stood up from her chair and pointed at Sophia, saying, “Sophia, I’ve hit a nerve, haven’t I? You can’t even admit the disgusting things you’ve done! Well, let me ask you, have you resolved the issue with your company’s imported cosmetics channel?”