“Grandma is being too unreasonable. How can she stand by in such matters?” Leo complained.
“Leo, what should we do now? If we don’t have enough funds to fight back, Patrick might use the shares to gain control of Sophia’s cosmetics company,” Sophia worriedly said.
Leo smiled calmly and reassured, “Sophia, don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
These simple words instantly calmed Sophia’s nerves. With all the surprises and miracles Leo had brought her lately, hope began to blossom in her heart.
“Leo, do you have a plan?” Sophia asked with hope in her voice.
“There’s always a way when there’s a will. I remember tomorrow is the family meeting day, right? Let’s go together, talk to Grandma and the others. What do you think?” Leo suggested.
Sophia knew very well that even if she presented her company’s current predicament on the table at the family meeting, it wouldn’t be of much use. But since Leo proposed it, she believed he must have some ideas, so she nodded in agreement.
On the way back home, Leo asked Sophia to close her eyes and take a short rest, not to get too anxious. After reaching Cloud Dream Mountain and their villa, Leo woke up the sleeping Sophia.
Leo looked to the side. The Audi A8 parked beside them was typically used by Jessica and Martin. But today, the car was not only covered in dirt but also had a dented right headlight, indicating a collision or a rear-end accident.
Leo was perplexed because Jessica and Martin were quite diligent in taking care of the Audi A8. Martin personally washed the car every day, even if there was just a small scratch, he would be heartbroken.
This unusual state of the car today didn’t bode well.
In the villa’s living room.
“Ethan, don’t just play games all day. Think about things properly. Your cousin and her husband will be back soon,” a middle-aged man, lean and unamused, chided his son, who was engrossed in a mobile game.
Ethan Gunter was dressed in a hip-hop style, lost in the small screen of his phone, enjoying a game. He didn’t care at all about what his father said, casually replying, “Dad, don’t worry about this. Aunt Jessica lives in the most luxurious Cloud Dream Mountain villa in Langstel. A little damaged Audi A8 is nothing to them.”
Seated next to Ethan was a middle-aged woman with heavy makeup. She rolled her eyes and sneered, “Alex, when did you become so timid? Ethan only damaged a car headlight; it’s not a big deal.”
Alex Gunter glanced at Jessica and Martin, who were sitting nearby, displeased, and said, “Paige, stay out of this. Ethan made a mistake; we should take it seriously.”
“Never mind, Ethan didn’t do it on purpose. Sophia won’t mind this,” Martin tried to defuse the situation.
Jessica also followed up with a couple of forced smiles. Although she did feel sorry for the damaged Audi A8, Ethan was still her brother and her nephew. She couldn’t ask them to pay for it.
Ethan, having lost this round of game, cursed in frustration. He put his phone down, cracked his neck, and then adopted a sarcastic tone, saying, “Mom, I can’t believe that Sophia is still keeping that freeloader around. If I were Sophia, I would’ve kicked that deadbeat to kingdom come.”
Paige’s eyes flickered a few times, and she looked at Jessica and Martin, saying, “Jessica, Martin, Ethan has graduated from college for over a year and is always hanging around the house playing games. How about you talk to Sophia when she’s back and have Ethan work at her company to gain some work experience? What do you think?”
Jessica and Martin exchanged knowing glances, both wearing expressions that said they weren’t here just for a family visit.
Jessica regretted inviting them to visit in the first place. If she had known, she wouldn’t have done it.
Just after arriving, they were already planning to use the excuse of work to have their son stay at the Cloud Dream Mountain villa.
Jessica was starting to regret her decision to invite them over for a visit. As they say, it’s easy to invite guests but challenging to send them away, especially after showing off in front of her younger brother.
Seeing Jessica’s silence, Paige quickly became bolder, “Jessica, does that mean you agree?”
Jessica could only respond, “I can’t make that decision. You can ask Sophia when she returns.”
Paige feigned surprise, “Really, Jessica? I heard from Alex that you call the shots at home, whether it’s big or small.”
Jessica wore an awkward expression on her face, “Well, even though that might be the case, Sophia manages the company, and Ethan’s job situation needs to be discussed with her.”
Paige seemed to understand, “I see. No need to rush this matter. Since we’re planning to stay in Langstel for a while, there’s time to consider it.”
She then glanced at Nora, who was cleaning the house, and continued, “I noticed you have a maid here. How about this proposal: I’ll work as your housekeeper, and then Ethan and his father can work at Sophia’s company.”
“We’re all family, as the saying goes, charity begins at home. Rest assured, Ethan and his father will work diligently in Sophia’s company. No need for high salaries, an annual bonus of around a hundred thousand at year-end will do.”
The saying goes, “People have no shame, and even ghosts fear them.” Even someone as feisty as Jessica didn’t know what to say at this moment. Keith’s family came to borrow money, and now her another brother’s family wanted jobs. What kind of karma did she accumulate in her past life to have such eccentric relatives?
Alex wholeheartedly supported his wife’s proposal, “Jessica, Paige is right. This way, we can live together! And in a while, we can bring our parents here, and we’ll all be living together. It’s just wonderful.”
Alex’s words almost made Jessica cough up blood.
“First have fun and take your time in Langstel. We need to discuss what you just mentioned more seriously,” Jessica said, trying to put it off.
Just then, the villa’s front gate was pushed open, and Leo and Sophia walked in together. When they saw the scene in the living room, they were dumbfounded.