Everyone knew why Joaquin had summoned them; it was exactly what each of them had been eagerly longing for.
“I haven’t discussed the shares until now. I know you’ve all been anxious and unsettled,” Joaquin said, scanning the expectant faces before him. He found it amusing; he had wanted to give the shares to his youngest son, who, ironically, showed no interest in them, while those he had never considered were eagerly waiting.
His sons wore insincere smiles.
“Dad, you’re still robust. We can talk about the shares later.”
“Really? If I were to delay, you’d all be anxious to death. I’m getting old, not sure how much longer I’ll live. Since everyone is here today, I might as well settle the matter.”
Joaquin knew well what these treacherous hearts desired; they probably wished he would die soon to divide his will.
“Cough, cough.”
A severe cough echoed from nearby. Aurora looked toward the sound and saw an elderly woman with white hair.
This must be Joaquin’s first wife, looking even older than him, her face covered with dense wrinkles and her body bent severely.
Aurora had never heard anyone mention her and assumed she was long gone, yet here she was, very much alive.
Julian, well aware of her presence, did not even glance at her. She had been the one who tormented Julian’s mother the most.
Aurora just glanced at her and noticed the old woman was also looking at her. She had thought most elderly were kind-hearted.
Even someone as fierce-looking as Joaquin was tender at heart, but seeing this old lady, her eyes shot a venomous glare at her.
Such a vicious look! It was as if a venomous snake was fixing its gaze on her.
Hatred is relative. Julian hated her, and she hated Julian even more, a thousandfold. As the legitimate wife, she never received Joaquin’s love throughout her life.
Yet Julian’s mother easily obtained what she had always desired, even bearing Julian, a child who would compete with her own descendants.
Even though Julian’s mother had been dead for many years, her resentment never faded. Now that Julian had brought Aurora back, naturally, Aurora became her new object of dislike.
Aurora could understand this hatred; such matters were never easily explained.
“Since it’s a family meeting, why didn’t anyone call me?”
Aurora wondered if it was her imagination, but the voice sounded ominously gloomy, like a wicked witch in a fairy tale.
“What are you doing here?”
Joaquin’s temper flared upon seeing her. Although they lived under the same roof, they had seldom seen each other lately, as Joaquin mostly stayed abroad.
“I am your lawful wife, shouldn’t I be here?”
“Mom, come, don’t be upset, please sit down,” Mary hurried forward to support her.
“Enough, Dad. We’re all family, why must it be so awkward?”
Joaquin blamed his first wife for the death of Julian’s mother, believing she had tormented Julian’s mother whenever he was away.
Julian’s mother, stubborn by nature, never shared these grievances, leaving Joaquin to find out too late.
From that day, his hatred for his first wife deepened over time, not diminishing but growing stronger.
In these years, his neglect had accelerated her aging; originally younger than him, she now looked like a woman in her nineties.
Everyone harbored a grudge that kept the whole family in a vicious cycle.
“Alright, now that I hold fifty-four percent of the shares, I’ve thought it over and made my decision. Each of my two sons will receive ten percent of the shares. Since I’ve handed the company over to Hayden, he needs a decisive share in the board. Hayden is a good kid; he has been excellent over the years, so I plan to transfer twenty-four percent of the shares to him.”
This accounted for forty-four percent of the shares, an outcome that seemed unexpected. Who then was the remaining ten percent intended for? Could it be Julian?
Even if he gave the shares to Julian, Hayden would still have more. Nevertheless, it irked him. He didn’t want Julian to receive any shares at all. Clearly, things were beyond his control, but he was content with the situation, at least within the Alvarez family where he had absolute control.
“Thank you, Grandpa,” Hayden respectfully thanked him, easing some of the unrest in Susan’s heart. Thinking about Julian having fewer shares than Hayden swept away her previous gloom, and she glanced triumphantly at Aurora, her eyes clearly carrying a victor’s attitude.
However, Aurora, knowing the full story, showed no reaction. If the others knew Joaquin’s true intentions, they would probably be furious.
“Dad, what about the remaining ten percent of the shares?”
His eldest son, unable to contain himself, also had a child, albeit an underachiever, but still Joaquin’s grandson. He couldn’t just favor Hayden’s family.
Clearly meant for Julian, he still asked somewhat hopefully.
“You all are concerned about the last ten percent of the shares, well then, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. The ten percent is for Aurora.”
This statement dropped jaws all around.
Even Julian, who had been disinterested, was surprised by this unexpected turn.
“Dad, are you joking?”
“What, ten percent of the shares to Aurora? Grandpa, have you gone mad?”
Susan was the most agitated, standing up from her seat immediately.
“Susan!”
Hayden quickly pulled at Susan, her words too offensive towards Joaquin.
As expected, Joaquin glared coldly at her, causing Susan to shiver, yet she stood her ground, boldly saying, “Grandpa, I just married Hayden and I don’t have a single share, yet Aurora gets ten percent. You even gave her the Alvarez family heirloom, and now the shares too? This hardly seems fair. Not to mention whether she will continue to be with Uncle Julian, she’s not even a member of the Alvarez family. Whereas I am married to Hayden. Grandpa, this favoritism isn’t right. If word gets out, what will people think?”
Susan had always despised Aurora-anyone could be better than her, except Aurora.
She had already felt humiliated bowing to her at the wedding, and now Aurora even had more shares than her-none, to be precise. Joaquin hadn’t disliked Aurora before, so why give her ten percent now?
“Indeed, Susan is right, Dad, this hardly seems appropriate. Susan just married Hayden, and this doesn’t help explain things to the Simmons family either,” Mary quickly chimed in, fearing that Joaquin might actually end up giving the shares to Aurora.
She had been a daughter-in-law for years without receiving any shares, and she was not about to let Aurora have any either.