Old Mr. Smith spoke similarly to Samuel, “She is just a little girl, and doesn’t know any better; we’re all adults here, let’s not hold it against her.”
One uncle who had just spoken sneered, “Big Brother, you’re being so biased toward the Lewis family? You treat them this way even when they mess up? All these years, you’ve been so taken by the newcomers that you only care for the kids from the Lewis family more than your own grandsons! My sister-in-law only left one son, who died young, and now Holden’s being bullied by you at home!”
Old Mr. Smith felt a bit embarrassed and said, “I’ve given the company to Holden; how could anyone bully him at home?”
“Are you saying the company should go to someone else instead?” the uncle said, clearly annoyed. “Without Holden, how could the Smith family have expanded overseas like this? He created all this wealth.”
At that point, Holden finally got up from the sofa. He coldly glanced at Old Mr. Smith, Samuel, and Reuben, then looked at everyone else.
Holden spoke in a warm tone, “I want to apologize on behalf of my grandfather to all the elders and brothers for today’s events.”
With the Smith Family Group now in Holden’s hands, he was calling the shots, and no one dared to contradict him.
People felt bold enough to demand an explanation from Old Mr. Smith partly because he had stepped back and the one in charge was Holden, who didn’t have such a close relationship with the family.
As soon as Holden spoke, everyone’s attitude softened immediately. “Holden, this has nothing to do with you; why are you apologizing?”
“Yeah, you’re a victim too.”
“Man, the only one in the family who’s got any guts is Holden. No matter what happens, he’s always the one cleaning up the mess.”
“It’s not a big deal, really. The doctor said we’re all fine; you don’t have to worry.”
“…”
Holden continued, “The Smith family has always been strict about our household management. This mix-up happened because the servants didn’t supervise the drinks and food properly. I’m going to fire all the servants and bring in a new, more responsible crew.”
This time, both Old Mr. Smith and Samuel’s faces changed.
Holden had already replaced all the top executives in the company with his own people, but now he wanted to change all the servants in the house too.
That meant everything that happened in the house would be under his watchful eye. From then on, if anything went awry, he’d know about it.
Over the years, Holden hadn’t spent much time with the Smith family.
Thanks to Linda’s harassment and Nicola’s meddling, he didn’t feel particularly close to them.
Nicola had control over everyone in the Smith family mansion, from the butlers to the maids; everyone listened to her.
Even Linda acted like she was at home in the Smith family, with everyone treating her like a spoiled princess.
If new staff came in, they’d definitely see Holden as their boss and wouldn’t be so obedient to her.
Holden turned to Old Mr. Smith and said, “Grandpa, you’re the head of the family; what do you think?”
Faced with so many relatives and friends, Old Mr. Smith felt like there was a heavy stone in his heart.
Holden proposed a solution, and if they didn’t follow his plan, everyone would be dissatisfied, thinking the Smith family was being rude to their guests.
But if they went with his plan, the entire Smith family mansion would essentially become Holden’s alone.
Old Mr. Smith closed his eyes. “You’re right; it was indeed because the servants were slacking off and didn’t supervise properly that this situation arose. We’ll go with your suggestion.”
Samuel and Reuben looked absolutely miserable.
Holden glanced at Linda again: “Miss Linda, since you did this, don’t ever show your face in the Smith family again. I don’t know how your father raised you, but they clearly didn’t teach you well. You can’t escape the blame for that. The Smith family doesn’t need partners like your father.”
Linda’s face turned pale. “I-”
Holden’s solution was much better than Samuel and Old Mr. Smith’s excuses of “She’s just a kid; she doesn’t know any better.”
Everyone let out a sigh of relief, and their moods improved significantly.
Holden had always been popular in social situations, so he had the family doctor prepare some nourishing herbs and checked in on a few of the elders.
Everyone saw how Holden had risen to his current status, and he remained respectful to his elders. Not only did they calm down, but they also turned to comfort Holden.
As for Samuel and Reuben, no one wanted to give them a kind look. They didn’t care what would happen to Linda’s family. After all, their last name was Smith, not Lewis.
Holden had always been a standout among the crowd, and the spotlight was entirely on him today.
Linda, panicking, grabbed Samuel. “Cousin, you need to plead with Holden! If the Smith family stops working with the Lewis family, our family will be done for!”
Samuel pushed Linda away in disgust. “There are so many people here! I can’t afford to offend them! How could you even think of doing that?”
Linda was in tears. Since she had come to the Smith family, everyone had been indulgent and doting toward her. Old Mr. Smith treated her better than he did Holden.
She thought that none of these guests could compete with the Smith family, so they wouldn’t dare to say anything. Plus, she was a sickly girl, so the men wouldn’t reprimand her.
She never expected things would end up like this…
Samuel was fuming; he felt completely humiliated. And the effects of the drug were still lingering, making his anger even more intense. “Do you know how people are going to talk about me after this?”
Old Mr. Smith and Nicola’s age-gap relationship had already been the subject of gossip.
Especially Nicola, who had been the nurse of Grandma Smith, Old Mr. Smith’s first wife. Grandma Smith had died not long before Old Mr. Smith married Nicola, leading many to call Nicola a gold digger and suggest she had an affair with him.
Now, with Nicola’s niece drugging a man, the rumors would only get worse.
With such a mess in the family, where could Samuel and Reuben save face?
Samuel kicked her away in anger. “Get lost! Holden wouldn’t have found anything to use against us if it weren’t for you all giving him these opportunities!”
Linda, scared of facing Nicola, ran home, sobbing.
Just then, Sarah returned, catching sight of Linda running out in tears.
Confused, Sarah pulled a maid aside to ask what was going on. All the maids were about to be fired and replaced because of Linda, and in despair, the maid explained what Linda had done.
Sarah was speechless.
What is a true warrior? This was a true warrior. While others were fighting to slay one big dragon, she was taking on a dozen at once.
Realizing the Smith family was in chaos, and that one small mistake could lead to disaster, Sarah decided to go to Holden’s room to wait for him.
A moment later, Holden walked in. Sarah looked up slightly. He was dressed in a suit, but he had loosened his tie and rolled up his shirt sleeves, giving off a somewhat relaxed vibe.
Sarah sat up and rubbed her eyes. It turned out that Linda’s actions had provided Holden with the perfect opportunity to gain the moral high ground and overhaul the Smith family estate.
Holden was the kind of person who acted decisively. Once he seized an opportunity, he would take control and turn everything into his domain.
Holden still felt the lingering effects of the drug. With all these incidents happening to him, he found it amusing.
He had won a battle but didn’t feel happy about it. His threshold for excitement had always been high. Only when he saw Sarah did he feel a flicker of interest.