“Conrad.”
Conrad grasped Grandma Kristin’s hand. “Grandma, I’m here.”
“I know your identity is not simple, and I know you’re not just Lillian’s boss. Over the years, have you been by her side?”
Conrad admitted, “Yes.”
Grandma Kristin nodded. “I thought so.”
Her cloudy eyes suddenly sharpened. “Conrad, Lillian is not anyone’s plaything. She is my treasure. I can’t be there to watch over her… to see her start a family. Please promise me, if one day she wants to leave, you must let her go.”
Conrad hesitated, not answering right away. “That day will never come.”
Grandma Kristin frowned, wanting to say more, but her gaze lingered longingly toward the operating room door.
It was in her final moments, holding on to the last bit of love, that kept her from closing her eyes.
Conrad softly said, “I promise you. I will treat her well and never like before.”
Grandma Kristin just smiled faintly, and as if she could no longer hold on, she slowly closed her eyes.
Conrad held her hand, watching as her breathing ceased and the machines went silent. Only then did he softly call, “Grandma!”
The light above the operating room finally stopped.
Hogan looked at the light, his mouth opening but saying nothing.
Conrad emerged from the operating room. Lillian was already curled up into a ball.
He knelt beside her and gently said, “Grandma… She’s gone.”
At that, Lillian’s back seemed to collapse entirely.
In the next moment, the tension in her body snapped, and she blacked out, collapsing to the ground.
“Lillian!”
“Lillian!”
Several men called out in unison.
******
Meanwhile, Helen paused while arranging flowers, accidentally snapping a freshly trimmed branch in half.
A sense of foreboding filled her heart.
“John, do you think this will work? Mom’s been in the hospital for so long. If we keep ignoring it, are you sure it’s okay?”
John was playing on his phone, having made plans to play games with some friends that evening.
“Why wouldn’t it work? That old hag was just leaning on Lillian and Conrad, wasn’t she? Now that those two are out of the picture, we’re her children. If she wants to keep living, she’ll have to rely on us, won’t she?”
John added, “You’re too soft. How do you expect to accomplish anything big like that? Are you just going to ignore all the negative posts online about you? That old hag has always favored Lillian, and now she’s still thinking about giving that piece of land to her while her own son is struggling to make ends meet.”
John paused for a moment and then continued, “Lillian doesn’t need that land, does she? With Conrad around, she can just sweet-talk him in bed and wipe out our family’s debt. And Sophia is her granddaughter too, but do you see the old hag doting on her as much?”
Helen indeed felt a surge of anger at this.
Seeing her silence, John added, “You just need to hold on a bit longer. Once the old lady realizes she has no other choice and still wants to see Lillian, she’ll agree to our demands. Let’s see how long she can hold out.”
“Where have Lillian and Conrad gone? How can you be so sure they won’t show up?”
John chuckled, “Don’t worry. I bet they won’t. This time, we can finally settle the score with the Brown Family Group! Just wait and see. At the upcoming shareholders’ meeting of the Brown Family Group, they’ll have a new CEO.”
Helen frowned. “How do you know so much about what’s going on behind the scenes?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t lead you astray. Just wait and see.”
John was feeling smug, already picturing the smooth sailing ahead. It was as if the dark cloud hanging over him had lifted. He just needed to wait for the official statement from the Brown Family Group today.
At that moment, the Brown Family Group’s board meeting was indeed underway.
Kenneth sat upright in his chair, having not attended for a long time, and took Conrad’s usual seat.
The unusual atmosphere at today’s shareholders’ meeting had the minor shareholders keenly observing the situation.
Without waiting for Conrad’s arrival, Kenneth directly announced that the meeting would proceed.
“Mr. Kenneth, Mr. Conrad hasn’t arrived. Why are we holding the board meeting?”
“Conrad has been negligent, missing two board meetings for unknown reasons. The company’s operations don’t depend solely on him. We owe our employees, shareholders, and investors a proper explanation. Let’s start the meeting without further delay. It won’t have any impact.”
As Kenneth finished, the secretary beside him spoke up immediately, “This meeting will adopt the latest proposal, rendering the previous one void. It’s aimed at adjusting this year’s corporate policies, including the three proposals from the first half of the year. Other concerns of the shareholders will be addressed after the management reshuffle.”
“Management reshuffle? What does this mean?” Someone raised an objection.
Ever since Conrad took over the Brown Family Group, the company’s performance and achievements, which solidified its dominance in City N, were evident to all.
Calling Conrad a golden goose that laid eggs wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Every decision he made was beneficial.
Compared to Kenneth’s time in power, Conrad’s tenure was a hundred times more effective.
Besides, Kenneth hadn’t been involved in the company’s affairs for years. Over the years, the company had gone through several rounds of personnel changes, and Kenneth’s people were mostly just collecting dividends without any real power.
The current leadership at Brown Family Group consisted of Conrad’s trusted appointees.
“Yes, the list of management changes has been sent to everyone.”
Several people exchanged glances, opened the list, and indeed saw their names on it.
“Mr. Kenneth, is this your personal decision? Sorry, but I will wait for Mr. Conrad to return.”
“You need Conrad’s approval to be fired?” Kenneth found it amusing. “Effective immediately, the Brown Family Group will welcome a new acting CEO. I will now announce his name.”
The conference room door suddenly swung open.
Kenneth was just about to announce, “Conrad…” but before he could finish, someone had already reacted.
They stood up excitedly, “Hi, Mr. Conrad.”
Conrad, dressed in a black suit with a devilishly handsome face, locked eyes with Kenneth’s astonished gaze. The black wolf tattoo on his neck highlighted his identity.
Conrad ignored the surprised looks from those who saw him return.
Wherever he went, the shareholders, who had been sitting complacently, immediately stood up in unison, as if they were in the presence of a true leader.
Absolute submission didn’t require bluster; a mere glance was enough to make the other party understand they were utterly defeated.
Kenneth trembled, his lips quivering, unable to believe how Conrad had managed to come here. He looked healthy, with no signs of any issues.
Wasn’t he supposed to be poisoned?!
And he had disappeared for so many days!
Could it have been a ruse to deceive him?!
Conrad approached, and Ford immediately handed him the proposal on the table.
Conrad glanced at Kenneth, opened the proposal, skimmed through it, and then casually closed it before tossing it into the trash bin behind him without a second look.
Kenneth squinted, “What do you mean by that?”
“Trash belongs in the trash bin. Any problem with that?”
With the Brown father and son arguing, no one below dared to speak.
“Throwing it away won’t help. The official documents have been issued; the decision is final,” Kenneth said, but Conrad leaned on the table, looking down at him.
Kenneth looked at his tall and handsome son, realizing that at some point, Conrad had grown into someone formidable, beyond his control.
“Didn’t anyone tell you that without my order, nothing is official?” Conrad sneered, “I’d like to know who dared to impersonate the CEO’s office and issue such nonsense.”
Kenneth took a deep breath, guessing that his people had been blocked. He gritted his teeth, “As the CEO, you’ve repeatedly missed the shareholders’ meetings. I now remove you from your position. Any problem with that?”
“A shareholders’ meeting without the CEO isn’t legitimate. I don’t attend meetings I didn’t convene. Any problem with that?”
After Conrad finished speaking, Ford immediately brought another chair. Conrad sat down and declared, “The meeting starts now.”