The meeting, which had required Kenneth to ramble on to get started earlier, now proceeded in an orderly manner, with reports flowing smoothly.
The shareholders who had previously promised to side with Kenneth now kept their heads down, remaining silent, as if afraid Conrad would hold them accountable.
The meeting ended in a tense and cold atmosphere after three long hours. Every objection raised by Kenneth’s side was rejected without exception, and Conrad even stripped several of Kenneth’s loyalists of their management authority.
What had long been known as a feud between the Brown family father and son was now openly displayed for all to see. It was unclear, however, what had led to such open conflict.
After the meeting room cleared, Kenneth slammed the table and said, “You played your cards well, trapping me here.”
Conrad, not backing down, coolly puffed on his cigar, blowing out a smoke ring, “If you think you can elevate that useless pawn and take over what I’ve built, you’d better see if that pawn even has what it takes. With one foot in the grave, wouldn’t it be better to take your money and enjoy life with women? Why stir up trouble? Do you really think you’re still the Kenneth of old?”
Conrad moved closer, his face eerily similar to Kenneth’s, but the hatred in both their eyes was unmistakable.
“Your era is over. In City N, it’s Conrad’s city now, under my name.”
With that, Conrad stood up, kicked his chair aside, and stormed out with his entourage, leaving Kenneth fuming.
Kenneth clutched his chest in anger and threw a coffee cup at Conrad, shouting, “Bastard! I should have strangled that bastard at birth!”
After stabilizing the company, Conrad’s expression darkened as he got into the car.
Taking the bottle of medicine Andrew handed him, he swallowed a pill and closed his eyes to rest.
“Sir, should we return to the hospital?”
“Yes.”
Lillian was still in the hospital, and there was also her grandmother’s funeral to arrange. He couldn’t afford to collapse; there was still so much to handle. He had to ensure the funeral was conducted grandly.
When they returned to the hospital, Lillian was awake, though she lay with her eyes open, seemingly unaware of her surroundings.
“Lillian, have a little something to eat?” Melissa tried to feed her, but Lillian wouldn’t open her mouth.
It was as if Lillian couldn’t hear anything.
Melissa sighed, then noticed Conrad had arrived.
Setting the bowl down, Conrad asked, “She still won’t eat?”
Melissa shook her head. “No matter what I say, she just stares at the ceiling.”
When George called her, Melissa was shocked, and by the time she finally reached the hospital, she barely recognized Lillian.
In such a short time, it was as if all the life had been drained out of her.
With her grandmother gone, Lillian seemed to have lost half her soul. Melissa didn’t know how to comfort her.
Conrad picked up the untouched food, looked at Lillian, and said, “I understand how you feel, but you’re your grandmother’s only family. Don’t you plan to help with her funeral? Who else are you going to leave it to?”
Upon hearing this, Lillian’s eyelids finally twitched.
Seeing her response, Conrad offered the food, “Eat a little, okay?”
Suddenly, Lillian sat up, grabbed the bowl from him, and started shoveling food into her mouth.
She ate mechanically, swallowing without pause.
“Eat slower.”
It was as if Lillian couldn’t hear Conrad anymore. Whatever he offered, she ate, like a puppet.
Conrad looked at her in this state, feeling a knot of frustration in his chest that neither rose nor subsided.
“I’m planning to hold Grandmother’s funeral at City N, inviting all the notable figures of City N.”
Lillian paused her chewing and shook her head. “They’re coming for you, not for Grandma. Don’t disturb her peace.”
Her words carried such coldness that the atmosphere around them froze.
Melissa quickly tried to smooth things over. “Yes, Grandma was from Boyd Town. Why not hold the funeral there?”
Lillian muttered, “Grandma said she wanted to be buried in Fragrant Hills Cemetery after her death, where she could face Boyd Town. She grew up there, and she wants to return to her roots in the end.”
City N had never been her home.
Conrad softened his tone. “Then we’ll hold the funeral in Boyd Town.”
Lillian continued eating, but tears started falling uncontrollably, like a string of beads breaking.
Melissa’s heart ached as she watched. “Lillian, let it out if you want to cry. Don’t keep it bottled up.”
Lillian didn’t wail; she just shed tears quietly, one after another, which made Conrad feel as though an iron grip was squeezing his chest, making it hard to breathe. His abdominal wound began to ache faintly again.
When Lillian finally fell asleep, Conrad still had a pile of urgent matters to attend to.
“Have people gone to clean the old house in Boyd Town?”
“They have. We hired some locals who know the customs there better.”
Conrad instructed Ford, “Make sure everything is perfect. Find a few respected elders to oversee the arrangements.”
With Lillian’s grandmother gone, he needed to hold the family together for her. No one should be allowed to take advantage of her.
“Alright. Frank is still downstairs at the hospital. Should we have him come up?”
“No need.”
Frank was too dangerous. If he deceived Lillian while she was vulnerable, it would be trouble.
When Gordon arrived, Conrad was still standing outside the hospital room.
“How’s the funeral arrangement coming along?”
“We’ll transport her to Boyd Town soon.”
“Good. Let me know if you need any help.”
Gordon had plenty to say, but with Grandma Kristin gone, complaints were useless now. At least until the funeral was over, letting Lillian rest and recover was the priority.
Andrew approached, but Conrad cut him off. “Don’t follow me anymore.”
Andrew froze. “Sir!”
He had followed Conrad through life and death. If Conrad didn’t want him, staying with the Brown family would be worse than dying.
Conrad was furious just looking at him. “You know what you did wrong!”
“I don’t regret it!” Andrew retorted. “If I had to do it all over again, I would still make the same choice. No one’s life is more important than yours, even if it’s my own family!”
Conrad had been poisoned and barely survived. How could Andrew let Lillian contact people back home?
People outside were already targeting Lillian. She had long been unsafe.
But back then, no one could reach the people at home, and Grandma Kristin didn’t make it.
This series of unfortunate events was the worst-case scenario Andrew hadn’t wanted to consider. But it had happened.
Melissa heard the commotion and stepped out, closing the door behind her. “If you two want to argue, can you do it somewhere else? She just fell asleep.”
“You don’t need to make your people leave either. This isn’t what Lillian wants. What she wanted, she’s already completely lost.” Melissa spoke emotionlessly and went to the balcony to calm down.
After a while, someone stood beside her. Melissa didn’t even look up.
“Why didn’t you answer the phone?”
Melissa sneered, “If I had answered your call, what should I have said?”
Melissa added, “Dr. George, what are you and Conrad trying to pull? What are you people doing? Can you stop dragging my friends into this? Stop involving innocent elderly people?”