Veronica would be moved upon hearing Ornard’s words in the past. She was also very confident that Ornard would genuinely treat her well.
However, she did not whole-heartedly trust Ornard ever since Paisley came into the picture.
There was no way that Veronica could compete with a young and beautiful lady in terms of appearance and body figure. She was over fifty years old after all.
How was it possible for Ormard to go through thick and thin with Veronica as promised?
There was nothing between him and Veronica apart from an oath.
What was the use of a mere promise? How could Veronica gain control towards Ornard if he decided to turn back his words after he had achieved his ultimate goal?
This was the first time that Veronica felt threatened in such a manner. She needed a backup plan as she could no longer blindly trust Ornard.
Veronica looked at him and said, “I am no longer hoping to be the future Mrs. Laban. I shall be demanding a bulletproof future from you to prevent me from having nothing when I gradually turn old!”
“What do you want then?” Ornard asked.
“The shares of the company! I want half of the Laban family’s company shares.”
Fifty percent of the Laban family’s company shares was not a small amount. Ornard hesitated and asked, “Veronica, don’t you believe in me?”
“I would want to have faith in you, but there is nothing that convinces me to wholeheartedly believe in you. I am well aware of the things that you have done in the past twenty years. I have been pretending to be a loyal wife despite having no feelings towards Callum. What about you then? Since when did you cut ties with the women lingering around you?”
“Veronica, I was merely putting on a show!”
“I know. I have no doubt that you are just putting on a glamorous performance. Why didn’t Callum bother to become a great actor as you are both men? Why is he still so loyal towards Emily even to this day?”
Veronica mocked herself and said, “I used to think that I was the problem but I now know that it is not true at all. I have wasted my time and I am gradually aging. I am infertile and I am also unable to keep you by my side… Ornard! It would not be appropriate to leave me with nothing when I would be all alone in the future, wouldn’t it?”
Ornard shut his eyes and gradually opened his eyes after a while. He said, “Veronica, you demanding half of the company shares are rather overstretched. I am not the sole owner of the company. I am unable to make the final call as there are many shareholders and directors within the organization.”
“Is that so?” A sarcastic smile flashed across Veronica’s face. Ornard used to make a promise in giving her everything that she wanted just to take advantage of her. However, he was now claiming that Veronica’s request was ridiculous when she wanted to own half of the company’s shares. What was going through his mind then?
Ornard had paved his way well. He did not intend to coax Veronica like before as she was no longer useful towards him.
It was proof that humans were unpredictable. Veronica had only wanted to take advantage of others and she did not expect Ornard to be so ruthless towards her. She was extremely disappointed by his actions and asked, “How much are you willing to give me then?”
“Five percent of the total shares! I am unable to give you more than that!”
“Fine, I shall take that offer as five percent is better than nothing. I would be contented as long as I would not be homeless and would be able to meet my basic needs.”
They had finally reached an agreement. Ornard then gave a forceful smile and said, “I can only make a trip to the company after I have recovered regarding the ownership transfer of the said stock.”
“It’s fine as I’m not in a hurry! You shall take care of yourself for now!” Veronica was planning to have a big argument with Ornard. She suddenly had a change of mind as she was no longer in the mood to do so.
Veronica would make a fuss with Ornard during the past as she knew that things would go her way. That was because she used to be an important figure for him. However, she now knew that it was just a waste of her effort should she go against the wishes of Ornard.
Ornard soon realized that something was off as Veronica did not intend to get into an argument with him. He collected his emotions and apologized, “Veronica! I am at fault this time! I am so sorry!”
Veronica selflessly accepted his apology by saying, “You don’t have to explain yourself further. You just have to rest up in order to recuperate yourself! By the way, how are you planning to deal with the incident involving Paisley?”
“I have made some necessary arrangements for her and it would be commenced smoothly. The only outstanding matter is with regards to the Floyd family as we need to give them a reasonable explanation. You shall get ahold of Angel and tell her to play the victim.”
“Alright, no problem! I will contact Angel and discuss this matter with her.” Veronica stood up and asked, “You must be starving, right? I would be heading back home to prepare something for you. What would you like to have?”
“I have no cravings. You shall make the call instead.”
“I will be making some soup for you then! I shall make a move for now! I would be instructing the caretaker to come in and look after you,” Veronica got up from her seat and soon left the ward after she finished speaking.
Ornard glanced at Veronica as she gradually left the hospital ward. There was a hint of coldness that flashed across his face.
His mobile phone rang and he struggled to reach out before picking it up. Gurmisran asked worriedly, “Mr. Laban, are you okay? Did Veronica give you a hard time?”
“Nope, she did not make things difficult for me.”
“That is great to hear.” Gumisran breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Veronica was not as crazy as old times.
Ornard, however, sneered and said, “Why would you say so? I would actually feel much better if she makes a huge fuss. It feels somewhat worrying when she manages to keep her cool. Do you know what she demanded from me just now? It was surprising that she wanted to obtain some company shares.”
“Wow… did you agree to her request?”
“How can I not follow her way? The only thing I can do is to get on her good side since things have already turned out this way. Let us wait and see what the future holds for us. It will be fine if she still behaves the same as before. However, things will be ugly if she is going to be disloyal. Hahaha!” Ornard laughed sinisterly.
Gurmisran, who was at the other end of the phone, froze upon hearing about it as if he had obtained a secret that he was not supposed to know about. He suddenly felt that his call to Ornard was rather useless.
Angel only came to know the news that Ornard was hospitalized due to a car accident the next morning.
Veronica contacted her and said in a hoarse voice, “Angel, something bad has happened to your uncle! He was severely injured in a car accident!”
“How did this happen?” Angel exclaimed upon hearing about it. She did not believe that Ornard was hurt in a car accident. Ornard and Paisley made it into the trending news yesterday but now he was seriously injured in a car accident. It was as clear as day that Ornard was just trying to mess with the Floyd family.
Angel rolled her eyes and said, “Which hospital is Ornard currently at? I shall make a trip there and visit him right away!”
“Ornard is not in the country. He was met in a car accident in America.”
“Are you saying that Ornard is currently in the United States? When did he return?” Angel was increasingly confident about her speculation upon hearing from Veronica that Ornard was in America.
“He has already left the country long ago. We just didn’t tell you about it beforehand.”
Lies! Veronica was a liar! Angel cursed Veronica in her heart. However, she managed to ask in a worried and anxious tone, “Was it a severe car accident then? What is the current situation now?”
“He was hospitalized and swiftly undergone an operation. One of his legs was broken and his soft tissue was severely injured as well. Ornard is still in a coma and the doctor said that his current situation is rather unpleasant!”
Veronica sobbed a few times as she was genuinely distressed upon Ornard’s injury. However, the purpose of calling Angel was to let her become the middle person in letting the Floyd family know about Ornard’s severe injury in the car accident.
Angel twitched the corners of her mouth and pretended, “I shall immediately let grandpa, grandma, and dad be aware of this. I need to make a trip back to visit Ornard as he used to treat me very well.”
“There is no need for you to come back as you won’t be of much help even if you are here. Do notify Fandrey and Callum about this matter as someone must be trying to ruin Ornard’s reputation. The culprit must be attempting to strain the relationship between the Floyd family and the Laban family. You have to give Fandrey and Callum a heads up so they would not be swayed by the rumors.”
“Are you sure that I should not make a trip back to America? I’m worried about Ornard,” Angel was still putting on an act to be on their team.
“Yes, you should just continue to stay put in the country. You would be helping Ornard out if you tell your grandfather and father to not believe in the said rumors.”
Angel curled her lips and replied, “You need not worry as I will definitely tell Fandrey and Callum about this matter.”
“I’ll send a few pictures to you later and do remember to show them to your grandfather and father. You must convince them that Ornard has never left America and he has no business with Pialsey, that bitch from the very beginning.”