SWNOVELS Chapter 311-320
Chapter 311
Arabella took out her phone to answer a call, only speaking after Romeo had left, “Jack.”
[Arabella, it’s day 10! If the Murphys don’t pay up, Fiona is going to take them to court!]
Arabella remembered that.
Fiona had signed a contract with Yolanda before, hoping that Yolanda could be the spokesperson for their piano brand. But there was a clause in the contract that Yolanda couldn’t have any negative news during the contract period; otherwise, she would have to pay ten times the breach of contract penalty.
Yolanda was accused of plagiarism, violating the terms of the contract. Fiona demanded that the Murphys pay five million in compensation within ten days, or she would take the matter to court.
Today was the last day.
[Should we sit back and see how Fiona handles this?]
“It’s not time yet.” Arabella answered indifferently, “Stick to the original plan.”
[Okay.]
At this point, the Murphy family was in a bind. They had never expected that of the 8 downtown stores they planned to sell, not a single one had been sold. Ten days had passed, and there were no interested buyers.
“Could Arabella be pulling strings behind the scenes? Otherwise, how could there be no buyers for the stores in ten days?”
Olga Murphy was as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof, but Attlee slammed the table.
“Enough! Can you stop blaming everything on Arabella? Even if she has some connections, she can’t possibly stop all buyers from purchasing the stores! It’s a market issue, not Arabella’s problem! Why are you always targeting her?”
“Then you tell me, why can’t our stores be sold? Those are prime locations downtown! The market price is two hundred and fifty thousand each; we’ve already dropped the price to two hundred thousand!”
“You’re asking me, how would I know?” Attlee had had enough. For ten days, he had not eaten properly or slept well.
He didn’t understand why their once smooth life had turned into such a mess.
Since Arabella left the house in less than a month’s time, their life had turned upside down and become so terrible.
Attlee couldn’t help but recall the past. It seemed that the Murphys business had only started to improve and become more successful after Arabella came.
Ever since she left, everything has gone downhill.
“What should we do? In another hour, Fiona is going to sue us! They’ve already prepared the legal documents!” Olga was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. “Once they post the legal documents on their official account, everyone will know about Yolanda’s plagiarism. Not only will her reputation be affected, but even Murphys reputation will be hit.”
Attlee held his temples in pain. Listening to Olga’s nagging in his ear, his mood became even more irritable.
“In this way, the six hundred thousand we paid to Arabella before was a complete waste.”
Yolanda also started to feel scared and uneasy.”
It’s all Arabella’s fault; everything was fine at home without her.
“Can you call the real estate agent again?” Olga begged, “Only half an hour left!“.
“I called 20 minutes ago.”
Chapter 312
“Reach out to them again!” Olga thought of a person suddenly popping into her mind. “The guy who bought the house and shop from us last time should go check with the agent. See if they still have his contact info; ask if he’s still interested in buying, even if we have to knock down the price a bit.”
As long as the other party could cough up five million to bail them out, they’d have to grit their teeth and take it!
Attlee also felt a flicker of hope. Last time, the guy wired him six million in no time.
This meant this guy was loaded, probably on par with him
Not a regular Joe!
“What are you still doing standing there? Make the call!” As Olga said this, she anxiously checked the time–only 26 minutes left!
Attlee called the agent, who said he would have to check with the guy, so all Attlee could do was wait.
“With only seven minutes left, why was there still no word from the agent? The guy didn’t fall asleep, did he?” Olga remembered that last time it was around this hour, the guy was about to hit the sack.
Just then, Attlee’s phone rang. He quickly answered, “What’s the word?”
“I told the gentleman the location and price of your eight downtown shops. He said if he can get them for five million, he’ll wire the money right away.”
“Wha-? Five million?” Although Attlee was prepared for the guy to haggle, he didn’t expect the guy to cut the price even deeper than last time. Eight shops, totaling sixteen million dollars, and the guy wanted to snatch them up for just five million?
“Agree to it; agree to it quickly. Although Olga didn’t know how much the guy was offering, at this point, she couldn’t care more about that. Their daughter’s reputation was at stake, and she cared a lot about saving face; she didn’t want to be the laughingstock.
Attlee was in agony, still hesitating. Last time, fourteen shops and four luxury houses, with a total value of eighteen million, ended up selling for only six million. Now, if he sells the eight shops for just five million.
That meant he’d be down a total of twenty–three million!
“Please.” Olga was desperate, pleading quietly, “We can always make more money, but reputation–once it’s damaged, it’s hard to regain!”
In the end, Attlee bit the bullet and agreed.
In the last minute, he received a notification of a five–million–dollar transfer on his phone.
Olga broke into a smile amidst her tears and quickly transferred the money to Fiona. After making the transfer, she tried to reach out to Fiona to let her know the money was sent, but she had already been blocked.
“The Murphy family’s empire is going down because of me.” Attlee was heartbroken, covering his face and looking like he had aged ten years overnight.
“Dad, I’m sorry.” This was the second time Yolanda saw her dad so despondent!
The first time was when they had to pay Melody six million. That night, Attlee was in a world of pain.
To him, money was as important as his life.
“Dad, I know I messed up. I’ll work hard and bring more honor to our family! I promise.
Attlee said quietly, “I’m afraid we don’t have that much time left.”
“Why?”
Attlee sighed, then said, “No one’s buying our clothes; we’re not getting any new partnerships; and our old partners are thinking about terminating contracts. We’re almost out of properties and shops to sell! Everything’s going down the drain.”
“Don’t scare yourself!” Olga pondered for a bit, then decided, “Let’s go to the hospital tomorrow! I heard that the old lady wakes up sometimes lately, even though it’s brief. As long as she’s conscious, that’s good!”
Chapter 313
“What are you planning to do?”
“I plan to stay there all day tomorrow, until she wakes up,” Olga said, a determined glint in her eyes. “We’ll ask her to sell off some of her shares to get us out of this current jam. She’s an old lady; those shares aren’t doing her any good anyway.”
“But we’ve got shares too. We’re not selling ours, but we’re asking Mom to sell hers. That doesn’t sound fair.”
Attlee paused for a moment before saying, “Plus, Mom’s been unconscious for so long, it doesn’t seem right to hit her with this the moment she wakes up.”
“Who said we haven’t sold?” Olga retorted. “We’ve already sold a bunch of stores and houses. If we sell any more shares, the company will be taken over by outsiders! Do you want outsiders running our company, or do you want Mom to do it?”
Attlee fell silent
“We need to keep our shares to continue managing the company as majority shareholders. it’ll give Mom a break, make us more money to take care of her, keep the company out of other shareholders‘ hands, and alleviate our current predicament. It’s all good!”
Seeing Attlee’s silence, Olga knew he was wavering and jumped at the opportunity. “If we could solve our current problems on our own, we wouldn’t touch Mom’s shares! We’re doing this because we’re out of options.”
Olga looked away, pretending to shed a tear. “And besides, our family only has one child, Yoli. Mom’s assets will end up being yours anyway, right? And your assets will end up being Yoli’s, right? So why not get it sooner rather than later, especially since it can solve our current problems?”
Attlee was swayed, but still hesitant.
Olga continued, “If we take too long to handle this and the company goes bankrupt, those shares won’t be worth a dime. And Mom’s shares won’t do her any good
then.”
“That makes sense.” Attlee was fully convinced. “Let’s find time to see Mom and hear what she has to say.”
Yolanda immediately caught on: “Dad, I want to visit Grandma tomorrow too!”
“Alright.”
After getting the confirmation, Yolanda exchanged a look with Olga as if to say, “Mom, don’t worry! Leave the rest to me.”
Arabella came home to find her room filled with over a dozen beautifully wrapped gifts.
Ms. Bella, you’re home?” Edith greeted her with a smile. “These gifts are all from young master Hans Collins. He wanted to give them to you personally, but since you weren’t home and he keeps a strict schedule, he asked me to deliver them before bed.”
“These are all from Hans?” Arabella was surprised, not understanding why he suddenly gave her so many presents.
Understanding Hans‘ intentions, Arabella felt warm inside.
“He really cares about you.” Edith looked around before whispering, “So Serena is very jealous of you. She didn’t show it in front of Hans, but she’s been in a bad mood all night, treating the staff harshly. It’s like she’s a completely different person.”
“Does she have any right to be jealous?”
F
Hadn’t Serena enjoyed a life of luxury for years? When was it her turn to be jealous?
Chapter 316
Yolanda, upon assessing the current situation, piped up, “Alright, for me, Arabella will always be my sister; even if she made our family cough up six million dollars, I still get her; I don’t want to be at odds with her.”
After her speech, she glanced at Attlee and said, “I remember Grannie Grace has a thing for almond cream soup. I Googled it; the soup’s loaded with protein, good for nutrition replenishment, and perfect for the sick. Plus, it’s smooth and easy to digest, so I made a bit extra. Dad, you should have a taste later, okay?”
Suddenly, she shrieked, “Oh no, I forgot to turn off the stove!”
From the kitchen, he could hear her say, “Phew, the soup’s not ruined. Where’s our thermos? I need to store the soup. I need something that seals well.”
Seeing Attlee still rooted to the spot, Olga stepped forward and said, “You see that? Yoli’s got our backs, unlike Arabella, who’s cold as ice! We ought to treat her better from now on!”
With the soup packed, Yolanda instructed the servants, “Can you guys carry the other stuff I prepared for Grannie Grace to the car, please? Thanks heaps.”
Upon hearing this, Attlee couldn’t help but ask, “Besides food, what else did you prepare?”
“I got a lumbar pillow; it’ll make Grannie Grace more comfortable when she sits.”
“There’s also a tablet, so she can watch her favorite shows. I’ve got all her favorites downloaded–all the shows with her favorite actors.”
“And flowers, Grannie Grace has been stuck inside for ages; she hasn’t seen the outside world in a while. The bouquet will remind her of the beauty of summer!”
Yolanda rattled off a long list, her face beaming with happiness and joy.
Attlee couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt; Grannie Grace always doted on Arabella and never cared much for Yöli, yet here was Yoli going the extra mile!
That was truly something!
In room 301 of Hope Hospital’s Inpatient Department, an old lady with white hair lay peacefully in bed,
She had yet to wake up when Olga walked in.
Their VIP room had a private living room, where the three of them waited, ready to wait until Grace Murphy woke up.
After a while, Olga noticed a small gap in the drawer of the bedside table. It seemed like Grace had opened it but forgot to close it properly.
Curious about what was inside, she wondered if it was a credit card or her will.
Upon opening, she found a gift box!
Inside the box was a beautiful flower ornament.
Caught off guard, she wondered, “When did Grace get this thing?”
The flower, made from top–grade gemstones, was exquisitely crafted and a real feast for the eyes.
She accidentally touched something, and out came melodious piano music; it was magical!
Yolanda was also drawn to it: “This piano piece is really nice.”
Usually, the only visitors were family and Arabella.
“This must be a gift from Bella.” Attlee said.
“It looks pretty pricey. If Grace accidentally breaks it before she recovers, it would be such a pity! No one in our family really enjoys piano music, Yoli. Take it. Listen to it when you’re free.”
Yolanda was in love with the gemstone flower but hesitant to accept it, saying, “This belongs to Grannie Grace.”
“We’re family; there’s no need to be so particular about who owns what.“.
Chapter 314
She’s had her fair share of benefits over the past decade!
“Ms. Bella has a point, but some people just don’t know their place,” Edith said helplessly. “Over the past decade, everyone in the family has treated her like the apple of their eye, and that’s not an easy feeling to shake off.”
“I’m not trying to shake off anyone’s feelings. If her presence makes the family happy, I don’t mind. But if she continues to hurt the family, I think I won’t need to say anything. Someone will kick her out.”
So, from start to finish, Arabella didn’t give her the time of day.
Serena was just a clown. Although she caused a ruckus from time to time, she wasn’t worth Arabella’s personal attention.
“Ms. Bella, your perspective and your tolerance are admirable.”
“You don’t have to stand up for me either. When I can’t stand it anymore, I’ll handle it myself.” Arabella knew that Edith had been given the cold shoulder by Martha for not siding with Serena.
Edith hadn’t expected Arabella to notice this and gratefully said, “Yes.”
Although she agreed verbally, she definitely wouldn’t stand by if the other party went too far.
She wouldn’t allow anyone to badmouth Arabella!
“TII thank Hans again tomorrow.”
“Alright, I won’t keep you from your rest!”
After Edith left, Arabella gently touched the gift in front of her. Being loved by family felt so good.
The next morning.
Attlee was woken up by a frantic phone call.
“What, another processing partner wants to cancel our contract? What’s the situation this time? Just because Arabella’s company is more popular after the competition and offers better terms, they decided to cancel?”
After asking a few more questions, Attlee had no choice but to hang up.
Olga, who was also woken up by their conversation, sat up and asked anxiously, “What happened?”
“Those processing partners, they all say they want to cancel our contract and give the orders to Arabella’s company.”
These so–called processing partners were clothing companies that needed other companies to process their clothes after their own production.
Some needed to add a few more steps because they lacked the capacity.
Some needed to add labels, some needed quality inspection, and some needed to increase production.
Attlee’s company had already lost many big partners, and they barely kept going relying on these processing partners:
Now that even the processing partners were leaving, their company was really on the brink!
“Arabella’s side has lowered the price, saying they can reduce the processing fee by ten percent.“:
But that ten percent can bring a lot of profits.
Hearing Attlee say this, Olga immediately said, “Then we can also reduce the processing fee!”
Attlee shook his head and said, “If we reduce our income by another tenth, then we’re basically working for free! We’re mainly relying on this income now! Because the clothes we make ourselves can’t be sold at all!”
Chapter 315
“Bella’s gig isn’t like the others‘; they mainly rake in the dough from making and selling clothes. Doing the dirty work for others is just extra gravy for them.”
Even if the profit per order was peanuts, it won’t throw a wrench in the workings of their company.
But the Murphy family’s business scene was a whole different ballgame.
“Let’s get a move on.” Olga jumped out of bed and said, “After breakfast, we’ll rope in Mom for help.”
Attlee, fresh from his morning routine, descended the stairs only to find no sign of Yolanda. He’s a bit on edge. “Where’s Yoli? Wasn’t she going to visit Grandma? Tell her to shake a leg and get breakfast. We’re about to hit the road.”
It’s already late in the game!
With all the hullabaloo happening at home recently, how can she still be catching z’s?
The nearby nanny quickly stepped in: “Miss Yoli was up at six, been slaving away in the kitchen ever since, didn’t even grab a bite. She said she wanted to fix breakfast for you folks and the old lady first.”
Hearing this, Attlee realized he got the wrong end of the stick about his daughter and hightailed it to the kitchen.
Yolanda’s up to her elbows in work in the kitchen. Seeing a reflection of an approaching figure on the wall, she feigned a stumble, one hand on the cabinet, putting on an act of being weak.
The nanny quickly lent a hand: “Yoli, are you okay? I reckon you’re overdoing it by working on an empty stomach. Take a breather.”
“I’m fine,” Yolanda smiled, “As long as everyone enjoys the breakfast I made, I’m good.”
With that, she pretended to notice Attlee for the first time, smiling and saying, “Morning, Dad. I’ve cooked up some grub for you and Mom. You haven’t tasted my culinary skills since we got back home.”
Attlee was originally ticked off, thinking his daughter was sleeping in. But seeing her being so dutiful and considerate now, he felt a pang of guilt and shame.
Such a good daughter, so what if she slept in?
He’s been too petty.
Did Yolanda not see through his mood? Raised by a cleaning lady, she’s been through tough times, and her ability to read between the lines was top–notch.
L
She served the breakfast she made on the dining table, untying her apron as she spoke: “I’ve been able to cook since I was five. When my foster mom used to go to work, I’d have the meal ready when she got home.”
On hearing this, Attlee’s guilt deepened; he hadn’t realized she started learning to cook at such a young age.
“She wasn’t in good health then and needed medication often. We couldn’t afford meat, so I’d cook up different veggies for her. Sometimes I’d give her my share of the meat because I was just a kid; I’d grow whether I ate it or not.”
Attlee’s heart ached even more..
Olga, who had snuck downstairs at some point and saw Yoli cooking and sharing her childhood stories, gave her a thumbs–up on the sly.
As if to say, “Well done, girl! Look at your father; he’s about to cry!”
The surrounding nannies were also saying:
“Yoli’s really had a hard knock life! Had to deal with so much hardship from a young age, yet she’s so mature and considerate. It’s heartbreaking! Thank heavens, Yoli’s back home now.”
“I reckon it’s because of Yoli’s outstanding qualities that fate brought her back here.
“Sir, you ought to treat Yoli even better. She’s both beautiful and dutiful, way better than the previous Ms. Bella!”
“Absolutely, that Ms. Bella really had a bee in her bonnet!”
Chapter 317
“What if it’s a gift from sis?” Yolanda bit her lower lip, not understanding how Arabella could give away such an expensive gift!
Why would an old lady need something so pricey?
“If you don’t tell, I won’t tell, how would she know? Besides, this thing might be something she swindled from some guy; I don’t even care if it’s tainted! Just take it and keep it safe for your grandma for now. If one day she really wants it, you can give it back!”
“Dad, since she suggested it, I’ll keep it for Grannie Grace for now.” Yolanda stepped forward to take the gem flower, touching it excitedly. She liked its design and function.
“She’s suing us for six million dollars, and we’re keeping her stuff safe. If she knew, she’d probably thank us!”
Olga looked again carefully but didn’t find what she was looking for. Then she happened to notice something hidden under the pillow.
A new phone!
She picked it up and saw no brand mark on it. It looked like some unknown brand. She looked at Attlee, somewhat annoyed.
“Did you buy her something again?”
“Not me,” Attlee thought for a moment and said, “Maybe Bella bought it?”
1
“She’s quite generous. Giving Gem flowers, buying new phones. Does she have some ulterior motive?” Olga laughed sarcastically. “She’s trying to win Grace over to split the inheritance? Dream on!”
Attlee also realized this and his impression of Arabella worsened. She’s already suing them for six million dollars, and she’s still not satisfied, like a greedy wolf, never being satisfied!
Olga didn’t expect the phone to have a password. Definitely set by Arabella!
After unlocking it with Grace’s fingerprint, she opened the phone and found the apps to be quite simple. She didn’t expect a no–name brand phone to be quite decent.
In the recent contact list, there was only one person, Arabella..
Every timé Grace woke up in the past few days, she would call Arabella. Olga saw that Grace had ‘made at least a dozen outgoing calls and was instantly furious!
“Look, the first thing Grace does when she wakes up isn’t to call us, but to contact a stranger!”
Olga showed the phone to Attlee and said, “This clearly shows she’s trying to win Grace over for the inheritance. Look, in Grace’s eyes, there’s only her!”
Seeing how often they contacted each other, Attlee felt even worse.
“You wanted to give her ten thousand dollars before to get her to leave Grace? Now you understand, ten thousand dollars is less than a hair to her!”
Olga put the phone away and put it in her handbag.
“What are you doing?” Although Attlee was uncomfortable, he was not happy about her taking Grace’s stuff.
After all, Grace was his own mother!
“If I leave the phone here and let them contact me more frequently, when Grace leaves all her inheritance to her, we will definitely regret it!” Olga definitely won’t let them keep in touch.
She had already taken one of Grace’s phones before, and she didn’t expect Arabella to give her another one. What on earth was she trying to do?
At that moment, Olga noticed something golden under the pillow. She pulled it out to take a look.
What a beautiful bracelet!
“This is clearly made of top–notch gold!
Chapter 318
Look at this color and design. Was this another gift from Arabella to Grace?
She’s really splashing the cash to get a slice of the inheritance, huh?
“Attlee, check out this bracelet. It’s worth at least ten million bucks!” Olga didn’t hide her admiration or greed. “This just proves she’s up to no good. She’s not related to Grace by blood, and we kicked her out of the Murphy family. She wouldn’t be giving Grace such a pricey gift, right?”
What’s a sick old lady doing with a fancy bracelet?
She’s bedridden all day; what’s the point of even wearing it?
Arabella didn’t just give her jewelry, flowers, and a new phone; she also gave her this expensive jewelry.
T
Wasn’t her goal just Grace’s shares, house, car, and savings?
“She’s got some nerve!” Attlee never thought Arabella would be this ambitious. Even if their later actions hurt her feelings, she shouldn’t be dreaming of taking all the Murphy family’s inheritance!
Olga put the bracelet into her bag and said, “Just to be clear, I’m not interested in Grace’s stuff. I’m taking it so Grace won’t be deceived by Arabella anymore and won’t think of her whenever she sees these items!”
Attlee thought this made sense.
“I bet she wouldn’t dare to buy another gift for Grace!”
If she did, Olga would definitely snatch it until she didn’t dare send any more!
“Dad, mom, Grannie Grace’s fingers moved!”
With Yolanda’s discovery, Attlee and Olga looked at Grace.
After a while, Grace Murphy slowly opened her eyes and coughed lightly.
“Are you awake?” Olga helped Grace sit up and said warmly, “Yoli, where’s the pillow you got for Grannie Grace? Go get it quick!”
“Okay Yolanda hurriedly put the new pillow behind Grace’s back and asked gently, Grannie, does this feel better?”
Grace had heard someone talking near her ear earlier, but she didn’t catch what was being said. Now, leaning against the head of the bed, she felt uncomfortable with something pressing against her back.
“It’s too hard; take it away.” Lying in bed at an angle, the hard pillow behind her made it difficult for her to breathe.
“That’s Yoli’s love for you.” Olga quickly said, “Yoli brought you a lot of things, too. This bouquet of flowers–she just put it up. She said you’ve been sick for too long and haven’t seen the outside world in a while. This bouquet can make you feel the beauty of summer!”
Grace just glanced at the flowers in the vase and was somewhat speechless.
White lilies were non–toxic, but their strong fragrance contained a slight toxin that can cause insomnia at night.
A few flowers in an unenclosed space wouldn’t have much effect, but in a small hospital room for a heart patient, this intense fragrance might actually negatively affect her recovery.
Also, there were several pink tulips in the vase. As was well known, tulip flowers contained toxic alkaloids. If she stayed near tulips for one to two hours, she might experience symptoms of poisoning such as headaches and dizziness.
These flowers also released tiny particles, which can cause skin allergies, itching, and, in severe cases, even hair loss.
She really didn’t know what they were thinking.
Chapter 319
“Could you please take these away?” Grace coughed mildly. “The pillows and flowers, get rid of them.”
The room was filled with a strong scent of flowers, which, coupled with the stuff behind her back, was making it hard for her to breathe.
“This is a gift from Yoli!” Olga was not happy with Grace’s words but kept a respectful demeanor, saying, “Yoli also bought you a new tablet. Yoli, how much did the tablet cost?”
“Six hundred bucks‘
“See, Yoli is so good to you!” Olga said with a smile, “Yoli, go get the new tablet! Yoli is so considerate; she knows you like watching plays and has already downloaded some for you.”
“Granny, these are plays performed by your favourite actors.” Yolanda showed the tablet to Grace as if it were a treasure.
“I said, take these away.” She really felt uncomfortable and had no strength to remove these things herself!
Attlee saw that Grace really didn’t like the pillows and flowers, so he signaled Yolanda, who reluctantly put down the tablet and took away the pillows and flowers. “Since you don’t like them, I’ll just throw them away!”
She put on a pitiful face, which made Grace feel even worse.,
The reason she didn’t like Yoli was her hypocrisy. She was not as sincere and adorable as Bella!
Speaking of Bella, Grace really wanted to check if the stuff under her pillow was still there. She wanted to call Arabella, but she was afraid that Olga would see the stuff and take it away.
She didn’t even have the strength to reclaim her stuff now, so she had to endure it for the time being. “What’s up with you guys coming to see me all of a sudden?” They rarely came to see her normally, but now that the whole family was here, something must be up!
“We visit you often, but you’re usually asleep; you have no idea how worried we are!” Olga opened the lunch box again. “Look, Yoli made breakfast for you. She knows you love almond cream soup, so she made it especially for you! There are also several dishes you usually love.”
At this point, Yolanda came back after dumping the stuff. Olga grabbed her hand and showed it to Grace: “Look, her hands are burned!”
“I’m fine.” Yolanda quickly hid her hands behind her back and gave what she thought was a sweet and considerate smile: “As long as Grannie Grace likes it, I don’t mind getting both my hands burned.”
Grace didn’t like her pretentiousness. She was too scheming for her age, probably because she was raised outside; there must be something wrong with her upbringing!
“I’m not hungry.” Grace waved her hand, not even wanting to drink water. “If there’s something, just spit it out.”
Olga glanced at Attlee and stood up, leaving her seat, as if waiting for him to speak to Grace himself.
Attlee got the hint. He sat down, held Grace’s hand, and said, “My company has been facing a lot of difficulties recently. We’ve already sold many shops and houses, but this still can’t stop the company’s decline. So, I was hoping you could help. Could you transfer some of your shares to me to deal with the current situation?”
“Don’t you guys have shares?” Grace coughed lightly, immediately understanding their greedy motives.
Chapter 320
“If we sell the company’s shares, it’ll be taken over by outsiders! Do you really want strangers to run our company?”
Grace casually replied, “Well, what else can we do? If you’re incapable of running the business properly, it’s better to hand it over sooner rather than later to prevent bankruptcy. If I die, I won’t be able to explain this to the ancestors of the Murphy family.”
Perhaps not expecting Grace to respond this way, Attlee and Olga felt uneasy.
“I’ve been capable of running this company all these years, you know that. It’s just a tough economic climate now.”
Before Attlee could finish, Grace laughed, “Is it really the economy? Did you not notice that our luck has run dry since you sent Bella away? You kicked out our goddess of fortune, and you don’t even realize it.”
“Don’t get too upset, your health is important.”
Attlee quickly tried to soothe her: “Olga and I holding shares means we can continue to manage the company as major shareholders; this would take some pressure off you, and we can make more money to take care of you. Plus, the company won’t be taken over by other shareholders, and we can solve our current predicament. Isn’t that a win–win?”
He repeated to Grace what Olga had previously said.
“If we could solve our current predicament, we wouldn’t need your shares, right? But we are out of options; it’s a last resort. And if the company goes bankrupt, even if we have loads of shares, they would be worthless!”
Grace understood his point and gave a cold laugh, saying, “I’m not helping you.”
Upon hearing this, Attlee became more anxious: “You may not be aware of the current state of the company; even the factories have been closed down. If this continues, our company will really go bankrupt!”
“Well, you made your bed; now lie in it!” Grace retorted angrily, “You’re nowhere to be seen normally, but now that you need a favor, you remember me?” “We’ve been very busy with all the things happening in the company recently; it’s not like we deliberately avoided you.” Attlee tried to persuade her with more words. But Grace had made up her mind: “If you really cared about me, you wouldn’t have sent Bella away behind my back when I was seriously ill, separating me from my granddaughter!”
At this, Ølga couldn’t hold back any longer. “But Yoli is your real granddaughter! Why are you only seeing Bella? She’s not even our blood relative!“.
“So what!” Grace snapped back, “You’re not even as good to me as she is! Do you know how much she’s sacrificed for this family?”
“How have we not been good to you? Have we not sacrificed anything?”
Olga was furious. Grace was really good at twisting the truth. Yoli had prepared so many gifts for her today; wasn’t that a sign of goodwill? Where did they go wrong?
They’ve been working hard running the company and taking care of the family all these years; didn’t they sacrifice anything?
Was Grace blind to their efforts?
Seeing them start to argue, Attlee hurriedly tried to mediate: “Alright, everyone calm down.”
“I’m not giving up any shares!” Grace was angry and coughed a few times before adding, “Not just shares; my house, car, savings–I’m not giving up anything! Get
out.”