Chapter 194
in the office, Stanley approached with a servile smile. “Mr. Russell, after watching them go at it for so long, you must be thirsty. (madevan.
Theodore gestured for him to set it down. “What’s the latest on Burke Group?”
Stanley straightened up, eager to please. “I was just about to report after weeks of aggressive share purchases, you’re now their largest shareholders
“Is that so?”
Stanley hesitated for a beat, then asked, “So… what’s the plan? Are we going to support them?”
Theodore let out a cold, humorless chuckle. “Deploy our people into Burke Group’s quality control and finance departments.
“I don’t care what product they push out. Send it back for rework under the excuse of failing inspection. As for expenditures, I don’t care what they’re for. Have Finance block everything. Not a penny gets through.”
Stanley stared at him, stunned. “Sir… what exactly are you trying to do? What if Mrs. Russell finds out?”
Theodore shot him a look, flat and unreadable. “Do what I told you. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Just thinking about the slap Belinda gave Eliana was enough to make his blood boil. He wanted even the entire Burke family in ruins.
A few days later, at Burke Manor.
Belinda came downstairs and found Hudson hunched over on the sofa, looking utterly defeated. The sight of him sparked fresh anger. “Hudson, look at you. Do you even look like a CEO anymore?”
Hudson didn’t argue. He gave a tired, bitter smile. “Technically, Theodore’s the CEO now.”
“You!” She practically exploded. “This is all your fault! If you’d been paying attention from the start, Theodore wouldn’t have eaten away the company bit by bit. And now what? He parachuted in a finance manager, and you can’t even cover payroll!”
Hudson snapped back instinctively, “My fault? You think this would’ye happened if you hadn’t gone and slapped Ellie in the first place?”
Belinda folded her arms. “She got Hannah fired. I was just standing up for my daughter. I had every reason to do it!”
“You made her ear bleed. Doesn’t that seem a little much?” He exhaled sharply. “Did it ever cross your mind to check on Ellie afterward? Or even just call her? She’s our daughter, Belinda. How can you be so cold?”
That hit a nerve. “Oh, now I’m the monster? Who was the one so eager to marry her off for status, like she was some
bargaining chip? That was you!”
Hudson’s face darkened. “You’re unbelievable!”
r
“Enough!” Hannah interjected. “Can you two stop yelling for once? What matters now is figuring out what to do next.”
Belinda threw her husband a scornful glance. “What do you expect me to do? It’s your company. If you won’t step up, who will?”
Hudson dragged a hand over his thinning hair and muttered, “I know. I’m waiting for a call from Mr. Anthony Russell. Last time I went in without notice, I got stonewalled.”
Just then, his phone lit up.
He glanced at the screen, swallowed, and said, “It’s him!”
“Well, answer it!” Belinda snapped.
Chapter 194
After a short call, Hudson turned to his wife and daughter. “Anthony says Theodore fat the offer. Till go than to une bound b
“Dad” Hannah said softly. “Theodore’s not the type you can pressure. You have to talk to him. Tell him about you and Fille, what thes sees that you care, he might let the company go.
Hudson paused, trying to recall anything worth mentioning. But there wasn’t much at all.
He sighed, heavy with regret. Over all these years, he’d failed his youngest daughter in more ways than he cared to admit.
Stanley picked up a call from the front desk, then turned to report, “Mr. Russell, Mrs. Russell’s father is downstairs. Would you like me to send him up now?”
This was exactly the moment Theodore had been waiting for.
He gave a faint smile, leaned back in his chair, and agreed, calm and composed.
A few moments later, Stanley returned with Hudson in tow.
As Hudson stepped into the grand, elegantly designed office, he felt a pang of discomfort. Compared to this, his own office seemed downright shabby.
“Mr. Burke, would you like something to drink?” Stanley asked politely.
Hudson pulled his eyes away from the surroundings and replied with cautious civility, “Anything’s fine.”
Hudson pulled his eyes away from the surroundings and replied with cautious civility, “Anything’s fine.” He wasn’t in a position to ask for much–he was
here with his hat in hand.
Stanley nodded and quietly stepped out to prepare the coffee.
The moment the door closed behind him, Hudson found himself face–to–face with Theodore.
He hesitated, then walked forward, forcing a smile as he extended a hand. “Mr. Russell,” he began, “my officially meeting.”
Σ
is Hudson. This is the first time we’re
It was almost laughable. They should’ve been chatting over dinner at home like any ordinary family, but instead, here they were, two near–strangers forced into a standoff. And Hudson had no one to blame but himself. He was the one who had looked down on Theodore from the beginning.
Theodore studied him with an unreadable expression. “Have a seat,” he said coolly.
Hudson sat down quickly, his mind spinning for the right words. “Mr. Russell,” he began carefully, “I believe there might be some… misunderstanding
between us.”
“Oh?” Theodore replied with mild interest.
Hudson continued, choosing his words with caution. “I was genuinely glad to hear you’d become Burke Group’s largest shareholder. Truly. But I can’t understand why you’ve ordered the finance department to freeze all payments.
“If this continues, we’ll have protests on our hands. We’re already on thin ice with the staff after months of missed wages during the last crisis.”
Theodore leaned back slightly, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “Aren’t your wife and older daughter supposed to be quite capable? Why not let them step in and fix it?”
There it was, the real issue, Belinda and Hannah,
Hudson felt a wave of frustration rising in his chest. If they’d just listened to him and hadn’t constantly provoked Eliana, maybe things wouldn’t have
come to this.
Chapter 194
“Mr. Russell,” he said carnestly, “I want to make it clear that whatever Belinda and Hannah did to Ciney were toy desi
sacrifices for this family. And if I had the chance. I’d like to treat her better”
Theodore studied him for a moment, then spoke. “You want to treat her better? Fine. I’ll give you the chance
Hudson straightened, encouraged. “Please, go ahead.”
With deliberate calm, Theodore locked eyes with him. “Draft a will. Leave everything you own, your assets, properties, all of it, to Ellie. I’ll have a lawre draw it up and notarize it.”
Hudson’s face stiffened. His first instinct was to protest. After all, Hannah was the daughter he’d always favored.
Noticing the flicker of resistance in his eyes, Theodore let out a cold, quiet laugh. “I make one suggestion, and you’re already backing down?”
Hudson flushed in embarrassment.
“And knowing Ellie,” Theodore added, voice cool, “even if you gave her everything, she’d still split it fairly. But you don’t trust her to do that, do you? And you say you want to treat her better?”
He’d seen right through them. Everyone in that household, except for Eliana and Isaac, was hopelessly selfish.
Hudson’s lips moved, but no words came out. Finally, unable to bear the weight of the silence, he asked in a low voice, “Mr. Russelt… I understand you’re angry. What would it take to earn your forgiveness?”
Theodore spoke slowly, every word deliberate. “I want your wife and Hannah to apologize to Ellie. Sincerely. Face to face. Can you do that?”
“I…” Hudson froze. That demand, to him, was just as difficult as signing away his entire estate.
Just then, Stanley walked in, carefully holding a tray with coffee. “That’s enough,” Theodore said flatly. “See him out.”
Stanley blinked, confused as it had taken him time to brew the coffee.
“Mr. Russell, I…” Hudson tried to speak again, but one sharp, glacial look from Theodore cut him off completely.
He knew there was nothing more to say. Defeated and heavy with shame, Hudson turned and left, making his way back home.
At Burke Manor, Belinda stared at Hudson in disbelief after hearing what he had just told her. “What? Theodore actually asked you to draft your will right in front of him and let Ellie handle the distribution of everything? Has he completely lost his mind?”
Hudson let out a long sigh and slapped his thigh in frustration. “It was just a test. He wanted to see how I’d react. And I… well, I failed it.”
“If you ask me,” Belinda snapped, “you should be glad you didn’t agree. He says it was a test now, but what if you’d said yes? What if he really brought a lawyer in and made you sign something? That would’ve been the end of our family!”
“Exactly, Dad.” Hannah chimed in nervously. “There was no right answer. Either way, it would’ve been a trap. Saying no was probably the safest choice.”
Hudson pressed his lips together, then added, “He did give me another option.”
Belinda’s voice rose, sharp with urgency. “Then what is it?”
But Hudson hesitated. “It has to do with the two of you.”
Belinda and Hannah exchanged wary looks.
He continued, “He said… if you’re both willing to apologize to Ellie, then…”
Before he could finish, Belinda cut him off. “Over my dead body!”
Chapter 194
Dad, Hannah pleaded, tugging on his arm with the kind of sweetness she’d mastered since childhood, “have lever backed down to the Co now you want me to go and say sorry to her? You might as well ask me to jump off a bridget”
*That girl must be behind this!” Belinda said through clenched teeth. “She’s using the company to threaten us, and you still say we were the ones bullying her? Look at this situation. Who’s really pulling the strings now?”
There was no untangling the mess, and Hudson knew it. “Just let it go. For the sake of the company, maybe you two could swallow your pride just this
once.
“Mom, let me talk to Dad,” Hannah said, gently pulling Belinda back before turning to Hudson. “It’s about the employees‘ salaries, right? I can help.
Hudson looked at her, surprised. “How are you going to help?”
She smiled faintly, “Have you forgotten? I’m Julian’s girlfriend. Money isn’t an issue for him. If I ask, I know he’ll help.”
Belinda’s anger melted instantly into delight. She pulled Hannah into a tight hug. “Hannah, you really are our saving grace.”
Hannah lowered her eyes and smiled softly. For over twenty years, she had fought to stay in their good graces, and she had no intention of losing now.
If she could get her parents through this rough patch, their resentment toward Eliana would only grow deeper, and so would their love for her.
