CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 32: IT’S NOT YOUR PLACE TO DECIDE

The afternoon the public opinion erupted, Shane, who initially had a whole lot of things to deal with due to the company’s recent listing, went to the school building to wait for his wife to finish classes.

Shane hadn’t been following their campus forum, but he had heard about it in the Sutton family’s WhatsApp group.

Samuel and Hazel were extremely worried and were discussing going to the school to talk to the principal.

As the bell rang, students started to come out of the school building one after another.

This time, Shane wasn’t sitting in the car; he stood beside his vehicle with a bouquet of sunflowers, his gaze locked on Audrey who had just stepped out of the building.

He hadn’t told her he was coming to pick her up, so she was just chatting with her friends as she came downstairs, without looking around.

Instead, she heard someone next to her discussing, "See, I told you that post was a scam, Third Young Master Warner is here to pick up his wife again."

"Whether it’s a scam or not, she is genuinely beautiful. If I were a man, I’d like her too."

At the moment Audrey saw Shane, everything around her seemed to fall silent.

He attracted her like a magnet, "Why are you here?"

Shane handed her the flowers and said softly, "Parents are here to pick kids up from school."

Audrey pouted, glanced at the flowers in his hand, and then confusedly reached out to take them, "What’s with the flowers today?"

She had to admit, the bouquet of sunflowers he chose was perfect, like sunshine driving away the gloom in her heart.

As he opened the car door for her, Shane said, "It’s not a special day or anything. Just saw them while passing by, thought they suited you, so I bought them."

Audrey still didn’t think he was such a romantic person. Sitting in the car, she sneaked a few more glances at him and asked, "Being nice for no reason. Did you do something you feel guilty about?"

"Do you like them?" He maintained his expression, responding with a question.

Audrey gave him a look and nodded.

"As long as you like them, why talk so much?"

He shut the car door, went around to the driver’s seat, and slowly drove away.

Audrey rolled down the window halfway and waved to Flora and Barry, who were standing by the roadside watching her.

As he drove past their home, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"Grandfather asked us to come back for dinner."

Audrey knew it wasn’t just a simple family dinner if it involved going to the Warner house.

After a moment of silence in the car, Shane asked her, "By the way, why haven’t you started your summer vacation yet?"

Audrey explained, "I had enrolled in some summer courses at the beginning of the semester."

"What kind of courses?"

"The school was inviting some famous professionals to give lectures. Lots of people signed up. It seemed like there was a lot to learn, so I enrolled back then too."

Shane chuckled softly, "Didn’t expect you to be such a keen learner."

In fact, Audrey somewhat regretted it now. If she had known she’d marry him, she would’ve freed up the summer to spend time with him, which might have increased the chances of him liking her.

When they arrived at the Warner home, the hall was already filled with dozens of people.

No outsiders were present; those who came were all blood relatives of The Warner.

Shane, being half in charge, brightened the previously somber atmosphere in the hall, with discussions revolving around him and Audrey, the recent addition to the Warner family.

Chloe sat alone on the sofa, with no sign of Vincent, looking more haggard and thinner than the last time they met.

Comparing herself with Chloe, Audrey felt quite fortunate.

Though Shane didn’t love her, he didn’t love anyone else either.

The Warner family was prosperous, yet she didn’t feel any warmth in it.

Even conversations seemed like negotiations over interests, comparable to the intrigue of ancient royal courts.

Now, the family seemed to be divided into two factions, one supporting Vincent, the other supporting Shane, waiting for the grandfather’s will to see who would inherit the family business.

Like supporting a prince to inherit the throne, following would mean a rise in status.

Vincent arrived fashionably late, and it seemed that Old Master Warner was awaiting his arrival too.

Old Master Warner, with the help of the housekeeper, walked to the center front of the hall and sat on the mahogany master chair, "Almost everyone’s here. Today, I’ve called everyone to mainly discuss two things."

Everyone stood respectfully, waiting for the old master to speak.

"Today, Wallace accompanied me to the hospital for a check-up. My health is not very optimistic, and at this age, health issues only increase, so I’m preparing to hand over the company’s affairs completely."

While everyone’s face showed a hint of regret and sadness, in their hearts, they were more concerned about to whom the old master would hand over these ’powers’.

"Vincent, Shane, come over."

The housekeeper handed a manila folder to Old Master Warner, who glanced at Vincent and Shane, saying, "From now on, this family is yours to manage."

The words "you two" immediately sparked discussions below, as the old master took out two documents from the file, saying, "The shares I hold, you will each have half. Major and minor matters of the company should be discussed and decided by you. In case of disagreements, Uncle Wallace will weigh the pros and cons..."

Before Old Master Warner could finish, Vincent’s mother urgently said, "Dad, I think such a division isn’t fair. Vincent is actually the eldest grandson of the Warner, so the shares should all be given to him!"

Hearing this, Helen was furious and immediately stood up, "Our Sean was the actual eldest grandson! Had you not been responsible for his death, everything here would have been his!"

Wallace frowned and scolded Helen, "Enough! Don’t mention Sean anymore!"

Having stopped Helen, Wallace stepped forward to the old master, saying, "Dad, when Sean was here, you said that everything in the family would be left to him. Shane is his younger brother, and now he is excellent and capable of taking on the responsibility, so I think what belonged to his brother should rightfully be left to Shane."

"Enough!" Old Master Warner sternly reprimanded, "I’m not dead yet! This family is still not your place to decide!"

Instantly, the hall fell silent.

Audrey, intimidated by the grandfather’s imposing presence, swallowed and didn’t dare to breathe loudly.

She vaguely gathered from the conversation earlier that Shane’s brother’s death might have a direct connection with Vincent.

Old Master Warner instructed the housekeeper to hand the two documents to Shane and Vincent separately, "Sign at the bottom of the document if there are no objections, otherwise consider automatically giving up all shares."

Shane straightforwardly signed his name on the paper handed over by the housekeeper, then turned back to Audrey.

But Vincent was hesitating for a while; his father couldn’t help but urge, "Son, hurry and sign, what are you waiting for?!"

Vincent, thoughtfully, took the pen and signed his name.

Old Master Warner sighed in relief, retrieving the two documents, "No matter what happened in the past, it’s already in the past. You two are still brothers, so I hope you can join forces against outsiders from now on and not let them exploit any loopholes."

This outcome was unexpected to everyone, considering the long-standing discord between Shane and Vincent.

The death of Sean years ago had left an insurmountable rift between them, making it hard to imagine that they would efficiently manage the company’s affairs together in the future.