Andrew’s voter was a bit too loud, and fiona quickly sached out to step him the was worried Ste migh

Andrew replied, “Serinusly? Have you men thought about what would hap be thispany’srgest shareholder What about Mas then?

sifagreed With Fleanor that holding some

tre could potentially

Maysaid cassially, “Who knows who Grandma will give the shares to??

Fiona took those words to heart. She thought, ‘What if Eleanor really handed those shares to Ste? Then thepany would be hert. And all of Mars years of hard work! it would mean giving everything to Ste on a silver tter

Andrew gritted his teeth, clearly furious but feeling helpless. “Let’s just deal with the immediate problem first“|

That morning, Ste had a small bowl of polenta in the kitchen before visiting Eleanor. But when she arrived, her grandmother’s condition than she’d hoped. Ste’s heart broke

Eleanor reached out and held Ste’s hand. “It’s all right, sweetheart. Everyone has their own path. Just having you back makes me so happy. I have no

regrets now.”

Ste fought to hold back tears, but they spilled over. “Grandma, I need you to stay with me a little longer. I want you to see me get better and see me be my old self again, just like before.”

“Sweetheart, I don’t know if I can make it,” Eleanor said softly. “But i’ll try my best.”

Ste shook her head desperately, her eyes brimming with tears.“Grandma, you haven’t seen me get married or have a child. I was counting on you to help take care of my kids. Please, you have to hang in there for me.”

“Darling,” Eleanor said, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, “I don’t know if I’ll live to see that day, but I truly believe you will meet a man who truly understands, loves, and cherishes you one day

Ste could hardly breathe through her sobs.

Eleanor smiled gently and said, “Well, I’m still here.

Don’t overthink things.”

Ste forced back her tears, nodded, and mustered the brightest smile she could for Eleanor.

Eleanor reached out and gently pinched Ste’s cheek.

As soon as Ste stepped out of Eleanor’s room, Andrew called for her to join him in his study

The whole family was there, sitting across from Ste. It was clear. She was never truly one of them.

Andrew sat at the head of the table. His fingers were steepled, his face a mask of sterness. The air around him was heavy with intimidation.

“Ste,”

Andrew said, his voice cold. “bWe /bjust held a meeting to discuss your proposalb. /bWe’ve agreed to it. Here’s the share transfer agreement. Review it If everything’s in order, you can sign it.”

Ste picked up the document, gave it a quick nceb, /band then looked up at Andrew. She replied, “I can’t give you an immediate answer. Inced bwyer /bto review it first. Only when I’m sure there are no issues will i sign.”

Andrew was about to lose his temper when na quickly held him back. “it’s all right,” she said soothingly. “Ste isn’t sure, she can have her

look it bover/b.”

Max, who was about to smooth things over, now felt a rush of anger because of Ste’s words

10:09 Wed, 30 Jul GOT

He yelled, “Steea, what

own family!”

s your really thenk we’d scheme

wedach

you or hurt you! Look

who in talking to you, Tour

“Well, your own family night betray you, right?” Ste said coolly

Before May could respond, Anna gently spoke up “Ste. Mom, Dad, and Max all love you. Maybe they don’t always show it i

do love you

Andren shot a nce at Anna with satisfaction, his anger fading “Anna is so sensible Ste, you’ll never met up to your sister

Ste’s lips curved into a faint, icy smile. “Say whatever you want. If that’s all, I’m leaving”

When Ste stepped outside, none of her family members bothered to arrange a car for her.

Mary came over and whispered, “Ms. Ste Hayes, would you like me to ask them to arrange a car for you? Going out every day must be exhausting, and you’re not fully recovered yetb./b”

Mary, who had always cared for Eleanor, was the only servant in the entire household who still treated Ste with any regard

“Thank you, Mary, but I’ll manage. The walking helps with my recovery, and if I get too tired, I’ll just hail a bcab/b, Ste replied.

“But do you have any money on you?” bMary /basked softly. “This is from Mrs. Eleanor Hayes. She told me not to give it to you, and she’ll try to send more Later, without anyone noticing.”

Ste hesitated for a moment, but knowing it was a sincere gesture from Eleanor, she epted. “Alright, Mary. Thank you.”

“Go ahead now, ande back soon,” Mary urged gently.

With hardly any friends left, Ste texted Jordan, (Hey, do you know any reliablew firms in Scavale!

Jordan: Looking for awyer?]

Ste: [Yeah.

Jordan (What’s it babout/b!]

Ste didn’t hide it from him: It’s a share transfer agreement from my family. I’m worried they might try to pull something, so I’m having awyer review

it.]

Jordan: I suggest finding a smaller firm and maybe offering them a little extra. If you go to a big one, your family might have already tipped them oft

Ste’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Thank god I asked Jordan, she thought I could’ve walked right into their trap without even realizing

Ste (Thanks, I’ll treat you to dinner sometime:|

Jordan: So when will we meet up?)

Ste: We will, bbut /bnot right now,

Jordan: Okay. Keep me updated |

Following Jordan’s advice, Ste walked into a small, independentw firm, She handed over 3 thousand in cash to awyer as soon as the entered.

Thewyer greeted her with a warm smile. “Ms. Hayes, how can I assist you today?”

Ste ced the share transfer agreement on his desk.

Thewyer studied it for ba /bmoment before looking back at her. “I’ve reviewed this carefully. Everything seems in order. There’s no bneed /bto worry

Ste frowned, a thought nagging at her. ‘Could the Hayes family really be this generous? They never wanted me to bhave /bany bpart /bbof /bthis before, she

wondered.

“However,” the bwyer /bbsaid/b, pausing.

Ste fixed her gaze on him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Don’t rule out the possibility that they might try something underhandedter, like having you sign another contract to invalidate this bone/b,” thewyer added.

Ste frowned slightly. “What should I do then?”

Thewyer nodded thoughtfully. “I’d advise you not to sign anything hastily. You need to understand what they’re doing. Also, I can prepare a notarized document stating that any contract signed without your knowledge will be legally vold.”

“Get it done for me,” Ste said.

Thewyer quickly drafted the document, and Ste signed it without hesitation.

“Is there anything else I can help you with, Ms. Hayes?” thewyer asked.

Ste took a deep breath and exined her situation in detail. “How can I recover the money from my ount?”

Having bgrasped /bsome details of Ste’s situation, thewyer said, “Your case isplicated, but it’s not impossible. First, we need to confirm how the funds were transferred.

you want to file awsuit, I can provide you with a checklist. All you need to do is follow it

“If you