Chapter 74: Chapter 74

I thought Shirley Turner losing face in front of me would be the end of it.

Who knew she wouldn’t give up and even brought in reinforcements.

The next day was Saturday, and I had already arranged a meeting with Wennie Lane and Melissa Chandler at Holburne, where Wennie was hosting.

After working overtime at the studio all day, I rushed to Holburne in the evening. As soon as I greeted Wennie and Melissa, my phone rang.

I took a look—it was my aunt.

"Wennie, Melissa, you two chat for a bit, I need to take this call."

"You’re really busy every single day!" Wennie teased.

I smiled apologetically, left the room, and answered the call.

"Hello, Aunt, what’s up?"

On the other end, my aunt chuckled and asked with concern, "Lily, how have you been doing lately?"

I immediately sensed something was off and replied directly, "Aunt, I’m busy here. Just say what you need to."

"Okay, I’ll get straight to the point," Aunt hesitated for a moment and then bluntly said, "About your dad’s case, it looks like he’s definitely going to prison. Are you really not going to do something about it?"

Hearing this, I knew what was happening—another peacemaker.

"Aunt, did you forget? I’m the one who got him in there. What do you want me to do? Get him out again? What’s in it for me? Besides, what he did was illegal, and I don’t have the capability to get him out," I replied, unable to help a laugh.

"Sigh... I know your dad brought this on himself, but we’re still family. He’s already had his comeuppance, maybe you should let it go," she advised with a hint of paternalistic concern.

I found it baffling. "Aunt, what is it you really want to say? Did Shirley Turner cry to you?"

My aunt suddenly hesitated, obviously caught off guard by my guess, "Uh... she... called me, said she’s drowning in debt and almost starving to death... Tried asking you for money but you gave her nothing and insulted her... Lily, I know you’ve been wronged, but they’re really in a bad spot now, can’t you give them a lifeline?"

I quietly listened to my aunt and couldn’t help but smirk.

Some time ago, when Jason Miller was evading taxes and the company was in deep crisis, my aunt pleaded with me to do something to protect the shareholders’ interests.

Her attitude was so different then.

Now the crisis is averted, the shareholders are carefree, yet her attitude changed, and she’s empathetic towards the root cause while trying to morally coerce me.

"If you feel sorry for your darling cousin, then go ahead and help them financially. I won’t give them a penny. They’ve enjoyed wealth for decades over my mother’s dead body; they’ve had their fair share of luck," I responded coldly and firmly.

My aunt paused, then sweetly advised, "Well... even if you don’t give them money, why not at least give them a share so they can have some income? How will they survive otherwise? You could consider it a pity donation, hmm?"

I laughed disdainfully, "Shirley Turner isn’t too old to move around, is she? Mason is young and able-bodied, why can’t he go out and earn money? Why can’t they survive?"

"Sigh... it’s so hard to make money these days, just a little bit of shares, it doesn’t mean much to you—"

Feeling quite annoyed, my disdain for this aunt reached its peak.

I was about to hang up, tired of arguing, but a flash of inspiration hit me and a plan formed.

"Aunt, do you want the shares under my name? If you want them, I can sell them all to you at a low price. Then you’ll be the largest shareholder of the company, and with the CEO position still vacant, you, as the biggest shareholder, can take the CEO position and the company will be yours to run."

As my words settled, there was a moment of silence before my aunt’s excited and joyful confirmation came, "Lily, are you serious?"

"Of course I’m serious. Holding these shares just makes everyone bother me, so I might as well sell them, convert them to cash, and have peace of mind."

My words were laced with sarcasm, but my aunt blissfully ignored it and asked, "How much are you selling them for?" Fresh chapters posted on Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

I pondered for a moment and said, "I’ve calculated... The shares under my name are worth around 80 million. of course, to sell to you shouldn’t feel cold, 60 million will do."

"60 million, that’s too much, I can’t come up with that much money right now, could you reduce it a bit? We’re family after all..." she pushed her luck.

Knowing full well their financial state, they should be able to afford it, so I remained firm, "60 million is already quite low. If Aunt thinks it’s unreasonable, I’ll just sell to other shareholders instead, and since it’s at a low price, they’re sure to—"

"No no! Lily, wait, I’ll give you an answer tomorrow, okay?" My aunt, afraid of missing the opportunity, quickly stopped me.

"Fine, but don’t make me wait too long, or I might sell to other shareholders."

"Alright, I’ll discuss it with your uncle and get back to you tomorrow."

"Okay, I’m still busy here, let’s leave it at that."

After hanging up, a smile crept onto my face, sensing that another drama was about to begin.

My aunt lightly suggested I pass the shares to Shirley Turner only because it didn’t touch her own interests.

She could easily try to morally coerce me, and if it worked, she would gain favor with Shirley Turner and be seen as a good person.

But I would have compromised my own interests, and Shirley Turner would not be grateful. Instead, she would think I was stingy and had given too few shares.

Now, transferring all the shares to my aunt, once she becomes the company owner, Shirley Turner will feel uneasy and turn her frustrations onto her.

Getting my aunt to return what she acquired would be more painful than never having received it.

There’s no way she’d agree, and by then the sides would turn against each other, like dogs tearing at each other.

And I’d be on the sidelines, watching the show.

The more I thought about it, the more ingenious this move seemed—if someone wants to play savior, I’ll drag them down and see if they can still radiate that saintly aura.

Returning to the room, Wennie noticed the joy in my expression and curiously asked, "What call took so long that left you looking so happy?"

I smiled, "Oh, nothing much, just about tossing out a hot potato, wouldn’t that make anyone happy?"

"Yep, the Miller Family’s company. I don’t want to be involved anymore, planning to sell off my shares at a low price."

Wennie said, "You should have done that long ago, cut ties with them completely! Even though it was your aunt’s dying wish, I believe that from above, she wouldn’t want you to have so much trouble because of it. Quick, get rid of it for some peace."

Yes, that’s exactly what I think too.

I’ve held onto it and fulfilled my mom’s wish, so it’s time to move on.

Besides, even selling at a low price, I’d still make a good profit, so there’s no loss.

I figured once I got my hands on that 60 million, by the end of the year, I could gather all my savings and company dividends to pay Daniel Carter back 80 million.

Looking at it that way, the 300 million debt doesn’t seem so daunting anymore.

With a bit of thought, my mood grew even brighter, and I couldn’t help but say, "Shall we drink a little tonight and celebrate?"

Wennie quickly said, "I got a special reserve of Lafite that I specifically requested from my dad. But Melissa said she can’t drink, how disappointing."