Chapter 119

(GENERAL POV)

Moments after Mr. Howard saw the contents, panic surged through him.

His eyes continued to widen, the familiar lines of age on his face tightening as he felt the tremor in his hands; his fingers were shaking, and there was this sudden cold feeling in his spine.

From the dining room, Richard’s voice floated in.

“Come off it, darling; you should have seen how they all reacted when Michael started joking about the budget cuts! I swear, half of them were ready to throw a party!”

The laughter that followed was boisterous, a sharp contrast to the tension Grandpa was battling with.

Grandpa squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment, trying to block out the light that felt like a cruel joke.

He was thinking bitterly to himself.

They have no idea what’s at stake.

He glanced behind him, hearing Richard continue, his words echoing like taunts.

“Just wait until we show them how the Howard family really does business! No one can resist our charm!”

The lightheartedness of the convers