Lara's father tapped the desk. "Have you discussed this internally? What did they say?""Yes." Lara smiled. "Upper management also agreed that working with Lawson Global will be better than working with a few other smaller companies. That way, we'd be guaranteed steady funding. Although we'll need to let them have a share of our profits, they'll also be sharing the risk. Lawson Global's contribution will greatly aid this project.""Alright!" Lara's father nodded. "You have complete say over this project. You make the final call!""Then, I shall get someone to draft the agreement." Lara got up. At the sight of her father frowning in hesitation, she spoke again. "Don't worry, I won't let you down.""Just do what you have to do."Lara felt a lot lighter after she left her father's office. She then ordered her assistant to start writing the agreement for Lawson Global."I need it immediately!" Lara pointed out. "I don't need another wrench in my plans.""So, how much
Angeline's heartbeat quickened as the garage door rolled down."What's wrong?"Sean's lips curved into a smile as he leaned in closer to her. He reached out to tuck her hair behind her ears as he asked in a low voice, "When I asked you where you were going for lunch, I was asking you if you were going to eat nearby your office or if you were going to eat at home. What else could I have been asking?"Angeline's face burst into flames as her breathing grew chaotic. She had to admit that her mind was in the gutter when Sean asked her earlier this afternoon. She had misunderstood him entirely then.When he saw Angeline's flushed face, he instantly understood her thoughts. So, he reached out to pull her in for a kiss.Robert had been standing outside with his cane in hand. He watched in shock as Sean kissed his granddaughter.Asher's eyes widened with shock as well. Reflexively, he reached over to support Robert's weight. "Sir."At the sound of Asher's voice, Sean turned his head
But this time, Angeline wanted to be brave for Sean. Although she wasn't mentally prepared and she hadn't figured out what to say to Robert, she couldn't keep cowering behind Sean. She didn't want Sean to be jealous of her past relationship with Ned. She was also capable of giving her all for Sean.Sean was taken aback. He knew Angeline very well. He had wondered if she would agree to Robert's demand for them to break up if Robert brought this up. This was because she treasured the Lawsons and Lawson Global. Sean had even been prepared to tell Robert that he was the one who forced Angeline into this relationship.Sean felt an uncharacteristic prickle behind his eyes as he gazed at her. "You're willing to stand up against Mr. Lawson Senior, just for me?"Angeline's nervousness flared up as Sean looked at her. He stared at her as though he was trying to bore a hole through her. She gripped Sean's hand hard as she nodded. "Let's go!"Sean couldn't stop himself from pulling Angel
"Mr. Lawson Senior, perhaps you should first hear what they have to say!" Asher requested on Sean and Angeline's behalf."Let me ask you this..." Robert looked at Sean. "Is Angie one of the reasons you want to leave the Lawsons and Lawson Global? Apart from the reasons you gave me last time?""Yes." Sean didn't hesitate.Robert gripped his cane as he laughed. "Wonderful, you two… Such a good stepson you are, and what a good granddaughter I have!"Angeline paled when she saw Robert stumble backward with a hand to his chest. She and Asher immediately dashed over to hold him up. "Granddad—"Robert shook her hold off."Please, Mr. Lawson Senior, take a seat while I fetch your medicine." Asher helped Robert into a chair before rushing upstairs to retrieve his medicine.Robert's hand remained on his chest as he glared unblinkingly at Angeline before glaring at Sean. "When did this start? How long have you been hiding this behind my back?""About four or five years…""S
Robert's breathing became rapid."Wow! That's great!" Robert thought sarcastically to himself.It turned out that his adopted son had already slept with his granddaughter, and he knew nothing at all, like a total fool."You two… You two…"Trembling in anger, he said, "Do the both of you even realize you're family? Now that you two—my adopted son and my granddaughter—have children together, how do you expect them to live their lives when the news spreads? "How will I face anyone after this? The Lawson family's reputation will be ruined, and both of you are the culprits!"Sean looked at Robert, who was on the verge of losing control and said, "That is why I will leave the Lawson family. Let Sean Lawson disappear from the surface of this Earth.""That is unacceptable!" Robert retaliated, his voice raised. "I will never allow you two to be together! Do you still not realize what you will face after leaving the Lawson family? If you want the best for Angeline and the kids, you mus
"Take her out of here! Are you deaf?" Robert yelled at Asher.Afraid that Robert might accidentally hurt Angeline, Sean quickly got up by supporting himself on the coffee table, pulled her into his arms, and dragged her to the kitchen."Wait here," he said, comforting her while holding onto the back of her head. "Be good."He then looked toward Asher and instructed, "Watch her until I return."Asher nodded in acknowledgment. After Sean left to return to the living room, he said to Angeline, "Ms. Angeline, I've been working for Mr. Lawson Senior for decades. So, please heed my advice. The more you try to defend Mr. Lawson now, the angrier he will get."Based on his character, he will surely hear you out, but you must let him let off some steam first."Remembering the cane that landed heavily on Sean's back earlier, she closed her eyes and held onto the kitchen counter to support her weight. She pursed her lips, her heart brimming with many regrets.She had forgotten her place
Robert was so enraged that he staggered backward and raised his cane high up in the air before striking Sean on the back again.The force of the blow made Sean lean forward, and he had to grab the edge of the coffee table with one hand to steady himself. Gritting his teeth, he remained on his knees."You disregard propriety and integrity! You disregard the Lawson family! You also disregard the safety of Angeline and the two children!" Robert shouted, his teeth clenched. "Are you now even disregarding me, your father?""Mr. Lawson Senior, I appreciate your nurturing…"Sean hadn't finished speaking when Robert struck again with his cane. His eyes welled up with angry tears as the address provoked him "Mr. Lawson Senior"."Mr. Lawson Senior? Hah… I've truly raised a good son—a son who commits incest and shamelessly tries to whitewash himself!" he stormed, pointing at Sean with his trembling hand."If you insist on being with Angeline, then… then get out! Get out of the Lawson fami
Robert adjusted his sitting posture and looked up at Angeline.With a raised voice, he said, "Or should I simply expose your true identity and push Jessica back into the spotlight? I allowed you to return to the Lawson family because I saw your genuine love for Jessica."I thought that after I died, Jessica would still have you, her only family, to look after her. Is this how you plan to do that? By letting her drown in gossip and rumors?""Granddad, I never intended to involve Mom in this—""But you already have! Sean is your mother's brother! Your relationship will be speculated upon as long as you're with him. It will not only affect the reputation of the Lawson family but also undermine that of Jessica and me!"Robert struck the floor loudly with his cane.He wondered about the things people would say then.Robert Lawson, who abandoned his own flesh and blood, adopted two strangers, and those two ended up having a relationship.Just thinking about it made him feel an intens
As soon as the words were out of Angeline's mouth, the sound of lounge slippers padding across the floor rang out. Yasmine ignored the shock on Ned's face and turned to reach for Sean. "Hold me, Daddy!"Sean smiled and lifted her into his arms. Then, he stood beside Angeline and looked at Ned imperiously. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Fletcher. I'm Shane Kingston. Thank you for pushing Angie away in the past—it led to my relationship with her."Ned knew precisely who "Shane" was. Just a few days ago, he'd seen the news about Melissa's press conference explaining her relationship with "Shane".His mind buzzed. He knew Sean and Shane looked similar enough for Dexter's men to have gotten the wrong person. However, he hadn't expected "Shane" to have anything to do with Angeline!"You… Are you the kids' father?" Ned's voice was incredibly shaky."Yes, and again, thank you for that!" Sean smiled. "We've never told anyone about this because I didn't want to endanger Angie and the kids.
Sean didn't give Angeline the chance to finish. "You were right to bring this up to me!"He wrapped his arms around her from behind and continued, "You and the kids will always be my main priority. I know I said I want Melissa to remain safe and happy under my watch, but my feelings for her are purely familial love."She's family to me, and I must care for her. But you and the kids mean more to me than anything else in the world, including her."His honesty made Angeline feel slightly more at ease. She said, "Those are your words, not mine…""I swear on my life that I mean every word." He pressed a kiss to her head. "Can I stay here tonight? I want to sleep with you and the kids. Also, I came from Brayden's place upstairs, so no one will know I'm here.""Granddad made it clear that if anyone finds out about this, he won't allow the kids to see you anymore.""Got it. Don't worry about a thing. Mr. Lawson Senior raised me, and I owe him for that. I won't put him in a tough
Angeline nodded without saying anything. Once Nathaniel was gone, she received a call from Sean."Now that everything has been taken care of, I want to give you a gift," he said, the smile in his tone evident. "Can you have the kids spend Friday night at Grand Court Residences? I want to show all three of you my gift on Saturday."He missed Yasmine and Xavier terribly. Before resolving the issue with Melissa, he hadn't dared to say he wanted to see them. Even if Angeline were okay with it, Robert probably would've objected to his wishes. Now that the dust had settled, he couldn't wait to see them."I don't call the shots regarding the kids now. I'll have to ask Granddad," Angeline said."I'll talk to him about it." Sean was worried Robert would take his anger out on her. "This all started because I insisted on being with you, so I'll handle it. I'll visit Mr. Lawson Senior later today."Angeline didn't know how Sean's conversation with Robert went, but Robert had Asher drop
That night, Melissa called Sean. "Shane, let's publicly announce our divorce. We can tell everyone that we only got married on paper so the Lane family could offer you its protection."Tell them that Dexter repeatedly tried to harm you so he could take the Kingston family fortune, and tell them how he tried to snatch you from the Lane family so he could secretly deal with you."She paused, then continued, "Now that Dexter's in prison, we can get a divorce, and Lori can adopt me as her daughter. We'll become cousins, and we'll still be a family.""Melissa…"Sean was surprised. He didn't expect her to see the light in such a short time."Since you don't have any feelings for me and won't ever make me your wife, I'll settle to be Lori's daughter. That way, you'll always be my family!" Tears streamed down Melissa's face as she spoke. "I adore Lori and want to be her daughter.""Alright," Sean said."Can you head to Keman with me, then? We can visit Dad together before getting
Melissa stared at Lori, who chuckled gently. "It's alright. There's no need to rush into anything. Take your time to think about it. Get good rest for a few days, then go shopping with me. We can buy some clothes to keep up with the changing seasons."I heard from Brayden and Sean that you're the expert in fashion and dressing up. I've always wanted a daughter who could shop, exercise, travel, café hop, and go on spa days with me."She paused and continued, "I didn't get to do any of this with you because you weren't in the best state before this. Now, though, you're all better. You're back to normal, and you've regained your memories!""I'd love that!" Melissa said without hesitation. She'd only done these things with her mother and Emelia in her dreams, but that was all they were—dreams. She was delighted now that Lori was back and willing to make her dreams come true.Sean sat on the couch and sipped his coffee. He knew Lori was doing everything she could to make his life ea
Melissa nodded. Sean said, "I know you have no company management experience. Mr. Lane might have entrusted Trustworth Group to me, but it's still yours. Before you find someone to take over, my plan for the company is still to move its focus back to Lonla."The global situation isn't the best now, and Lonla is the safest place for expansion. That's why the company's focus has to return to Lonla—""You can hand the company over to Brayden," Melissa interrupted. "The only people in this world I trust are you, Dad, and Brayden. Now that Dad's in prison and you don't want me anymore, Brayden is all I have left.""I'm still your kin, Melissa. I won't kick you to the curb and leave you to die. Nevertheless, Trustworth Group is yours. You can have whoever you want to manage it. Brayden is capable of that." Sean looked at Brayden. "What do you think? Are you willing to take over Trustworth Group?""I'll do it as long as Melissa is okay with it!" Brayden nodded. He turned to look
"That's not it! I've always been willing to care for you, and I'm more than willing to care for you in the future! It's not something that I'm forced to do…" Brayden feared his words would inadvertently hurt Melissa, so he decided not to continue in that vein.He said, "C'mon, you should head downstairs to eat something. You've already slept the day away.""I don't want to eat!" Melissa lay down again and pulled the sheets around herself. She said dully, "I want to sleep for a bit longer. Shut the door on your way out."Seeing that she'd already shut her eyes and started weeping, Brayden said softly, "I'll have the kitchen keep the food warm for you. Remember to call me when you wake up, okay? I'll be right downstairs!""Okay." Brayden left the room after hearing Melissa's muffled reply. He shut the door behind him.Melissa remained upstairs. She didn't head downstairs, even when Sean returned. Sean had already spoken to Angeline on the phone and told her he wouldn't meet
Melissa slept in her room and only woke up at night. She removed her headphones and opened her red, swollen eyes. She stared dazedly at the night sky, only returning to her senses when her headphones fell out of her hands.Brayden, who'd been waiting outside this whole time, heard them fall to the floor and hurried into the room. He saw Melissa sitting cross-legged on the bed. She propped herself on one arm while leaning down to pick up the headphones.He hurried forward and picked them up for her, then remained on one knee by the bed. He looked up at her and said, "You slept for ages, Melissa. Do you want to have anything to eat? I got all your favorites, and there are different cuisines. I also got your favorite fruits and snacks!"He'd already had the maids throw out the food he'd bought at noon. Then, he'd had his subordinate buy a fresh batch.Melissa turned to look at him dazedly. She said hoarsely, "Brayden…""I'm here," he said. "C'mon, should we get something to eat
Melissa knew Sean well. So, it was impossible for her not to know if he was being serious. Sean was indeed threatening her, and he was using his life to do it. That way, she wouldn't dare to harm Angeline for fear of hurting him.She loved Sean so much that she could give up her life for him. She wondered why he was treating her that way. He knew she wouldn't allow even the slightest possibility of her threatening his safety.Just then, Sean received a call from Brayden. He said, "...Yeah, I've already picked Melissa up. We're heading to Southstream Manor now… Yeah, you can head over there. Buy some food on your way—Melissa probably hasn't eaten anything yet. She should be hungry."At his words, Melissa couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She covered her face and started sobbing. She'd spent her whole life dreaming of becoming Sean's wife, but he was now in love with someone else and no longer wanted her.Yet, she couldn't do anything about the situation, or she'd be hurting