Chapter Two: The Man Named Johnson Celine.

On a Monday morning at the board of directors' heated meeting regarding the possible replacement of the current chairman with another leader, the Johnson family members were divided into two factions, despite all sharing the same family name. The wife of the Johnson family stood up to defend her only son, Johnson Celine, but he was absent today.

A middle-aged man with graying hair clenched his teeth and said, "I only care about building and developing ACB Corporation in the most fair way. As you all can see, I have never complained about Celine's work, but he has gone too far in causing losses of thousands of dollars for the corporation. It's not a big deal, we can solve it together. But today he doesn't even bother to show up. What do you say, Mrs. Johnson?"

David's outward appearance seemed just and righteous, but deep down he wanted to humiliate the heir of the Johnson family. Just mentioning this lady, he couldn't care less about her and saw her as a rusty nail. He only wanted to grasp all the power and be in control of it.

Hearing David's mockery of her position as his wife, Lauri wanted to tear off his fake facade, but she was not an easily provoked person. If it weren't for her status as a mistress, how could she have made the official wife commit suicide and then proudly climb up to the position that everyone desired? Lauri smiled: "So, Mr. Johnson David, who do you want to nominate for the chairman position? Your foster son?"

One sentence struck deep into David's heart, the biggest humiliation in his life, that he couldn't have a child. Over the years, he had tried to maintain his position in the Johnson family, but the truth was that Johnson Celine, his only nephew and the heir, was the one who could continue the family legacy. David blushed and retorted, "I haven't spoken up to nominate anyone, but if Celine doesn't perform his duties well, it's not impossible to nominate Kevin as his replacement."

"Do you dare?" Lauri's tone was lofty, in this battle for power, whoever showed anger was the weaker one.

Kevin sat two seats away from his foster father, bowing his head in silent celebration. Finally, the esteemed lady was angered. He wanted to see how his foster father would put her in her place.

David leaned in, his smile disguising the sharpness in his threatening gaze. "No, no, it's not just up to me to decide. Everyone here has the right to speak up," he said, clasping his hands together. "The shareholders will determine who is the best candidate to replace the current chairman."

Lauri's face turned red, her hands clenched tightly. If Celine couldn't hold on to the position of ACB Corporation's chairman, then she would also lose her position as the internal executive director. As the wife of the Johnson family, she couldn't let anyone look down on her, even though Celine wasn't her biological daughter, at least she had him, and that's what allowed her to maintain her position.

The meeting room suddenly buzzed with murmurs and whispers. Celine's absence meant that she had given up her position as the chairman of ACB Corporation and implicitly agreed to have someone else take over that role. Without Celine, Lauri would be nothing. In the Johnson family, divided into two warring factions, everyone here had already made their decision on who would serve the interests of the shareholders the most.

Lauri tightened her grip, her nails digging deep into the palm of her hand until she felt blood welling up. She silently cursed Celine in her heart, blaming her for the humiliation she had to endure in such an important situation by being absent.

She smiled, her lips twitching. "All of you here owe your successful careers to my husband. There will come a day when he wakes up, and you should think about what he will do when he finds out that his only son has been harmed by all of you."

"Wakes up?" David burst into laughter, his eyes fixed on Lauri's face. He laughed so hard that his chest shook. "My brother Daniel has been in a vegetative state for three years, and you're still hoping for the day he wakes up? How loyal of you, ha ha."

As soon as his laughter subsided, David's face hardened. "Or maybe you're afraid that he won't wake up anymore and all of my brother's assets won't have your name on them? Remember, none of my brother's assets will ever fall into your hands. Even my father didn't accept you as his daughter-in-law, so don't even think about having any share in my family's fortune."

Defeated, humiliated, Lauri gritted her teeth. "Johnson David, don't talk nonsense at this meeting. I'm just doing my duty. No matter what, I am still Daniel's wife, his lawful wife."

David sneered, his lips curling in disdain. "Is that so?" he said mockingly.

At this moment, Lauri spoke up, seeing Celine raise both her hands immediately in a relaxed manner, saying, "It's good that the Chairman is here, we are still discussing without any decision."

Kevin couldn't bear being in a weak position. In front of the shareholders of the conglomerate, Celine dared to provoke him like that, why should he tolerate it?

"Brother, it's not like what you said. The nomination is determined by all the shareholders' votes. If you feel that you are not capable of handling it, there will be someone to replace you, that's inevitable..."

Kevin was speaking when Celine straightened her fingers and interrupted, "Who told you I can't handle it?"

David immediately interjected, "As the Chairman of ACB Group, signing a contract with a partner requires careful consideration, but what have you done? Isn't this supposed to be a place for charitable acts to help small companies develop? Pouring tens of thousands of dollars into an inexperienced company and then claiming losses, are you trying to drain the company's money? Do we even know who you're investing in and what you're doing? We do legitimate business, you can't harm us and drag us down just for your own sake."

Celine didn't care about those accusations. He looked around at the faces of the shareholders and said, "Most of the blame is on me, I apologize to the shareholders who understand that doing business requires time for development and accepting risks. But I believe my choice is right, I need three months for AU company to develop and bring benefits to the Group, if not, I will resign!"

David's sharp gaze fell on a man sitting at the end of the row of chairs, and he received a signal and immediately expressed his opinion, "I don't agree with this."

Only then did David speak up, "I also don't agree, we can't pour more money into a valueless company and what you're doing is illegal."

Celine firmly stated, "We are not doing anything illegal unless you have the intention of framing me."

David had no evidence to accuse him, and if he did, he would definitely report it to the police instead of sitting here arguing back and forth.

People in the meeting room started to discuss loudly, and Lauri couldn't speak up at this moment because she was Celine's stepmother. If she spoke up, the situation would not only remain unresolved but also complicate matters further.

Celine blinked her eyes, her confident gaze evident on her face. "Gentlemen, go ahead with the vote. If the majority agrees to give me more time and opportunity, I promise as the chairman of this corporation that I will not let anyone suffer any losses. Otherwise, I will immediately step down from this position."

Kevin was the first to raise his hand. "I disagree."

One by one, everyone raised their hands, while some remained seated. Celine's expression remained calm, contrasting with Lauri's look of worry and disappointment.

"I agree."

A major shareholder raised his hand and looked at Celine. "I trust that the chairman will deliver."

Celine nodded. "Thank you, Mr. William."

Everyone raised their hands in agreement, all saying "I agree."

Finally, the meeting ended with both sides having an equal number of votes. People exchanged glances, and Lauri quickly spoke up, "There is one member with authority in our council who has not been able to attend the meeting due to poor health." She turned to Celine. "Call your grandfather and ask for his opinion."

Celine picked up her phone and put it on speaker, narrating everything that had happened. On the other end of the line, there was silence, and everyone was tense, especially David, who had always been favored by his grandfather despite being his biological nephew. As he had predicted, Johnson James replied in a deep voice, "I agree to give my grandson this opportunity. Only this once."

With one more affirmative vote, Celine retained her position as chairman. David stood up, his voice tinged with a smile. "Congratulations, you can still sit here."

Celine smiled back. "Thank you, uncle."

Everyone in the meeting room left, leaving only Celine and William. He stood up straight and sincerely said, "Thank you for helping me, uncle."

William's smile was kind, and he said, "Helping you is the right thing to do. Keep trying. I believe in you."

"Yes, sir."

"How is the situation with your father these days?"

At the mention of her father, Celine's expression immediately changed, and she replied, "It's still the same, no signs of improvement."

William sighed. "It's a pity. If he hadn't had an accident, David wouldn't have been able to pressure you like this."

Seeing Celine's unhappy face, William reached out and lightly patted her hand twice. "I'll go first. If you need any help, just come find me."

Celine thanked Mr. William again and proactively opened the door to see him off.

The new battle begins. Who wins, who loses, is still unknown!

The mental hospital is about thirty kilometers away from the city. Anna stands at the bus stop. Today, she's wearing a white dress with a touch of red lipstick on her lips, her face glowing with a fresh radiance. She has a silk scarf wrapped loosely around her slender neck, although she feels that the dress and scarf do not match well. She also sees the faint red mark on her neck, a fingerprint left by Make yesterday.

Anna stands huddled in a corner, waiting for the bus to arrive, cautiously placing her hand on the bag by her side. Although the amount of money she has is meager compared to others, it's everything she has. Involuntarily, she remembers the stranger who helped her, the man who carried the scent of summer and brought a sense of reassurance.

A poorly dressed girl stands nearby, laughing to herself with a hint of awkwardness. The elderly woman standing next to her notices that she sometimes looks happy and sometimes sad, and feels that something is not right, so she asks her, "Young lady, are you okay?"

Anna murmurs, bowing her head shyly, "I'm fine, ma'am."

The old lady wants to strike up a conversation with her, but the bus arrives just then. Anna gets on the bus and looks around, finding only one empty seat. She gives up her seat for the old lady. The girl is kind-hearted, but she seems reluctant to talk and only looks out the window at the row of trees. The old lady thinks that this girl must be a very good child.

There is a sturdy iron gate in front of the mental hospital, guarded 24/7. Anna presents the necessary documents before she can enter.

The scene inside is much quieter compared to outside. The sounds of shouting, crying, and laughter fill the noisy air. Anna understands the situation of each person here, as her mother has a mental illness. Perhaps they didn't want to be like this, perhaps they wanted to escape the cruel reality of society, which forced them into madness.

Anna's heart looked at them with resentment, she looked around and caught a glimpse of her mother's figure. Her mother sat quietly there, gazing at the clouds in the sky, her hands caressing the soft green leaves.

As Anna approached, her mother immediately ran and hid behind a tree, fearing that Anna had brought the man with her, the man who had hurt her.

Anna felt heartbroken, sitting down beside her mother. "Mom, why are you hiding from me?"

Jessica's worried eyes looked pleadingly.

Anna understood her mother's concerns, understood her fears, and tried to reassure her: "He's not allowed to come here, he will never come again."

She tried to persuade her mother, but it wasn't easy to convince someone driven to madness by extreme fear. Anna slowly took her mother's hand. "Mom, let's go eat something delicious."

Jessica suddenly screamed, "Let me go, let me go, he hit me, it hurts so much..."

Anna's tears could no longer be held back, streaming down her helpless face. Several other patients gathered around, screaming. Anna hugged her head, calling out, "Mom!"

The doctor saw the patients gathering around a young girl and approached, "Hello, Anna."

Anna quickly wiped her tears, "Hello, doctor."

He spoke to the patients to return to their rooms to prepare for their medication, and they all obediently dispersed. Matthew came to his patient's side, kindly saying, "This is your daughter, Anna, didn't you recognize her?"

Since Matthew arrived, Jessica seemed to be much calmer, nodding slightly.

Anna's eyes were filled with gratitude, and Matthew smiled, "I heard you wanted to take your mother out today?"

Anna nodded, "Yes, doctor."

"Then take your mother to my clinic, after taking her mood stabilizer, she will be much better."

After taking her medication, Matthew approved Jessica's discharge from the hospital within a couple of hours. Before leaving, he reminded Anna, "Stay close to your mother, don't leave her alone, I'm afraid it might affect her mental state outside."

Anna agreed. She held Jessica's hand gently and said, "Mom, let's go."

Jessica smiled, the gentle smile of a mother who loves her child, "Okay, let's go."

Anna took her mother out of the mental hospital. The two of them were closely wrapped in each other's arms, laughing and talking, but they didn't know that there was always a man following them. Anna could not have imagined how many times she would suffer from the events that would come to her.

Curling his lips, he silently thought that he was not the one harming his wife and children, but he was pushed to a dead end. If his daughter didn't help, then don't blame him for being mean. If she agreed to sell the house, everything would be resolved, right? There were times when Make thought that if they didn't reject him so harshly, maybe he would turn over a new leaf as a good husband and father. If they didn't give him a chance, then he had to force them, that's all.

He forced Anna until she agreed to sell the house to save his life.