“Then why not work with them?”

Voices rose from the audience, filled with curiosity.

“That’s right, weren’t your two families on very good terms before? You were even planning to marry your elder daughter into their family.”

“If I’m not mistaken, the engagement had already been arranged between the two, hadn’t it? Why is there no news about it now?”

“Now that you mention it, there really hasn’t been any word. It’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything about how that turned out.”

The crowd buzzed with speculation, their faces showing surprise.

Among them were also several companies that had close partnerships with Hayes Enterprises, and their expressions shifted into hesitation and unease.

After all, they were already tied too deeply to Hayes. Many of their projects were linked together, and cutting ties now would mean huge losses.

With Walton Corporation making such an announcement, it was likely many other companies would follow suit and sever relations too. If that happened, their own interests would suffer greatly.

The smaller companies grew especially anxious, unsure of what to do next.

Grace took in all their expressions one by one.

She knew exactly how much her decision would shake Ravenshore.

But this was no longer something she could control.

Keeping ties with Hayes Enterprises as long as she had was already the greatest mercy she could show that old man. In the end, separation had always been inevitable.

“Everyone, please,” Grace said, raising her voice. “I understand your concerns, but this decision comes after careful thought. I hope you can understand.”

Her tone was gentle, but the firmness behind it was unmistakable.

“And I ask that you not speculate further on this matter. As for my elder daughter’s engagement, it will certainly be annulled.”

At those words, many of Ravenshore’s young elites began to stir with new thoughts.

With Walton Corporation thriving, if they could align themselves with the Walton family through the eldest heiress, their futures would only climb higher.

Even in terms of career, they wouldn’t need to worry – Walton Corporation would certainly make the arrangements perfectly.

Tessa stood among the crowd, looking at these faces with a trace of disdain.

Did these fools really think that just because she’d broken off her engagement with Julian, they now had a chance to pursue her?

Utterly laughable.

Even if she had fallen from grace, even if in everyone’s eyes she couldn’t compare to Aurora, her own qualities were not something these petty, shifty-eyed men could ever hope to touch.

Megan noticed this too.

She whispered, “Hey, do you think Tessa might start scheming something again?

“After all, with her engagement to Julian canceled, and still so many people in Ravenshore eager to chase after her, it seems she’s become quite the hot commodity.”

Leonard added from the side, “That’s only because they’re after the Walton family’s wealth. Otherwise, no one would bother with Tessa.”

Such a simple truth, Megan of course understood. She was just curious.

She nudged Leonard, mischief in her eyes. “You’re not interested in her too, are you?

“To be fair, Tessa isn’t bad-looking. Her voice might sound a little different, but appearance-wise she’s fine. So, what about you – going to join the Ravenshore rich boys in fawning over her?”