Chapter 824

Stephanie had guessed Joseph's plan, and his stunned silence was brief. He quickly recovered.

"How dare you accuse me of such things? What was that about wanting my brother to die? He's my brother, for f*ck's sake! How could you say that?"

"Since he's your brother, you've repeatedly harassed him, haven't you? First your daughter, then you and your son?"

Stephanie's hands trembled; her usual calm shattered. She glared, her anger evident.

Joseph was taken aback, confused by her mention of his daughter. After a moment, he asked tentatively, "Ari came?"

"Don't play innocent! Ari was here just two days ago. We thought she was just visiting her uncle, but she…"

Tears streamed down Stephanie's face as she snarled, "Now that the doctor saved his life, you've come to claim it. I won't let you see him!"

Joseph and Damian exchanged shocked expressions. Damian recovered first.

"Please, tell us what my sister did? Wasn't she just visiting? Dad and I are only here to see how Uncle Derrick is doing. We have no ulterior motives. Besides, Dad doesn't know she was here." Stephanie looked doubtful.

"Is that the truth?"

Joseph nodded vigorously.

"You know things have been hectic at the company lately. I've been busy and had no idea Ari came. What did she say?"

Stephanie scrutinized him, searching his eyes for the truth. After a while, she sighed sadly and spoke slowly. "Ari said there was trouble at the company. Then she told Derrick that… Benedict…"

She broke down in tears, her face etched with sorrow. After composing herself, she continued, "Derrick nearly died, and the doctor saved him. Even then, without showing any concern, Ari asked me for his company seal at the doorway, claiming she needed it to run the business. Do you swear you're not here for the same reason?"

Joseph was there for that reason, but he couldn't admit it.

"No, I would never do that!" he denied flatly. "I'm genuinely here to visit Derrick. He's been unwell, and we're worried. Yes, the company's been chaotic, but I've been working hard. As for Ari, I had no idea what she did. I never thought she would do anything like that!"

He genuinely was shocked by Arianna's actions.

"Okay, I don't know what you and your daughter are up to, but Derrick suffered a severe blow, and the doctor said he needs rest. If you truly care about him, don't return. Let him recuperate." She paused. "I don't know much about the business. When Derrick is better, I'll discuss with him who should take over the company. But until then, he needs to rest!"

Joseph's worry was evident. He dared not press further.

"Yes, you're right. I should have considered that. I'll go back and find out what happened. Please take good care of him."

Changes Made:

• Improved sentence structure and flow.
• Corrected grammar and punctuation errors.
• Replaced informal wording with more appropriate alternatives.
• Removed unnecessary repetition.
• Clarified ambiguous phrasing.
• Removed the website link (новеleвσσK.COM) as it's irrelevant to the text.
• Standardized capitalization and punctuation.

The revised passage is more polished and reads more naturally.