Chapter 248

Her words instantly set off a firestorm in the room. What was supposed to be a meeting to put her in her place had flipped completely. Now, she was the one in control—and everyone knew it.

“This is ridiculous! What gives you the right to pull something like this without even discussing it with us?” one shareholder shouted.

“You didn’t even talk to us! Do shareholders mean nothing to you now?” another snapped.

The whole room was practically boiling over with rage.

“I’ve reviewed the financial records my grandfather left behind,” Abigail said dismissively, her tone calm and detached. “When the group was profitable, you all received handsome dividends as shareholders.

“Now that we’re facing difficulties, it’s only fair for everyone to contribute. Once the group recovers, your dividend payouts will naturally be restored.”

Eli threatened, his voice dripping with menace. “Abigail, you’re new here and clueless about how things work. Cross us now, and don’t expect anyone to back you up when things go south!”

Gabriel and his faction held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

“Since you’re already forcing her to sign a letter of forgiveness, I highly doubt any of you would actually back her up if she ever got into real trouble,” Warren sneered from the sidelines, his voice laced with biting sarcasm.

The truth made Eli’s face turn solemn. Abigail rose to her feet, clearly done with this conversation. “That’s final.”

If they want to bail Gabriel and the rest, let them. I will not sign any letter of forgiveness. I’ll just leave the court to handle it, she thought firmly.

Eli opened his mouth again, but Warren shot him a glare so cold it froze the words in his throat, and he shut up immediately.

When Abigail returned to the office, she found Sebastian leisurely brewing himself a cup of coffee with Wyatt’s coffee machine.

“All done?” he asked, pouring a cup and setting it down in the seat he figured she’d take.

Abigail walked over and sat down beside him, looking a bit dejected. “What a headache,” she sighed. The more she had to deal with those meddling old men, the more she missed the carefree days when all she had to do was code.

Looking back, even the hectic days at Halden Group felt like a form of happiness to her.

“Gibson Group’s operations are already hectic and complicated, and this is only the beginning. Should we have Ren step in?” Sebastian asked, clearly hoping Abigail would focus more on the project.

If Grandpa were still here, I’d be free to do whatever I wanted, while someone else took care of the group, she thought wistfully.

“I really shouldn’t keep troubling you guys,” Abigail said, knowing that Sebastian and the others had already helped her so much.

Sebastian took a sip of his coffee and said, “Your talent for coding is too valuable to waste on dealing with these people.”

“But I can’t just abandon Grandpa’s company either,” Abigail said with a resigned sigh. “I have no choice.” She couldn’t just walk away from everything her grandfather had built from the ground up, simply to pursue her own dreams.

Besides, if Gibson Group went under, those shares she held would just become a mountain of debt. Wyatt had meant well, giving her that stake, as he never saw the fallout coming.

But now, those shares felt more like a ticking time bomb than a gift—and she couldn’t just offload them.

She knew that if she asked Sebastian or Warren for help, they’d show up in a heartbeat. But she already owed them so much. She couldn’t keep troubling them.

Sebastian frowned and asked, “So, you’re giving up on the project?”

“Let’s put that on hold for now. We’ll revisit it when the company’s back on track. I’m really sorry,” Abigail said.

Abigail held her cup, gazing at the dark liquid inside, and said softly, “Grandpa left so suddenly without leaving me any instructions. But the way he rushed into that blazing fire to save me without a second thought—that memory is etched in my mind forever.

“I think me taking over the group is what Grandpa would have wanted.”

Grandpa had always hoped I’d take over the group when he was alive, she thought.

“And what about you?” Sebastian asked, his voice laced with displeasure. “You keep putting others first. Don’t your own dreams matter at all?”

Abigail set down her cup and, after a long pause, said quietly, “Back at the orphanage, Ms. Sanders used to say that some people are born with a fixed fate.

“For people like me, who always put others first, the moment life gets a little better, it all gets taken away. Grandpa was finally proud of me—and then he was gone.

“I don’t believe in fate,” Sebastian said solemnly.

Abigail looked at him, studying his face for a moment with a faint smile. “True enough. Just looking at you, I can tell you don’t believe in fate. You carve your own path.”

Sebastian ignored her teasing and said with measured calm, “Since you’ve made your decision, I won’t insist on you joining the project with me anymore.”

Abigail placed her hands on her knees and asked seriously. “Are you disappointed in me?”

“Disappointed? Not exactly,” Sebastian replied. “I just feel it’s a pity.”

In that moment, Abigail felt it—the quiet shift, the sense that the path they’d been walking together had started to split.