Chapter 14

The next afternoon, Preston awoke with a start to a sudden jolt. He pressed a hand to his throbbing head and opened his eyes. Just as he was about to snap, he saw Simone, tears streaming down her face.

“Pres, Mrs. Norwood wants to fire my parents and evict our whole family! You have to do something!”

The haze lifting from his mind, Preston bolted upright. “That’s impossible!” he exclaimed, disbelief filling his voice. He immediately grabbed his phone and called Paige.

But Paige curtly ended the call as soon as she understood the reason for his call. “That’s final,” she said before hanging up.

Simone’s sobs intensified as she overheard Paige’s response. Clinging to Preston, she begged, “Mr. Norwood, please, talk to Mrs. Norwood again. My family hasn’t done anything wrong. I just want to stay by your side. You understand how I feel about you, don’t you?”

Preston’s chest tightened at her despair. After learning Paige’s location, he decided to take the entire Baker family to the Norwood residence.

The usually quiet house buzzed with activity. Even from a distance, Preston could hear voices from inside. Unsure of what was happening, he decided to wait for Paige to emerge before addressing the situation.

However, Simone’s persistent pleas eventually wore him down. Unable to bear it any longer, he stormed into the house.

As the doors swung open, all eyes turned to him. The entire Norwood family, young and old, was gathered, along with Francis and Gloria. Cedric and Jolene were nearby, serving Louis.

Preston instantly realized the timing was terrible. He wanted to leave with the Bakers. Unfortunately, Simone’s mother, Helen Foster, missed the cue.

In a flash, she fell to her knees before Charles and Paige, tears streaming down her face. “Mrs. Norwood, Derek and I have served you and Mr. Norwood for over a decade. We watched Mr. Preston grow up too. Why would you fire us? What did we do wrong? Just tell us, and I promise we’ll change!”

Paige’s expression hardened at the sight of her staff creating a scene. “Enough! We’ll talk later! This is the Norwood residence. Helen, you’re out of line!” she snapped.

But the mention of the Norwood residence only fueled Helen’s despair. She moved closer, kneeling before Louis and pleading for justice.

What should have been a peaceful family gathering had become a courtroom drama. The Bakers insisted Louis intervene. Though Charles and Paige were furious, they couldn’t bring themselves to stop them out of respect for the elders.

Louis, known for his kindness and gentle treatment of his staff, couldn’t ignore Helen’s pleas and resolved to investigate. Seeing his grandfather step in, Preston knew the situation had escalated beyond control. He frantically signaled to Simone to stop, but overwhelmed by desperation, she mistook his gesture as giving up. She knelt beside Helen, joining her in pleading with Louis.

Just as the situation seemed to spiral out of control, Cedric hurled a glass from the table in front of the Bakers. The glass shattered, plunging the chaotic living room into stunned silence.

Once order was restored, Cedric helped Jolene to her seat. Then, approaching Louis, he bowed slightly and suggested, “Dad, why don’t you and Mr. and Mrs. Miller head upstairs for coffee? I’ll handle this and make sure everyone gets a proper explanation.”