Chapter 196: The Fate
Malcolm knew too well that Chandler’s words were not just threats or casual remarks, because he truly had the power to back them up. Chandler could take down any company; it was child’s play. He didn’t even need to make Celestial Ventures Group disappear. Just a little effort from him would make their future path incredibly difficult.
What baffled Malcolm even more was that Chandler was doing all this just to vent Meryl’s anger. Malcolm began to reassess how important Meryl was to Chandler. What exactly had she done to make Chandler so infatuated with her?
Malcolm’s eyes flickered as he thought it over. He realized that Meryl had strong backing now, and he needed to recognize the situation. “Chandler, this is a misunderstanding! Don’t be impulsive. Meryl still holds shares in Celestial Ventures Group. We’re family, and today’s incident was our fault.”
“If she wants the property rights to the villa, that’s easy. I’ll talk to Lydia later, and we’ll give it all back to her!” Malcolm said.
Lydia could hardly believe her ears. Malcolm had just said something completely different earlier! Though unwilling, Lydia bit her lip and remained silent when she saw Malcolm signaling her. Given the current situation, she couldn’t afford to say “no.”
“And as for the future dividends from the group, I’ll give those to Meryl as well,” Malcolm said. Seeing that Chandler’s expression hadn’t changed, Malcolm continued, “We haven’t given her anything in recent years because she doesn’t need that much money, and I was worried she’d spend it recklessly.”
Chandler scoffed. “She doesn’t care about these things and doesn’t need money. Mr. Stone, Meryl has already cut ties with you, so there’s no reason for her to take anything from you,” Chandler said.
Malcolm was stunned.
Chandler said, “I came today just to give you a heads-up. I’ve set my sights on Celestial Ventures Group.”
Malcolm was stunned. Is he planning to go after Celestial Ventures Group?
Malcolm’s face turned grim. He was about to say something, but Chandler had already opened his umbrella and stepped into the darkness.
Lydia walked inside and asked, “Dad, are you really going to give the house to Meryl? And those dividends…”
Malcolm was frustrated. Chandler’s parting words made him realize that things were not looking good. It suddenly dawned on him that his attitude towards Meryl might determine the fate of Celestial Ventures Group. “What you should be worried about now is what we’ll do if Chandler goes after Celestial Ventures Group!” he said.
Lydia also realized the severity of the situation and looked over at Dalton. “Dalton, do you think Uncle Chandler will push Celestial Ventures Group to the brink?” Lydia asked.
Dalton seemed a bit distracted. He felt conflicted because he didn’t want to admit that Chandler would really do all this for Meryl. “Uncle Chandler keeps his personal and professional lives separate. He probably won’t,” Dalton said.
Hearing Dalton say this, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.
When Chandler returned to the car, Meryl was sitting in the back seat. Her bare, smooth feet rested on the black seat. She was holding a bottle of wine. Her eyes were red and puffy, and filled with confusion and innocence.
The wine was a gift from a business partner during the evening’s engagement. Chandler had originally planned to take it home and store it in his wine cabinet, but Meryl had already drunk half of it right there in the car.
Meryl was soaked from head to toe. Although the heater was on in the car, she had heard that drinking warms you up. Besides, she was in a bad mood and her ankle hurt…
When she saw Chandler get in the car, Meryl shook her head. For some reason, she felt that the face in front of her seemed a bit blurry. Meryl blinked in confusion. “Why are there two Chandlers?” she asked.