Yosef was trying to frame Thea. "Grandpa, I'm innocent," she pleaded.

"Enough," Lex interrupted. He then chided Thea, saying, "Thea, this behavior is unacceptable. You will relinquish your position as chairman. Howard will be the new chairman, and you will serve as vice chairman. Learn from him."

Lex turned to leave. Although Thea had made a serious mistake, she was competent and well-connected. Given their efforts to bring her back into the company, Lex chose demotion over dismissal.

Howard shook his head and sighed. "Thea, you're still young and have much to learn. I hope you've learned your lesson."

"I-I'm innocent!" Thea cried.

"Yosef, tell Grandpa it wasn't me," Thea insisted. "Why are you framing me? Why?" Howard helped Yosef up and said, "Yosef, this isn't entirely your fault. We should blame those who abuse their authority. You're sixty; you should retire."

"T-Thank you, Mr. Howard," Yosef replied, apologizing profusely before leaving.

A collective sigh echoed through the room. "I thought Thea would dedicate herself to the company," one high-ranking official lamented. "I never expected her to act so selfishly. Thankfully, nothing serious happened; otherwise, Eternality would be ruined. Can she be forgiven? She should be fired. Why let her stay?" Overhearing this, Thea wept, feeling deeply aggrieved. She had devoted herself to the company and worked tirelessly in recent days. Why would anyone frame her?

She cried uncontrollably and ran from the company.

Meanwhile, at the Callahan home, James had just woken up and was sweeping the kitchen floor, humming cheerfully in his apron. He then heard someone crying in the living room. He found Thea, distraught from her ordeal at the company, sitting on the sofa, sobbing.

"What's wrong, Thea?" Gladys asked with concern. Benjamin, who had been home since resigning from his position after Thea became chairman, added, "What's wrong, Thea?"

"Dad, Mom, I didn't do it! Why are they framing me?" Thea cried. James put down his broom. "What's wrong, Thea?" he asked with concern.

Thea recounted the events at the company. "I'm innocent! I didn't threaten Yosef. I don't know why he insists it was me. I had nothing to do with the substandard medicine."

David exclaimed, "Vile! Despicable! I'll go find Grandpa and reason with him!"

"What are you doing?" James rebuked him. "Can't you see the mess we're in? Do you think he'll believe you?"

"Butwhat should we do? Do we just let Thea be wrongly blamed?" David asked.

James lit a cigarette and took a deep breath. "Why don't we leave Eternality Group and start our own business? With Thea's connections, we could expand quickly."

"No way," Gladys retorted. "Isn't that exactly what they want? We have to persevere."

Benjamin added, "What should we do? Howard and his family conspired to frame Thea. Now that Yosef's insisting it was her, there's nothing we can do."