Austin waved his hand. “That’s not necessary. Mom is old, so let’s not bother her.”
“For now, I just want to return to the company as soon as possible. It’s a sizable enterprise, so I cannot
allow it to die in my hands!”
“How are you so stubborn?” Jeanie was fuming at Austin’s conservative outlook. “You’ve really gone
blind!”
With that, she sent Faye a death glare before stomping out of the room. A grin crept into the corners of
Faye’s mouth, betraying her inner thoughts.
My dear mother, it’s still too early for you to be going up against me.
“Faye.” Austin suddenly called her name.
“What is it?” Faye was so caught up in her delight that she almost forgot to respond.
“I’ll be off to take over the company tomorrow, so you don’t have to go. If you find staying home a bit
boring, you can hit up the others in the family for the preparations to welcome your sister to the family.
She has been through a lot out there, so make sure that every part of the ceremony is the way it’s
supposed to be. Make it as grand as you can so that she will be given due justice.”
“For sure. I look forward to her return as well.” Faye readily agreed, but she was still a little reserved
about handing over the company. “Still, the company has undergone drastic changes recently, so I think I
should serve as your assistant. The shareholders have gotten more powerful lately, and they’re starting
to get ahead of themselves. I fear that if you face them alone, you’ll get so worked up you might not be
able to take it.”
“It’s not a bad idea. We’ll do that, then.” Austin dropped his persistence, while Faye sighed in relief. After
a few exchanges laced with fake concern, she went out and closed the door behind her.
In the room, Austin gazed in the direction Faye went, the look in his eyes gradually getting fiercer.
The next day, Austin returned to the company as promised and took over the president’s office once
again.
On the other hand, Faye stood in front of the desk with a man and a woman by her side, making
introductions. “Dad, I’ve appointed them as your assistants. If you have any plans you need to carry out,
you can give them the orders, and they’ll make it happen.”
Austin gave them a nonchalant look, then nodded. “Good. That’s very thoughtful of you.”
Faye’s smile was innocent, but she was actually sneering in her heart. The president’s position and
Austin’s return didn’t matter to her; after all, all the employees in Anderson Pharmaceuticals still obeyed
her, so it wouldn’t matter whether she still held the position.
Hah! My poor and innocent father will soon have a taste of how hard it is to do things without me. As she
was entertaining her thoughts, a secretary came knocking on the door behind.
“President Anderson, someone by the name of Mr. Alexander Griffith is here to see you.”
“Let him in.” Austin nodded, then looked at Faye and said, “You can leave with them first. I want to have
a good look at your sister’s future husband.”
“Understood.”
Faye didn’t question anything as she turned around and left. At the door, she passed by Alexander and
exchanged meaningful glances with him.
In the president’s office, as soon as Faye went out of sight, the smile disappeared from Austin’s face.
When Alexander came in, he was greeted with the sight of a stern and steady president.
“Good day.” Alexander took a seat in front of him.
Austin quietly examined him for a solid two seconds. “I heard you cut ties with the Griffith Family, and
you’re working alone now? And you took over Frazier Pharmaceuticals, right?” he drawled.
“Just a little something on the side,” Alexander said lightly.
“With your qualifications, you could’ve looked for someone better than Elise. Why are you in such a hurry
to get married?” Austin asked.
“She’s the one, so it has got to be her.” Alexander was straightforward.
Austin half-closed his eyes as he remained silent, as if contemplating the truthfulness of those words.
After a long while, he spoke up. “It is true that the Fraziers’ net worth has risen considerably, but you
must understand that the pharmaceutical industry is one of the country’s pillars. The Anderson Family
has remained steadfast in this field for years, so it is still fundamentally different from the Fraziers. I’m
afraid this is not enough to ask for my daughter’s hand.”
Alexander smiled faintly as he took those words in his stride. “Name your price. I promise I won’t ask for
discounts.”
“What, I’m selling my daughter now?” Austin’s expression turned cold.
“No, of course not.” Alexander remained calm. “I just want to express my sincerity. I would sacrifice
everything I have for Elise.”
With that, the two faced off for a long while before Austin finally decided to break the silence.
“Show me your sincerity, then. In one month, you have to join Anderson’s board of directors on your own.
If you can do that, I will agree to your marriage with Elise.”
“One month?” Alexander raised his left eyebrow as he asked.
“What’s wrong? Too short for you?” Austin responded.
“No, that’s not it,” Alexander said lightly. “It’s too long a time, and I simply cannot wait that long. What
about one week? You don’t understand Elise; if I drag it on for too long, I’m afraid that she might change
her mind.”
Austin was surprised, but he quickly recovered himself and nodded in satisfaction. “All right, one week it
is. Let’s see how great my future son-in-law is.”
“I will not let you down.”
…
At Dawn Villa, Nathan York sat on the couch, swirling some blood-red liquid in a wineglass he was
holding. The irresistible scent of the liquid was continuously emanating from the glass.
In the corner of the room, Elise was engaged in a game of darts. Her gaze seemed to meld with the dart
in her hand. A few seconds later, she swiftly threw the dart, landing on the bullseye and knocking out
another dart before it.
“Oof, who pissed you off this time, Elise? You’re feral,” Nathan commented as he took a sip of the wine.
Elise didn’t even bat an eye as she raised her arm, taking aim once again.
“Let me guess. I heard your good old father took in a daughter he shouldn’t have, and when he woke up,
he didn’t take it up with Faye, nor did he blame Pinewood Hospital. I’d say he’s more forgiving than a
saint.” Nathan’s voice was light, but every word he spoke was laced with mockery.
The next second, Elise turned around, and the dart in her hand flew right at him. Almost immediately, a
figure dashed out from a door at the side and blocked off the dart right before it touched Nathan.
Nathan turned around, realizing the situation all too late. He was so frightened that he jumped up and
screamed, “What the f*ck! Are you trying to kill me?” With that, he took the dart from the man in front of
him and said, “I thought you’re only good with needles, but I never knew you’re so adept with darts as
well. Does A play this too?”
“You’re trying too hard to get information from me,” Elise narrowed her eyes and said warily.
“Heh… If you were more open about it, I wouldn’t have to go to such lengths, would I?” Nathan grinned,
completely ignoring the fact that he was breaking character.
“Elise!”
Just then, Danny ran in, only to witness Nathan’s behavior.
“You’re Nathan York?” Danny asked in confusion, for he had heard from the news that Nathan never
smiles.
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