670 Chapter 669
Old Mrs. Horton, still sharp as ever, didnât hesitate to say, âNo.â
The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at her in surprise.
Nathan couldnât help but speak up. âMom, didnât you say youâd give Jake shares when he got married? Why are you going back on your word now?â
Old Mrs. Horton replied firmly, âThe shares I hold are mine to give as I see fit. I may be getting older, but I still have the right to make my own decisions.â
Nathan frowned. âMom, you canât be so biased. Lewis already controls nearly half the company! Weâre family too, you know.â
Old Mrs. Horton snorted, âThe Horton family is my legacy, and as I said, Iâll give my shares to whomever I choose.â
Nathan wanted to argue, but Oliver cut him off by bursting into tears. âGrandma, I know youâve never liked me because of my mom, but sheâs gone now. How can you still hold that against me? No matter what, Iâm your oldest grandson. Are you really going to treat me like this? Do you want me dead?â
He began wiping his tears. âYou have no idea, Grandma. Ever since the Horton Group moved to Clance, everyone has looked down on me because the company is under Lewisâ control. Iâm supposed to be the eldest brother, but my opinions donât matter! I donât want to cause trouble for Lewis, but as the matriarch, you shouldnât be so partial!â
He continued, âAnd donât forget, Grandma, when you collapsed that time, I was the first one to find you and rush you to the hospital. You had a heart attack, and the doctors said if you hadnât been treated in time, you wouldnât have made it. Grandma, does our bond mean nothing?â
Old Mrs. Horton hesitated, looking at Oliver.
He wasnât wrongâŠ
Oliver had been brought back into the family at fourteen, having grown up elsewhere. Once he joined the Hortons, he was always walking on eggshells, trying to win everyoneâs favor.
He had always gone out of his way to please her as his grandmother.
After all, he was her grandson and still a child. Old Mrs. Hortonâs heart had softened for him at the time, and she treated him well until the day she saw Lewis in the ICU, his body covered in tubes. Thatâs when her feelings for Oliver had cooled.
Since then, she had distanced herself from him. But she hadnât expected Oliver to be the one to rush her to the hospital when she fell ill!
While old Mrs. Horton was lost in thought, Lewis descended the stairs, overhearing the conversation. He immediately turned to her with concern. âGrandma, you had a heart attack? Why didnât I know? Why didnât anyone tell me?â
Old Mrs. Horton patted his hand reassuringly. âYou were studying abroad at the time, and I didnât want to worry you. Besides, Iâm fine now.â
But a flicker of fear crossed Lewisâ eyes.
If he had lost her back then, he didnât know how he wouldâve handled itâŠ
As Lewis pondered this, Oliver spoke up again. âGrandma, Iâm your grandson, and my son is your great-grandsonâthe first great-grandchild of the Horton family. Can you really bear to give us nothing? Even just one percent of the shares would mean so much to us, and we wouldnât ask for anything more!â
After the Horton Group moved to Clance, Lewis had diluted five percent of the shares to boost the companyâs stock.
This caused the shares Lewis originally controlled, which made up over half of the company, to no longer be sufficient.
Whatâs more, the distribution of Horton Groupâs shares had always been a bit unusual. Lewis knew who the major shareholders were, but aside from the scattered retail investors, there was still one shareholder holding ten percent of the companyâs stock whose identity remained unknown.
Now, with Lewisâ control just shy of a majority, even one percent of the shares was critical.
Old Mrs. Horton looked at Oliver and sighed.
Sensing her hesitation, Oliver stepped forward and knelt before her. âGrandma, please, have mercy on your grandson. Remember, I saved your lifeâŠâ
Old Mrs. Hortonâs expression tightened.
Keira knew old Mrs. Horton was in a difficult position.
There was no denying that she had always been biased when it came to her family.
Nathan and Oliver had always been respectful toward her, yet she couldnât help but feel sorry for Lewis, who had lost his mother at such a young ageâŠ
Old Mrs. Horton took a deep breath, unsure of what to say.
Lewis, too, looked at Oliver with a furrowed brow.
After all, Oliver had saved his grandmotherâs life, and Jakeâs new wife came from a prestigious familyârefusing to give them any shares did seem unreasonableâŠ
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, Keira suddenly stood up.
She smiled and turned to Jake. âI heard your ex-wife is still in a psychiatric hospital?â
Jake hesitated, then nodded.
To punish Isla, Uncle Olsen had sent her straight to the asylum, and she was still alive.
Keira looked at him intently. âSo, youâre not even divorced yet, and youâre already discussing a new marriage?â
The room fell silent, everyone processing her words.