A Moment in Destiny

"Uncle, hand over all your shares; Marley will leave you with 8% of the shares, and you don’t have to worry about company matters! I’m confident that, with his abilities, he can make the Hughes Group prosper to higher levels. You just retire and live out your life! But, if you won’t turn your shares over, then it’s no big deal. Worse comes to worse, we’ll just liquidate the assets and head out separate ways!”

“You said we each only keep 8% of the shares?” Teddie couldn’t help ask.

“Wrong, it’s only 3% for you!” Sylvie coldly snapped.

“3%? Why is it different for us?” “Why do you get preferential treatment?”

“Because you don’t know how to manage it. If you had all 8%, you’d only squander it all. So 5% will go to aunt for safekeeping! Then your whole family will be insured!”

Hearing Sylvie’s words, both Kasper and Teddie were quite surprised. Kasper asked, “Sylvie, so you mean to say that, your uncle also gets 8% of the shares, but it’s divided with your aunt? He gets 3%, and your aunt and cousins get 5%?”

“That’s right!” Sylvie knew that, over the past few years, Teddie blew all of his savings on excessive spending. Her aunt, however, was a frugal woman. Not only was she unhappily married to Teddie, she needed to raise two kids on her own. Sylvie really admired her aunt, so she had to look out for her best interests. “What I don’t know is whether Marley will accept our proposal, but I’ll do my best to persuade him. If you all surrendered your shares and control over Hughes Group, you can just live out the rest of your lives in comfort and collect dividends at the end of each year. It might even be more than what you get from 10%, 15%, even 25 of the shares you have on hand now…”

Kasper and Teddie exchanged glances; Sylvie could tell her persuasion was working.

However, Teddie was dissatisfied with his share of 3%. “But how come I only get 3%? That’s unfair!”

“I think it’s just!” An authoritative, low tone suddenly boomed out from outside as the conference room doors swung open.

Sylvie stared in awe as her family members stood outside the doors. Her mother smiled brilliantly at her. In a split second, Sylvie’s face turned red, and she said under her breath, “Mom, dad, why are you all doing here?”

“Brother?!” Even Teddie stood up in awe.

“Brother, your health…” Kasper said in a concerned tone.

Sylvie thought to herself; at least they still had a trace of some conscience left to worry about Aiden’s health.

Aiden’s wife helped him enter the conference room, and Sylvie quickly pulled a chair for her father-in-law to sit down.

Aiden took a quick glance at Sylvie with admiration, but he didn’t say anything. Miriam took her hand and said nothing as well. Sylvie pulled up another chair for her mother-in-law as well.

“Come, everyone, sit down. I want to make everything clear today.” Aiden said as he scanned across the room.

Kasper sat down first. Though he still felt pissed, Teddie eventually sat down.

not yet discussed with Marley. She didn’t know what her father-in-law thought. But from her past observations, she thought that Aiden treated his brothers rather kindly, so she assumed that her proposal would be

of silence, Sylvie bit her lip,

looked at her

back to his brothers, “What

then pondered a

you?” Aiden asked Teddie

I don’t agree!” Teddie stuttered

us your reason!” Aiden looked at his brother without

for me to spend at all!” Teddie managed to sputter out after a

not enough for you to gamble, right?!” Aiden

hand to remind him to watch his temper. Instead, he gently held and patted her hand. Miriam looked at him again to make sure he

understanding they shared was a testament of their years of longstanding relationship. There was no need for words; just a slight gesture between them was enough to communicate, and it made Sylvie really feel

spot, “Brother, you’re sick, so I don’t want you to worry. But I have too much debts, I didn’t want things to turn out like

he go gamble again?” Aiden looked

searched for the right words to say, but nothing came to

me, how much does

million!” Kasper finally spoke out, “He and Ernie owe three hundred million! It happened

grew ill, “Ernie

“Brother, don’t worry about this; I will discipline my own son. As for the 8%, I accept the offer! So don’t you

from word of mouth; she had never met Ernie herself, so she didn’t know him personally. Hearing Kasper speak about Ernie like this made Sylvie

hint of remorse at all;

going to come up with that kind of money?” Aiden began to raise his voice. “Teddie, you’re getting out of hand. And you even

Miriam began to get nervous as she felt

concerned as well,

and shook his

sick about Aiden, who had just managed to recover his health a bit. If he

some leverage and try to make a quick buck. It was Marley who tried to force

You just never learn. Brother, if you still can’t learn to reflect on yourself, I don’t think you

“Aiden, don’t be so harsh! I did my share of the work back

these past few years? Regarding what Sylvie has said you’ve done, did you

was shocked; he never thought his

people, we have to have