Ryan lowered his eyes, spinning the pen of power between his slender fingers.

The others glanced at Mrs. Hoffman's outburst, shaking their heads with a hint of contempt in their eyes.

"Zoe disappeared on her way to the hospital for treatment, and no one has seen her since then! You must have taken her!"

Mrs. Hoffman stormed up to Ryan. She slammed her hands on the table repeatedly, ignoring the presence of the board members.

"Ryan! Send my daughter back to me! Or else... I'll call a shareholders' meeting and kick you out of the Hoffman Group! Send Zoe back to me!"

Ryan stopped spinning the pen in his fingers. However, he did not lift his gaze to look at his distressed mother.

"Mrs. Hoffman, what are you doing?"

Unable to bear the scene any longer, a fellow director spoke up. "Ms. Hoffman might've disappeared because she jumped out of the car when the officers weren't looking. If you want to make a fuss, go to the police."

"Exactly. We're in the middle of a board meeting. You shouldn't bring up your trivial family matters here. It will damage the Hoffman Group's reputation."

"Trivial family matters?"

Mrs. Hoffman's eyes widened. She looked as if she was about to attack someone. "Is that all you can say about this matter? Are you heartless? If it were your child, would you still be so indifferent?!" The directors fell silent, shocked by her words.

The directors thought that Mrs. Hoffman, the matriarch of the Hoffman family, had never been so irrational when her husband was still alive. Being a young widow seemed to have driven her to the brink of madness.

As the key person behind Claire's outburst, Ryan finally spoke with calm authority.

"That's all for today. Meeting adjourned."

"Yes, Chairman Hoffman!"

and left the room, eager to escape the

unified "Chairman Hoffman" struck Mrs. Hoffman like a blow to her head. It made her earlier outburst seem even more foolish and

everyone left, the meeting room grew cold and

kidnap Zoe? Where did you take her?!" Mrs. Hoffman

Ryan responded with

back to me! She's my flesh and

already abandoned me as your mother. Zoe is all I have

silently watched her

only knew how to spoil her daughter without any proper upbringing, had been weak and easily bullied her whole life. Yet now, she bristled with all her spikes

was her flesh

had forgotten that he was also her

her husband's death, her son bore the family's burdens on his shoulders, ensuring his widowed mother and orphaned sister were not mistreated and lived comfortably in the

you? Fine... I'll go to the police and report you then! I'll expose your abuse and kidnapping of your sister to the media! I'll make

Clatter.

table. A video began to play on the screen. Zoe's desperate cries and pleas for mercy echoed throughout

three men assault her daughter repeatedly. She felt her heart torn to shreds. She then clutched her head, tearing at her hair, jumping, crying,

"My daughter... My daughter!"

She's the monster

couldn't properly raise your daughter, the cruel world will have to teach her how to be a human being. Mrs. Hoffman, I know you must be heartbroken right

completely lost her

legs

directly to the VIP parking lot. I guarantee she won't

no need for that. Let her

his back to Dean. His tall and cold shadow in front of the wowsing figure cast a floor-to-ceiling window. "Since she walked in through the main door openly, let her leave the Hoffman Group's

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