Evening had settled when Eliza stepped into Wendy's room.
"Mom, why are you still up at this hour?" Eliza perched herself beside Wendy, the picture of a dutiful daughter.
Wendy cherished Eliza deeply, having protected her like the apple of her eye since she was a child.
Now, in her current state, she trusted no one more than Eliza.
"Eliza, with me in this condition, I would not put it past my daughters-in-law to have all sorts of ideas. We can't let them get the better of us, darling. Your brothers are no use either, only seeing dollar signs." Eliza nestled close to Wendy, chuckling softly. "Don't worry, Mom. The Boyds won't be played by my sisters-in-law. Our family's assets won't fall into the wrong hands, not on my watch."
Wendy nodded in assurance. "I knew I could count on you to ease my worries. Eliza, I've taken note of your ambitions all those years and prepared for it. This visit from Percival, it's so you can get acquainted with the Ellingtons, you understand?"
Relief washed over Eliza with those words.
As long as she could see Nathan Ellington again, she would do anything.
"Yeah, I know you've always got my back, Mom." Eliza leaned on Wendy's shoulder, briefly catching sight of her amputated hand and quickly averting her gaze with a hint of distaste.
Wendy's hand was already skeletal, a ghastly sight, and with the stump so starkly exposed, it was downright macabre.
"Mom, what are your plans regarding the Specter Healer?" Eliza inquired.
Wendy scoffed. "He's just after money, isn't he? I have plenty, though it might be a bit tricky to come up with 800 billion dollars at once. But, opportunities are not nonexistent." Eliza looked at Wendy skeptically.
Plenty of money? What a joke.
As the CFO of Boyd Group, she was all too aware of how much the Boyd family had.
Not to mention 800 billion, even 800 million would require careful consideration.
her mother getting this
"Have you forgotten our ace
hole?" Eliza's
grabbed the remote and switched on the news channel where Patrick's arrest was being broadcast. Details were scarce, only mentioning Patrick's apprehension. The
to seize control of the Ashford family's fortune, turning
billion was more than
how can you be so sure Patrick will turn to
dare get involved? And with Gillian's reputation in ruins, who would want her?
was exploiting the
the sole Ashford heiress, would
one was a fool. With the gravity of
to extend help, Gillian would
and unveiling the Boyd family's clandestine
the call right
Ashford business, it would be
from the other Boyds, or they
the Ellingtons from a position of strength
Ellington family's next daughter-in-law was
to be cast aside,"
chaos. Gillian had barely processed Patrick's
large company and its numerous projects,
the banks were
phone aside, clueless on how
flocked around her had vanished into thin air, leaving her
rang.
warily. "What are you
go way back, and I've watched you grow up. I could not just sit by while your family faces such
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