Kelsie briefly glanced at the shares transfer agreement and looked away.
Realizing she would continue to be stubborn, Jerry’s nostrils flared in irritation and he pointed a shaky finger at her.
"I was going to let you be and not force you to transfer your shares to me, but you ended up causing another trouble. Do you think you can afford to refuse now?"
"Hey, Kelsie Sutton, you’re no longer a child. Your actions have consequences and it’s time you learn to bear them!"
Deborah Thompson who sat beside him, reached out to hold his trembling hand consolingly.
"Honey, that’s enough. You’ve tried your best to raise her right. So it’s not your fault that she turned out to be an irresponsible woman."
Then she tore her eyes away from him to glance at Kelsie in irritation.
"You’re no longer a child, Kelsie. Just like your father said, he would have to clean this mess that you just made."
"Was your younger sister the only one who would be affected by it, it won’t have to come to this."
"But you just had to disgrace her in public. It’s one thing that you’re inconsiderate of her, but you shouldn’t be inconsiderate of your father who keeps trying his best to keep both our family and Lumen Group together."
Kelsie patiently tapped her fingers on the armrest as she waited for her to finish before voicing out.
"What I did last night has nothing to do with the Sutton family and Lumen Group. Laura is an adult now, you shouldn’t continue coddling her."
"She made a promise in front of so many people yesterday and fulfilled it. She may be facing backlash by the netizens right now, but they’ve all come to know that she’s someone who keeps to her word even at the expense of her reputation."
"If she gets linked to you, it’ll be good publicity for our Lumen Group. The social media team would use it as a stepping stool to tell people how trustworthy our company is."
Jerry and Deborah were suddenly at a loss for words.
They couldn’t deny it, but everything she said all made sense. f r\eew,eb novel.c(o)(m)
Even though they had the same conclusion in their hearts, they refused to show it and continued lashing out at her.
"It’s not about what the netizens say, it’s about what the shareholders say. If they demand I step down because of the sudden traffic, a vote will be conducted and I will be impeached!"
"Don’t be thoughtless and sign that agreement as soon as possible. If such a thing does happen, I’ll need to be prepared so they don’t succeed in removing me."
Deborah nodded in agreement and chimed in, "He’s your father. This is the little you can do to thank him for everything he has done so far."
However, Kelsie still refused.
"I have the shares. If such a meeting is called, I’ll definitely vote in favor of you. So you have nothing to worry about."
Jerry Sutton couldn’t take her retort anymore and slammed his palm against the coffee table, sucking in a deep breath as he glared at her impatiently.
"Why can’t you listen to me for once in your life? Sign over the darn shares to me and you’ll no longer have to worry about the company!"
"You’ll get money to spend every month. Money to take care of your children while doing nothing."
"Furthermore, whatever you do will not affect the company anymore. So listen to me and do as I say!"
Kelsie slowly raised her eyes to look at him, jaw clenched tightly.
"You’re scaring me, father. What difference does it make that the shares are in my name? We’re family. If the shares are in my name, then it’s as well yours."
Jerry’s face darkened realizing she was using his words against him.
He had said something similar the last time they were in Lumen Group. To think she was using it against him now provoked him even further.
He laughed curtly in disbelief then gritted his teeth at her impatiently.
"It’s not the same thing. You’re still young, so I don’t expect you to understand. I’m your father, I’ve been taking care of you all these years, haven’t I?"
"Signing the shares over to me won’t change anything. I’ll keep sending you money for upkeep just like I always have."
Kelsie glanced at the agreement again before refusing with a note of finality, "I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t want to sign it. I will like to be on my way now."
Then she proceeded to get on her feet.
But Jerry did the same and yelled at her angrily, "What makes you think you have a choice? Don’t you want your mother’s things anymore?"
"If you step out of this house, you’ll never see them again. Is that what you really want? Or do you think I don’t dare to burn your mother’s things?"
Kelsie pressed her lips into a thin line and went silent.
Having the same blank, she asked, "Do you even still have them?"
He didn’t respond and instead beckoned onto a maid who walked inside and came out with a medium sized box.
She dropped it beside her foot and walked back inside to take a match.
Kelsie glanced at the box and the first thing her eyes settled on was a portrait she took with her mother when she was three.
Seeing her look at the box, Jerry sat down again and leaned back on his seat, shaking his foot as he snorted daringly.
"All you have to do is take a step forward and I’ll have her light and throw a match into the box. It’ll burn to crisp right in front of your eyes."
"That being said, will you sign the agreement or should I have her burn the last of your mother’s things?"
Three seconds later, Kelsie sat down again and picked up a pen to sign the agreement.