"Ms. Davis, you don’t seem to love Mr. Nelson as much as I’d imagined. Mr. Nelson is a good man, after all. From what I know, you hold a twenty percent stake in HopeCore Group, own a mansion worth half a billion, and have other assets like LXL and the newly launched LX Fashion Company. Even without the Carter Group shares, you’re set to make plenty of money," Julia whispered, hiding her disgust.
If it weren’t for those shares, she wouldn’t lower herself to meet with Ella.
Ella’s laugh was cutting. "Madam, you aren’t me. How can you decide so easily whether I love Mr. Nelson? He nearly sacrificed himself for me in that fire last time. He still bears terrible scars on his chest! I love him, but I trust he can handle this on his own. It’s clear someone is framing him, so why should I trade with you? You think you have access to information he couldn’t obtain?"
"Unless... that information is exclusive to you, which would mean it came from someone within Carter Group!" Ella’s voice turned cold and sharp.
"How dare you accuse our Carter Group in such a way?" Julia, stunned, had never encountered such defiance from someone so young!
As the dignified wife of Carter Group’s former president, Julia had rarely faced such disrespect.
"Accuse? I’m merely guessing. It’s nothing compared to how Mr. Sean injured himself last time to falsely accuse me."
Ella smirked. "Don’t even think about getting your hands on the shares Grandma Carter left me. Those rightfully belong to her—not to Carter Group."
Leah slammed the table. "Ella! You’re infuriating my grandmother again! Don’t you have any respect? Did your parents not teach you to respect your elders?"
"Maybe your grandmother should try respecting the young before expecting it back. Besides, if Carter Group wasn’t involved, then why is she so angry? As suspicious as I am, I’m still not as scheming as the people in Carter Group."
Ella’s brows arched. "You even tried to set me up for an attack at the Imperial Crown Club. Now you think you can dupe me into handing over my shares? What a joke!"
"You... you... Ella, you’re shameless and crude! We offered a fair deal, and you respond with baseless accusations!" Julia cried, her face contorting with anger.
"A deal?" Ella sneered. "These documents you speak of—I’ll believe it when I see them for myself. Show a little sincerity, or else I’ll assume you’re fabricating evidence to deceive me."
Julia’s breathing grew heavy as she glanced at Leah. Ella was sharper than she’d anticipated; without seeing or hearing firsthand, she’d never trust their claims.
Leah’s expression darkened. "Grandmother, why bother explaining to this wretch? She’s clinging to her shares anyway. Even if she sees the documents, she won’t go through with the deal."
With no outsiders present, Leah dropped her gentle facade and turned venomous.
"Think about it—she controls Davis Group shares and still covets Carter Group’s. A greedy woman like her wouldn’t agree to a deal."
Leah had no belief in Ella’s willingness to cooperate and certainly didn’t intend to hand over the evidence.
"Ms. Carter, you’re truly blind. The shares in Davis Group have always belonged to the Davis family. What’s wrong with me holding onto them? And as for Grandma Carter’s shares, they were left to me. Why shouldn’t I keep them? You, on the other hand, have been shamelessly making up excuses to take these shares from me time and again!"
Ella laughed in fury. Leah, that arrogant woman, would soon see the cost of her actions.
Julia’s expression turned icy. "Show her, Leah. After all, this information fell into our hands by chance."
Leah shot a glare at Ella before reluctantly pulling out her phone and playing an audio recording.
"Boss, it’s done. I swapped out the cement in the Nelson Group project."
"Good. Now leave City S immediately, and don’t come back. If anyone asks, you know nothing. Don’t admit to a thing, got it?"
"Yes, Boss, I’ll leave right away!"
The recording ended, leaving only the voices of two men, neither of whom Ella recognized.
Ella raised her eyebrows, giving a mocking smile. "Isn’t it possible this was fabricated by your people?"
Julia shook her head. "Of course not. We have plenty more evidence. This recording was actually sold to us."
Ella’s smile grew wider, her eyes turning into crescents.
Leah began to feel uneasy. "Ella, didn’t you say you wanted a deal? Here’s the share transfer agreement—go ahead and sign it!"
She placed the document in front of Ella without delay.
Ella blinked and picked up the contract, her eyes glinting with a mischievous spark. "This contract? I’m not satisfied. Sorry, the deal’s off."
With a swift tear, Ella ripped the document in half.
"Ella, you wretch! What’s that supposed to mean? You heard the evidence, and yet..." Leah, who had watched her grandmother try so hard to placate Ella, couldn’t hold back her rage, dropping all pretense and shouting.
Even Julia, with all her patience and practiced demeanor, couldn’t keep her composure. "Ms. Davis! What do you mean by this? Are you backing out?"
Ella’s gaze was steely as she continued tearing the document into pieces. "I am. Whether that recording is real or not, I believe in Eric, my husband. I trust he’s fully capable of clearing Nelson Group’s name!"
Her words were resolute, each one sharpened by defiance.
Julia and Leah’s fury was palpable; they hadn’t anticipated wasting thirty minutes only to have Ella outmaneuver them.
At that moment, a door to the left of the hall swung open, and a tall, handsome man in a black suit walked out, clapping as he came forward. Behind him trailed several other men and women, each casting disdainful looks at Julia and Leah.
"Well said! Thank you, my love. I’m truly honored by your trust," Eric grinned as he walked over, gently wrapping an arm around Ella’s waist.
"Honey, allow me to introduce everyone. This is Mayor Perez of City S, this is Ms. Wilson from the Housing Quality Certification Agency, and this is County Executive Morgan from X County..." Eric introduced each person with a warm smile.
Ella, now calm again, offered them a polite nod and a faint smile.
Julia and Leah stood frozen, their faces alternating between red and white. They weren’t fools; Eric’s applause and remarks made it clear. Everything they’d just said had been heard by everyone in the room.
Had they just dug their own graves? Once again, they’d been completely outplayed!