670 Chapter 669
Old Mrs. Horton, still sharp as ever, didn’t hesitate to say, “No.”
The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at her in surprise.
Nathan couldn’t help but speak up. “Mom, didn’t you say you’d give Jake shares when he got married? Why are you going back on your word now?”
Old Mrs. Horton replied firmly, “The shares I hold are mine to give as I see fit. I may be getting older, but I still have the right to make my own decisions.”
Nathan frowned. “Mom, you can’t be so biased. Lewis already controls nearly half the company! We’re family too, you know.”
Old Mrs. Horton snorted, “The Horton family is my legacy, and as I said, I’ll give my shares to whomever I choose.”
Nathan wanted to argue, but Oliver cut him off by bursting into tears. “Grandma, I know you’ve never liked me because of my mom, but she’s gone now. How can you still hold that against me? No matter what, I’m your oldest grandson. Are you really going to treat me like this? Do you want me dead?”
He began wiping his tears. “You have no idea, Grandma. Ever since the Horton Group moved to Clance, everyone has looked down on me because the company is under Lewis’ control. I’m supposed to be the eldest brother, but my opinions don’t matter! I don’t want to cause trouble for Lewis, but as the matriarch, you shouldn’t be so partial!”
He continued, “And don’t forget, Grandma, when you collapsed that time, I was the first one to find you and rush you to the hospital. You had a heart attack, and the doctors said if you hadn’t been treated in time, you wouldn’t have made it. Grandma, does our bond mean nothing?”
Old Mrs. Horton hesitated, looking at Oliver.
He wasn’t wrong…
Oliver had been brought back into the family at fourteen, having grown up elsewhere. Once he joined the Hortons, he was always walking on eggshells, trying to win everyone’s favor.
He had always gone out of his way to please her as his grandmother.
After all, he was her grandson and still a child. Old Mrs. Horton’s heart had softened for him at the time, and she treated him well until the day she saw Lewis in the ICU, his body covered in tubes. That’s when her feelings for Oliver had cooled.
Since then, she had distanced herself from him. But she hadn’t expected Oliver to be the one to rush her to the hospital when she fell ill!
While old Mrs. Horton was lost in thought, Lewis descended the stairs, overhearing the conversation. He immediately turned to her with concern. “Grandma, you had a heart attack? Why didn’t I know? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
Old Mrs. Horton patted his hand reassuringly. “You were studying abroad at the time, and I didn’t want to worry you. Besides, I’m fine now.”
But a flicker of fear crossed Lewis’ eyes.
If he had lost her back then, he didn’t know how he would’ve handled it…
As Lewis pondered this, Oliver spoke up again. “Grandma, I’m your grandson, and my son is your great-grandson—the first great-grandchild of the Horton family. Can you really bear to give us nothing? Even just one percent of the shares would mean so much to us, and we wouldn’t ask for anything more!”
After the Horton Group moved to Clance, Lewis had diluted five percent of the shares to boost the company’s stock.
This caused the shares Lewis originally controlled, which made up over half of the company, to no longer be sufficient.
What’s more, the distribution of Horton Group’s shares had always been a bit unusual. Lewis knew who the major shareholders were, but aside from the scattered retail investors, there was still one shareholder holding ten percent of the company’s stock whose identity remained unknown.
Now, with Lewis’ control just shy of a majority, even one percent of the shares was critical.
Old Mrs. Horton looked at Oliver and sighed.
Sensing her hesitation, Oliver stepped forward and knelt before her. “Grandma, please, have mercy on your grandson. Remember, I saved your life…”
Old Mrs. Horton’s expression tightened.
Keira knew old Mrs. Horton was in a difficult position.
There was no denying that she had always been biased when it came to her family.
Nathan and Oliver had always been respectful toward her, yet she couldn’t help but feel sorry for Lewis, who had lost his mother at such a young age…
Old Mrs. Horton took a deep breath, unsure of what to say.
Lewis, too, looked at Oliver with a furrowed brow.
After all, Oliver had saved his grandmother’s life, and Jake’s new wife came from a prestigious family—refusing to give them any shares did seem unreasonable…
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, Keira suddenly stood up.
She smiled and turned to Jake. “I heard your ex-wife is still in a psychiatric hospital?”
Jake hesitated, then nodded.
To punish Isla, Uncle Olsen had sent her straight to the asylum, and she was still alive.
Keira looked at him intently. “So, you’re not even divorced yet, and you’re already discussing a new marriage?”
The room fell silent, everyone processing her words.
