Chapter 12

.Rodger turned around, eyes wide as if he couldn't trust what he'd just heard from Emilia.

"Come again? What did you just say?" he asked,disbelief and anger etched in every word.

Emilia didn't bother answering him directly. She raised her voice so everyone could hear, saying, "Is Webster Garza here? I'm ready to sell twenty percent of the Mitchell Group shares to you-at a price far below market value."

She had already checked that Webster would be present-her research had been thorough before she ever set foot onstage.

The very mention of Webster's name sent a ripple of shock through the crowd. Rodger's long-standing rival was about to become a shareholder. The news sparked chaos, people. whispering and gawking at each other in amazement. "Unbelievable! She's turning over her prize to the one person Rodger can't stand."

"Isn't that just spiteful? This must be revenge, and it runs deep. I wonder what happened between them."

"Some say Rodger never looked at her because his heart belonged to his first love. Maybe all that love twisted into resentment."

Elias, perched quietly in his wheelchair, caught every word swirling around him. The crowd's gossip about Emilia's feelings made his brow knit with unease.Was it really possible she turned against Rodger out of some wounded longing?

"Emilia! Have you lost your mind? Webster is my mortal enemy!" Rodger yelled in disbelief.

To him, this was not only a personal humiliation but a stain on the Mitchell family name. The thought of his rival holding their shares was unbearable.

"That's your problem, not mine," Emilia answered coolly, one brow arched as though his rage amused her. Rodger's temper flared again, words coming out through gritted teeth. "Are you even aware of what you're about to start?"

He couldn't comprehend how she could go so far,convinced that she'd burn everything down if she couldn't have her way.

"So what if I am? You all keep pushing me, so don't be surprised if I push back harder," Emilia replied with a mocking smile.

Rodger took long breaths, trying desperately to keep his composure from slipping entirely. He dropped his tone, searching for sympathy. "Grandpa would be heartbroken if he saw this. Don't you want him to rest peacefully?"

"Don't try to use the dead to sway me," said Emilia,her expression unchanged. In her mind, the debt owed to Arthur was almost settled. If the Mitchell family had left her alone, she wouldn't have been so relentless. However, they chose to start this, so she saw no reason not to fight back. Rodger's hands curled into fists, frustration bubbling beneath his skin. Not even invoking Arthur's name could budge Emilia now. He wondered if the divorce had wounded her so deeply that all she had left was spite.

"You can sell those shares back to me," Rodger said,forcing himself to sound reasonable, convinced he was offering her the greatest compromise.

"That won't happen. I've made up my mind to hand them to Webster," Emilia responded, not a hint of hesitation in her voice.①

"Emilia Harris!" he growled, her name breaking between his teeth.

"That's my name," Emilia replied, her lips curled in a mocking smile.

"I'll take the shares," Webster remarked, hurrying over with a glint of victory in his eye as he glanced at Rodger.

For as long as Webster could remember, Rodger had cast a long shadow over him. Who would have guessed the tables would turn so completely?crowd might not have known Emilia's past with Rodger, but Webster did. Without Emilia's support,Rodger never would have gained the upper hand.Before she appeared, he and Rodger had been deadlocked, neither able to claim the lead.

Only someone as blind as Rodger could have driven away a woman as powerful as Emilia. Webster had tasted defeat at Emilia's hands before, and she had pressured him not to reveal her marriage to the world.

Watching Webster now, Rodger felt an unease crawl into his chest. His rival stood straighter, carried more confidence, as if a powerful ally had finally stepped behind Webster.