Chapter 360

Alexander's slender fingers tapped rhythmically against the mahogany desk. His voice carried the chill of winter. "The company has its rules."

His deep-set eyes remained impassive, as though discussing trivial corporate matters.

Matriarch Valdemar clenched her prayer beads, knuckles whitening. Her grandson had struck like lightning today—purging all of Vincent's loyalists and handing their embezzlement evidence to the authorities. The Valdemar Group now trembled under his iron grip.

Those once-aligned executives groveled at the manor gates. With the Patriarch refusing audiences, they begged the Matriarch instead.

Watching her ruthless grandson, conflicting emotions warred within her.

Pride swelled at his leadership. Fury simmered at his mercilessness.

"Alexander," she softened her tone, "he's still your father. Leave some room for reconciliation. Don't make our family a laughingstock."

Adrian shrank into the sofa corner, pretending fascination with the coffee table's intricate carvings.

The Matriarch's gaze still found him.

"Adrian, persuade your brother. Sever all ties, and you sever future roads. You both owe your lives to Vincent. This generational feud isn't yours to settle—certainly not with company assets."

Meeting her veiled threat, Adrian forced a stiff smile.

"Grandmother, I can't even read financial reports. How could I meddle?"

Childhood memories surfaced—Alexander surrounded by tutors mastering finance and languages while he scavenged for meals, invisible even to servants.

Back in the manor, his mother Diana had alternated between violent outbursts and tearful embraces after his birth. Young Adrian would cower like a frightened animal, earning the Matriarch's perpetual disdain.

Whenever displeased, the Matriarch tormented Diana. Adrian often knelt for hours in the ancestral hall or went hungry.

Now she threatened Diana again. A single "visit" to Tranquil Heights Sanatorium could destabilize his mother's fragile recovery.

He'd yielded before when clashing with Sebastian. But this involved corporate survival—those leeches had sabotaged Alexander while lining their pockets. Pleading for them would be idiocy.

The Matriarch's glare sharpened before shifting to Alexander.

"Those are veteran executives! Dismiss them if you must, but must you destroy them completely?"

Alexander remained unmoved, not even blinking.

The Patriarch suddenly interjected, "Stay out of company affairs! They dug their own graves."

Frustrated by Alexander's indifference, the Matriarch slammed the table. "They bled for Valdemar! Is this how you repay loyalty?"