The truth was now too glaring to ignore.
Quincyâs face remained impassive, his mind perhaps racing for a way to extricate himself from the scandal or confront it head-on. Upon hearing the revelations, Amara rose to her feet, her voice filled with indignation. âYou claim to be part of Miller Group, yet you conspire against Adrian with outsiders. Shame on you!â
âAmara, youâre misunderstanding me!â Lyla protested, her voice laced with urgency. âI only wanted to contribute to Miller Group. I was following my brotherâs advice. I never intended to harm Adrian.â
Adrian offered a slight smile, his tone measured. âI trust Lylaâs intentions. If she claims she meant no harm, perhaps she was merely misguided. However, we now owe our customers an explanation.â
Lyla inhaled sharply, disbelief evident. âWhat are you planning to do? Adrian, weâre family.â
Adrian fingered the rim of his cup contemplatively. Was invoking family supposed to excuse everything at a moment like this? If that was what family meant, heâd rather be without one.
âLyla, committing infringement is a crime, and with the contract disputes, you could face at least three years in prison.â
âNo!â Lyla managed a strained smile, desperate to sway Adrian. Once the police intervened, things would escalate. Either the real culpritâQuincyâwould be caught, or her brother would end up in jail.
âAdrian, I beg you. I was just out of my mind. There must be other solutions besides suing my brother. You can refund the customers their money in three installments. Anyway, donât call the police! Weâre family, right?â
Amara spat dismissively. âFamily? After what youâve done? If you dare claim that again, even the ghosts wonât let you sleep peacefully!â
Find your favorite stories at galnovels .com âEnough,â Quincy interjected, trying to seize control of the situation. He cleared his throat and addressed Adrian. âLyla acted foolishly, influenced easily by others. But surely this doesnât need to go to court, right?â
Adrianâs smile was icy. âAnd what would you suggest instead?â
âFor my sake, let it go? As for restoring our familyâs reputation, why not settle for the refund Lyla proposed? Itâs not like Miller Group is short on funds.â
At this, even Irene shot him a withering look. In her youth, she had toiled alongside her husband to build a thriving business empire, something Quincy and Lyla had clearly failed to appreciate. How could they be so careless?
Irene spoke with an icy resolve. âWe cannot allow Miller Groupâs reputation to suffer under any circumstances. Adrian, the decision is yours to make.â
With the chairwomanâs mandate clear, the legal team had no choice but to follow through. Lyla called out to Irene in a desperate attempt to discuss further, but Irene did not afford her the opportunity for dialogue.
Amara stretched languidly, her voice dripping with derision. âTheyâve brought this upon themselves. Quite amusing, really. Iâll leave you to sort out this mess. Iâm heading home.â
Leaning into Quincy for support, Lyla broke down in tears, knowing that Miller Groupâs PR departmentâs efforts would publicly disgrace her family. Why did fate conspire against her so? With her son already in prison, it seemed her brother was destined to follow.
While comforting her, Quincy glanced over at Adrian with a furrowed brow. âAdrian, isnât there any way to let this go?â
Amaraâs earlier words echoed in his thoughts. Was everyone in this sprawling family merely playing a part? Adrian, tired of the pretense, replied firmly, âThis cannot be overlooked. Youâll likely find yourself behind bars next.â
Quincy and Lyla returned to their villa in disarray. âHoney, what are we going to do? Is my brother really going to end up in jail?â Lyla fretted.
âYouâre only good for tears. What else can I possibly do? Despite all the money Iâve spent, you still mess things up!â Quincy retorted sharply.
Lyla felt the injustice deeply. Her brother was not the sharpest tool in the shed, and no matter how harshly Quincy criticized her, she bore it for her brotherâs sake.
âWhereâs Katie? Did she go out?â she asked, hoping for some support.
The servant responded, âShe is still resting in her room. She hasnât left today.â
âWhat good is she? Sheâs of no help at all!â Quincy grumbled, frustrated. He stormed up to Katieâs bedroom and banged on the door. âKatie, open up!â
The door shook under his knocks, causing Lylaâs heart to race. Finally, Katie opened the door.
âWhat have you been doing at home all day?â
âNothing, just resting,â Katie replied, appearing disheveled in her loose pajamas, her sleepiness evident. Quincyâs frustration boiled over. âWhatâs the point of having you around? It would have been better to have a son! After the ordeal with Adrian today, you can do nothing about it. Youâre completely useless!â
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