Chapter 78

Arthur never thought Zoey would dig this up.

Even though it was Derek who did the dirty work and he wasn't directly involved, he couldn't completely wash his hands of it once it came out.

Over the years, Bobby and Derek had done a lot of shady stuff for him, and he was worried Zoey had more dirt on him.

"I'll give it to you, but you gotta hand over the company's management rights to me."

Zoey stared at Arthur, not turning him down but laying out her terms.

Arthur's head pounded with anger. After some internal struggle, he figured as long as he still had the shares, he'd find a way to get the management rights back.

"Fine, but you gotta give me three days. I need to sort out the company's affairs. Otherwise, even if you take over now, you won't be able to start working right away."

Zoey nodded, not pushing Arthur any further.

She didn't care if Arthur stalled for a few days.

Then, right in front of Arthur, she deleted the photos and handed him a USB drive. "Amelia gave this to me. I'm giving it to you now."

She had actually made a copy, just in case.

Arthur thought once Zoey handed it over, there'd be no more evidence.

He gripped the USB drive tightly, cursing Amelia in his mind, then forced a fatherly smile. "Zoey, I knew you still cared about me as your father."

Zoey looked at him, unimpressed. "I'm leaving now. I'll come to work in three days. Dad, you better keep your promise this time."

Arthur forced a smile. "Of course."

Arthur quickly destroyed the USB drive and then went home.

"Caroline, has Bobby figured out how to deal with Zoey?"

Seeing Arthur's grim face, Caroline asked, "Did Zoey give you trouble again?"

"More than that. I didn't expect Amelia to give the evidence of Bobby and Derek's crimes to Zoey. So, I was forced to hand over the management rights today. I could only agree temporarily and delay it for three days."

He added, "Get Bobby to act fast. Meanwhile, I'll find a way to get Juan and the others' shares. Only then can I have an edge in the company."

Caroline immediately said to Arthur, "Okay, I'll call Bobby right now and tell him. But don't rush to get the shares from Juan and the others. They won't hand them over easily. As long as we teach Zoey a lesson and force her to sign the share transfer agreement, you can still get the most shares."

Arthur nodded, his anger easing a bit.

Zoey left the company and headed straight to the film set.

She hadn't been to the set for a few days. With less than ten days until the wrap, she went to check in.

"Ms. Cavendish, you're here. Finished with your business?"

The director saw Zoey and immediately greeted her with a smile.

Zoey didn't like his fawning attitude but didn't show it. She just said calmly, "Not yet, but I'm free today, so I came to take a look."

The director quickly updated Zoey on the filming progress.

At that moment, the producer also came over.

Seeing Zoey alone, he couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Cavendish, why didn't Mr. Windsor come with you?"

As the film was wrapping up, the producer was eager to get in touch with Henry, hoping to convince him to invest in their next project.

Zoey frowned slightly at the producer's question but replied patiently, "He had to go to Starlight City for something. He'll be back in a couple of days."

The producer quickly followed up, "Ms. Cavendish, when the film wraps up, can you invite Mr. Windsor to come? Since he's the investor, we'd love for him to join us in celebrating the film's completion."

Zoey nodded, "No problem. I'll let him know when he gets back."

The producer was thrilled to hear that.

After spending a couple of hours on set and checking everything's going well, Zoey decided to leave.

Driving past the mall, Zoey remembered Gabriel mentioning he wanted to paint in the morning, but they were out of canvases and paints at home. So she parked her car at the mall entrance and went in to buy some painting supplies for Gabriel.

As soon as she walked in, she spotted Catherine and Caroline.

They hadn't noticed Zoey yet. Catherine was whining to Caroline with a sour face, "Mom, why didn't you buy me that bracelet? It was only a hundred thousand dollars."

Caroline snapped back, "Do you think our family is still rolling in money? If you want to spend like that, go find Alexander. You still haven't managed to win him over. Didn't Alexander treat you well before?"

Hearing Caroline mention Alexander, Catherine's face darkened. "Mom, don't bring him up. How was I supposed to know his parents never abandoned him? Alexander completely ignores me now; I have no interest in him anymore."

Catherine was planning to wait until she got pregnant and then go straight to the Brown family. By then, they'd have no choice but to accept her as their daughter-in-law.

Caroline sighed and was about to give Catherine some advice on how to win Alexander over when she suddenly spotted Zoey nearby.

Catherine quickly noticed her too.

Her eyes filled with rage, and she stormed up to Zoey. "You bitch. You must be the one causing trouble. What did you say to Alexander about me to make him change his attitude so much?"

Zoey looked at her coldly. "You brought this on yourself and now you're blaming me? Seems like I didn't beat you hard enough last time."

Hearing Zoey's words, Catherine felt a bit scared.

But soon, her anger flared up even more.

Zoey had been treated like a maid by her since childhood, so what was there to fear about her?

"Zoey, don't think your schemes will work. Alexander has liked me since we were kids. He's just temporarily cold to me now. In the end, his wife will still be me."

She thought saying this would make Zoey show a jealous expression.

However, Zoey's face remained indifferent. "Then congratulations."

Who would want to be that jerk's wife? Zoey would be happy to see Alexander and Catherine together forever.

Seeing no reaction on Zoey's face, Catherine felt like a clown and almost exploded in anger.

Caroline saw this and her eyes shifted. Then she put on a gentle smile before approaching Zoey.

"Zoey, I know it's hard to be liked as a stepmother. No matter how much I try to please you, you don't like me. I won't force you, but at least go see your dad. After all, he's your real father."