Chapter 158: Undercurrents Surging

In the president's office at the Montgomery Group, Silas held some documents, but his eyes were fixed on the desk.

When Jeffrey came in and saw this, he paused for a moment, furrowed his brow slightly, then walked over as usual.

"Mr. Montgomery, I've taken care of Byron. He won't be meeting Mrs. Montgomery again."

Astrid had been going to Azurewind City quite frequently lately.

She was a tough woman. On the surface, she seemed gentle and delicate, as if she couldn't hurt a fly, but actually, she grew stronger with each setback—nothing could knock her down.

Silas nodded expressionlessly without saying anything.

Jeffrey didn't know what he was thinking. After waiting a moment without hearing any new instructions, he asked awkwardly.

"If Mrs. Montgomery asks about it, what should I say?"

After working for Silas for so long, this was the first time Jeffrey had seen such an inscrutable expression on his face.

Whenever Silas dealt with anything involving Astrid, he became a different person.

She was already Mrs. Montgomery—what was there to hesitate about?

But then again, why didn't Astrid want to have a wedding? What woman didn't dream of a grand, lavish ceremony?

Jeffrey's mind was full of questions, but he didn't dare ask them.

"When the time is right, give her a little information." Silas finally answered. Some things weren't ready to be revealed to her yet.

He didn't dare think about how Astrid would see him or how she'd treat their relationship if she knew the truth. He'd never been this hesitant, even when negotiating deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Okay." Having received his instructions, Jeffrey respectfully turned and left the office, carefully closing the door behind him.

Silas raised his eyebrows, staring blankly at a spot in the distance, a gemstone pendant somehow now in his hand.

Before long, Silas's gaze returned to the pendant. His thumb gently rubbed against it as he fell into deep thought again.

Cypress Bay had a humid climate. It had snowed just as winter began, and the weather was getting colder each day.

There were hardly any people on the streets—no one would linger outside in this cold.

Garth's health was getting worse day by day.

When Astrid heard this news, she felt quite depressed for a while.

After Garth left the hospital, he looked much better, but he was actually still very weak. Two months had passed, and he still hadn't truly recovered to his former state.

Every time, Garth said he was fine, and Astrid didn't press him about it.

Thinking back now, he probably just didn't want her to worry.

Astrid had visited him several times, and the doctor had privately told her to spend more time with Garth.

When Astrid asked the doctor privately, he said he could confirm that Garth hadn't developed any new illness.

Every time Astrid visited, she'd see Autumn in Garth's room. Autumn had completely changed from her previous style of yelling at Garth, complaining, and pestering him. It was like she'd become a different person—very attentive in caring for Garth, and pleasant toward Astrid too.

Astrid couldn't feel at ease about Garth. Autumn had never done anything like this before. She suggested hiring a caregiver for 24-hour care, but Garth refused.

He said he didn't need anyone taking care of him.

Astrid knew it wasn't that he didn't need it—he just didn't want to be used again.

Since Garth didn't agree, she couldn't force someone into The Prescott Manor.

Besides Autumn, other members of the Prescott family also often kept Garth company by his bedside. When they saw her, their eyes were full of scrutiny and doubt.

It seemed someone was getting restless.

Astrid saw through it all, but acted as if she'd noticed nothing and didn't stay overnight at The Prescott Manor.

Right now, her opponents were in the shadows while she was in the open, so she couldn't do anything. She could only wait for them to slip up first, then close the net. Otherwise, like last time, they'd find an opportunity to push out a scapegoat.

After she left, Dean and Arthur's expressions changed to varying degrees, and they left Garth's room one after another.

"Dad, rest well. If there's anything you want to eat or drink, just tell me." Autumn gently tucked in his blanket and leaned down to whisper.

Garth had been watching the direction Astrid left. Hearing the voice in his ear, he slowly closed his eyes.

Autumn was ignored, but didn't get angry. She continued sitting by the bed, reading a book. It looked like she genuinely wanted to take good care of Garth.

Dean, who had left the room after a busy day of work, returned to his own room but didn't rest.

He called his secretary and told him to discreetly find out if anyone wanted to sell their shares—he could buy them at the original price, as many as possible.

After hanging up, Dean paced around his room. Thinking about what might happen next, a smile slowly appeared on his face.

At the same time, after Arthur left the room, he cheerfully returned to his bedroom.

Seeing him, Catherine walked up with concern and asked, "How's Dad? Autumn's guarding him there, so I didn't stay long. Is everything okay?"

Catherine and Autumn had argued many times, and she never came out ahead. Garth's room was small, and with so many people, it felt suffocating.

She didn't want to stay, so she came back first.

Besides, Garth didn't like her anyway. Even on his deathbed, he still wouldn't agree to let her marry Arthur. She didn't want to see his sour face.

"Depends on what the doctor says." Arthur plopped down on the sofa and took a sip of water. "Get me my phone."

Catherine handed him the phone.

"Are you going out now?" Catherine asked, puzzled.

"It's too late, I'm not going out. But some things can't wait." Arthur spoke vaguely.

Catherine knew Arthur was ambitious and capable, but because he was Garth's third son, no matter what resources were available, either they didn't reach him, or there wasn't much left by the time they did.

He'd long wanted to break free from this situation, but had no way to do it. Garth wouldn't budge, Dean kept suppressing him, and Rolf seemed uninvolved but couldn't be moved by anyone.

"I'll make you fresh coffee." Catherine tactfully left the room.

Arthur contacted several shareholders, telling them that if they wanted to sell their Prescott Jewelers shares, now was the best time.

He could personally add a small portion as dividends on top of the original price.

Some people agreed with him right away on the phone, while others said they needed to think about it.

Arthur felt confident of victory. When Catherine came in with water, he pulled her into his arms. "You're my lucky star."

"This time, no one's going to get the better of me," Arthur said confidently.

Astrid, who was keeping tabs on the Prescott family's movements, soon received word that Arthur and Dean were secretly competing, each wanting to firmly hold the shares in their own hands.

"Got it. Find out clearly which people want to sell their shares, and pay close attention to their movements recently." Astrid calmly instructed.

After hanging up, she began planning in her mind.