Cole called Ella again.
He knew his daughter very well!
Most people said his son Bryan had a rebellious nature, but only he knew that his daughter Ella was even more like him, to the point of extreme rebellion.
If a parent told her to go left, she would definitely go right.
Bryan might be rebellious, but in the end, he would use some childish tricks to protest and then weigh the pros and cons, eventually returning to the path his parents had laid out for him.
Take the matter with Victoria, for instance. Even though Bryan had already married Victoria, Cole believed that in the end, he would abandon her.
For this reason, Cole hadn't said much to Bryan.
But Ella was different; she was like a wild horse that couldn't be reined in.
Years ago, when Cole wanted her to go to college, she insisted on joining the military.
Cole had to pull strings to get her promoted, but she deliberately violated discipline to get herself discharged.
When Cole wanted her to work at the company, she applied for a job as a civil servant.
Cole, who was good friends with Quinn at the time, arranged for Ella to work in the police department, but she insisted on working as a beat cop.
Cole then asked the police chief to look after her, but Ella never interacted with her superiors, nor did she pay attention to Kevin or Ruby, refusing even to meet with Erick.
However, Cole knew that deep down, Ella still had a sense of filial duty.
If he asked her to come home to discuss something, she could go a year without visiting, so Cole told Ella that he wasn't feeling well.
Sure enough, within fifteen minutes, Ella rushed into Cole's office.
"Come in, come in," Cole said with a smile, getting up and walking towards the sofa. "My precious daughter, this is your first time in my office, right? Let me give you a tour."
Ella turned to leave.
"Ella," Cole called, "don't you want to talk about Henry?"
Ella stopped and turned back, "I remember the first story you told me as a child was 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf.' Please don't joke about your health."
Cole smiled, "Sit down. We don't have any great enmity between us. Can't you even sit with your father for a while?"
Ella didn't want to sit, but she couldn't let go of Henry's background. Just now, she had taken her mother's hair to compare DNA with Henry's, and the results hadn't come back yet when her father called.
So she sat down with a look of impatience.
Cole knew his daughter's temper and got straight to the point, "Henry is quite handsome, isn't he?"
Without thinking, Ella said, "Yes."
"Do you really like him?"
If this were a normal father-daughter conversation, Ella might have denied it out of embarrassment, even if she did like him.
But remembering the day she asked if they had given away a child and seeing her father's reaction, Ella thought he might know the truth if Henry was related to her mother.
So she said without hesitation, "Yes."
"But as far as I know, he's a year younger than your brother and has spent six years in prison."
Ella retorted, "So what?"
"I mean, your current job involves your marriage being subject to federal review. Do you think Henry can pass a federal review?"
Ella said, "If he can't pass, I'll resign!"
Ella expected her father to get angry or even explode. She wanted to gauge his true intentions to confirm Henry's real background.
To her surprise, Cole nodded, "I know you're not joking, and it seems you've thought this through. I support you."
Ella was completely stunned.
Cole said seriously, "If you want to resign, go ahead. I've never thought much of your job anyway. Since Henry has no parents, we can have him marry into our family.
Your brother will never amount to much. If you two get married, I'll hand the company over to you."
Ella looked at her father, speechless: Could it be that Henry is her mother's illegitimate child, and he doesn't know?
That doesn't make sense. How could her mother hide a ten-month pregnancy from her father?
Could her father know they can't be together and is using reverse psychology?
Pretending to support her relationship with Henry to get the truth from her?
"Dad," Ella asked, puzzled, "this isn't like you! I believe you wouldn't interfere with my choice of a partner, but you must have your limits. You wouldn't allow me to marry someone like Henry, who has been in prison. Right?"
Cole smiled bitterly, "I've never had high expectations for you or Bryan. I've always set the lowest standards for you both.
But what happened? You both treat me like an enemy.
So I've figured it out. You just don't want me to stop you from doing what you want.
Whether Bryan likes a nightclub girl or you like an ex-convict, so what?
We have money and don't need to care about others' opinions. We just need to live well ourselves.
I'm old and have no other hopes. My only wish is for you to live the way you want."
Ella asked quietly, "I heard you once kept Victoria?"
Cole smiled bitterly, "Kept? I just took her on a trip abroad. And the situation wasn't as you imagine.
She's very capable, both in business and in taking care of my personal affairs."
Ella asked, "You've been with her for so long. How will you face her if she becomes your daughter-in-law?"
Cole laughed, "Don't worry. Bryan isn't as stubborn as you. He's just trying to annoy me.
Even though he married Victoria, I'm sure he hasn't touched her. If I talk to him about it, he won't even hold a wedding and will divorce her.
But I won't talk to him. I want to see how long he can hold out.
As for you, I've figured it out.
You're my daughter, and I've always wanted you to grow up my way.
But from your perspective, I'm your father. Why can't I let you live your way?
So what if he's an ex-convict?
Even if he's still in prison, if you like him, I'll support you!"