Chapter 50 Chapter 50: Old Mr. Sterling's Visit
The more Balthazar thought about it, the more worried he became. After exchanging a few brief words with Ryan, he left the high-rise building and drove straight home. Today, he had to get some answers.
Just thinking about the possibility that she might have had to make compromises for his sake made his anger bubble up like a volcano ready to erupt.
However, when Balthazar arrived home, there was no sign of her. A bad feeling crept over him, especially when her phone kept going straight to voicemail. His anxiety skyrocketed.
“Selena, where are you?"
Balthazar sped down the road, heading to the home of Wyatt’s mother and child. When he had previously suspected Selena’s identity, he had taken the opportunity to investigate the place she often sent money.
“She was here a few days ago, but I haven’t seen her for the past two days." Wyatt cautiously replied.
In the boy’s memory, this man was always fierce, and now his sudden appearance had made him extra wary.
“Has something happened to Selena?"
Hearing Wyatt’s question, Balthazar wasn’t in the mood to answer. He got back in his car and drove off, leaving the young boy bewildered.
Now, he was heading to his mother’s house—his last stop. At that moment, he realized how little he knew about Selena. If she disappeared, he wouldn’t know where to find her.
On the way, he called Mrs. Winchester. The line quickly connected.
“Is Selena with you?" - Balthazar asked urgently.
“Uh…"
Mrs. Winchester hesitated, glancing at Selena lying in the hospital bed, before stammering:
“Yes, ha ha, she’s traveling with me now. She probably forgot to tell you."
Upon hearing this, Balthazar immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The heavy weight on his chest lifted.
As long as there was news, that was good enough.
Suddenly, a familiar sound reached his ears, and Balthazar quickly asked:
“Where are you traveling? What kind of place has ambulance sirens?"
Moreover, his mother had initially hesitated, clearly lying. The thought sent a surge of tension through him. Who was injured? Was it Selena?
“You’d better tell me the truth, or I’ll report it to the police."
The mention of the police immediately frightened Mrs. Winchester, and she hurriedly scolded:
“You little rascal, always quick to call the police. Are you planning to have your own mother arrested? Selena is in XX hospital. You’d better come right away."
I knew something was wrong!
Without wasting any time, Balthazar turned the car around and sped off toward the hospital.
At the Sterling family.
William sat across from his grandfather and two uncles, his face dark and sullen.
Losing repeatedly to a young upstart like WEE Group had caused the older Sterling generation to criticize him severely. Outwardly, they claimed it was to teach and advise him, but in truth, they were mocking his incompetence while taking this opportunity to undermine his position as CEO of Sterling Group.
"Grandfather, Uncle Arthur, Uncle Luke, this time it's my fault. I shouldn’t have underestimated my opponent. I truly didn’t expect Balthazar’s financial backing to be so strong. The misinformation from the insider led to Sterling Group's deficit, and all the responsibility lies with me."
Uncle Arthur, William’s third uncle, spoke up:
"In business, you should never use the words 'didn’t expect.' You should have assessed the situation thoroughly before acting, instead of blaming mistakes after you’ve failed."
Uncle Luke, William’s fourth uncle, chimed in:
"This time, Sterling Group losing money is a small issue, but the damage to our reputation is far worse. I know that you're lacking your father's guidance, so it's understandable that mistakes happen. But now, your younger siblings are grown. Let them join Sterling Group to assist you."
William clenched his fists in silence. These two uncles were taking turns berating him, insulting his father as useless, and now trying to push their own children into the company. Even if his cousins were grown, they should still work their way up like he did years ago. But to him, it seemed they were more interested in positioning them directly in key roles.
"If my uncles wish, I can bring my siblings into the company as employees," William said.
The moment he spoke, both men reacted strongly. Uncle Arthur snapped:
"How can that be? Your siblings are all highly educated, at least bachelor’s degree holders. With a family business like this, how could they start as mere employees?"
Bang!
Uncle Luke was about to stir up more trouble when old Mr. Sterling slammed his teacup down on the table and said:
"We’ll discuss this later. You two mind your own business."
Uncle Arthur and Uncle Luke exchanged glances before standing up and leaving. Now, only William and old Mr. Sterling remained in the living room.
William glanced at his grandfather, who sat silently, deep in thought. Just as he was about to say something, the old man suddenly spoke:
"Selena has been missing for over a year now. Do you visit her parents often to check on them?"
The abrupt change in topic caught William off guard, but he quickly replied:
"I gave them a large sum of money already. Grandfather, I know what you're hoping for, but I've married Amelia. You can't expect me to carry the responsibility of being a son-in-law to that family forever."
William expected his grandfather to get angry at his words. But if it meant severing ties with Selena's family, he was willing to endure a scolding or even punishment. After all, the old man wouldn't go so far as to strip him of his control over Sterling Group.
Old Mr. Sterling squinted at his favorite grandson, wondering how much he truly knew about Selena's disappearance and Mr. Collin’s death.
If he really didn’t know anything, then it was all the doing of those two women. Damn them.
But regardless, William had a responsibility in all of this. If he had stayed faithful to Selena, would her family, who had once been benefactors to the Sterling family, have fallen apart like this?