Chapter 140: He Wanted to Take it All

Clayton looked like he was in over his head, totally unsure of what to do next.

Isabella got it right away; this was clearly a move to keep her from getting the shares. Either Donna had paid him off to stall, or Clayton had his own game going.

"Clayton," Isabella said, "Lucas only has the management rights to the shares, not the disposal rights. You know that, right?"

Clayton replied, "Lucas has been running the Jones Group for years. All the shares have been transferred. As long as they're under his name, he has the disposal rights."

No way. Lester had made it clear how the shares were to be distributed and inherited. Lucas couldn't just transfer them to his name after Lester died.

"Then could you show me the share certificates under Lucas's name? I'd like to see them."

Clayton hesitated. "That's not really appropriate, is it?"

"Why?" She looked him straight in the eye, her voice steady.

"You're not Lucas's heir; you have no right to see the share certificates."

Isabella laughed, sensing his guilt. "As one of the disputants of the shares, if I don't have the right to see the certificates, who does? The police?"

"Ms. Neville, please don't be unreasonable."

She was here to reason, and he was calling her unreasonable. "I'm stating facts, and you're trying to dodge the issue. Clayton, you're not the owner of the shares either. Don't get it twisted."

This hit a nerve, and Clayton's face darkened. "I hope you understand that I currently hold the shares of the Jones Group. No matter what you want to do, without my permission, you can only freeze them forever."

Isabella almost wanted to applaud him. She had really underestimated him.

"So be it." Isabella stood up and looked at Clayton coolly. "Watch them carefully. Losing even one share could land you in jail for years."

"Ms. Neville, take care. I won't see you out."

Walking out of the Jones Group, Isabella turned to Caleb, feeling heavy-hearted. "What do you think he means? He doesn't own the shares. At most, he's just a custodian. Could he have made some sort of deal with Donna?"

Caleb nodded. "It's possible."

"What should we do then?" Isabella felt lost.

"Actually, I think there's another possibility."

"What?"

"People with big ambitions usually want to expand, not divide. Maybe he wants it all for himself. In business, the most common tactic is to forge contracts or agreements. If he wants to claim the shares of the Jones Group for himself, he might do that."

Isabella felt a bit panicked. "If he really transfers the shares to his name, is there no way to stop him?"

"Forgery is illegal, unless he's ready to go to jail." Caleb didn't think Clayton would be that dumb. "I think the most likely scenario is that he'll team up with Donna to get rid of you first. After all, Lucas's will is still valid."

Isabella sighed. She had thought only Donna wanted those shares, but it seemed others had been eyeing them for a long time.

"What should we do then?" Isabella asked again.

"Don't worry too much. I'll report this to Mr. Spencer. He'll come up with a solution."

"Will he be annoyed?" Isabella was already feeling pretty annoyed herself.

"Mr. Spencer is just worried you might have reservations, so he hasn't stepped in too much. I believe he's more anxious than you are."

With George in the mix, there was always a way out. Isabella felt a lot more at ease.

After saying goodbye to Caleb, Isabella headed to the hospital. She didn't see Elodie but bumped into Daniel instead.

"How's Brenda doing?" Isabella asked.

Daniel replied, "Not bad. She's pulled through and is stable now." All the hard work was paying off.

"Really? That's awesome. I need to see her." Isabella, carrying bags of nutritional supplements, took the elevator to the ward.

Elodie was peeling an apple for Brenda. When she saw Isabella, she put down the fruit and walked over. "You brought so much stuff."

Isabella said, "They're for Brenda. Brenda, how are you feeling?"

Brenda smiled gently, as always. "Much better. Now that I've passed the dangerous period, better days are ahead."

"You'll only get better and better."

Brenda held Isabella's hand, nodding and smiling. "You are so sweet."

"It's because you care about me that you think I'm good at everything."

Elodie handed the peeled apple to Isabella. "My mom used to think of you as her daughter-in-law..."

She stopped abruptly, realizing it wasn't the right time to bring up Nathan.

Elodie cursed herself for being so quick-tongued, but Brenda didn't mind. "If she can't be my daughter-in-law, being my daughter is even better."

"Brenda, I'm sorry about Nathan," Isabella couldn't just ignore it.

Brenda replied, "It's all in the past. He ended up like that because of his own actions. It has nothing to do with anyone else. If he did something wrong, he had to face the consequences."

Elodie quickly poured Brenda a glass of water. "Mom, have some water first. What do you want for lunch? I'll go get it."

"It's easier said than done. It has always been Daniel who brings me food. How many times have you bought it for me?" Brenda shook her head.

Elodie felt a bit embarrassed. "Mom, Daniel just happened to be around. It's not every time."

"Nine out of ten times. You call that a coincidence?" Brenda looked like she couldn't believe Elodie's lack of gratitude.

"Alright, I'm grateful to him. I owe him everything. Is that enough?"

"Listen to her. Unbelievable!"

Isabella chuckled. "Brenda, maybe Daniel has a thing for Elodie and is trying to win your favor."

"Oh no, Daniel is such a good person, and he's good-looking too. How could he like Elodie?"

Elodie wasn't having it. "Mom, what's wrong with me? Even if he likes me, I wouldn't be interested in him."

"Yes, you both aren't interested in each other. Is that good enough?"

Brenda didn't want to argue with Elodie. With that attitude, no man would ever be good enough.

After chatting for a while, Isabella got up to leave.

Elodie walked her out. "My mom is recovering well. Don't worry."

"Yeah, by the way, we're graduating this year, right? Do you want to go back and get your diploma?" Isabella asked.

Elodie was silent for a moment, a bit helpless. "It's not like we can just go back and get it."

"If you want to go back, there's a way."

"Of course, I want to go back to finish my credits, then get my diploma, and find a proper job. But will the school accommodate me?"

Isabella put her arm around Elodie's shoulder and patted her chest. "I got it."