Chapter 173
I really didn't expect Joshua to stand up.
Could those legs of his be fake?
He recovered and can stand in just one year?
Ella had her doubts and quietly sized up this man who had suddenly barged in.
Vida and Megan, beside her, were also shocked.
They all knew about what happened between Joshua and Ella. Joshua had been completely out of touch this past year, and they had thought he was dead.
Who would have thought he'd show up now, alive and well?
If Aurora saw Joshua, she'd definitely be thrilled.
"Is this Mr. Thomas?" Luke was about to kick him out when he realized it was the president of the Thomas Group and immediately changed his tone.
"Mr. Thomas, what brings you here? Please, have a seat."
Joshua showed no expression and ordered Luke, "Make everyone else leave."
Luke looked awkward, glancing at Ella before looking back at Joshua.
"Mr. Thomas, that's not really appropriate. These are all people Ms. Garcia specifically requested. You can't ruin someone's good time."
"Everyone get out, now!" Joshua had no patience and snapped with a dark expression.
It startled Luke.
Unable to afford to offend Joshua, Luke quickly asked the others to leave first.
But Ella interrupted, "Isn't this dinner supposed to be for me? Mr. Jones, if you're going to act like this, let's just forget about discussing our partnership."
She stood up to leave.
Luke came to his senses and hurried forward to placate her. "Ms. Garcia, please don't go. Please sit down, everyone, sit down."
Then he came apologetically to Joshua's side and said tactfully, "Mr. Thomas, I'm really sorry, but I'm in the middle of discussing a partnership with Ms. Garcia. I'll definitely come apologize to you another day."
Joshua looked at Ella sitting in the seat of honor. She was well-dressed, elegant in demeanor, and indeed had the bearing of a female CEO.
He struggled to suppress the discomfort in his chest and told Luke, "I'll give you the partnership later. However many projects you want, I'll approve them all. Now, take your people and disappear immediately."
At this point, Mason and Samuel followed in.
They escorted Luke and his people out while closing the door to the private room.
Soon, only three women and men remained in the room.
The three men left behind were Joshua, Samuel, and Mason.
Megan's heart was pounding nervously, not daring to look at Samuel.
Vida didn't take Mason seriously at all, sitting upright without showing any emotion.
Ella sat up straight, looking extremely proud. Watching Joshua come stand beside her, she spoke mockingly, "So you're still alive? I thought your tombstone had already been erected."
This guy was really something. A year ago, he disappeared without a word, and now he showed up without warning, disrupting her plans.
She had no idea what his purpose was in appearing, but Ella was quite curious.
Joshua knew he had no right to criticize Ella for anything now, much less get angry about her ordering male companions.
He pulled up a chair next to Ella and sat down, filled a glass of wine, and said ingratiatingly, "Ms. Garcia, let me drink with you."
Ella scoffed and looked away. "You're too old. I don't like you."
Megan and Vida, beside them, couldn't help but laugh.
But seeing Mason's and Samuel's sharp gazes shoot over, they immediately sat properly, not daring to make another sound.
Joshua was rebuffed but still tried to suppress his discomfort. Like a peacock spreading its tail, he smiled at Ella again. "Being older has its advantages. Which of those guys earlier was better looking than me? Which one has better stamina than me? I got you pregnant with twins in one go."
Ella felt offended.
She grabbed the wine glass from Joshua's hand and splashed it in his face.
Her expression turned cold, her presence icy.
"After all this treatment, why didn't they fix your brain? Weren't you supposed to be dying a year ago? Why did you come back? Do you think I'd be happy to see you standing in front of me now?"
She really didn't understand what these men were thinking.
They leave whenever they want, disappearing without a trace, completely out of contact.
And when they show up, it's just as inexplicable. Did they really think women would be foolish enough to stand in place waiting for them to return? How presumptuous.
Joshua suddenly had wine splashed all over his face, soaking his short bangs. He looked rather disheveled.
Samuel handed him a tissue and explained from the side, "Ella, this past year has been really hard for Joshua. To recover and come back to see you and the children, he endured pain that ordinary people couldn't bear every day."
"Even if you don't wish him well, you don't need to treat him like this."
Joshua shot him a cold look. "Shut up."
Then he turned ingratiatingly to Ella. "I'm fine, Ella. I know you're angry that I left without saying goodbye. Even if you still resent me now, it's okay. I'll work hard to make you satisfied."
"No need." Ella stood up, staring at his chest which was half-soaked with wine, looking at his legs, which didn't seem fake.
She smiled coldly. "There's been nothing between us for a long time. Your leaving had no impact on me whatsoever, and I couldn't possibly have any emotions because of you."
"From now on, if you want to see the children, you can visit the Lewis family, but don't think about making any moves on me. I have no interest in you whatsoever."
She signaled to Megan and Vida to leave.
They understood and quickly got up, avoiding the men beside them and following Ella's pace.
None of the three men went after them.
Samuel sighed. "Ella is being too cold. Don't forget she has what she has today because you two supported her."
Mason stayed silent, but somehow his mind was on Vida.
The new Vida was completely different from when she was a housewife at home.
She was mature, charming, sophisticated. She must have put on some makeup―she looked quite beautiful.
Joshua sat there, his mood sinking to rock bottom.
"I thought when she saw me recovered, she'd be happy, excited, throw herself into my arms in tears." He laughed bitterly. It was indeed wishful thinking on his part.
Between him and Ella, aside from those two children, there really seemed to be no connection left.
But since he had come back in good health, how could a few harsh words from Ella discourage his determination to get close to her and the children?
Looking at Mason, Joshua said, "I'll stay at your place tonight. If I keep showing up in front of Ella, one day she'll soften up."
Mason poured himself a drink and downed it in one gulp. "What if I told you I haven't been home in a year? Would you believe me?"
Samuel sat down and continued drinking. "I believe you. Didn't your parents kick you out? I heard it was without a penny to your name."
Only then did Joshua remember that Mason had been expelled from the Lewis family for cheating during marriage.
For Ella and the children's sake, he advised, "You should apologize to your parents and talk nicely to Vida. They'll still forgive you. Just think of it as doing it for me―can't you humble yourself a bit?"
Mason shook his head in refusal. "I can't swallow my pride like that."
"If you can't swallow your pride, then you can forget about sitting in that acting president position at the Thomas Group. Without money, let's see if you can swallow your pride then."
For the sake of his own future with Ella and the children, selling out a brother was perfectly reasonable, right?
Joshua figured Mason probably wouldn't mind that much.
Mason felt somewhat helpless. It was fine not to bring this up, but once mentioned, it made him angry.
He couldn't help complaining to Joshua. "What happened to the ten million annual salary you promised? I worked diligently for a whole year and didn't get a single penny, just room and board."
"Since you're back now, hurry up and have the finance department transfer my money. Ten million should last me a while."
Joshua picked up the knife and fork Ella had left behind and started eating.
He gestured to Brian nearby, telling him to speak the truth.
Brian stepped forward and told Mason, "Mr. Lewis, you may not know this, but before Mr. Thomas left, he transferred all the company shares to Ms. Garcia. If you want money, I'll need to write an application and wait for Ms. Garcia's approval."
"What?" Mason glared at Brian, unable to contain his fury. "So you're saying I've been working for Ella this whole year?"
"That's about right."
Mason was livid and glared at Joshua. "Is your brain waterlogged? You really gave all the company shares to Ella?"
Joshua nodded.
Currently, he was penniless too.
If he wanted to return to the company and continue as president, he'd have to ask Ella for the shares back.
But how could he have the nerve to ask back something he'd given away?
If he wanted to live decently, he'd have to find another job and start from scratch.
"Joshua, I've never seen such a love-brained person. Fine, you love her, but you're already divorced, and you gave her all your assets. How are you going to live?"
"Do you know how long I've been waiting for that ten million? The flowers have all wilted! And now you're telling me I have to ask Ella for the money?"
Mason was about to lose his mind.
He'd never seen such a foolish man.
To actually be stupid enough to give all his assets to the mother of his children.
Was he an idiot?
Samuel coughed awkwardly and reminded them, "You two shouldn't be calling the kettle black―you're both the same. Weren't you also kicked out with nothing? Joshua thought he wouldn't recover, so he was planning for the children."
"You, on the other hand, had a good life but insisted on keeping a mistress outside. Now that you have no money, you're starting to complain."
Mason was shut down, feeling utterly ashamed.
Back then, he really did have something wrong with his brain, refusing a good life to keep a trophy woman outside.
That Opal cut contact with him as soon as she found out he had no money.
Thinking about it, he really was quite foolish.
"So what do we do now? We still need to live. We can't possibly ask them for money, can we?"
Mason looked down at his outfit. He'd been so poor he hadn't bought new clothes in months.
Joshua sighed and said, "I can't possibly ask my parents for their retirement money either."
Both their gazes turned to Samuel.
Samuel was eating when he noticed something was off. When he looked up, he saw them both staring at him.
They eyed him like tigers, as if they were going to devour him alive.
He quickly defended himself. "Don't get any ideas about me. I'm just a doctor, I don't have money either. My parents collect all my hospital income."
"Then you're really pathetic, a man in his thirties still having his parents manage his money." Mason mocked without mercy.
Samuel shot back sarcastically, "Yeah, you guys are so accomplished, all love-brained, giving your assets to women while you hide behind eating bread."
This comment left both men thoroughly ashamed.
Joshua was still rational. After eating and drinking his fill, he sighed. "We should still think about how to make money. Life can't go on without money."
Ella got in the car with Megan and Vida.
On the way home, Ella remained silent, leaning against the passenger seat backrest. She was lost in thought, her expression unreadable.
Vida couldn't contain her curiosity and leaned forward to ask, "Ella, Joshua looks completely recovered. Do you really have no feelings for him anymore?"
You have to understand, during those three years Joshua was in a coma, Ella went to take care of him every day.
Now that Joshua had recovered and returned, she wondered if Ella might be happy inside.
Whether she might consider getting back together with Joshua for the children's sake.
Ella tilted her head back and opened her eyes with a cold laugh. "What feelings could I possibly have for him?"
In fact, during this past year, she hadn't known that all of Joshua's assets had been given to her.
She'd heard Joshua mention before that he would give them to her, but then there was no news.
She didn't care about Joshua's things anyway.
Plus, with Mason working at the Thomas Group, Ella never thought that the Thomas Group now belonged to her.
Seeing Ella speak so frankly, seemingly having no feelings for Joshua anymore, Vida asked again, "Then who are you interested in? Those young handsome guys Luke arranged?"
Ella's mind suddenly flashed to those two male college students.
Come to think of it, they really were quite fresh and sunny.
But she wasn't interested in men at all. Just as she was about to respond to Vida, a message suddenly came through on her phone.
Ella opened it―it was from that male college student named Chris.
Chris: [Sister, I was very happy to meet you today. If you ever feel bored or are in a bad mood, you can reach out to me anytime. I'm always ready to help you feel better.]
Ella showed the message to Vida. "Boys these days really do have sweet tongues."
Vida laughed. "So are you interested?"
Megan also tilted her head to glance at Ella's phone screen and saw it was from Chris.
She added her advice, "Ms. Garcia, if you like him, keep him around. At least this type is clean."
Ella didn't take it seriously. "I'm so busy every day―entertaining clients, business trips, inspections, and spending time with the children. Where would I find time for these young guys?"
Since becoming CEO, she really had been busy every day.
She finally understood why Joshua and Mason used to leave early and come home late.
She was so busy she had no time for anything else.
Megan felt sorry for her. "You're a young person too. Don't forget, you're only 28."
Ella chuckled softly. "I'm already 28, I need to work even harder."
She had to pave the way for Aurora and Dorian, give them a bright future.
Everything else wasn't something she should be thinking about.
Megan sighed helplessly, not knowing what else to say.
Clearly over these years, Ella had already worked very hard, had earned everyone in the company's recognition, and had created considerable wealth for the company.
But she still wasn't satisfied, always trapping herself in work.
Megan saw it, and it pained her heart.
Ella leaned against the chair back and dozed for a bit.
When they got home, she received a friend request―it was Joshua.
Ella accepted it.
Joshua asked her, "Ms. Garcia, need a bodyguard?"
Then he sent over his personal profile.