Chapter 175
Ella arrived at the company, and Megan handed her a document.
"Ms. Garcia, this is Mr. Lewis's salary of over ten million dollars. It needs your signature."
Ella reached out to take it and looked at it, asking Megan uncertainly, "You told me before it's because the Thomas Group shares are with me?"
How come she didn't know about all this?
Could what Joshua said back then be true?
Because all the shares were given to her, and Mason was the acting president, she now had the final say in the company, so she needed to approve Mason's salary?
She found this whole situation rather ironic.
Megan nodded, "That's what Mr. Scott told me. He said you're now the largest shareholder of the Thomas Group, and all major decisions of the Thomas Group are made by you."
"Although Mr. Lewis's salary doesn't necessarily need your personal approval, he's just an acting president after all. It's also possible that certain people want to make a statement, so that's why..."
Ella understood what was going on.
Didn't Joshua ask her for a job before?
Was it because the company was given to her, and when Joshua came back, he had no job, that's why he came to her?
When did she ever say she wanted to take over the Thomas family's company?
Ella entered her office, thinking about how to return the Thomas Group shares.
Just then, the intercom rang.
Megan quickly went to answer it.
After a moment, Megan hung up and looked at Ella, "Ms. Garcia, Mr. Thomas is here. Should I have him come to the office?"
Ella felt that things that didn't belong to her, she didn't need.
Since Joshua was here, she had to return what belonged to him. She didn't want to be entangled with him over an entire company.
"Bring him over."
Ella went to sit at her desk and started her day's work.
Soon, Megan brought him over.
Ella was still working with her head down, not even glancing at Joshua.
Megan led him to the reception area to sit down, arranged a cup of coffee for him, and then left.
Joshua didn't disturb Ella either. He sat on the sofa, sipping his coffee, quietly watching Ella work seriously after becoming president.
Who would have thought that the gentle, delicate woman who once married him would now become the president of a company, worth hundreds of billions?
In just a few years, her progress had been so rapid. She really lived up to his former glory.
Joshua, dressed in a casual suit and looking presentable, sat in the reception area, waiting patiently.
He would wait until Ella finished her work and was willing to give him time, then he would state his purpose.
Ella looked up from her documents and glanced at the man sitting across from her.
She didn't understand how he could bear to give her such a large company just like that.
Didn't Jasper and Ava try to stop him? What was this family trying to express?
After Ella finished handling the documents at hand, she got up and walked toward Joshua, sitting down across from him in her elegant and dignified dress.
Without beating around the bush, Ella got straight to the point. "Why did you give me all the shares? Do you think I'll be touched by what you did?"
This had become a burden for her instead.
She could barely manage the Lewis Group, let alone have the energy to manage the Thomas Group.
Besides, the Thomas Group was two or three times larger than the Lewis Group.
This past year, there hadn't been any major problems. If something went wrong, wouldn't she be criticized by all the shareholders?
Joshua explained, "Before, I thought I wouldn't get better and had no confidence to keep living. I thought if I died, shouldn't everything I have go to the kids? But they're so young and can't take over, so I gave it all to you."
Ella somewhat believed him.
Perhaps in Joshua's view, that was compensation for the children.
But he simply didn't understand that what the children wanted wasn't his fortune at all.
She didn't want to say too much to him, so she asked directly, "You're here to take it back, right? Give me the documents, and I'll sign to return it to you."
Joshua didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Leaning against the sofa, he looked at Ella's composed manner, her whole being radiating a mature charm.
He appreciated it and liked it very much.
"Who told you I'm here to take back the shares? Since I gave them to the kids, you can manage them for the kids. I'll give everything to them sooner or later anyway."
Ella refused without hesitation, "Please don't. I can't manage your company. You manage it yourself!"
"I have no interest in work right now. I just want to spend time with the kids and earn their recognition." Joshua stated his purpose.
"Ella, my biggest regret in this life is that I wasn't by your side when you were pregnant with them, and I wasn't there when you gave birth to them."
"I even did things to hurt you because of their existence."
"I heard you pick them up and drop them off at school every day. That's too tiring. Can you let me take care of them so you can focus on work?"
Let him pick up and drop off the kids every day. He would handle domestic matters while Ella managed the company. That would be nice too.
He just didn't know if Ella would give him this chance.
He really had too much guilt and regret toward the children.
Ella was silent.
Megan brought her a cup of coffee and left.
She held the coffee and sipped it, staring at Joshua, still insisting on her principles.
"Take back what's yours. I believe my children won't necessarily accept what you're giving either. You have no obligation to raise them, so there's no need to put effort into them."
The children were already seven years old.
In the seven years they'd been growing up, Joshua had never been involved.
Now he came to tell her he wanted to take care of the children. Didn't he find that ridiculous?
Ella thought they could raise the children together.
But to have her take over the Thomas Group and let Joshua stay with the children to accompany them—
Then the two of them would see each other every day. Having to look at the person who once disgusted her every day, would she even be able to live?
"Ella." Seeing Ella refuse, Joshua's heart ached. He murmured her name.
Ella's delicately made-up face showed no expression, and her attitude was firm.
"Joshua, focus on running your company. If you want to see the children, you can, but don't disrupt my current life rhythm."
"And don't force your way into my life. That will make me really dislike you, to the point where I won't want to see you."
Being able to be friends with him and let him see that children were already the greatest tolerance she could show him.
If he wasn't satisfied and wanted more, then don't blame her for turning hostile.
"Didn't you already forgive me? Why are you still unwilling to let me into your life?" Joshua couldn't quite figure out that what Ella was thinking.
He clearly remembered that when he first woke up from his coma, when Ella was by his side, she personally told him that she forgave him and didn't blame him anymore.
How had she become so cold now?
Ella laughed lightly, her eyes calm without a trace of emotion.
"I forgave you because you were seriously injured when you went with me to get Aurora, and because Aurora is still alive."
"But that doesn't mean I have to live with you and accept everything about you."
Joshua still didn't quite understand, "During those three years I was in a coma, you could have arranged for someone else to take care of me. Why did you come every day to help me bathe and give me massages?"
If she didn't still have feelings for him, how could she have taken care of him so attentively?
People say that husband and wife are like birds in the same forest—when disaster strikes, they fly their separate ways.
But when he was in trouble, Ella didn't abandon him. Instead, she stayed by his side and cared for him until he woke up.
If this wasn't because she still had feelings for him in her heart, what else could it be?
Joshua didn't believe that Ella wasn't happy to see him healthy and alive.
Ella laughed again, but her face showed complete indifference.
"That's because Aurora has you in her heart. I just didn't want Aurora to lose a father."
"Now that you're back alive, I won't stop you from seeing Aurora, and I won't interfere with you fulfilling your duties as a father. But there's nothing else between you and me. Don't try to use Aurora to get into my life."
Thinking about how she still had a lot of work to do and a dinner meeting tonight,
Ella stood up and said, "I've made myself very clear. I hope you'll come with dignity and leave with dignity. Don't make me dislike you."
"Also, about your company shares, bring the transfer agreement as soon as possible for me to sign. If you really want to give them to the kids, wait until they grow up and are willing to accept them."
Not wanting to waste any more time on Joshua, Ella returned to her desk to continue working.
Joshua sat there frozen, his mind blank.
The heart in his chest ached with sharp, bloody pain.
So he had been deluding himself all along.
Ella had no feelings for him at all.
Taking care of him was simply because she didn't want Aurora to lose a father.
Joshua couldn't face being rejected by Ella like this.
To preserve his last bit of dignity and self-respect, he got up without saying another word and left in silence.
Thinking about how Ella didn't want to take over the Thomas Group,
after Joshua returned to the Thomas Group, he had Brian draft a new agreement.
The company shares would be transferred to the children, to be officially inherited when they turned 20.
But he would manage them in the meantime.
So he returned to the acting president position that Mason currently held.
In the president's office, Mason was on the verge of tears.
"So what am I? A pawn in your game? Used when needed and tossed aside when not? And when will my ten million dollars arrive?"
This was too much.
Joshua came back, and he had to step down.
He couldn't return to the Lewis family either. What was he supposed to do in the future?
Joshua said, "I'll have the finance department transfer the money to you as soon as possible. If you want to have income in the future, just admit your mistakes and go back to the Lewis family."
"As long as you return to the Lewis family, I'll give you another ten million every year."
Having Mason return to the Lewis family to help him watch over the kids meant he could rush over immediately if anything happened.
Although Ella had made herself very clear at the Lewis Group, he wouldn't give up.
They had plenty of time ahead.
"You're saying me the sacrifice again, Joshua. I'm just here to be sold out, aren't I?"
Mason still didn't want to go back like this. It was too embarrassing.
Besides, Vida seemed to have no feelings for him now. Wouldn't going back to apologize just be humiliating himself?
"Anyway, it's up to you. If you go back, I'll give you the money. If you don't, you can forget about the ten million dollars too." Joshua deliberately threatened him.
Mason was so angry that he couldn't speak. He only regretted not being more careful back then to transfer the Thomas Group's assets. Now he'd been played like this.
But asking him to return to the Lewis family—that was impossible.
At noon, Brian took the agreement to the Lewis Group to have Ella sign it.
When leaving, he happened to run into Chris in the lobby downstairs, who was asking about Ella.
Brian recognized him.
He was the male college student that some rich kid had arranged for Ella at the club before.
He didn't expect the guy to track her down to the company.
After Brian returned to the Thomas Group, he told Joshua about this.
"Mr. Thomas, do you think Ms. Garcia likes those gentle, delicate young men now?"
If Ella hadn't given that kind of young man a chance, how would he have found his way to the company?
Thinking about how Joshua was getting old and had been seriously injured several times, he probably really couldn't compete with those male college students.
Hearing Brian's words, Joshua felt a tightness in his chest and an unpleasant feeling.
He now understood that it wasn't just men who changed when they had money—women were the same.
But what good did feeling uncomfortable do?
He had no right to interfere with Ella's private life.
If he wanted to get close to Ella again, he could only go through the children to change her opinion of him.
At the Lewis Group.
Megan pushed open the office door to report, "Ms. Garcia, that male college student named Chris is here. Do you want to see him?"
Ella was too busy to remember who Chris was.
She asked casually, "Who?"
"The male college student Luke arranged at the club before. He seems to have added you on WeChat."
Hearing this, Ella remembered.
She had deleted him when she got back.
She didn't expect him to track her down to the company.
Nowadays, these young men, instead of studying properly, always wanted to take shortcuts through capable women.
She had no interest in any male college student. She instructed, "Send him away."
Megan understood and turned to handle it.
Ella had a dinner meeting tonight, so she called Rhea to help pick up the kids.
Just as she left the company, that male college student, Chris, suddenly appeared and blocked her path with a flattering expression.
"Sister, I'm Chris. Don't you remember me?"
Ella stopped and turned her head.
She saw security guards blocking a young man not far away.
It was the young man from the club.
Ella really didn't know what he was doing here.
She walked over, signaled the security guards to step aside, and stood elegantly in front of the young man, asking, "Is there something you need?"
Chris smiled ingratiatingly. "I know it's improper to come find you like this, but I really like you. Can you give me a chance?"
Ella looked at him.
She knew exactly what Chris was thinking.
But afraid of hurting Chris's feelings with harsh words, she smiled and said tactfully, "I'm very busy and have no time for romance. You should focus on your studies. We can talk again after you graduate from college!"
Ella had no time to waste on this kind of young person and turned to get in her car.
Chris wouldn't give up and tried to chase after her. Megan quickly had the security guards hold him back and stepped forward to warn, "Stop dreaming. Ms. Garcia has seen all kinds of men. She doesn't like your type. Don't show up again, or we won't be polite."
Afraid of keeping Ella waiting, Megan quickly got in the car and couldn't help complaining to Ella, "So there are male gold diggers in this world too. They're no less scheming than those women who try to climb up through men."
Saying this, Megan suddenly thought of herself and Samuel.
The reason she could work alongside Ella was because of her relationship with Samuel.
She suddenly felt she could relate.
Ella didn't mind. "Let's go to the dinner meeting!"