Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Brian and Marc got calls at the same moment.

Security upgrades at The Stone Manor and The White Manor.

Before departure, the driver responsible for picking them up was also required to inspect the vehicle three times.

Both men were being very cautious.

The trip to the cemetery was postponed.

Despite her earlier thoughts, Christina still headed to the cemetery the next morning at dawn.

This time Gabriel didn't go with her. He went to the company again.

Christina frowned. Was it just her imagination?

She felt like the Stone Group had been having too many issues lately.

Christina didn't know how long Clarence had been there when she spotted him, and she just stared at him in silence.

Noticing her calm attitude, Clarence felt forced to speak first. He asked Christina to talk to Gabriel and convince him to show some mercy to him and Cecil.

It was ironic that the former leader of the Stone family was now having his life ruined by the person who currently held that title.

And now he had to beg him to let them go.

Christina shook her head. "Mr. Stone, if you had a father like yourself, you would do even worse than Gabriel."

Clarence pressed his lips together.

Christina was right, but that was just hypothetical. Right now, Gabriel was the only one actually dealing with this situation.

"Christina, you need to think carefully. If you won't help, I'll have to use my own methods."

"What methods? Exposing Cecil's identity?"

The sarcasm at the corner of Christina's lips made Clarence feel embarrassed. "I wouldn't do that, but he'll regret it. I've managed the Stone Group for decades. You don't really think I have no say in the Stone Group anymore, do you?"

Christina shrugged, showing she didn't care.

It seemed Clarence was really getting old. Didn't he know Gabriel was hoping he'd do exactly that?

If he did that, Gabriel would know which people at the Stone Group weren't loyal to him, and after that, many things would become much easier.

Unfortunately, Clarence couldn't wait any longer.

Even knowing the downsides of doing this, he still had to do it.

Otherwise, once Gabriel and Christina got married, he wouldn't be able to make Cecil the CEO of Stone Group.

Christina's position was very clear—she stood on Gabriel's side.

Even though Clarence had raised her like his own child for more than a decade, she refused to change her mind.

The next day, Clarence brought Cecil to the Stone Group to meet with Gabriel, he made his intentions very clear to everyone present.

He just wanted Cecil to have a place in the Stone Group. As for how big that place was, he didn't care.

He just wanted to make it up to Cecil.

"Besides, isn't Cecil a member of the Stone family? Strictly speaking, he has inheritance rights."

Gabriel looked around at everyone present. "Then let's talk in the conference room and see how many people agree to Cecil joining the Stone Group. If more than one-third agree, I'll approve it."

Gabriel's quick agreement left Clarence speechless.

Gabriel even went as far as suggesting that they only needed a one-third majority for approval.

Normally, this kind of thing required more than half approval.

Clarence thought of Christina.

Only Christina could make Gabriel this agreeable.

Sure enough, women are women—no matter how ruthless they appear, they'll soften in the end.

He thought that after he left yesterday, Christina must have said something good about him and Cecil to Gabriel.

The people who would listen to him were just over one-third, and Cecil's entry into the Stone Group was approved smoothly.

As Cecil walked to the office the company had arranged for him, he knocked on Gabriel's glass window as he passed by. When Gabriel looked over, he flashed a provocative smile.

Now that he'd gotten into the Stone Group, how far could it be before he took over the Stone Group?

Gabriel didn't take Cecil's confidence seriously.

Letting Cecil into the Stone Group was meant to keep Cecil under his control.

Unlike Gabriel's confidence, something unexpected happened on Christina's side.

Upon Joseph's return from recovery, the board members of the White Group urged him to rethink his plan to appoint Christina as the company's CEO at this time.

After all, Joseph was in his prime—there was no need to hand the White Group over to Christina so early.

Christina didn't mind. She could take over the White Group whenever—it was hers anyway, and she wouldn't give it to anyone.

The timing was ideal, as she needed the opportunity to prove herself and earn everyone's true respect.

Christina proposed to participate in leading the White Group's core project.

"Aren't you board members worried I can't lead the White Group to greater heights? This project is very important to the White Group. If I can do the project well, it should put your minds at ease about handing the White Group over to me, right?"

"Christina, you're still young and don't understand the importance of this project. Do you know how much loss you'd bring to the White Group if you don't do well? Not to mention, do you even understand what this project involves? If I remember correctly, you haven't studied this area before. Even if you take on this project, you'll just be watching from the sidelines. Why bother?"

The speaker was Christina's relative, Garry White. She turned to look at him. "Garry, I know you don't trust me, but the White family will only be inherited by me. If I can't do it now, can I do it when I'm just a few years older but without any experience? If you want me to become an excellent heir to take over the White Group, let me take on this project. Give me three years, and I'll show you I can take over the White Group."

The board members looked at each other.

Christina's words had moved them.

Without experience, Christina really could never become the heir they wanted.

But did they need to risk such a major project?

"Choose a different project. Don't try to achieve everything at once. Growth also needs to be gradual," someone said.

The others immediately agreed.

But Christina wouldn't budge. "And then what? How long will it take me to grow? Three years? Six years? Or nine years? You may not care about my dad, but I do. During this hospitalization, he had all kinds of tests done, and honestly, the results weren't good. Although living to seventy or eighty is no problem, high-intensity work is already a big burden for him. I want to grow up quickly so my dad can rest properly. Of course, don't worry—I won't joke around with the White Group's future. If I find anything I can't solve, I'll immediately ask for your help."

Christina ultimately got everyone's support and took on the White Group's core project.

That evening, she worked overtime at the company until eleven o'clock and didn't even answer Gabriel's calls.

When she finished work, dizzy and exhausted, and got in the car downstairs, she found Gabriel was also in the car.

"Why did you come?" Christina was surprised.

"I came to see why my fiancée is ignoring me—to check if I've become ugly." Seeing her exhaustion, Gabriel held back his words about her not taking care of herself and teased her instead.

Christina laughed. "My fiancé is so handsome, and he even goes to Delphine for skincare. How could he become ugly?"

"Christina, are you making fun of me!"

"I'm not, I didn't!"

"No wonder you never mentioned it after you found out—you were waiting for this moment!"

"I'm innocent, I really wasn't!"

The car filled with playful banter. No one who saw them would believe these were the heads of Aurora City's two most prominent families.