Chapter261 A Shameless Ask

Chapter261 A Shameless Ask
Miranda sat across from him and listened to every outrageous demand he laid out with complete entitlement.
She almost laughed.
She picked up her coffee and let the rim of the cup cover the smirk on her face.
"Dad, you don't actually think Prescott Group is mine to do with as I please, do you?" she said, her voice giving nothing away.
Dominic's brow furrowed. He leaned forward slightly with the look of someone who already knew the answer.
"Don't try to play me." His voice dropped, but his certainty didn't waver. "I know what's going on. Clifton is missing. You're the one running Prescott right now. I'm looking out for you here. If you want to hold your position in this family, you need a strong family backing you up."
He warmed to his own logic as he kept going. "Helping Lancaster is helping yourself. The stronger Lancaster is, the more secure your place in Prescott becomes."
The more he talked, the more absurd it sounded to Miranda. The corner of her mouth rose just slightly.
She set down her coffee. The cup met the table with a quiet clink.
"Dad, you're oversimplifying." She met his eyes, her own expression steady. "Prescott is still alive. Yes, he's let me walk in and out of this building, but that's all for show. You think Mia is here to help me? She's Prescott's eyes and ears. Every move I make gets reported back to him."
"Clifton is gone, and Prescott never thought much of me to begin with. My family background doesn't measure up. He could decide to push me out at any point."
Dominic stared at her, caught off guard. His brow pulled together. "He doesn't like you? Then why did he let you marry into the family in the first place?"
Miranda let a look of carefully arranged embarrassment cross her face.
"You know what happened to the Prescott heir. The news was everywhere. He was going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. No family with a daughter worth marrying off was going to agree to that match. Prescott had no other options."
She let that sit for a moment. "Now that Clifton is gone, Prescott already looks down on me. Why would he let me run things here? And don't forget," her voice cooled slightly, "he still has a granddaughter."
Dominic's expression dropped. His mind started working through it, trying to figure out how much of what she was saying was true.
Miranda watched the doubt move across his face and kept going.
"My own company just lost a major bid last week." She looked at him directly. "If Prescott actually valued me, would he have just stood by and watched that happen without lifting a finger?"
That one landed. The last of his confidence in the scheme deflated.
The greed wasn't entirely gone, but it had taken a serious hit.
"So... there's really no way to get anything out of this right now?"
"Dad." There was a warning in her tone. "I just got placed in Prescott. Everyone is watching every step I take. The moment I start funneling benefits to Lancaster, I will be out of this building by tomorrow morning."
She saw his face fall completely and softened her voice, just enough.
"But once I've actually established myself here, I won't forget you, or my brother, or Mom. You have my word."
That gave Dominic enough to hold onto. He told himself she had a point. Play the long game, catch the bigger fish.
Half an hour later, Dominic walked out of the room. The swagger from when he arrived was gone, replaced by something more subdued, though still not entirely resigned.
He had barely reached the hallway when he spotted Mia a short distance away. She had her back to him, phone to her ear, speaking quietly.
When she noticed him come out, she flinched visibly, shot him a quick, shifty glance, then lowered her voice and ended the call fast.
Dominic's steps slowed.
Nine times out of ten, she had just been on the phone with Prescott, reporting everything.
He adjusted quickly. He put on his most wholesome fatherly expression, raised his voice to a cheerful, carrying tone, and turned back to Miranda who had followed him out.
"Miranda, work hard and take care of yourself. Don't burn yourself out. Dad's heading off now. Come home when you get a chance."
Then he turned and walked to the elevator like nothing had happened.
Miranda watched him disappear behind the elevator doors.
The look on her face shifted into something quiet and satisfied. She turned to Mia, who had appeared at her side.
"Well done. He believed it."
Mia allowed herself a small smile and dipped her head. "Happy to help, Madam."
Over the next three days, Miranda threw herself into learning everything there was to know about Prescott Group, with Mia guiding her through all of it. Department functions, active core projects, day-to-day operations. She was already handling routine matters on her own.
--
One morning, at the hospital VIP ward.
Celeste walked in looking freshly put together, carrying her favorite bag.
She found Prescott sitting up in bed while a doctor checked his IV line.
Celeste put on what she believed was a charming smile and hurried over.
"Grandpa!"
Prescott looked at her. He said nothing and went back to ignoring her.
The doctor finished up, gave Prescott a few instructions, and left.
The two of them were alone.
Celeste was unbothered by the silence. She helped herself to the chair beside the bed, pursed her lips, and launched into her prepared performance.
"Grandpa, about the shareholder meeting the other day, I know I was wrong. I wasn't trying to go against you. I was just so worried about the company."
Prescott made a faint sound through his nose.
Celeste pushed on as if she hadn't heard it.
"Grandpa, at the end of the day, Miranda is an outsider. Are you really comfortable handing the entire Prescott Group to someone who has no blood ties to this family?"
"I heard her father came waltzing in and out of Prescott Group like he owned the place not long ago. If things keep going in that direction, it won't be long before Prescott starts looking more like Lancaster."
Every word was a carefully aimed jab, pointing at one thing: Miranda couldn't be trusted, and Celeste, his own flesh and blood, was the only real choice for Prescott Group.
Prescott lay in the bed and listened. The anger built steadily from the moment she opened her mouth.
He had told himself that after all this time without a visit, maybe she had finally come to ask after him as her grandfather. Maybe there was something genuine in her somewhere.
There wasn't. She had come for the company. That was all she ever came for.
The blood rushed to his face. His breathing went short and sharp.
He reached over with the arm that didn't have the IV in it, grabbed the pillow beside him, and hurled it at her with everything he had.
"Get out!"
The pillow hit her squarely. It didn't hurt. But the humiliation of it was another thing entirely.
Celeste froze, staring at him in disbelief.
Prescott's voice shook with fury and filled the entire room.
"As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a granddaughter. Get out of my sight!"