Chapter 173: Coming to the Door to Demand an Explanation?

The first to pay the price was, of course, Rogers Group.

Intimate videos of Robin and Philip circulated online, even turned into mocking memes. If Robin had been clinging to survival within Rogers Group and the domestic market before, now his fate was truly sealed.

Those Robin had wronged in the past seized the opportunity to kick him while he was down.

Rogers Group's stock plummeted because of the scandal.

The Rogers family directly blacklisted Robin, barring him from any involvement in the family business.

Robin's hatred for Jocelyn festered like an open wound, but he had no way to get near her. In the end, he could only vent all his fury on Philip.

Philip ran a modest company. With Michael already fallen from grace, even though Robin had been cast out by the Rogers family, crushing Philip's business was child's play.

Within two days, Philip's company faced bankruptcy.

After wrapping up her work at Lopez Corporation, Jocelyn began focusing on reviving Ross Corporation.

She expected Philip to come looking for her. Instead, two days later, Michael and Karen showed up at her apartment.

When Mia opened the door and saw them, her eyebrows arched. Her tone was flat and unimpressed. "Well, well. What wind blew Mr. and Mrs. Ross here today?"

Michael ignored her and strode directly inside.

In the living room, Jocelyn sat on the sofa reviewing documents on her tablet. Simon was on the carpet at her feet, assembling Lego blocks.

At the sound of footsteps, Jocelyn looked up. Her gaze settled calmly on the visitors.

Their arrival was exactly what she'd anticipated.

Michael forced a smile. "Jocelyn, I came today because I want to have a proper conversation with you."

Jocelyn leaned back against the sofa, her tone neither warm nor cold. "About what?"

Michael took a seat on the adjacent sofa, Karen following suit.

Clearing his throat, Michael played the sympathy card first. "Jocelyn, I know the Ross family has wronged you all these years. Your parents died young, and we didn't take proper care of you. That's on me."

He sighed, his posture humble. "But no matter what, we're still family. Blood is blood. You and Philip grew up together. Even if he made mistakes, he's still your cousin. Can you really stand by and watch him be driven to ruin?"

So they were here to plead for Philip.

Jocelyn didn't respond. She simply watched him quietly, a faint, ambiguous smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Taking her silence as encouragement, Michael pressed on. "I know we've wronged you. But Ross Corporation has been returned to you now. The mansion too. We took nothing with us. Just this once, for my sake, stop pushing him. Please?"

Michael's tone was earnest, almost pleading.

Jocelyn watched him for two seconds, then couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Uncle Michael," she said slowly, "you say Ross Corporation has been returned to me. The mansion too. But how do I remember it? Those two things were left to me by my parents in the first place."

Michael's smile froze momentarily.

"After my parents died, who took over Ross Corporation? Who moved into the mansion? And now you're saying you returned them to me? Those things were always mine. Don't you find that absurd?"

Standing beside Jocelyn, Mia chimed in. "I find it pretty absurd myself. Because those things were Jocelyn's all along."

Michael struggled to maintain his genial expression. "Jocelyn, what's past is past. Uncle Michael really has no other options now. Philip—"

Mia crossed her arms, her tone tinged with amusement. "Mr. Ross, you're quite strange. I heard you never bothered with Philip's affairs all these years. Now suddenly you're here begging for him. What happened? Now that Ross Corporation is gone, the mansion is gone, you can only rely on Philip? Is that it?"

If Philip went bankrupt too, the Ross family would truly have nothing left.

Mia's words darkened Michael's expression. He glared at her viciously, his voice low and menacing. "Shut your mouth! What are you, anyway? Just a housekeeper. You have no right to speak here!"

Mia raised an eyebrow. Far from closing her mouth, she smiled even more brightly. "I'm a housekeeper, sure. But which part of what I said was wrong? You know perfectly well in your heart—if the Ross family had any other option, would you be here begging Jocelyn?"

"You!" Michael shot to his feet, pointing at Mia, his face flushed with rage.

"She's not wrong." Jocelyn's voice cut through coolly. When she looked up at Michael, the mockery in her smile deepened. "What Mia said is exactly what I'm thinking. Besides, Philip brought this on himself. He made his own bed."

Michael clenched his fists, holding back his anger with visible effort. He forced his tone softer. "Jocelyn, I know you're angry. But no matter what, we're the only family you have left in this world. Do we really have to let things escalate to this point? Leave room for maneuver—it makes future encounters easier. You should understand that."

Hearing this, Jocelyn couldn't help but laugh.

The sound was soft, yet it sent an inexplicable chill down Michael's spine.

"Future encounters?" Jocelyn tilted her head, amusement and scorn flickering in her eyes. "Uncle Michael, do you really think we'll have the chance to meet again in the future?"

Michael froze. "What do you mean?"

Jocelyn's tone was casual. "Philip offended the Rogers family. Robin may have been cast out by them, but this whole mess started because of Philip. The Rogers family may have a new heir now, but Harry is fiercely protective of his own. Robin may be a failure, but he's still Harry's son. After being humiliated and set up like this, Harry's lost face. Do you think he'll swallow that insult?"

She paused, then raised an eyebrow at Michael. "Do you really think Harry will let Philip off the hook?"

Mia's gaze fell on Michael's ashen face, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "And don't think the Rogers family will only target Philip. You're all one family. When the Rogers family settles accounts, they won't leave you out. So my advice? Take whatever money you have left and get out of Empire City while you still can."

Michael's face turned completely dark.

He'd come today hoping Jocelyn would help them. He hadn't expected to be humiliated like this.

He stared at Jocelyn, finally exploding. "Jocelyn, do you have no conscience? If it weren't for you, how would Philip have gotten tangled up with the Rogers family? You ruined him! You destroyed our entire family, and now you're standing here making snide remarks!"

He stepped forward, his voice rising and distorting with rage. "Philip is our only hope! He's our only son! You've destroyed him—you've destroyed the entire Ross family! Are you trying to end our bloodline? How can you face your father after doing this?"