Chapter 258

Chapter 258

In the elevator, Ryan reported quietly:

"Ms. Reed, Howard and his people have been lobbying the board members these past few days, trying to elect an interim CEO."

Ryan gave her a brief rundown. The message was clear: Howard's camp wanted to use Kian's critical condition to seize complete control of the Lancaster Group.

"Mm." Elena nodded. She already had a sense of the situation.

Elena didn't know Indigo well, but after five years with the Lancaster family, she knew Howard inside and out.

He'd always looked down on her. And he was impatient.

Especially now.

So he'd definitely come at her with everything he had—maybe even share Indigo's suspicion that she'd come back for revenge.

With that mindset, Elena was certain they'd underestimate her. They'd use the excuse that she knew nothing about running a company to push her off the board.

Sure enough, during the board meeting, father and son tag-teamed, implying she had no business sense and no right to interfere with company affairs.

But the stock transfer documents were right there. Arthur had even sent the old butler to oversee things. A few wavering directors immediately switched sides. The final decision:

Elena would temporarily assume CEO duties and handle day-to-day operations until Kian woke up.

After the meeting adjourned, Howard suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Dad, what's so funny?" Indigo asked, confused.

"She hated Kian so much she faked her death to escape. Now she's back—obviously to cause chaos and get revenge."

Howard sounded confident.

"She's a designer. What does she know about running a company?"

"Kian's sitting on several major projects, plus the IPO evaluation. Every one of them's a landmine. One wrong move and we're talking hundreds of millions in losses. Let's dump them all on her—call it a test of her abilities."

"If she screws up, the board will kick her out on their own. Then we step in, totally legitimate."

Indigo's eyes lit up.

"Right! When the losses pile up, they'll all be on her head. Her reputation will be trashed—she'll have no choice but to leave!"

The father-son duo got to work immediately. That same afternoon, they delivered several problem projects—along with mountains of documents—straight to Elena's office.

Indigo even put on a fake smile. "Ms. Reed, you're so capable. These are key company projects. We feel confident leaving them in your hands."

Elena flipped through a couple of pages and understood immediately.

Key projects? More like traps.

Five years ago, she would've been completely lost.

But things were different now. She could handle this.

Elena didn't refuse. She didn't make any snap decisions either. Instead, she called in Olivia and Mason for help.

Over the years, the Lancaster Group had worked on plenty of projects with the Hearst family and the Smith family.

The three of them spent two all-nighters going through the materials, identifying problems, adjusting proposals, and reconnecting with partners. They actually managed to salvage most of the dead-end projects.

A week later, not only had they avoided losses—they'd closed two new deals. They'd cracked the toughest nuts.

When word reached Howard, his glass slammed onto the desk with a loud thud. His face darkened instantly.

"Impossible! She's a designer—how could she know any of this?"

Indigo stood beside him, tense.

"Dad, if this keeps up, she's really going to stabilize the company. We'll lose our chance!"

Seeing that soft tactics weren't working, a vicious glint flashed in Indigo's eyes.

"Dad, since she won't take the easy way, don't blame us for playing dirty."

He sneered, already forming a plan. He even had the perfect candidate in mind.

"Let's go all in. Find someone to create some trouble for her—keep her too distracted to manage the company."

"Who?" Howard frowned. "We're at a critical moment. If we make a move ourselves, it'll be too obvious. We could get burned."

"I've got someone." Indigo's smile turned cold. "Mrs. Lancaster."

"You mean Kian's mother?"

At the mention of Eleanor, Howard's face twisted with distaste.

Over the past five years, the Stewart family had fallen hard. Nolan and his son had even been arrested for illegal dealings.

When Eleanor begged Kian to help, all she got back was: They brought it on themselves.

Now she looked years older, half out of her mind. If it weren't for keeping up appearances, Howard would've divorced her long ago.

"Exactly." Indigo ticked off points on his fingers.

"Eleanor never liked Elena in the first place. She always thought Elena's background was too low—that she wasn't good enough for Kian."

"Now Kian's critically injured, lying unconscious in the hospital. If we exaggerate a little, blame everything on Elena, call her bad luck—say she cursed Kian into this accident—do you think Eleanor will stand for it?"

"She's Kian's mother. She's Mrs. Lancaster. If she goes after Elena, it's perfectly justified. Even if it blows up, it's a family matter. Outsiders can't say much. We just sit back and reap the benefits."

Howard's eyes lit up. He slapped his thigh.

"Brilliant! Using someone else to do our dirty work—genius!"

He looked at Indigo with approval. "You really are my son. Smart as hell!"

The two got to work immediately. That very night, they booked a private room at a top-tier restaurant. Howard personally invited Eleanor out for dinner.

Eleanor arrived in an elegant gown, her face drawn with illness. Her cheeks were sunken, giving her a rather unsettling appearance.

Ever since she'd learned about Kian's accident, she'd been crying every day. Her spirits had plummeted.

They'd barely sat down when Howard let out a sigh, deliberately looking troubled.

"Honey, it's been so long since we've had dinner together."

The word honey made Eleanor pause, momentarily dazed.

Howard poured himself a glass of water and downed it in one gulp. After setting down the glass, he kept sighing.

"I don't know if I should say this."

"Just say it." Eleanor held her glass, her tone heavy.

"Ah, it's about Kian."

Howard shook his head.

"How does a perfectly healthy man suddenly get shot?"

"I looked into it. He had no reason to be there that day. He only rushed in because Elena was inside!"

"Originally, Chloe's target was Elena."

Eleanor's hand froze. Her expression changed instantly.

Chloe and Elena—the two women she hated most in this life.

Both idiots. Neither deserved Kian, yet they were too stupid to realize it. They kept throwing themselves at him, making Kian stop listening to Eleanor.

"And that's not all!" Howard kept piling it on.

"Now Elena's using Kian's shares to throw her weight around at the company, turning everything Kian worked so hard to build into a complete mess."

"I think she did it on purpose. She's been waiting for Kian to have an accident so she could take over!"

"Back then, she cursed his career. Now she's cursed him straight into the hospital! That woman's a walking disaster!"

Every word hit Eleanor right in the chest.

She'd never liked Elena to begin with. She'd opposed the marriage from the start, thinking an orphan wasn't worthy of her son.

When Elena "died," she'd actually felt relieved.

Now, hearing all this, old and new grievances surged together. Eleanor's chest heaved violently. She slammed her glass down on the table with a sharp crack, her face ashen.

"That Elena! I knew she was no good!"

Her eyes turned vicious. She was clearly furious.

Howard's lips curled with satisfaction.

The fire had finally been lit.