Chapter 66
"For my own good?" Elizabeth repeated, her voice dripping with undisguised sarcasm. "Digging up some scandal from when I was eighteen to prove to a court that I need a conservator—that's for my own good? Hiring an expert to imply I have mental health issues—that's also for my own good? Charles, I don't recall you ever being this 'good' to Vivian."
Caught red-handed, Charles's face stiffened. His tone grew heavy. "Elizabeth! What is this attitude? I had no choice! It's a legal formality! Just look at yourself, running around with those shady underworld types. Who knows if you were involved in what happened to Vivian last time! I'm doing this to protect you, to stop you from going down the wrong path and ruining your life!"
"Protect me?" Elizabeth's voice suddenly sharpened. "Cut the crap, Charles. Drop the phony act. I know exactly what you're thinking. You're just after the Hughes shares that were left to me, and you want to use your position as my father to legally snatch them away. I'm telling you, in your dreams!"
With all pretenses shattered, Charles dropped the mask. His voice turned cold and hard. "Elizabeth, don't be ungrateful! Do you really think I can't touch you just because you're hiding out with the Smith family, with Jacob backing you up? Let me tell you, in the eyes of the law, I am your father! I have plenty of ways to make you hand over those shares! The courts, the media, the Windsor Group itself—I have leverage everywhere! When the time comes, forget the shares, I'm afraid you won't even be able to set foot in the Smith family's mansion! Do you think Jacob will still want a woman publicly disowned by her own family?!"
It was a naked threat.
He was using her reputation, the potential for a media-frenzied scandal, and a lawsuit, to force her into submission. He was even implying he would destroy her relationship with Jacob.
Elizabeth's fingers tightened on her phone, knuckles turning white, but her voice remained unnervingly calm. It was as if the sheer ugliness of Charles's true nature had paradoxically steadied her. "Is that so? Then give it your best shot. Let's see what's faster—your legal maneuvers or my counterattack. And as for whether Jacob wants me or not, that's really none of your concern."
"You!" Charles was so enraged that he was speechless, shocked that she was this difficult, impervious to both threats and pleas.
"Oh, by the way," Elizabeth added, as if a thought had just struck her, her tone growing even colder. "I forgot to mention. That so-called psychiatric expert you hired, Kian? He had his license revoked seven years ago for accepting bribes and issuing fraudulent psychiatric evaluations. He may have moved and set up a new practice, but the records of that incident are still on file with the health department. What do you think would happen if that file accidentally showed up in court? Or on the desk of his current hospital administrator?"
A dead silence fell on the other end of the line.
Elizabeth could hear Charles's breathing suddenly grow heavy and ragged.
"And another thing," she continued, her words slow and deliberate, each one a cold, sharp needle. "That vice president at the Windsor Group you've been cozying up to? It seems his son, the one studying abroad, has some questionable transactions in his bank account. I wonder what would happen if, say, immigration or the IRS received some interesting information."
"Elizabeth! You dare investigate me?!" Charles's voice was distorted with shock and fury.
"So it's okay for you to investigate me and set traps, but I can't do a little background check on you?" Elizabeth shot back. "Charles, don't overestimate yourself. You want to play? I'll play. Let's see who ends up disgraced and who loses everything."
Without giving him another chance to speak, she hung up the phone with a decisive click.
Listening to the dial tone, Elizabeth slowly exhaled.
But she knew Charles. He wasn't the type to be swayed by a few threats. If he were, he wouldn't be the greedy monster he was.
Sure enough, a couple of days later, Lynx brought new intelligence: [Charles's petition for conservatorship and asset supervision had been officially accepted by the court and was now under review. Simultaneously, his challenge to the validity of the will had also been filed. Elizabeth would soon be receiving an official court summons.]
Charles's activities within the Windsor Group had also intensified. He was even starting to rally a few minority shareholders, aiming to propose a motion to re-examine the company's equity structure and board composition at the upcoming shareholders' meeting.
His moves were fast and vicious. He was clearly determined to create an irreversible situation in a short amount of time.
The lure of money could make anyone insane.
Elizabeth mobilized as well.
The top-tier legal team she had contacted through Lynx officially stepped in, preparing detailed counter-evidence and defense strategies for every one of Charles's accusations.
At the same time, Elizabeth had Lynx leak the information they had gathered through anonymous channels to Charles's legal team and to the shareholders in the Windsor Group who weren't closely aligned with him.
The news landed like drops of water in hot oil, causing an immediate sizzle of commotion.
Kian was the first to crack under the pressure. He privately contacted Charles, expressing a need to reconsider, his stance becoming vague.
Within the Windsor Group, some previously neutral shareholders began to reassess the risks, hesitant to openly side with Charles.
Charles felt the resistance, but instead of backing down, he became even more ruthless.
He started leaking a mix of true and false information to the media, trying to create a negative public opinion campaign against Elizabeth.
Elizabeth watched it all with a cold, detached gaze.
She knew that once a media war started, Charles wouldn't be able to completely control the narrative.
Meanwhile, on Jacob's end, although Elizabeth hadn't asked for help, Tina dutifully reported Charles's recent actions to him.
Jacob was signing a document when he heard the report, the tip of his pen pausing for a fraction of a second.
He looked up at Tina. "Her reaction?"
Tina lowered her head. "Ms. Windsor is actively responding. She has retained counsel and appears to be well-prepared."
Jacob was silent for a moment. He handed the signed document back to her, his voice calm and unreadable. "Tell Leon to keep an eye on which media outlets are following this. Also, find out who Charles has been in close contact with lately."
"Yes, Mr. Smith." Tina took her leave.
Jacob leaned back in his chair, his gaze deep and thoughtful.
He had expected her to come to him for help.
After all, Charles's move was a nasty one, not easy for someone without powerful allies to handle.
But she hadn't.
She chose to face it herself, and from the sound of it, she was doing so with a surprising degree of strategy.
Elizabeth was far tougher and more interesting than he had imagined.
An almost imperceptible smile touched the corner of Jacob's lips.
Perhaps he didn't need to intervene just yet.
It might be entertaining to see just how sharp the claws of this wildcat he'd taken under his wing could be.
Of course, ifCharles truly dared to cross the line and hurt her.
Jacob's eyes turned to ice.
He wouldn't mind personally swatting that buzzing annoyance dead.