Chapter 101: Changing Methods of Comfort
"Henry, do you know what really happened with the police taking Knox and Xavier away?"
John asked cautiously, but the probing tone in his words still made Henry frown.
"Yes, they tampered with the loan contract and caused us quite a loss."
John said in surprise, "How could this happen? Could there be a mistake? The Pemberton family is so wealthy and powerful, why would they covet the Lockwood Group's money?"
"Right, the Pemberton family is indeed wealthy and powerful. Why would they target the Lockwood Group's assets?"
I chuckled and picked up where John left off.
Henry only found out that Knox and Xavier were involved, but I felt the truth must go deeper than that.
Even if John didn't know about this, Natasha might be a different story.
"Natasha, what do you think?"
Seeing me turn my attention to her, Natasha looked panicked. "How would I know?"
"Really? I thought since you are often together with Knox, you might know about his plans."
"Helena, what are you trying to say?"
After hearing my words, Willow immediately stood up, pointing at my nose and shouting.
"Are you saying Natasha conspired with Knox to harm the Lockwood Group's interests?"
"Why are you getting so agitated? I was just asking casually. If Natasha doesn't know, then forget it."
My smiling expression finally angered her.
Willow looked shocked and furious, huffing as she said to Henry, "Henry, do you hear what Helena is implying? Natasha is part of the Lockwood family. Isn't Helena basically calling her a traitor?"
Seeing her agitation, Henry quickly said, "Willow, don't get upset. Helena is still young, she's speaking without evidence, just talking nonsense."
After saying this, he glanced at me lightly. I knew what Henry meant - he was warning me not to make things too tense with the relatives.
"What a mess this is!"
John slapped his thigh and shouted. He hadn't expected things to develop to this point.
He sighed and shook his head. "Is this really true?"
"Yes."
Henry nodded. "Knox and Xavier are still at the police station. John, if you want to form a marriage alliance with them, think carefully."
"With things at this point, we really should think it over carefully."
As Henry spoke, he looked at Natasha.
Natasha's face was pale now, completely lacking the arrogance she had when she arrived.
After they left, Maria said coldly, "This is the first time I've seen Willow so humble. But what a shame - not one person in that family is decent. How could they even mention forming a marriage alliance with the Pemberton family? Absolutely shameless!"
Then Maria said angrily, "And Henry, I'm warning you, don't you dare get involved in this. Haven't we lost enough face already?"
"Alright, don't worry, dear. I know where to draw the line on this."
After Henry finished speaking, Maria turned her attention to me. "Helena, what were you thinking, trying to set up Natasha and Knox? You're just doing them a favor."
I sneered. "Whether it's a favor or not remains to be seen. Until it all plays out, who can tell if it's good or bad? After all, things gained through schemes don't last long."
My words made Maria pause and think. After a moment, she smiled. "I guess I was being short-sighted. Helena, you see things more clearly."
"Alright, I know what to do now. Then I wish Natasha and Knox all the best, too!"
"That's right. Come on, Mom, can you sleep with me tonight?"
As I spoke, I acted cute and rested my head on Maria's shoulder, rubbing against it.
Maria smiled and patted my head. "Alright, you're all grown up and still acting cute with me."
"No matter how old I am, I'm still your child, aren't I?"
Amid laughter, Maria went upstairs with me.
After a good night's sleep, I woke up the next day feeling refreshed and comfortable.
I stretched lazily, had breakfast, and had the driver take me to the company.
As soon as I arrived at the office, I felt people looking at me strangely.
Even employees I barely knew came up to greet me, and some insisted on giving me coffee and pastries they'd bought.
After making the rounds, by the time I got back to my office, I was carrying a huge pile of stuff.
All kinds of snacks covered my entire desk.
I was puzzled and was about to find someone to ask when York poked his head in.
"Helena."
I pointed at the desk full of snacks. "What's going on? Explain this."
"Oh, that? It's just everyone showing their appreciation. Everyone's welcoming you to work."
"Is this my first day at work?"
Seeing me question him, York smiled sheepishly and finally told the truth.
"Everyone's worried you're feeling bad, so they're trying to comfort you in their own way."
"I'm feeling bad?"
I pointed at my own nose and couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah, think about it - your wedding didn't happen, and your fiancé cheated on you with your cousin. Everyone's been talking about it privately, wondering how heartbroken you must be."
Hearing this, I couldn't help but shake my head with a smile. "Alright, well, I should thank them then. But when you go back down, tell everyone not to worry - I'm not sad at all."
"I knew it. As the future leader of the Lockwood Group, how could you be defeated by a mere romantic setback?"
York clapped his hands together. "If you ask me, you're lucky you didn't marry that jerk."
At this point, he said seriously, "Helena, you deserve better."
"Alright, I'll take that as a good omen."
I smiled and cut him off. "Now tell me about the situation at the company."
When it came to business, York immediately dropped his smile, and his expression became more serious. "As soon as the wedding video spread through the company, it really caused a stir. That's when everyone found out what happened."
"At first, there was a lot of gossip, but after Mr. Lockwood sent people to explain, things settled down."
"It's just that those two shipments are still in the warehouse. We need to find buyers quickly."
Mentioning those shipments made my expression more serious. This incident seemed like the Pemberton family came out worse, but our company wasn't doing much better either.
The contract fraud case would keep us entangled with the Pemberton family for a while. Even if the Pemberton family repaid the debt, it would take time.
The company needed money for cash flow. If we could sell these goods smoothly, it would relieve some pressure on the company.
"Okay, then let's find buyers."
That was easier said than done - the goods were specialized, and buyers weren't that easy to find.
Just then, the internal phone rang. I picked it up and heard the receptionist say, "Ms. Lockwood, there's a Mr. Lancaster here who wants to see you."