Chapter 266 Partiality

Chapter 266 Partiality

Ten minutes passed, and those people still hadn't moved.

Alice placed both hands on the table and looked up at them. "I've already given everyone a choice. Since you've decided not to leave and plan to stay, that means you accept the current arrangement. Good, then the meeting starts now."

Soon, the remaining seven people were assigned their respective positions and tasks.

Sidney followed Alice back to the office to sign the contract.

Alice looked at him, her tone carrying a hint of warning. "Are you really planning to invest like this? The company might fail in the future."

He nodded. "Fail? It's not like I haven't failed before, Alice. I'm not afraid of failure."

Sidney signed his name cleanly and efficiently. Alice flipped to the last page of the contract and pushed the equity section in front of him. She had given him 15% of the shares.

He had already signed up to the last page when he suddenly saw this percentage. He stopped his pen and looked up at her. "We originally agreed on 10%. Why is it 5% more?"

Alice pressed down on his hand. "Didn't you say it yourself? We're family, we don't need to be so particular about these things. Come back to the Hall mansion with me tonight. Things with Stella haven't been handled yet."

Sidney's eyes reddened slightly, his breathing clearly deepened, then he firmly signed his name on the last page and said with a smile, "From now on, we'll share prosperity together, Alice. You need to work hard for our future life."

During Alice's recovery period, many things had been delayed.

She leaned back in her chair, looking exhausted. "Recently, Stella, the Hall family, and the research institute are all waiting for me to go back and handle things. Just thinking about all this gives me a headache."

Sidney poured her a cup of tea and pushed the cup to her side. "What's the rush? Take care of yourself first, then deal with things one by one. Go back to the Hall mansion tonight first."

Alice pressed her temples with her fingers. "You're right. Things that have been delayed for a month can't all be resolved in a day or two. I'm being a bit too anxious."

After discussing their schedule, the two of them went back to the Hall mansion together.

As soon as Alice entered, she sensed something was off about the atmosphere in the living room.

At that moment, three people were sitting with their backs to them in front of the sofa.

Stella sat between the other two, head bowed, sobbing, holding a handkerchief and constantly wiping her tears.

Although Robert's face showed impatience, he was still reluctantly comforting her. "This is her fault. I'll definitely make her apologize to you."

Evelyn didn't respond. She kept her head down, her gaze fixed on the floor, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

The butler Gabriel was the first to notice Alice and Sidney had returned.

Alice made a "shh" gesture at him.

The other servants were all people Alice had arranged, so naturally no one spoke up to alert those three.

In the living room, only Stella's crying continued intermittently.

"Why did Alice have my biological mother arrested... If she doesn't like me, I can leave... Dad, why don't you just announce my background online now and kick me out? This is all my fault. My biological mother didn't do it on purpose back then..."

Robert immediately objected strongly. "You are our family's daughter. There absolutely cannot be any negative comments online. As for your biological mother, we'll find a way to make Alice release her. What she did today is completely wrong."

Evelyn let out a cold laugh from the side.

"Wrong? I think she did exactly right. Stella hired someone to commit murder. Don't think that just because the killer is dead now, the truth can't be found. A life for a life is a basic rule."

"What are you saying!" Robert's eyes widened, his tone clearly becoming colder and harder. "Don't forget your own position. The daughter we personally raised couldn't possibly be like that. What kind of spell has that Alice cast on you to make you trust her so much?"

His words were full of warning and threat, but this time, Evelyn didn't back down.

"Sooner or later, you'll destroy all your assets because of your ridiculous pride."

"Shut up!" Robert slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup ring lightly.

His breathing became heavy. "I think you've been spoiled by these years of comfortable living. Don't forget, your family has always depended on me."

It was precisely because her parents' family had been financially dependent on her all these years that Evelyn had compromised again and again.

But the last time she went back to her parents' home, those so-called relatives not only laid hands on her but also kicked her out.

From that moment on, she became completely disappointed in that family.

Previously, when she had thoughts of divorce, it was her parents who persuaded her to keep going.

For the sake of that family, she had gritted her teeth and endured.

Now, her family had already treated her this way. She could no longer find a reason to continue sacrificing herself.

"You can't even protect yourself now. If you want to cut off their money supply, go ahead. It has nothing to do with me."

For the first time, Evelyn stopped accommodating him in front of everyone and directly fought back.

Robert valued his dignity above all else in his life. He quickly calculated his strategy. Since Evelyn was unwilling to continue being an obedient wife, he would bring the woman from outside back home. There would always be someone more obedient.

"Fine, I see you've gone crazy. You need to be sent to a mental hospital for a while. When you've thought things through, I'll bring you back."

The servants around them still didn't move, each keeping their heads down as if they hadn't heard anything at all.

Robert's gaze swept over them, his eyes full of anger. "Great, now even you people won't listen."

He redirected his anger at Evelyn again. "If word of this gets out, how am I supposed to show my face outside?"

Evelyn's voice was calm. "Since I embarrass you so much, let's get divorced."

Robert first felt a moment of panic, then couldn't help but laugh.

He thought this was all a trick Evelyn had recently learned from outside, deliberately trying to force him to compromise.

He had supported her for nearly thirty years. She had long been accustomed to this kind of lifestyle. In his view, she couldn't possibly be willing to divorce.

She wanted to use divorce to force him to compromise, but he deliberately wouldn't play along.

"You say you want a divorce? Which of your food, clothing, and expenses wasn't paid for with my money? As long as you strip off all your clothes right now in front of everyone, I'll agree to the divorce."

Evelyn's face instantly turned pale. Her hands trembled slightly, but she actually reached up to remove her earrings and jewelry.

When Robert saw her actually start removing her jewelry, a flash of surprise and confusion crossed his eyes, even carrying a hint of panic he himself hadn't realized. He was about to speak to stop her.

Stella on the side still didn't forget to add fuel to the fire. "Dad, don't be like this. Mom didn't mean it. After all, Alice is in the spotlight right now..."

During this time, she had constantly felt Evelyn's coldness and distance toward her.

So why didn't she just go find a new "mom" who was easier to control?

The bit of hesitation Robert had just felt out of fear immediately turned to anger after Stella's reminder.

"That's right, a useless woman who only knows how to cling to powerful people. Back then, your family sent you to my bed. Now that Alice is on the rise, you're planning to switch over and cling to her instead. You're such a despicable woman! Now take off every piece of clothing on your body, and I'll agree to the divorce."

Alice had been listening from behind long enough. She stopped Evelyn just before she could act.

"Stop. Mr. Hall, you've got quite the nerve, ordering someone to strip in my house? What's more, she's the wife who's lived with you for many years. Looks like your marriage is coming to an end too."

Alice slowly walked in from the doorway and stood on Evelyn's side, publicly placing herself on the same front as her, backing her up.