"Dad, should we inform Uncle and ask for his help?" Frederick Stewart asked.
William Stewart looked at his wife. "I have sothing important to discuss with Frederick. You can go out first."
Alana Harris said nothing more, rose, and walked out. Before leaving, she glanced at her husband and saw he was also frowning deeply. She didn’t know what could have happened to the company to make him so worried.
However, William Stewart had always been capable, and she believed he could handle it.
Alana Harris closed the door.
William sighed. "I just received news. Your uncle has been placed under disciplinary review."
"What?"
"Dad, is the news confird?"
"Confird." William Stewart’s face was grim as he stared blankly at a pot of daffodils on the table.
Frederick looked up and noticed his father’s white hair. William had worried about so many things that his hair had turned white prematurely. He always dyed it black, presenting a youthful appearance. Now, he had even stopped dyeing his hair, and the white strands had all reappeared. It seed Uncle’s problem was very serious.
"Dad, is soone targeting us?"
"We’ve likely offended soone," William said.
"The stock price of Frederick Pharmaceutical Factory has plumted. I asked a classmate of mine who studies finance to look into it. He said soone is manipulating our company’s stock price by short-selling. Short-selling requires substantial capital. Who could possess such resources?"
Frederick couldn’t conjure up who this formidable figure might be.
"How are things on Sienna Johnson’s side?"
At the ntion of Sienna Johnson, Frederick’s heart tightened. He said quietly, "I heard she’s pregnant, but her pregnancy is unstable, so she’s been recuperating at their suburban manor. It was Adrian Desmond who had been helping her manage the company’s affairs."
Frederick scoffed. "Money is a powerful lure. I suspect that Adrian Desmond will soon be the boss of Eastminster Group."
Frederick had seen too many opportunistic n climb the social ladder by latching onto won. Now that Adrian Desmond had joined the leadership of Eastminster Group, could he truly resist the allure of the power he held and willingly relinquish his leadership role, even if Sienna Johnson bore his child?
"Let’s not concern ourselves with other people’s affairs. We need to figure out how to handle our current problems."
"Yes."
Frederick agreed, but he had no idea what to do. He had always had a smooth life. When he took over Frederick Pharmaceuticals, William had already established it soundly, so Frederick hadn’t needed to exert much effort. He rely had to follow the operational rules his father had set.
William looked at his son, a hint of disappointnt in his eyes. "Frederick, the stock price has fallen. You need to find a way to push it back up. Only if the stock price rises will people buy shares. We’re being too passive right now."
"Dad, I’ve already arranged for positive news releases. I believe the stock price will rise soon."
"Mm."
"Dad, about Uncle..."
"Your uncle’s situation is beyond our ability to help."
"Does Dad an we should just stand by and watch?"
William Stewart and Michael Stewart were, after all, blood brothers. For years, it was Michael’s assistance that had allowed the Stewart family to prosper. Was his father planning to abandon Uncle simply because Uncle could no longer help them?
"Frederick, it’s not that I don’t want to help; it’s that I can’t! In our Stewart family, one of us is in business, the other in politics. We’ve relied on each other for all these years; that’s how the Stewart family has achieved its current standing. Your uncle’s case... it’s drawn the attention of the higher-ups. His dismissal is certain. Whether he’ll face prison ti... that’s still unknown."
Frederick was shocked. "Is it that serious? Uncle is a ministerial-level official... How can they move against him so readily?"
"The political arena is far more complex than the business world. One wrong step can end a political career."
Michael Stewart did send word, asking the Stewart family to provide a substantial sum of money to help him navigate the crisis and try to reverse his fortunes. However, after weighing the pros and cons, William had not agreed.
If the Stewart family were to exhaust all their financial resources on Michael’s case, the best outco would be sparing Michael jail ti, but the Stewart family itself would be ruined.
He still had a wife and son; he had to consider their future and the generations to co.
After careful consideration, William decided to abandon Michael, treating him as a disposable pawn.
When Frederick Stewart left the study, he saw his mother talking enthusiastically with Sabrina Johnson. Sissi was carrying an illegitimate child, so Alana Harris had imdiately shifted her focus from Sissi’s belly to Sabrina Johnson’s.
"...Look how thin you are! You need to eat more. Only if you eat more will the baby be healthy."
"Mom, I understand. Even if I don’t feel like eating, I’ll eat for the baby’s sake."
Sabrina Johnson acted as if none of their previous argunts had ever occurred. The family atmosphere was one of harmony and happiness.
"Frederick, the kitchen made so delicious pork rib soup. You should have so. I’ve noticed you’ve lost a lot of weight recently." Sabrina Johnson looked at Frederick Stewart and smiled gently.
Frederick, feeling awkward under Sabrina’s gaze, said, "I have work to do at the company. You enjoy it."
"Okay, fine."
Alana Harris chided her son, "Frederick, even though you’re busy with the company, you should still pay more attention to Sabrina. She’s pregnant now, you know."
Frederick glanced at the woman drinking soup and asked, "How was the prenatal checkup? What did the doctor say? Is the baby doing well?"
Sabrina Johnson answered gently, "Everything’s fine. The doctor said it’s a boy..." She was only a few months along; it was impossible to tell the baby’s sex yet. However, Sabrina knew the Stewart family desperately wanted a son, so she said it deliberately. If she did end up giving birth to a girl, she could just claim the doctor had misdiagnosed.
"Really, a boy?" Alana Harris exclaid.
"Mom, that’s what the doctor’s examination indicated, but these things can only be truly confird once the child is born..." Sabrina phrased her words artfully, avoiding a definitive statent.
"If the doctor said so, it must be true!" Alana declared. "I’m so thrilled! You have no idea how I’ve longed for a grandson all these years..."
Sabrina Johnson sipped the pork rib soup; it tasted completely bland to her now.
She wondered what would happen if the Stewart family discovered that the child in her womb was, once again, not theirs.
Watching Frederick Stewart’s retreating figure, Sabrina felt a surge of vindictive pleasure.
Frederick Stewart, you forced to do this!
Alana Harris noticed Sabrina Johnson gazing at her son’s departing back. Mistaking her expression for sadness at his leaving, Alana smiled. "Sabrina, dear, the company’s facing so trouble recently, and Frederick needs to handle it. Don’t let your imagination run wild. Once Frederick sorts things out and your pregnancy is more stable, I’ll have him take you out."
"Mom, I know Frederick is very busy."
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