Walter congratted Victor. Yet, for some reason, instead of feeling ted, Victor felt a strange sense of unease.


    He quickly reassured himself. After all, every crisis Langley Group faced had been resolved by him. Now that thepany was thriving with a bright future ahead, there was nothing to be anxious about.


    Kevin, Jack, and the other shareholders were fools who were too blind to see its real potential. If they wanted to leave, they were free to do so.


    Victor believed that under his leadership, Langley Group would rise to even greater heights. With that, the Langleys would undoubtedly be Amberton''s wealthiest dynasty for generations toe.


    With this thought in mind, a grin spread across Victor''s face. He patted Walter on the shoulder and said, "Thank you, Mr. Watson. I''ll leave the paperwork and following procedures in your hands."


    Walter replied with a polite smile, "Of course, Mr. Langley. It''s my duty. Here''s to continued sess."


    "That''s a given." Victor chuckled confidently. "Rest assured, under my leadership, Langley Group will only get better."


    "Absolutely," Walter agreed with a touch of ttery before excusing himself to handle the rest of the formalities.


    The moment Walter left the hotel, he called Natalie. "Hey, Nat. Victor has signed the papers. The shares Mr. Zeller and the others held have been transferred."


    "Good," Natalie replied before ending the call.


    She turned to look at Grace, whoy on the bed, clutching her chest and crying uncontrobly. Since Natalie had confronted her with the truth, Grace either outright denied everything or diverted the conversation to childhood memories.


    Natalie had to admit that many of those memories showed moments when Grace had genuinely cared for her, which was why she had unquestioningly given blood transfusions to Diana all these years.


    She did not want to hurt Grace and was grateful for her kindness. The truth was, deep down, she had been conditioned to believe that if she kept being obedient, her parents might finally see her worth and love her.


    Nheless, it turned out to be a lie-everything was a lie. As Natalie listened to Grace recount the past, she felt nothing but disgust and bitterness.


    "Nattie, have you forgotten? You had pneumonia once when you were little. You couldn''t cough up the mucus, so I sucked it out of your lungs with my own mouth," Grace mumbled between sobs, her voice hoarse.


    Tears streamed down her face as she continued, "And remember the time you went hiking with your friends and got caught in a mudslide?


    "I didn''t care about the danger-I risked my life to pull you out of there! If I didn''t love you, would I have defied everyone and risked my life to save you?"


    Natalie listened in silence as her chest tightened in pain. It was because of things like this that she had never doubted Grace''s love for her.


    Grace did not stop there, saying, "Nattie, have you forgotten? When you were sick, I stayed up all night caring for you. When your father and mother scolded or ignored you, I was always the first tofort you."


    Grace wiped her tears and added, "I even arranged for you to be engaged to Tyler. The Millers are the best family in Amberton, besides us Langleys. Tyler is tall, handsome, and reliable.


    "Unlike other rich kids, he''s someone we know well. The Millers depend on the Langley family to survive, so if you married him, they''d treat you like a queen. They''d never dare mistreat you."


    She asked, "I considered everything for you. But now, because of some random video, you''ve dismissed all the love and sacrifices I made for you over the years?"


    Grace mmed both hands down


    on the bed, her voice trembling with desperation. "A few years ago, I got hit by a car trying to save you. I ended up with the mind of a child, but still remembered you loved mini fruit tarts."


    She added, "Even when my mind wasn''t right, deep down, I never forgot that I had to be good to you, Nattie. Do you really not care about any of that?"


    Grace''s sobs grew louder as she spoke. Though her voice wavered, there was an undeniable sincerity to her words.


    Natalie suppressed the grief wing at her chest and spoke in a steady tone. "Grandma, I just want to ask you one question."


    She paused, meeting Grace''s tearful gaze. "Where did Victor get that Three- Second Poison from?"


    Grace froze, bewildered by the sudden shift in the conversation. "What''s a Three- Second Poison? I don''t know what you mean."


    Natalie gave a bitter smile. "Not long ago, Victor tricked me into returning to the Langley family and used that on me. You''re telling me you don''t know about it?


    "Come on, Grandma. You were the one who taught me how to recognize it!"


    Her voice sharpened. "That poison was your secret weapon when you started building your empire. Have you forgotten?"


    Grace''s tear-soaked face stiffened, her expression faltering. At that moment, old memories flooded her mind like a tidal wave.


    "Victor inherited your methods and used them against me," Natalie said, standing up. She tried to keep her emotions in check, but her red-rimmed eyes betrayed her pain.


    Her lips curled in a mix of sadness and scorn. "I don''t understand, Grandma. You''ve always been so good to me. I just couldn''t understand why you would actually betray me."


    Natalie''s voice cracked, though she tried to keep it steady. "Since I was a child, I''ve suspected that Victor and Diana weren''t my biological parents. But I never doubted you were my real grandmother."


    She exined, "I didn''t understand


    much when I was little. But as I grew


    older, I learned that direct rtives


    can''t donate blood to each other.


    That''s how I knew I wasn''t Victor and Diana''s daughter.


    "But because of you, I never felt the need to look for my real parents. You loved


    me, protected me, and gave me everything they couldn''t.


    "That''s why it didn''t matter to me that they didn''t love me. Whatever they didn''t give me, you made up for it. That''s why, no matter how many times Diana asked me to give blood or how much I sacrificed for the Langley family, I epted it.


    "I didn''t care. But Grandma..." Natalie''s voice trembled with both anger and


    sorrow. "I can''t ept that all of this was part of some twisted n."


    "I just wanted to know the truth, but you kept evading and denying it. Grandma, I know you. Just like you know me." Natalie wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes.


    "I gave you so many chances toe clean. Why couldn''t you take any of them?" Her voice softened, but there was a sharp edge to her words.


    "It''s fine if you won''t admit it. I don''t care anymore. But understand this, Grandma this is the end for us. We''re done."


    Natalie smirked and said, "An eye for an eye—I''m going to return every dirty trick the Langley family used on me."


    Her gaze hardened as she tilted her head thoughtfully. "Where should I start? How about with the Three-Second Poison Victor used on me?"


    "Nattie, please don''t do this. Don''t take revenge on the Langley family," Grace begged, her heart sinking like a stone. Everything was spiraling out of control, far from the oue she had anticipated.