Even though everyone else was seated, they all stayed silent, acting like ra wasn''t even there.


    ra kept her cool, but she was anxious about the rule Johnny had put in ce years ago: any big project needed seventy-five percent of the execs on board.


    Back then, Johnny wanted everyone to feel included, so he didn''t give himself the power to just say no and shut things down.


    ra furrowed her brow and addressed the remaining executives, "I''ll talk this over with my dad. I hope you all cane to a decision within three days."


    Then, she walked out of thepany. Today was her first time at Bradford Enterprises, so it made sense that this crowd hadn''t warmed up to her yet.


    To get her n through, she needed to take the reins at Bradford Corporation. But that power wasn''t something Johnny could just hand over. She needed shares. Asking for shares now felt like she might be seen as trying to cash in on the situation.


    ra quickly drove to the hospital where Johnny was. Before she even opened the door to his room, she overheard Naomi saying, "Quinn is just too young and messed up. She''s been on a hunger strike for a whole day and night. She won''t get up unless you forgive her. Plus, she''s returned that billion dors she made. She hasn''t touched a dime."


    Johnny was coughing hard, looking utterly exhausted.


    Naomi knew it wasn''t the best time for this talk, and her eyes were red with emotion. "What can we do? The Ferguson family found out. When I went over the wedding ns with them this morning, they were icy. I''m scared they might call off the engagement."


    Naomi had cared for Quinn for so long that, despite knowing Quinn wasn''t entirely genuine, seeing her so frail broke her heart. She just wouldn''t blindly defend her anymore now.


    Johnny took a few moments to regain his breath before suddenly asking, "How do you know she''s not just putting on a show?"


    Naomi was taken aback by the question. After all, Quinn was a master of dramatics, her performances almost eerily convincing.


    "But honey..."


    "Enough. You spoilt her too much. That''s why she''s like this."


    Naomi felt uneasy too, hesitating before stubbornly saying, "Even if Quinn''s intentions aren''t pure, she''s always been good to me. Do you think ra''s any better? The moment you were out ofmission, she rushed into thepany. She''ll probably be here soon, asking for shares and control."


    ra paused, her fingers just shy of knocking. She suddenly felt unsure of what to say.


    Naomi continued to grumble, but Johnny said he was too tired for more.


    ra was still at the door when Naomi emerged. Naomi wasn''t looking at her with the same disdain as before, but her expression was far from weing. She suspected ra had a few tricks up her sleeve, which was why she orchestrated that whole projection event.


    ra stepped into the room, debating whether to speak up.


    Surprisingly, Johnny seemed to know why she''de. "Running into some problems?"


    "Dad, ourpany has the final say on the project design, but Quinn''s contract with Ferguson Corporation allows them to bring all their businesses into the mall. I was thinking we could exploit a loophole-if we don''t build the mall..."


    Johnny sighed, staring out the window. "Have you thought about how this would upset Dn?"


    And it wouldn''t just upset him. It''d be a major slight, as they just treated Ferguson Corporation like they were nothing more than a toy.


    ra knew this all too well, but she felt trapped. Lowering hershes, she said, "Mr. Dn is a man of character and ss. He wouldn''tsh out at the Bradford family over our broken word. At most, he''d just cut ties with us."