?Chapter 1643:


    “We’ve run out of options. We’ll have to turn to your aunt’s family for help. We can’t handle this alone.” Wesley’s gaze settled on Jalen. “Tomorrow, we’ll go to the Harper Group together. There’s no way Shepard could be that heartless.”


    “All right, Dad, I’m with you. We’ll go tomorrow with Conor.” Jalen stood by his father’s choice without hesitation.


    Conor, however, thought the whole n was shameful. Though he wanted to argue, he knew his opinion no longer mattered. His tone was t when he finally spoke. “Do whatever you want, but I’m staying out of it.”


    Wesley’s temper red at once. “Worthless! You’re nothing but a burden—I can’t rely on you for a single thing!”


    Furious, Conor gathered his wife and children and walked away, not even ncing toward his mother’s ward. He had decided he would no longer interfere. Whatever happened next, he would stay out of it.


    Jalen stayed through the night, tending to his mother’s needs. After breakfast the next morning, he left his wife to watch over his mother and followed Wesley to the Harper Group headquarters.


    It was Monday, the day of thepany’s weekly meeting. Shepard, who had long stepped back from daily operations, sat quietly at the side while Ernst led the meeting.


    Barely ten minutes had passed when the secretary entered the room and leaned toward Shepard, speaking in a low voice. “Two people are here to see you. Their names are Wesley Bentley and Jalen Bentley. They’re at the reception desk. One of them ims to be your wife’s brother.”


    Shepard’s expression remainedposed. With so many executives observing, he couldn’t afford to let his emotions show. Rising from his seat, he turned to Ernst. “You’ll handle the meeting on your own today.”


    Ernst didn’t quite understand what was happening, but an interruption from the secretary during a meeting was never trivial. He gave her a questioning look, and she leaned close to whisper the details to him.


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    At once, Ernst’s face hardened. “Dad, why don’t we just kick them out?”


    His tone was tinged with irritation. Their shameless pestering disgusted him.


    Shepard stayed calm. “I’ll deal with it myself. You continue the meeting.”


    “Understood,” Ernst said with a frown, ncing at the executives who were already exchanging curious looks. He shot them a hard look, his anger evident. At once, the executives lowered their heads, pretending to focus on their documents.


    Meanwhile, Shepard left the conference room and made his way toward his office. “Bring them up,” he ordered the secretary.


    Within ten minutes, Wesley and Jalen were led inside Shepard’s office, the tension in the room thick as the door closed behind them.


    The office was spacious and elegantly designed, every detail reflecting Shepard’s quiet power as he sat behind his desk. Even Wesley, who held authority as a county executive, felt the weight of Shepard’s presence pressing on him. He managed a polite smile to mask his unease.


    “Shepard, your office is remarkable.” Though Wesley had visited the Harper Group building many times before, he had never been allowed past the reception area. This was his first glimpse inside Shepard’s office.


    Unlike his father, Jalen’s thoughts were already racing toward ambition. He pictured himself one day owning an office of this caliber. Determined, he made a silent promise to stay on his aunt and uncle’s good side.


    He greeted Shepard politely, holding out a cigarette with both hands.


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