In an instant, every head in the room swiveled to face Timothy.


    Naylor was the first to find his voice. "Timothy, are you out of your mind? Your shares in The Lawson Group were left to you by your grandfather to ensure you have absolute control of thepany! If you give her your other private assets, fine, I won''t say a word. But giving her thepany shares is the same as handing The Lawson Group over to the Zimmermans!"


    "He''s right, Timothy. Those shares belong to the entire Lawson family. This is highly inappropriate,” Rebekah chimed in, practically seething with rage.


    N Lawson looked aghast. "Brother, are you just going to leave us with nothing?"


    "If you understand how important these shares are," Timothy said, his voice dangerously low, "then you had better start treating her with respect. Because if you anger her, she has the power to dictate every aspect of your future."


    With that, he stood up. "That''s all I have to say."


    As he turned to leave, Naylor grabbed his arm. "Timothy, you can''t be so impulsive! This isn''t a joke!" He looked desperately at Phelps. "Dad, say something!"


    Phelps, however, was a shrewd man. He understood Timothy''s strategy perfectly. Timothy would never let his family starve. Even without The Lawson Group, a man of his caliber could rebuild an empire overnight. This was simply a power y to elevate Jessica''s position within the family.


    "I entrusted The Lawson Group to Timothy," Phelps dered calmly. "He has the right to make his own decisions."


    With the patriarch''s word, no one else dared to object. Naylor released Timothy''s arm. Sallie followed her brother out.


    Rebekah was about to explode. If this was how things were going to be, their very lifestyles would depend on Jessica''s mood. Her son Thurston''s chances were now slimmer than ever.


    Sallie, on the other hand, was unconcerned. Timothy was her twin, and his happiness was her priority. She had her own career and had grown up surrounded by wealth; money was just a concept to her. She nevercked for it.


    Sallie understood Timothy''s intentions. She remained quiet for most of the drive until they pulled up to The Gilded Whisper Estates. Turning off the car, she asked, "Why didn''t you think to do this for her before?"


    "A misunderstanding," he replied, his


    voice heavy with regret. "I thought that by marrying me, she had everything. But that wasn''t true. None of you respected her just because she was my wife The root of the problem was me. Some things need to be made explicit. Most people only see what is inlyid out for them."


    "So, you''ve liked her for a long time, then?"


    Timothy didn''t answer. He got out of the car and walked into the vi. Sallie watched


    him go before driving off, heading to the hospital to be with Henry.


    Inside, Timothy sat on the bed in the master bedroom, his eyes fixed on their wedding photograph. In the picture, Jessica''s smile was radiant. He was the one who had slowly erased that smile from her face.


    His hand slipped into his coat pocket and closed around the recording ring. He had heard every word she''d said before he went into surgery. He''d felt it when she pressed the ring into his palm. He could almost feel her heart beating for him. She still loved him. When she gave him the ring, was she returning it, or was she giving it to him to keep himpany?


    He stared at the ring, lost in thought. After a long while, he decided to put it away, but as he moved to ce it back in his pocket, it slipped from his grasp The ling hit the floor with a sharp clink and folled under the bed.