"We''ll terminate all business with the Lerman family as quickly as possible," Skyler said, his tone steady and assured.


    "As for the shareholders, let me handle them. There''s no need for you to worry. Rest assured, no matter what it costs us, we''ll cut all ties with the Lermans."


    Compared to Jonathan and his brothers, Skyler was far more calcting. An average person might have been taken in by his words-maybe even moved by such a show of determination. After all, just moments ago, Jonathan and Israel had insisted that ending the partnership woulde at a steep price. Now Skyler was stepping in, promising to do exactly that, no matter the cost.


    But when―or even if the partnership would actually end was another matter entirely.


    Ste was no longer the na?ve girl she''d once been, desperate for her family''s approval. Skyler''s promises meant nothing to her now; just empty words dressed up to sound sincere.


    She smiled politely. “It''s true, untangling things inside thepany can get prettyplicated. But since you''ve made your position clear, I won''t put you in a difficult spot. Why don''t we issue a statement first-let the world know the Williams family is severing all ties with the Lermans? The rest can be figured out as we go."


    She paused, her smile never wavering. "After all, Father, considering the way Leonard''s treated me, surely the Williams family doesn''t intend to keep doing business with the Lermans, right?"


    "Of course not." Skyler''s reply was swift, almost too eager. "Someone like that— there''s no way we''d ever tolerate it."


    His eyes turned cold as theynded on Leonard, full of disdain. "Leonard, didn''t you just deny everything? What do you have to say for yourself now?"


    Abby frowned. At this point, there was no room for doubt; the evidence was overwhelming. Was there really any need to question Leonard further? It was as if Skyler wanted to give him a chance to exin himself, as though he could justify what he''d done.


    Abby couldn''t help but feel a chill for Ste. Her own daughter''s hand had been ruined, and yet her husband was still asking the culprit if he had anything to add?


    She nced down at her phone. On the screen, notifications andments were flying by so quickly it was hard to keep up-gifts, messages, a flurry of excitement.


    A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at Abby''s lips.


    Before she''d even gotten into the assistant''s car, she''d told her viewers she was about to end the stream. She''d fumbled with her phone a bit, "identally" tapping a button before slipping it into her pocket.


    These "idental" livestreams happened all the time-sometimes by mistake, sometimes for the sake


    of stirring up drama. Either way, n


    gossip was in people''s blood. Even though the conversation on the way home had been trivial, the stream''s viewership only grew.


    When Ste finally returned to the Williams estate, the audience''s appetite for scandal had reached its peak. Who wouldn''t want front-row seats to a family meltdown among the rich and powerful-the kind of sordid drama people only ever whispered about?


    With Ste''s notoriety and her tangled past, her livestream quickly shot to the top of the trending charts. Now, viewers from all over the world were tuning in to watch the spectacle unfold.


    Every ugly truth about the Williams family was being exposed, their hypocrisyid bare for all to see. And the fact that there was no video only audio-made it all the more tantalizing. The less people could see, the more desperate they became to know what was really happening.


    Leonard''s voice snapped Abby out of her thoughts.


    "I have nothing to say."


    With the evidence stacked against him, Leonard didn''t even bother to protest. He leaned back in his chair,pletely at ease, showing no sign of shame at being caught. Crossing his legs, he calmly picked up his cup, took a sip, and looked around with an air of indifference.


    "So what if I did it?" he said, his lips curling in a faint, mocking smile. The arrogance in his expression was unmistakable. "Ste, do you really think a few words from you are enough to make the Williams and Lerman families call off their partnership?"