Israel watched Ste coldly and said self-righteously, "Ste, we are our mother''s children too. A portion of the founding shares you hold should have been mine. But we''re siblings, so as your older brothers, we didn''t make a fuss about you hoarding them. But you should never, ever have let a man cloud your judgment and jeopardize thepany''s interests and everything our mother worked so hard to build for years.


    No matter what, we''re family. So, I''ll give you a choice. The founding shares, or Joshua. You pick."


    At some point, a sharp knife had appeared in Israel''s hand.


    The polished de caught the sunlight from the window, shing with a cold, sharp glint.


    A malicious smile slowly spread across Israel''s lips.


    "Israel, what do you think you''re doing?!" Ste demanded, her voice sharp.


    Israel chuckled. "I know, asking you to kill someone is a bit much. But surely you can stab this traitor who stole ourpany''s secrets a few times, right? Ste, if you choose the founding shares, take this knife and give him a few cuts to show your sincerity."


    If Ste did it, any possibility between her and Joshua would be gone forever. Even if she managed to hold onto the founding shares for now, without Joshua''s help behind the scenes, it would only be a matter of time before they chipped away at her holdings. It was even possible that, after being stabbed by Ste, Joshua might switch sides and help them!


    At this thought, a flicker of excitement appeared in Israel''s eyes.


    "Now, it''s time for you to choose. Is it his life, or the shares in your hand?"


    Beforeing here, Ste had indeed prepared for the worst. A human life was, of course, more important than shares. But for some reason President Crawford''s words echoed in her mind. If she gave in to Israel, she would be a fish on the chopping block, utterly at his mercy. In that case, wouldn''t she and Joshua be in even greater danger?


    This move by Israel was both vicious and brilliant,pletely disrupting all her ns. Could the simple-minded Israel really havee up with such an insidious scheme?


    Ste''s hesitation was exactly what Israel had expected.


    He continued to sow discord, turning to Joshua with a sarcastic tone. "Looks like I misjudged. When faced with profit, you''re not so important after all, are you? Well, since she can''t bear to part with the founding shares, she''ll just have to stab you to prove her loyalty."


    Just then, Joshua, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.


    "Mr. Israel, how exactly do you picture this working? Do you intend to acquire Ste''s founding shares or are you expecting her to just give them to you?"


    Israel froze for a second, looking at Joshua. Since they had brought him


    here, the pretty boy hadn''t begged t


    for his life or said anything to


    el.r


    provoke him, so Israel hadn''t bothered to gag him. He also hadn''t forgotten that Joshua was the head of his own family and couldn''t be treated withplete disrespect.


    Joshua nced toward the camera and smiled faintly. "I wonder, Mr. Israel, are you truly acting in thepany''s best interest, or are you just using this as an excuse to get your hands on some founding shares for free?"


    Israel''s face stiffened. Of course, he wanted them for free. The value of Ste''s founding shares was astronomical. Even if he sold off all his assets, he couldn''t afford them. But now, Joshua had raised the question on a live broadcast With so many of thepany''s shareholders watching, if he said he was just taking them, his position would bepletely untenable.


    Israel''s confidence wavered. "I..."


    Before he could say more, Joshua continued, "No matter what, Star is your sister. It''s understandable that you think shecks business acumen and is too caught up in her personal life to remain at The Williams Group."