Jonathan''s eyes turned cold. "I''m speaking with Star. You have no ce to interrupt. If you can''t remember your ce as an assistant, I don''t mind teaching you a lesson on her behalf!"


    Having been raised in privilege and groomed as the future heir to The Williams Group, Jonathan naturally carried themanding presence of someone in power. Joshua used to cut in all the time, but his timing was impable and his words sharp. Not just Jonathan, but even Skyler Williams struggled to find fault with him. Moreover, Joshua was a formidable fighter, and Israel Williams had suffered at his hands more than once. Often, even when they couldn''t stand him, they had no choice but to tolerate it.


    But this was Abby, and Jonathan wasn''t about to give her the same consideration.


    Ste gave a faint smile. "My assistant is not for you to discipline. If you''ve got that much free time to lecture her, you''d be better off keeping Israel and Aurora on a leash. As Mr. Israel of the Williams family, if he continues his vtile behavior, who knows how much more trouble he''ll cause? And as for Aurora..."


    A chill entered Ste''s eyes. "In such a short time, she''s managed to drag through the mud what this family spent years building... You should remind her to watch what she says and does."


    An unspoken surprise shed in Jonathan''s eyes. He knew that Israel, Coleman Williams, and Aurora had schemed to get rid of Joshua. But Jonathan had disliked Joshua from the start, practically despising the man. If Ste hadn''t protected him so fiercely, and if they hadn''t been able to afford aplete break with her, he would never have tolerated someone like Joshua. Besides, Joshua wasn''t just skilled inbat; he was also exceptionally intelligent. Israel had lost his shares precisely because he''d underestimated Joshua.


    Driving Joshua away was supposed to be like cutting off one of Ste''s arms. Yet, instead of weakening, Ste seemed even sharper and more formidable than before.


    Jonathan was left speechless by Ste''s retort.


    Having defended Abby, Ste didn''t press the issue. "Abby, why don''t you take Keen upstairs to rest."


    "Alright," Abby said.


    After Abby left, Ste looked at Jonathan. "Jonathan, Abby isn''t just my assistant; she''s been my good friend for years. I hope you''ll do me the courtesy of not holding a grudge against a ''thoughtless little assistant.""


    Jonathan''s gaze flickered. Though her words were polite, their meaning was clear: targeting Abby was a direct affront to her. He suddenly realized that the Ste before him was no longer someone who could be easily pushed around.


    Jonathan had important business to discuss and didn''t want to get bogged down in trivial matters. He changed the subject I came


    to see


    you about a potential partnership with the Quinn family..."


    ***


    Upstairs, as soon as Keen got to his room, he sent a message to Joshua to let him know they were safe.


    [Mr. Joshua, we''re home safely. Mom is recovering well, so you don''t have to worry.]


    He attached a few photos of Ste leaving the hospital.


    Joshua replied quickly. [How was your mom''s mood today?]


    Keen thought for a moment before replying, It was good, but then she


    ran into my eldest uncle and seemed to get worse >


    [Oh? What happened?]


    Finding it too difficult to type out,


    Keen sent a voice message, recounting the incident to Joshua detail.


    ***


    The next day, as soon as Jonathan arrived at The Williams Group, he was summoned by Skyler.


    "Jonathan, what''s going on? When did you get on the bad side of the Gardner family?"