Abby reasoned, "He''s a family patriarch, after all. Sometimes his aura is naturally intense. Just one look from him terrifies me too. It''s normal that you find him


    different now.


    "The dynamic between friends and lovers is entirely different. When he wasn''t your boyfriend, he had no right to be jealous, let alone interfere in your affairs. Now that your rtionship has changed, things obviously won''t be the same."


    At this point, Abby looked at Ste with utmost seriousness.


    "Star, you aren''t getting cold feet about marrying him, are you?"


    Ste shook her head. "No, not that. I just feel his words have been a bit extremetely, and I wonder if it''s the illness affecting him..."


    Just as Ste was about to say more, a light knock sounded on the office door.


    The secretary''s voice came from outside. "Ms. Cameron, the meeting is ready. You can head over now."


    Ste acknowledged her and turned to Abby. "I''m going to the meeting first." Abby nodded. "Alright."


    ...


    At the meeting, everything went exactly as Ste had predicted.


    Upon seeing the proposal, the shareholders were full of praise.


    "It''s wless and hits the mark perfectly! Forget the Chapmans, even I''m tempted just reading this!"


    "Although we have to provide some initial support to the Chapmans, the future control of this partnership rests in our hands. It''s a guaranteed win!"


    Someone looked at Skyler Williams with a satisfied smile.


    "Skyler, you may have made some foolish decisions over the past year, but having Aurora marry McCoy Chapman was a brilliant move."


    "Skyler, you poured so much effort into grooming Aurora. At least she''s finally bringing some value to The Williams Group. The shares left to her weren''t entirely wasted."


    A shareholder chuckled, "No wonder they say the Williams kids are the cream of the crop... Skyler, Ste is quite outstanding."


    A rare smile graced Skyler''s face.


    Unsurprisingly, the meeting passed the proposal with a unanimous vote.


    After the meeting, Skyler called out to Ste.


    "Star,e to my office for a moment."


    Ste followed him in. "Did you need me for something, Dad?"


    Skyler smiled. "Star, you did a wonderful job on this proposal. I used to worry that,cking a background in this field, you might struggle. Now I know you''re even smarter and more capable than I thought."


    Ste listened with a nk expression, feeling not a single ripple of emotion.


    Skyler continued, "Right now,


    Jonathan is in aa, Israel has no drive for the business, and Coleman is still a bit rough around the edges. The future of The Williams Group rests on your shoulders. I''m getting old, and in a few years, I''ll step down. The future belongs to you young people. I don''t ask for much, only that you siblings get along and put an end to the infighting."


    Ste didn''t press him aggressively; instead, she offered a faint smile.


    "You can rest assured, Dad. As long as my older brothers and Aurora are willing to


    work hard for thepany, there won''t be any conflicts. However..."


    Her tone shifted. "If they ever do anything to harm thepany''s interests for the sake of power, I won''t easily forgive them, and doubt the shareholders will either: We all share the same goal of making The Williams Group better, which means putting thepany''s interests first."


    Looking at the poised, elegant smile on Ste''s face, Skyler felt a sudden wave of disorientation.