On the fifth day of McNeil''s hospitalization, Violet was convicted of kidnapping, attempted murder, and solicitation of murder. The sentence was life imprisonment, effective immediately.
Meanwhile, Victoria left Evermore City and moved back to Starfall City. After all, Golden Era Enterprises was waiting for her to take over, and someone had to keep thepany afloat. As for the Langfords, the patriarch himself made a trip to the Turner residence.
The old man knew there was no hope left for his grandson McNeil to take up the mantle-he couldn''t keep propping him up for the family. So, he officially handed over the Langford family to Victoria.
"You may be divorced from McNeil," he told her, "but the agreement makes you thergest shareholder in The Langford Group. Don''t even think of turning this down. Whether you want to keep the family independent or merge it with the Turners, that''s your call. I''m too old to care, and frankly, I''m done caring."
Victoria was numb to the old man''s way of throwing responsibilities at her-she knew she could never wriggle out of this.
She wasn''t doing it for McNeil. But now, the Langfords were also Gwh''s, Chris Langford''s, and Celia''s-her own children. How could she just walk away?
The patriarch knew this too. He was so eager to keep Victoria he was ready to let the Langford name be Turner-and if he could, Thorpe Langford would marry into her family himself just to keep her.
"I understand, Grandfather," Victoria sighed, resigned. There was no escaping this fate.
The old man, content as long as he had food and drink, had lost his grandson. His great-grandson was just a baby. Thank goodness he''d had the foresight to hand the family over to his capable granddaughter-inw; now he could truly rest easy.
"I know this puts you in a tough spot," he said with a dramatic sigh, "but I''m half in the grave already. This is your burden now."
He made a show of dabbing at his eyes, then instructed his assistant to bring over nearly every document and asset the Langford family possessed. With thewyer present, he transferred it all into Victoria''s name. She had no option but to ept.
If she refused, it would be seen as unfilial. The old man coughed for emphasis, and even the housekeeper looked away, pitying Victoria. But Victoria just clenched her jaw. No wonder she hadn''t shed a single tear for McNeil lying in that hospital bed—if he never woke, the rest of her life would be entirely consumed by the Langfords.
She couldn''t help but long for her old life-the days when people ignored her, dismissed her as a nobody, when she could sleep in aste as she liked, sip tea in the garden out of boredom, or window shop for designer handbags. No one knew her name, but at least, back then, she was free.
She let out a bitterugh.
After Mann left, Victoria stared at the
mountaine
paperwork representing
the Langfords'' vast fortun worth nearly a billion-and felt the weight of it threaten to crush her.
She locked all the documents away in the safe. These things meant nothing to her
now.
Upstairs, Gwh had just woken up. As soon as she saw Victoria, she ran straight into her mother''s arms.
"Mommy."
Tears streaked her face, her forehead slick with sweat.
Victoria gently stroked her back. "I''m here, sweetheart. Did you have another nightmare?"
Gwh nodded. Ever since Violet had kidnapped her, the nightmares came every few days.
Sometimes she dreamed Violet was trying to kill her; other times, that Violet was pping her. Her young heart had nearly broken. Victoria had taken her to therapy, but it hadn''t helped much.
"Mommy, is Daddy dead?"
She still remembered that day—her father copsing in her mother''s arms, a knife in his side, blood everywhere.
Gwh had been paralyzed with fear. She''d never seen so much blood before, never seen anyone die.
Her father''s face had been as white as a sheet. Someone had carried him away, and after that, everything went nk.
Night after night, Gwh woke up
wh. She finally understood
meant when he said Violet was a bad person.