"That''s right, Mr. Schneider. Back then, you told us that the Schneider and West families were equals, so we agreed to the merger. But if you intend to erase the West family, we won''t stand for it."


    "Lucas is the sole heir of the West family, yet you''ve branded him an illegitimate child? This is outrageous!"


    The murmurs of protest among the crowd grew louder, all directed at Lester and Schneider Group.


    With every voice that spoke up, Lester''s expression darkened further.


    Xena listened to the usations and nced at Lester, who remained silent. For the first time in her life, a seed of doubt took root in her heart.


    "Grandpa." She stepped closer, supporting him by the arm. "Is what they''re saying true?"


    Standing beside Lucas, I watched coldly as I waited to see how Lester would attempt to cover up this lie.


    Instead of answering her, he erupted into a violent fit of coughing. The severity of it left him gasping for breath, and only then did the murmuring subside.


    "You..." He panted heavily, fixing his gaze on Lucas. "What exactly do you want?"


    "You already know what I want, don''t you?" Lucas crossed his arms over his chest, his stance unwavering. "I want you to issue an official statement to restore my mother''s name."


    "You-" Lester took a step forward, but behind Lucas stood a group of elderly figures. They were former West Group members who had transitioned into Schneider Group. Many of them still held shares in thepany.


    Lucas was no longer the helpless child they had once dismissed so easily.


    Faced with so many watchful eyes, Lester had no choice but to concede. "Fine. As you wish."


    Though it was already painful enough for Lester to agree to this, Lucas continued, his voice steady, "There''s one more thing."


    The crowd turned to him, and anticipation filled the room. The heir of the West family still had another demand. Would he seek to reim his family''s independence from Schneider Group?


    "I want a fair shot atpeting for the position of Schneider Group''s president," he stated firmly.


    This time, Lester didn''tsh out in anger. Instead, he fell into deep silence. This was an even riskier condition than separating from the West family.


    If Lucas won, he would reim everything the Schneider family kad taken from the West family and take control of the entire corporation, undoing decades of Lester''s hard-earned dominance.


    "Grandpa." Xena stepped closer, whispering something into Lester''s ear.


    His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at her. She, however, nodded firmly in response.


    Finally, he stepped forward and addressed the room, "Fine. I ept your terms. You''ll have one month. You and Xena willpete, and whoever generates the highest revenue within that time will win."


    "Wait a minute," an elder from behind Lucas suddenly said. "That''s not fair. Xena is about to marry Alex. She could easily secure deals worth tens of millions of dors with Hastings Group''s contracts. How is that a fairpetition?"


    "What do you propose?" Xena turned to the man, her voice sharp.


    "It''s simple. Cancel the engagement with the Hastings family. Then, both of you


    can approach Alex as independentpetitors. Whoever gets his signature on a contract will be the winner."