Frank pressed his lips together, silent. The grief he''d felt just moments ago was instantly doused, as if by a bucket of ice water, leaving him cold to the bone.


    Bet and Emma were right. Mrs. Thompson Sr. was making trouble even on her deathbed.


    "Eden and the Walker girl have been seeing each other for some time now. Neither of them is getting any younger, so why don''t we settle their marriage?"


    Mrs. Thompson Sr. said through her tears.


    Frank listened, silent for a moment, before finally nodding.


    The old woman was terminally ill, and as her son, he couldn''t bear to let her die with regrets.


    Besides, Bet and Ynda had broken up long ago. As for who Eden wanted to marry-be it Ynda or Una-Frank couldn''t be bothered to care.


    Seeing Frank nod, Mrs. Thompson Sr. let out a sigh of relief and continued.


    "Then you should go with Eden to the Walker family to formally ask for her hand. The Walkers are a respectable family; we can''t have them thinking weck manners."


    Frank replied, "Don''t worry, I''ll handle it properly."


    Mrs. Thompson Sr. nodded, then turned to Eden, her tone earnest and instructive. "Eden, once you''re married, you can''t be so reckless anymore. Have your father arrange a position for you at thepany so you can learn to manage it properly. Bet is a soldier; he knows nothing about business. And Noah isn''t your father''s biological son, so he can''t be trusted. In the future, your father will have to rely on you."


    After her speech, she tightened her grip on Frank''s hand. "Frank, Eden and Bet are both your sons. The Thompson Group and assets should be split equally between them. As their father, you have to be fair... cough, cough..."


    Frank''s brow furrowed, his expression turning cold.


    Eden remained silent, covertly observing his father''s reaction.


    Inét


    Vanessa, however, couldn''t sit still. any longer. "Grandma, I''m Dad''s biological daughter too! I have


    right to inherit his assets you can''t be so sexist.


    "Enough," Frank cut her off, unwilling to hear another word. "If you''re so eager to get


    your hands on my fortune, you can wait until I''m dead."


    With that, he released Mrs. Thompson Sr.''s hand. "Mom, you need to rest. Stop


    worrying about it. They will make their own way."


    Mrs. Thompson Sr. was discharged from the hospital two weekster.


    The moment she was home, she began pressuring Frank to go to the Walker family and arrange Eden''s proposal. However, she didn''t dare bring up the matter of getting Eden a position at the Thompson Group again.


    Frank delegated everything to his assistant.


    UM


    He sat on the living room sofa, listening to his assistant report on the gifts being


    purchased, but grew impatient halfway through.


    "That''s enough. Just handle it


    yourself. Clear my schedule for the


    weekend. You''ll apany me to the Walker family. Frank trailed off as he saw Bet walk in through the front door.


    "Why are you back at this hour?" The coldness on Frank''s face softened slightly at


    the sight of his son. He waved his assistant away.


    The assistant, taking the hint, turned to leave. As he passed Bet, he bowed respectfully. "Mr. Bet Thompson."


    Bet gave a polite nod in return before striding into the living room.


    "What''s this? Not happy to see me home?"


    "You don''t show up unless you need something. Your mother isn''t even here, so what are you doing back from the base?" Frank asked.


    Despite his words, he was already instructing the staff to serve water and prepare lunch.


    "I remember Mom has a shooting star-shaped ne. Is it in the walk-in closet? Could you help me find it?" Bet asked.