Chapter 1422
Back at the office, Martin found hispany''s VP Steve, looking like a deer caught in headlights. The
man was visibly drenched in sweat and seemed to sigh in relief upon seeing Martin as if he was the
answer to his prayers.
"Mr. Martin, thank goodness you''re here!"
Standing in front of Florence, the vice president was so frightened he barely dared to breathe, let alone
move. He stood there, bent over, looking as if he was about to have a panic attack.
Refreshments had been served, coffee and pastries, but Florence hadn''t touched a thing. She sat on
the couch with an icy demeanor, stone-faced and silent, as if she had been seething for hours.
Diana was there too, sitting off to the side,pletely ignoring Steve. When she saw Martin walk in,
she rolled her eyes at her own brother.
"Steve, you can leave us," Martin said, and the VP shot him a look of sheer gratitude, as if Martin had
just offered him a lifeline out of a treacherous sea.
As soon as the office door closed behind Steve, Florence tossed a video onto the desk — it was
footage of Serena berating a sales clerk on Rodeo Drive.
After Martin watched it, Florence recounted the incident on Rodeo Drive and another encounter with
Serena at QY.
"I''ve never seen such vulgar behavior from ady,’ she said with disbelief.
Serena''s actions were beyond shocking to her!
And to top it off, this was the woman her son had spent six long years pursuing.
"Let me make myself clear, Martin. You can date her for fun, but if you think about marrying her, I will
never allow it," Florence asserted with her usual ferocity. "If you dare have a wedding with her, I''ll jump
into Luminescent
Brook on your wedding day. You know I always mean what I say.”
"Mom." Martin hadn''t expected his mother to be so adamantly opposed to Serena, to the point of
threatening her own life.
He knew his mother well. She never made empty threats.
"If you don''t mind losing your mother, then go ahead, defy me!"
"Mom, Serena isn’t what you think,” Martin defended, although even he had to admit that Serena''s
behavior in the video was quite rude. But it wasn''t enough to warrant such disgust from his mother.
He looked at his sister.
"t''s exactly as I said. If Serena hadn''t acted like that, there would be nothing to discuss. But she did,
and it was bizarre."
Martin knew his sister harbored a strong dislike for Serena, but he had not anticipated her to actually
involve their mother.
"Our family is going through trying times, Martin. With a weak link like her, our downfall is inevitable! I
will not let some girl drag our entire family into the abyss! We''ve beenying low for years, just for this
moment. Her presence is like a bomb, ready to destroy all our years of hard work!"
"Mom, I can handle it,’ Martin assured her seriously. "Whether it''s our family business or my
rtionship with her, I''ll manage both"
"One cannot have it all” Florence countered with a wisdom born of experience. "You can''t have your
cake and eat it too. Especially not with a woman who''s not fit to stand by our side. The Cooper family
doesn''t need her. If you don''t mind cutting ties with us, if you don’t mind us bing strangers, if you
don''t mind burying your own mother, then do as you please.
But let me be clear: you only get one chance."
After her speech, Florence picked up her purse and headed for the door, her high heels clicking sharply
against the floor.
"Mom!" Martin stepped in front of her. "Let me arrange a meeting between you and Serena. Talk to her.
You''ll see she has many good qualities."
"Face-to-face with her? To watch her put on an act?" Florence scoffed dismissively and brushed past
her son. "Don''t ever mention her name in front of me again."
Martin''s mother had a point. He had built his own empire and didn’t need the family money. But the
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thought of Serena splurging without a care in the world - that was something he still had to consider.