Three Years After They Abandoned Me - Chapter 29: Chapter 29
You are reading Three Years After They Abandoned Me, Chapter 29: Chapter 29. Read more chapters of Three Years After They Abandoned Me.
Andrew's voice was a bit too loud, and Fiona quickly reached out to stop him. She was worried Stella might overhear. "Stop, Andrew. It's good that she agreed. Just promise her the shares."
Andrew replied, "Seriously? Have you even thought about what would happen if I agreed? With Eleanor still holding some shares, Stella could potentially become the company's largest shareholder. What about Max then?"
Max said casually, "Who knows who Grandma will give the shares to?"
Fiona took those words to heart. She thought, 'What if Eleanor really handed those shares to Stella? Then the company would be hers. And all of Max's years of hard work? It would mean giving everything to Stella on a silver platter.'
Andrew gritted his teeth, clearly furious but feeling helpless. "Let's just deal with the immediate problem first."
That morning, Stella had a small bowl of polenta in the kitchen before visiting Eleanor. But when she arrived, her grandmother's condition was worse than she'd hoped. Stella's heart broke.
Eleanor reached out and held Stella's hand. "It's all right, sweetheart. Everyone has their own path. Just having you back makes me so happy. I have no regrets now."
Stella fought to hold back tears, but they spilled over. "Grandma, I need you to stay with me a little longer. I want you to see me get better and see me become my old self again, just like before."
"Sweetheart, I don't know if I can make it," Eleanor said softly. "But I'll try my best."
Stella shook her head desperately, her eyes brimming with tears. "Grandma, you haven't seen me get married or have a child. I was counting on you to help take care of my kids. Please, you have to hang in there for me."
"Darling," Eleanor said, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, "I don't know if I'll live to see that day, but I truly believe you will meet a man who truly understands, loves, and cherishes you one day."
Stella could hardly breathe through her sobs.
Eleanor smiled gently and said, "Well, I'm still here. Don't overthink things."
Stella forced back her tears, nodded, and mustered the brightest smile she could for Eleanor.
Eleanor reached out and gently pinched Stella's cheek.
As soon as Stella stepped out of Eleanor's room, Andrew called for her to join him in his study.
The whole family was there, sitting across from Stella. It was clear. She was never truly one of them.
Andrew sat at the head of the table. His fingers were steepled, his face a mask of sternness. The air around him was heavy with intimidation.
"Stella," Andrew said, his voice cold. "We just held a meeting to discuss your proposal. We've agreed to it. Here's the share transfer agreement. Review it. If everything's in order, you can sign it."
Stella picked up the document, gave it a quick glance, and then looked up at Andrew. She replied, "I can't give you an immediate answer. I need my lawyer to review it first. Only when I'm sure there are no issues will I sign."
Andrew was about to lose his temper when Fiona quickly held him back. "It's all right," she said soothingly. "If Stella isn't sure, she can have her lawyer look it over."
Max, who was about to smooth things over, now felt a rush of anger because of Stella's words.
He yelled, "Stella, what the hell is that supposed to mean? Do you really think we'd scheme against you or hurt you? Look at who is talking to you. Your own family!"
"Well, your own family might betray you, right?" Stella said coolly.
Before Max could respond, Anna gently spoke up. "Stella. Mom, Dad, and Max all love you. Maybe they don't always show it the right way, but they really do love you."
Andrew shot a glance at Anna with satisfaction, his anger fading. "Anna is so sensible. Stella, you'll never measure up to your sister."
Stella's lips curved into a faint, icy smile. "Say whatever you want. If that's all, I'm leaving."
When Stella stepped outside, none of her family members bothered to arrange a car for her.
Mary came over and whispered, "Ms. Stella Hayes, would you like me to ask them to arrange a car for you? Going out every day must be exhausting, and you're not fully recovered yet."
Mary, who had always cared for Eleanor, was the only servant in the entire household who still treated Stella with any regard.
"Thank you, Mary, but I'll manage. The walking helps with my recovery, and if I get too tired, I'll just hail a cab," Stella replied.
"But do you have any money on you?" Mary asked softly. "This is from Mrs. Eleanor Hayes. She told me not to give it to you, and she'll try to send more later, without anyone noticing."
Stella hesitated for a moment, but knowing it was a sincere gesture from Eleanor, she accepted. "Alright, Mary. Thank you."
"Go ahead now, and come back soon," Mary urged gently.
With hardly any friends left, Stella texted Jordan. [Hey, do you know any reliable law firms in Seavale?]
Jordan: [Looking for a lawyer?]
Stella: [Yeah.]
Jordan: [What's it about?]
Stella didn't hide it from him: [It's a share transfer agreement from my family. I'm worried they might try to pull something, so I'm having a lawyer review it.]
Jordan: [I suggest finding a smaller firm and maybe offering them a little extra. If you go to a big one, your family might have already tipped them off.]
Stella's heart skipped a beat. 'Thank god I asked Jordan,' she thought. 'I could've walked right into their trap without even realizing.'
Stella: [Thanks, I'll treat you to dinner sometime.]
Jordan: [So when will we meet up?]
Stella: [We will, but not right now.]
Jordan: [Okay. Keep me updated.]
Following Jordan's advice, Stella walked into a small, independent law firm. She handed over 3 thousand in cash to a lawyer as soon as she entered.
The lawyer greeted her with a warm smile. "Ms. Hayes, how can I assist you today?"
Stella placed the share transfer agreement on his desk.
The lawyer studied it for a moment before looking back at her. "I've reviewed this carefully. Everything seems in order. There's no need to worry."
Stella frowned, a thought nagging at her. 'Could the Hayes family really be this generous? They never wanted me to have any part of this before,' she wondered.
"However," the lawyer said, pausing.
Stella fixed her gaze on him, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Don't rule out the possibility that they might try something underhanded later, like having you sign another contract to invalidate this one," the lawyer added.
Stella frowned slightly. "What should I do then?"
The lawyer nodded thoughtfully. "I'd advise you not to sign anything hastily. You need to understand what they're doing. Also, I can prepare a notarized document stating that any contract signed without your knowledge will be legally void."
"Get it done for me," Stella said.
The lawyer quickly drafted the document, and Stella signed it without hesitation.
"Is there anything else I can help you with, Ms. Hayes?" the lawyer asked.
Stella took a deep breath and explained her situation in detail. "How can I recover the money from my account?"
Having grasped some details of Stella's situation, the lawyer said, "Your case is complicated, but it's not impossible. First, we need to confirm how the funds were transferred.
"If you want to file a lawsuit, I can provide you with a checklist. All you need to do is follow it."
Andrew replied, "Seriously? Have you even thought about what would happen if I agreed? With Eleanor still holding some shares, Stella could potentially become the company's largest shareholder. What about Max then?"
Max said casually, "Who knows who Grandma will give the shares to?"
Fiona took those words to heart. She thought, 'What if Eleanor really handed those shares to Stella? Then the company would be hers. And all of Max's years of hard work? It would mean giving everything to Stella on a silver platter.'
Andrew gritted his teeth, clearly furious but feeling helpless. "Let's just deal with the immediate problem first."
That morning, Stella had a small bowl of polenta in the kitchen before visiting Eleanor. But when she arrived, her grandmother's condition was worse than she'd hoped. Stella's heart broke.
Eleanor reached out and held Stella's hand. "It's all right, sweetheart. Everyone has their own path. Just having you back makes me so happy. I have no regrets now."
Stella fought to hold back tears, but they spilled over. "Grandma, I need you to stay with me a little longer. I want you to see me get better and see me become my old self again, just like before."
"Sweetheart, I don't know if I can make it," Eleanor said softly. "But I'll try my best."
Stella shook her head desperately, her eyes brimming with tears. "Grandma, you haven't seen me get married or have a child. I was counting on you to help take care of my kids. Please, you have to hang in there for me."
"Darling," Eleanor said, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, "I don't know if I'll live to see that day, but I truly believe you will meet a man who truly understands, loves, and cherishes you one day."
Stella could hardly breathe through her sobs.
Eleanor smiled gently and said, "Well, I'm still here. Don't overthink things."
Stella forced back her tears, nodded, and mustered the brightest smile she could for Eleanor.
Eleanor reached out and gently pinched Stella's cheek.
As soon as Stella stepped out of Eleanor's room, Andrew called for her to join him in his study.
The whole family was there, sitting across from Stella. It was clear. She was never truly one of them.
Andrew sat at the head of the table. His fingers were steepled, his face a mask of sternness. The air around him was heavy with intimidation.
"Stella," Andrew said, his voice cold. "We just held a meeting to discuss your proposal. We've agreed to it. Here's the share transfer agreement. Review it. If everything's in order, you can sign it."
Stella picked up the document, gave it a quick glance, and then looked up at Andrew. She replied, "I can't give you an immediate answer. I need my lawyer to review it first. Only when I'm sure there are no issues will I sign."
Andrew was about to lose his temper when Fiona quickly held him back. "It's all right," she said soothingly. "If Stella isn't sure, she can have her lawyer look it over."
Max, who was about to smooth things over, now felt a rush of anger because of Stella's words.
He yelled, "Stella, what the hell is that supposed to mean? Do you really think we'd scheme against you or hurt you? Look at who is talking to you. Your own family!"
"Well, your own family might betray you, right?" Stella said coolly.
Before Max could respond, Anna gently spoke up. "Stella. Mom, Dad, and Max all love you. Maybe they don't always show it the right way, but they really do love you."
Andrew shot a glance at Anna with satisfaction, his anger fading. "Anna is so sensible. Stella, you'll never measure up to your sister."
Stella's lips curved into a faint, icy smile. "Say whatever you want. If that's all, I'm leaving."
When Stella stepped outside, none of her family members bothered to arrange a car for her.
Mary came over and whispered, "Ms. Stella Hayes, would you like me to ask them to arrange a car for you? Going out every day must be exhausting, and you're not fully recovered yet."
Mary, who had always cared for Eleanor, was the only servant in the entire household who still treated Stella with any regard.
"Thank you, Mary, but I'll manage. The walking helps with my recovery, and if I get too tired, I'll just hail a cab," Stella replied.
"But do you have any money on you?" Mary asked softly. "This is from Mrs. Eleanor Hayes. She told me not to give it to you, and she'll try to send more later, without anyone noticing."
Stella hesitated for a moment, but knowing it was a sincere gesture from Eleanor, she accepted. "Alright, Mary. Thank you."
"Go ahead now, and come back soon," Mary urged gently.
With hardly any friends left, Stella texted Jordan. [Hey, do you know any reliable law firms in Seavale?]
Jordan: [Looking for a lawyer?]
Stella: [Yeah.]
Jordan: [What's it about?]
Stella didn't hide it from him: [It's a share transfer agreement from my family. I'm worried they might try to pull something, so I'm having a lawyer review it.]
Jordan: [I suggest finding a smaller firm and maybe offering them a little extra. If you go to a big one, your family might have already tipped them off.]
Stella's heart skipped a beat. 'Thank god I asked Jordan,' she thought. 'I could've walked right into their trap without even realizing.'
Stella: [Thanks, I'll treat you to dinner sometime.]
Jordan: [So when will we meet up?]
Stella: [We will, but not right now.]
Jordan: [Okay. Keep me updated.]
Following Jordan's advice, Stella walked into a small, independent law firm. She handed over 3 thousand in cash to a lawyer as soon as she entered.
The lawyer greeted her with a warm smile. "Ms. Hayes, how can I assist you today?"
Stella placed the share transfer agreement on his desk.
The lawyer studied it for a moment before looking back at her. "I've reviewed this carefully. Everything seems in order. There's no need to worry."
Stella frowned, a thought nagging at her. 'Could the Hayes family really be this generous? They never wanted me to have any part of this before,' she wondered.
"However," the lawyer said, pausing.
Stella fixed her gaze on him, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Don't rule out the possibility that they might try something underhanded later, like having you sign another contract to invalidate this one," the lawyer added.
Stella frowned slightly. "What should I do then?"
The lawyer nodded thoughtfully. "I'd advise you not to sign anything hastily. You need to understand what they're doing. Also, I can prepare a notarized document stating that any contract signed without your knowledge will be legally void."
"Get it done for me," Stella said.
The lawyer quickly drafted the document, and Stella signed it without hesitation.
"Is there anything else I can help you with, Ms. Hayes?" the lawyer asked.
Stella took a deep breath and explained her situation in detail. "How can I recover the money from my account?"
Having grasped some details of Stella's situation, the lawyer said, "Your case is complicated, but it's not impossible. First, we need to confirm how the funds were transferred.
"If you want to file a lawsuit, I can provide you with a checklist. All you need to do is follow it."
End of Three Years After They Abandoned Me Chapter 29. Continue reading Chapter 30 or return to Three Years After They Abandoned Me book page.