Selina's lips curved into an incredulous smile. This old man never ceased to surprise her. Whether they believed she was the culprit or not, she knew they needed her under their scrutiny and control to achieve what they wanted in the alliance—especially in their current crisis.
And now he was reminding her she was only Clarissa's replacement. No. She refused to be used and discarded again.
"Too late, Mr Everett," she declared. His jaw nearly dropped. She couldn't call him grandfather—not when he had never seen her as his granddaughter.
"What do you mean?"
"You had every chance to make my life easier, but you chose to abandon me—because you feared my existence would ruin your perfect family and empire." Selina folded her arms across her chest. "And from now on, I won't accept a thing from you."
Gilbert's grip tightened around the top of his walking stick, shaken by the resolve in her voice. But as always, his heart hardened.
"Was it anyone's fault that you lived a scandalous life and became an outcast? You—"
"I'm not here to recount the past." Selina cuts Clarissa coldly. "Let's talk about something actually important, Mr Everett."
Gilbert exhaled sharply. "What?"
"I heard what you're planning to do with IRIS Luxe," Selina said, her gaze sharpening as it locked onto him.
Gilbert stiffened, glancing at Clarissa, who had stayed silent the entire time. Selina's words had shaken them more than they let on, even as they held onto their composure.
Gilbert straightened, his tone convincing. "What I'm doing is for the betterment of both companies. And surely you've heard about the crisis EMT is beginning to face."
"Even so, you have no right to push for a merger while my father is vulnerable," Selina pressed.
"Supporting the family business through IRIS, to draw attention and assistance, doesn't seem like a bad approach. Hudson is unconscious, and the company needs a stable temporary leader."
"It seems like a terrible idea to me."She countered, squinting her eyes at him. "Who can do better than Father?"
Gilbert shook his head, attempting to coax her. "You're being too defensive without understanding business strategy. I don't have ill intentions toward your parents' company. And I can't oversee the company without it becoming a subsidiary of EMT. Try to understand this, Selina."
Selina watched him carefully. His gaze softened slightly, but she didn't miss the true motive hidden beneath. She chose not to expose it.
"You've already given Clarissa a position in IRIS LUXE, while every application I've submitted has been rejected. I'm twenty-four. I deserve a chance to work there," she said firmly, trying to gain control of the situation from this moment.
"That was my decision," Gilbert stated flatly. "As an illegitimate child, you cannot push yourself into the spotlight."
"That doesn't erase my right to IRIS LUXE. I won't remain invisible any longer," Selina rebuked, her voice sharp and unwavering.
"Have you forgotten Hudson is my son, and I founded EMT Group?!" Gilbert spat, glaring hard at her as she swallowed hard. "My decisions cannot be questioned—not by you, not even by your father, who made the stupidest mistakes back then, I wouldn't be in ruins today!"
His cruel words sank into her. For years, she had tried to win his approval—caring for him, obeying him, never stepping out of line. Yet he hated her existence.
Her hands curled into tight fists on her lap. But she no longer cared whether he wanted her or not.
With her head held high and her expression grim, she met his blazing eyes. "Your decision may work for EMT and my father. But not over my parents' legacy—the one they built with their blood and sweat," she declared, her words delivering a direct challenge to his authority.
Gilbert's unyielding gaze remained fixed on her piercing, icy eyes. His grip on his classic walking stick tightened until his knuckles turned pale. It was the first time she had challenged his authority, someone he considered a nobody.
The girl Gilbert once knew to be obedient and composed was now indifferent, unyielding, and defiant.
"How dare you keep acting disrespectfully?!" Clarissa hissed, stepping forward like a loyal child unable to watch her elder be ridiculed in such a way.
Clarissa wanted to add fuel to the fire, but she faltered at the sight of Selina's eyes—hard and dangerous, making her feel cold. She had never seen her like this.
It wasn't the defiance of an abandoned child; it was sharper. Deadlier.
"I will join my parents' company soon, and as for the merger, I won't let it happen. You should find another way to solve your crisis." Selina said coldly as she rose to her feet.
But Clarissa stormed forward, seizing her arm. "All this time, you stayed quiet. Is it jealousy of my good life?"
Selina pulled free, gentle yet resolute. "I'm not jealous of you. I expect your reply once I make an application."
"What if we block you?" Clarissa pressed, her eyes narrowing in fury. "You can't just claim a place without proof."
Selina didn't respond as she turned away.
"I'll accept your request—if you can solve Everett's crisis within two months. If not, the merger goes ahead," Gilbert finally said, his voice strained with reluctant determination.
Selina stopped mid-step. Slowly, she turned to face him, disbelief flickering across her features.
This old man must be joking. She laughed sarcastically in her head.
How could he give her such a difficult challenge tied to her passion, goals, and dreams? He was aware she was incapable of dealing with that.
"Mr Everett, I don't care what crisis your business is facing. Handle it yourself," she taunted, unbothered by their predicament.
"Grandpa, did you see that arrogant girl?!" Clarissa spat at Selina's retreating figure, fists clenched.
Gilbert and Clarissa forced themselves to stay composed, telling themselves that Selina was only acting confidently because she'd married Zane—a man whose persona was both terrifying and unchallenged.
***
[Everett Mansion]
Clarissa stormed in, her heels clicking sharply against the tiled floor, a testament to her rage. She couldn't dare ask her grandfather about his decision.
Reaching the couch, Clarissa slumped down with her arms crossed against her chest as she sat across from her mother. Leah, distracted from her online shopping, turned her attention to her daughter's gunpowder-like presence.
"What's wrong, Clarissa?" Leah asked, glancing between her phone and Rose.
Clarissa snapped her attention to her mother, lamenting. "Can you imagine, mother? Grandfather wants Selina to manage a company crisis we can't even handle!"
Leah's expression turned sour upon hearing this impossible news. "How can that be possible? There's no way he would do that, even in his dreams."
"It has already become possible, mother. Not only that, he agreed to let her join IRIS LUXE and will stop the merger if she fixes it," Clarissa reported, her tone bitter.
Leah's heart sank at that revelation. "What's the old man thinking? We can't let her into that company or anything related to Everett. Where's your grandfather?"
"He should be at the estate," Clarissa replied, recalling how she had stormed out of the café without a glance at her grandfather. She figured his chauffeur would bring him home safely.
"I have to speak to him," Leah said, her chest heaving with fury. "How did Selina find out about the merger?"
"I don't know," Clarissa replied.
Leah's expression darkened, pondering who leaked that to Selina when they're yet to start the process.
Suddenly, Leah spotted Gilbert entering quietly as she stood up from her seat and approached him.
"Father, are you serious? You're letting Selina handle what we couldn't? She has no skills in any of our fields. You're only giving her the chance to ruin us completely," Leah protested. Beside her, Clarissa stayed quiet, secretly hoping her grandfather would take her mother's side as he always did.
Gilbert's expression remained grim, but it was clear Clarissa had already told him everything about the meeting. He listened quietly instead.
"We can't give Selina a place in the family business or IRIS LUXE—not after everything her jinxed fate has caused us. Please reconsider your decision. I'll do my best to solve the problem," Leah added, her tone laced with desperation and caution, feeding Gilbert's old fears.
A shadow flickered across Gilbert's eyes—something deep-seated, almost hidden—at the mention of her "fate." He remembered something drastic.
"You two don't need to worry," he said at last, his voice firm but layered with something else in mind.
With that, Gilbert turned and walked away.
Clarissa scoffed and rolled her eyes, feeling a surge of agitation. She expected him to reverse his decision quickly after everything she had said.
"Don't tell me he'll stick to his word?"
Leah took a deep breath, trying to steady herself after the storm her daughter had brought into the house—a storm that had left her reeling, barely able to think clearly.
Once her mind cleared, and after calculating her father-in-law's reluctance, she finally grasped his intentions.
"Don't panic, my dear. Your grandfather knows what he's doing. You should focus on contributing something meaningful to help navigate this crisis."
Clarissa's chest rose and fell with the pangs of relentless worry.
"We can't just sit by and watch Selina succeed somehow. You know what that would cost us." She persisted, trying to think ahead as well.
Leah paused briefly, a sweet smile on her face as she placed a comforting hand on Clarissa's shoulder. "Why worry about that illiterate child? She can't do anything. We should sit back and watch her embarrass herself."
Clarissa shook her head, shrugging off her mother's false comfort. "I won't be bothered if Selina doesn't have Zane! You know what kind of man he is. He's just an ordinary CEO when it comes to business dealings," she said logically, causing Leah's smile to vanish quickly.
"That's true- the biggest worry. Still, we don't know how their relationship is progressing." Leah mumbled. "I must do something to stop this,"