chapter1249

Even years after Nora's death, Zane remained fiercely loyal, adhering strictly to her final wishes.

"Star, my dear, are you busy?" he asked. Zane was around the same age as Stella's mother, a man of refined and elegant bearing.

Stella set down her papers and stood to greet him. "Mr. Vance, please, come in."

Her relatively smooth entry into The Williams Group was largely thanks to the support of shareholders loyal to her mother. Zane, more than anyone, was championing her to one day lead the company.

She poured him a glass of water. "Mr. Vance, what brings you here today?"

Zane smiled. "Star, your recent accomplishments have deeply impressed the board. Nearly ninety percent of the neutral shareholders are now backing you. Even some who previously supported your father and brothers are leaning our way. In a company as large as The Williams Group, the power structure is complex. Even your father and brothers face resistance in their decision-making, which is why they're so desperate to acquire the founder's shares. When your mother was in charge, she had significant support, but when Skyler returned, he quickly replaced her."

Zane sighed heavily, launching into a rare story about the past. "When your father first came back, he had amnesia. Your late grandfather had to force him to return. At the time, Aurora's mother, Lisbeth, was ill and needed treatment. Your grandfather used every trick in the book to lure your father back even kidnapping, Lisbeth at one point. Left with no choice, your father returned. But he blamed your mother, Nora, for all of it.

"Skyler had been away from the business for years, but he was a quick study and got back up to speed. Nora, for all her brilliant investment instincts, was not. natural manager. When Skyler first returned, he pretended he was content to focus on the family N let her guard down and gradually handed over management duties to him. But the moment he had power, he purged her key allies and stripped her of her influence. Thankfully, Nora had a contingency plan, or Read full story at f?ndnovel.net

Nora

everything she had worked so hard to build would have been stolen from her."

let

Zane's eyes filled with contempt for Skyler. He had never respected the man's cunning and manipulative tactics, Skyler had preyed on Nora's guilt and her love for their children to seize control of the company using other board members as leverage to force her to step down. Once he was back in power, he brought back that, disgraceful fisherman's daughter and shamelessly resumed their affair. It was rumored that affair was what had driven Skyler's father to an early grave. After his father's death, Skyler became even more brazen.

His actions broke Nora's heart. In the end, she chose to walk away from everything just to escape him.

"Your mother's downfall was her sentimentality toward Skyler and her children," Zane said, his tone serious. "Star, I know you understand better than most how unreliable emotions can be, given your past marriage. So if feelings can't be trusted, why not chase something solid, something real? Why not pursue power?"

He looked directly at Stella. "Men will enter into loveless marriages for business and power, casting their wives aside once the deal is done. A woman can do the same."