Gwen Grayson returned and stormed into Milton Grayson’s study, launching into an aggrieved complaint.
"Dad, how can you be so biased toward my sister? Am I not your daughter too?"
’The luxury goods Vesper bought today must have cost millions. And me? I bought one handbag and nearly blew my entire monthly allowance.’
’Dad must be secretly giving Vesper money. Otherwise, how could she just casually blow several million like that?’
Milton Grayson slowly lifted his gaze from the documents before him, a hint of displeasure creasing his brow. "Gwen, what are you fussing about now?"
He had to admit, on an emotional level, he did dote on Vesper a little more. The girl had lost her mother at a young age, and her quiet, sensible nature always made him feel a little more protective of her. But when it came to money, he had always been impartial. He gave both his daughters a monthly allowance of 300,000, never showing favoritism.
"My sister can casually spend millions, but I only get three hundred thousand a month! It’s not fair! You have to increase my allowance!"
"Vesper’s allowance is exactly the same as yours. I’ve never given her a single extra cent behind your back," Milton Grayson explained patiently, though his fingertips tapped unconsciously on the desk.
"Then where does her money come from, the sky?" Gwen Grayson refused to believe him, tears streaming down her face as she felt utterly wronged. "Even now, you’re still covering for her and defending her! You don’t even see me as your daughter!"
"And you have the nerve to ask me that?" Milton Grayson’s patience finally snapped, and his voice turned cold. "Why don’t you try looking at yourself for the reason? Vesper knows how to manage her finances and understands investing. She achieved financial independence on her own years ago. And you? All you know is how to eat, drink, and be merry, spending money like water. You’re broke by the end of every month, and now you have the audacity to blame me for being biased?"
Gwen Grayson froze. "I don’t believe you! Those are just excuses! How could Vesper possibly know anything about managing money?"
"This is absurd!" Milton Grayson’s brows knitted tightly, his tone cold and unyielding. "Get out. Don’t stand here and aggravate me."
His shout made Gwen Grayson flinch. Unable to suppress her feelings of hurt and anger any longer, she burst into tears, turned, and ran out. Just as she reached the doorway, she collided right into the arms of Joyce Rivers, who had rushed over.
"Mom! You have to help me!" She threw herself into Joyce Rivers’s arms as if clutching a life-saving straw, sobbing as she recounted everything that had just happened, each word dripping with accusations of Milton Grayson’s "bias" against her and his "indulgence" of Vesper.
Joyce Rivers gently patted her on the back. Her eyes were dark and unreadable, but her voice was as gentle as flowing water.
"Silly child, you’ve misunderstood your father this time."
She paused before continuing slowly, "Why would Vesper need your father to give her money secretly? She was playing the stock market with her allowance back in high school. Over the years, her eye for investment has been ruthlessly sharp. She made her own fortune and achieved financial independence long ago."
"How is that possible!" Gwen Grayson shot her head up, her tear-filled eyes wide with disbelief. "How could she know how to do that? Dad must have taught her in secret! Mom, you’re not lying to me, are you?"
A faint smile touched Joyce Rivers’s lips, and an almost imperceptible glint flickered in her eyes.
"Why would I lie to you? Why else do you think I’ve tolerated her presence in the Grayson family all this time?"
She gently stroked Gwen’s hair. "Everything the Grayson family has will belong to you and Jonathan one day. Vesper is just a motherless child. No matter how much money she makes, she can’t take away what belongs to you."
Joyce Rivers’s thoughts drifted back more than twenty years.
When she married Milton Grayson, his career was just beginning to take off, and he desperately needed support. She had used the Rivers family’s resources, standing by his side as he fought his way to the top, which resulted in the Grayson Group of today. How could she possibly allow a motherless, abandoned girl to snatch away everything that rightfully belonged to her own children?
She had heard the story: just a few months after Vesper was born, her mother had suddenly vanished while on a trip with Milton Grayson.
The Grayson family had used every connection they had, searching for over half a year, but ultimately found nothing.
Later, seeing Milton so dejected and listless over the missing woman, the Grayson family arranged for her to meet him on a blind date.
The first time she saw Milton Grayson, she was captivated by his handsome face and steady demeanor. Even after he confessed that his heart belonged to a missing love and that he had an infant daughter, she still married him without a second thought.
She had once naively believed that if she was gentle enough, and a virtuous enough wife, she could one day replace that woman in his heart. But more than twenty years had passed, and she had never truly managed to capture Milton Grayson’s heart.
After all these years together, day in and day out, she had still lost to a woman who had been missing for years, a woman who might not even be alive.
’Did Milton really think I was clueless about the men he’d secretly sent to search for that woman all these years?’
At first, she had been consumed with worry, terrified that he would actually find the woman and that her own years of devotion would be for naught. But as year after year passed with no news, the knot of anxiety in her chest slowly began to loosen.
’Perhaps that woman was long dead!’
...
Vesper had spent the previous night at Shiloh Sloan’s place.
The next day, she reported to the company on time.
Milton Grayson’s assistant, Aaron Sawyer, led her to an office with a window.
"Miss Grayson, President Grayson had me prepare this office specifically for you. I hope you find it satisfactory."
The office wasn’t large, but it was clean and bright with plenty of natural light.
It was fully equipped.
Vesper nodded. "Thank you."
She wasn’t particular about her workspace. As long as she had a quiet space of her own to handle her affairs, she was content.
"President Grayson also said that if you can secure the exclusive distribution rights for Vaudin in Greater China before your sister does, you can then move into the Vice President’s office with full justification."
"Where is my father?"
"President Grayson is in his office."
She nodded and went to find Milton Grayson.
"Is the office to your liking?"
"It’s very nice."
Vesper sat down across from him and got straight to the point.
"Dad, I want to go to the Hawthorne estate in person and apologize to Master Hawthorne face-to-face."
"Master Hawthorne has been recuperating at his mountain villa for the past few years. It won’t be easy for you to get a meeting with him, especially after you ran away from the wedding. He’s not exactly fond of you right now."
"That’s precisely why I must go apologize in person—because I was the one in the wrong. It’s the only way to show my sincerity. I’ve already prepared an apology gift: a painting by Thornton, which I know Master Hawthorne is fond of."
"How did you get your hands on a Thornton painting?" Milton Grayson asked, surprised.
"I bought it at the Apex Auction House last night."
"That painting must have been expensive, right? If you spent your money on that, you must be short on cash now, aren’t you?"
"I still have savings. It’s enough."
"How much did you spend?"
"7.5 million."
"I’ll reimburse you. You should keep your own money for yourself."
"There’s no need," Vesper said, shaking her head. "If Miss Joyce and Gwen found out, they would just resent you for it."
"You don’t have to worry about them," Milton Grayson said gently. "Even if they found out, they wouldn’t dare say anything. A family should share its fortunes and misfortunes. This painting is for the purpose of mending our relationship with the Hawthorne family, so it’s only right for the company to cover the cost. Give me a few days to find out Master Hawthorne’s recent whereabouts, and I’ll go with you."
"Okay." She nodded.
"Oh, right." Milton Grayson handed her a thick stack of documents. "Take the next couple of days to go through these. It’ll help you get familiar with the company’s operations as quickly as possible."
Vesper took the file. When she opened it, she was surprised to find they were core operational documents for the Grayson Group from the past several years.
"Alright, I’ll go look at them now."
After Vesper left the office, Milton Grayson called out to the person outside the door.
"Aaron."