Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Extending the invite
For a moment, I could only stare at the both of them. The words that I wanted to say were stuck behind a lump in my throat.
Was my father stepping down?
The man who had clung to that CEO title as though it were a part of his soul. The man who treated Hart Group as his greatest achievement, his life’s work, his legacy.
And he was handing it over to Lucas? Just like that? Why?
My stomach dropped. This was all too sudden. I blinked up at them in disbelief, pushing myself upright so abruptly that pain shot through my body, but I barely noticed. My pulse thundered in my ears as I searched their faces for any sign that this was some kind of sick joke.
"What?" The single word spilled from my lips in a whisper, and I couldn’t hide the surprise in my eyes even if I tried to.
"Surprised?" A smirk morphed onto Lucas’ lips.
No, this made no sense.
I wouldn’t have been half as surprised if my father had named Jessica CEO. After all, he had already handed her the marketing division despite her complete lack of qualifications, and she had spent all this time trying to get in his good graces, playing the innocent perfect daughter. But making Lucas the Hart Group’s new CEO? That’s news.
Jessica’s hand curled around his even more tightly this time, practically glowing with satisfaction. "Lucas deserves it," she declared proudly, her high-pitched voice slicing through my thoughts. "He works harder than anyone I know. He understands the tech industry, he’s intelligent, capable, ambitious..."
She looked up at him with exaggerated admiration, batting her thick lashes at him. "Daddy and I trust him completely to run the company." She squeezed his arm lightly. "I know he will do an amazing job."
Beside her, Lucas visibly straightened. His shoulders squared, and his chest puffed out. The smug grin on his face grew so wide I wanted to wipe it off myself. He was enjoying every second of this, basking in every compliment that left Jessica’s lips.
Her expression hardened the second her gaze left Lucas and shifted to me instead. I watched as her eyes narrowed, and the warmth from her face vanished completely.
"So don’t you even think about trying to change daddy’s mind. He won’t listen to you. He had made up his mind about this. You can’t take this away from us even if you tried. There’s nothing you can do about it."
I clenched my jaw so hard that it was starting to hurt. My sharp nails dug into my palms, forming little crescent moons. I just couldn’t help but wonder what did they say to my father for him to do something so ridiculous. The Hart Group was his blood, sweat, and tears. He treated it like a precious jewel, and it was all he cared about.
So, how? What the hell happened?
I frowned, my gaze fixated on Jessica and Lucas as I processed their words.
I wish I could say that I didn’t care about what happened to Hart Group, but Hart Group wasn’t just a company. It was my late mother’s dream too. It belonged to her just as much as it belonged to my father. I couldn’t simply just sit back and let Jessica and Lucas take over and destroy everything my mother painstakingly built with my father.
If it weren’t for my late mother’s contribution and dedication, Hart Group wouldn’t be where it is today. I knew I needed to protect Hart Group from these monsters, I wouldn’t let them run this company to the ground.
I carefully pushed myself off the bed, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed to reach the ground. It was only when a wave of dizziness hit me out of nowhere that I noticed how much weaker I was this time. Rhys immediately noticed and sprang to action, lending me his hand. He kept one hand firmly on my back as I steadied myself.
I lifted my head, my eyes connecting with theirs. "And why on earth would father give up his position as CEO to Lucas? Why him?" I narrowed my eyes into thin slits, pinning them with a vicious glare. "What did you do?" I questioned coldly, the words that left my lips were dripping with accusation.
They paused. For a brief moment, neither of them said a word as silence stretched taut between the four of us. Lucas’ confidence even seemed to falter for a split second.
"It’s none of your business," Lucas finally snapped, a muscle tic in his jaw.
"Exactly, Lucas is right," Jessica chimed in.
A bitter laugh climbed out of my throat. The fucking audacity.
Lucas folded his arms over his chest. "If your father chose to give the position to me, who are you to question him? Who are you to challenge his decision?"
An incredulous laughter slipped past my lips. Was an outsider questioning me about my family’s business?
"Who am I?" I echoed his words. "I am his daughter," I declared, pointing toward my chest. "I have every right to question him."
The moment the words left my mouth, Lucas threw his head back and guffawed. His maniacal laughter was echoing in this confined space, the sound was ugly, mocking, and cruel.
"You? His daughter?" His eyes gleamed. "Seriously, Evelyn Hart. You must be joking. I can’t believe you are still calling yourself that after what happened. Didn’t your own father disown you at the gala?" He mocked with a teasing smile plastered across his face.
The words landed like a slap to my face.
I could feel Rhys’ body go rigid beside me, and the anger that was pulsing beneath the surface. "Watch your tone," he demanded through gritted teeth.
"Lucas didn’t say anything wrong." Jessica lifted her chin proudly when she spoke, and then her eyes that were glittering with triumph, landed on me. "Daddy made himself very clear. He said he wants nothing to do with someone like you. I am his only daughter now. I am the rightful heir of the Hart Group! And if I want Lucas to be the CEO, then he will be the CEO."
She paused to cackle. "And there’s absolutely nothing you can do or say to change anything."
A cold chuckle left my parted lips. I didn’t bother telling her that I was still legally the oldest daughter of Alexander Hart. I was also the rightful heir of the Hart Group. But she didn’t need to know any of that until the day I came back to claim it as my own.
"We shall see about that. Don’t be so confident yet," I warned, my expression full of disdain as my eyes darted between the two of them. But I remained calm despite the fury that was roaring inside of me.
They seemed unfazed, though. In fact, the smirks that were already plastered across their faces widened, as delight and satisfaction swirled in the depths of their eyes.
Lucas scoffed loudly this time as his eyes landed on me.
"God, you’re so pathetic, Evelyn Hart," he laughed, the arrogant look still etched on his face, returning at full force.
It was clear that he thought that he had won. He was nothing like that disheveled, pathetic man I saw in the office lobby the last time he lost his job as CEO of Smith Enterprise. He was now a man intoxicated by power, a man convinced he was untouchable.
"Still clinging to false hope. What’s there to see, hm? Don’t tell us what to do. If you think you can do anything to stop it, you are dead wrong. But..." his voice trailed off for a moment, smugness laced his tone. "I would love to see you try."
"Dad will be hosting a celebration event next week," Jessica announced, her excitement barely contained. "He will be officially announcing his retirement from the Hart Group and appointing Lucas and me as the new CEO and CFO."
The pride in her voice was nauseating. Then her smile turned wicked.
"Oh." She paused dramatically. "As for the other announcement..."
A strange gleam entered her eyes, one that instantly put me on edge as a million thoughts ran through my mind.
"Let’s just say that there’s other exciting news that we would love to share with everyone," she stated smugly, and paused as if to contemplate her next few words.
A twisted smile curled the corners of her lips, her bright eye twinkling with what seemed like joy and excitement. I watched as she reached into her designer handbag, pulling out a gold-trimmed envelope that seemed to contain an invitation.
She slowly leaned forward, deliberately holding the envelope between two fingers. The smile that was still lingering on her lips widened this time. She kept her eyes on me the whole time before she extended the envelope towards Rhys and me.
"We would love it if you two could come."
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