The blood in Sophia Shaw’s entire body froze. She gripped her phone so tightly her fingertips turned deathly pale.

"Mr. Fletcher is with Yvonne Sherman?"

"Yes," Felix Fletcher didn’t deny it. "I didn’t expect the goddess I saw at the equestrian center to be Ms. Yvonne Sherman’s daughter. She offered to introduce us, and I was also hoping to get to know this goddess better."

Yvonne Sherman did this on purpose! Sophia Shaw dug her nails into her palm until it went numb. Felix Fletcher had hung up.

"What’s going on?" Yancy Shaw realized something was wrong, too.

Sophia Shaw grabbed him and rushed outside. "Uncle, we have to find Yvonne Sherman!"

It took them a great deal of effort to find Yvonne Sherman, and by the time they did, two hours had passed.

Staring at the familiar architecture, Sophia Shaw closed her eyes, taking a deep breath just to summon the strength to get out of the car.

A glimpse of Yvonne Sherman could be seen inside the building.

At that moment, Felix Fletcher called. "My apologies, Miss Shaw. I’ve already signed the contract with the Shermans’ company, Yuri."

Darkness fell. The cold wind, along with Yvonne Sherman’s gaze, pierced Sophia Shaw. She shuddered violently. "Why? You know their technology is nowhere near as good as Swiftstream’s!"

Felix Fletcher didn’t deny it. "Their technology is indeed inferior to Swiftstream’s, but someone was willing to guarantee it."

"Who?"

"Vincent Grant!"

As Felix Fletcher uttered the name she had expected, Sophia Shaw felt as if a sharp blade had raked across her body, draining every last drop of blood from the wound.

Vincent Grant had to know Uncle’s company would go bankrupt without a new deal. And yet he still...

Yvonne Sherman was surrounded by a crowd. Her face was so well-maintained that even at fifty, her skin was fair enough to seem reflective, without a single wrinkle in sight.

Even fifteen years ago, her own mother had looked coarse in comparison, as if they lived in two different worlds.

How could a vampire who just enjoys the fruits of others’ labor ever show her age?

Surrounded by a fawning crowd, she was like the moon among the stars, making Sophia Shaw and Yancy Shaw seem dim and insignificant in comparison.

"Oh dear, why isn’t Joanna down yet?" Yvonne Sherman glanced at her watch, seemingly displeased. She was decked out in jewels, enough to blind someone.

Someone beside her quickly answered, "It’s rare for Joanna to get some alone time with Vincent Grant. You shouldn’t rush her."

"Exactly. They’re young, you should give them a little more time."

The people around her laughed suggestively, their expressions full of meaning.

But Yvonne Sherman stopped in front of everyone to call Joanna Sherman. "Joanna, you get down here right now. The women of the Sherman Family are chaste and pure. We don’t spend the night chatting with married men!"

Chaste and pure?

Hearing those words, Sophia Shaw found them intensely ironic. Back when Joanna Sherman was taking care of the child, Vincent Grant stayed with her almost every day. What was so "chaste and pure" about that?

Using "chaste and pure" to describe a manipulative woman like Joanna Sherman was a true insult to the phrase!

"Yvonne, you’re so principled!"

The people around her immediately began to praise Yvonne Sherman.

"You’d rather go without than accept something inferior. You were like that then, and you’re the same way with your daughter now!"

"This is just who I am," Yvonne Sherman declared. "I would rather suffer hardships alone with my daughter than be like some people and use deception to steal another’s husband! And I expect my daughter to be the same!"

Yvonne Sherman was like a proud peacock, spouting nothing but shameless lies.

Yancy Shaw was so furious, he balled his fists and charged into the crowd. "Yvonne Sherman, you shameless witch! After bleeding my sister dry, you dare stand here and spew this nonsense!"

Yvonne Sherman’s expression flickered for only a moment before she composed herself, her back ramrod straight. "Mr. Shaw, please watch your words. I have never asked the Shaw family for a single cent. Even when life was difficult, and my business was failing, I scraped the money together myself.

"You, on the other hand, endlessly use your sister’s death to attack my company and me. Your sister clearly had mental problems and crashed the car herself, yet you insist on blaming me!

"Over the years, you’ve driven the Sherman Company into a corner time and time again, demanding that I apologize to your sister, kowtow, and beg for forgiveness!

"The only thing I did wrong was getting back together with my husband, and that was after your sister died! Why must you be so aggressive?"

Yvonne Sherman was a master of putting on an act. Her face was now a mask of grief and indignation, and with just a few sentences, she somehow managed to sound completely open and honorable.

Coupled with her tragic yet inspirational backstory, even the onlookers began to sympathize with her, and they all turned on Yancy Shaw.

"He’s a grown man. Why is he always picking on a woman?"

"His sister stole her husband, and she hasn’t even said a word, yet they’re the ones making a scene."

"Blaming his sister’s death on Yvonne is so unfair. A woman as principled as her, how could she possibly get involved with a married man?"

Yvonne Sherman looked at Yancy Shaw with a sorrowful expression. "If I truly did something wrong, I would be willing to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness!"

Sophia Shaw didn’t miss the flash of mockery and provocation in her eyes. The Shermans were all like this. Aloof and principled in public, but absolute scum in private.

Yvonne Sherman only dared to speak like this because the transfer of assets had been handled so flawlessly back then that the Shaw Family couldn’t find any evidence.

Seeing how shameless Yvonne Sherman was, Sophia Shaw felt a crushing weight in her chest, and her heart ached for her mother.

Her poor, foolish mother. To give that husband of hers a better life, she had worked from dawn till dusk, nearly killing herself, and had been hospitalized with stomach bleeding from business drinking more times than she could count.

And that man would only offer a few empty words of concern while secretly funneling the money she earned to Yvonne Sherman to win her affection. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The only reason Yvonne Sherman could live such a "noble" and "virtuous" life was that she was propped up by her mother’s money!

Yvonne Sherman was a master manipulator, pretending she wanted neither the man’s money nor his help.

The more she refused, the more insistent he became, finding all sorts of roundabout ways and alternative channels to give her the money.

They played out their own little drama—a push-and-pull romance where the domineering CEO secretly doted on his childhood sweetheart—and laundered the money so thoroughly in the process that it was impossible to trace.

In their twisted romantic drama, her mother was the only victim!

Yancy Shaw’s heart felt like it was being sliced to pieces. He clenched his fists so hard his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

Thinking of all the wrongs his sister had suffered, he felt a suffocating tightness in his chest, as if his very heart and lungs were being crushed.

He wanted to beat Yvonne Sherman to a pulp! He wanted to tear the bastards who had bullied his sister to shreds!

Suppressing her own pain, Sophia Shaw grabbed Yancy Shaw’s arm. "Uncle, let it go. We’ll find another way."

A harsh, wheezing sound escaped Yancy Shaw’s lips, the hatred in his chest refusing to subside. But when he met Sophia’s pleading eyes, he slowly unclenched his fists.

"Let’s go."

For the next few days, Sophia Shaw continued to help Yancy Shaw desperately search for investors.

But as soon as investors heard the name Swiftstream, they refused without even looking at their proposal.

After several days, Sophia Shaw hadn’t managed to meet with a single investor.

It was the same for Yancy Shaw and June Evans.

Vincent Grant had been pouring money and resources into the Sherman Company for years. Now that he had publicly guaranteed them, the company’s valuation immediately skyrocketed.

Anyone with eyes could see that Vincent Grant was protecting the Sherman Family.

Furthermore, gossip had noted from Vincent Grant and Joanna Sherman’s several public appearances that their relationship was something special, so no one would dare to oppose the Sherman Family.

It was an open secret that Swiftstream had been trying to suppress the Sherman family. Now, everyone naturally wanted to steer clear of Swiftstream.

June Evans quietly told Sophia Shaw that the company had exhausted all its resources and was on the brink of bankruptcy.