Chapter 70: Chapter 66: Snatching the Niece’s Inheritance

Carrying her backpack, Aurora Sinclair walked into Chester Greene’s office as usual.

She set down her backpack, opened the container of chicken drumstick over rice on the desk, and began to eat in silence.

Alvin Morgan rested his chin on his hand, his eyes drifting to her hair, which was gradually growing longer. “What did you get up to this afternoon?” he asked lightly.

“The hot springs,” Aurora Sinclair replied, taking a bite of her chicken drumstick.

“With your aunt?”

“Yeah.” As if remembering something, Aurora Sinclair pulled two boxes of handmade pastries from her backpack and set them on the desk. They were a gift from Neve Sherwood.

“They’re delicious,” she said, pushing one of the boxes toward him.

Alvin Morgan picked up the box and turned it over in his hands. The packaging was exquisite. It had a handwritten blessing, and in place of a signature was a unique symbol—the crest of the Sherwood Clan, one of Niphoria’s Ancient Martial Families.

Others might not recognize it, but he had just wrested the Young Family Notes from the Sherwood Clan of Niphoria.

’How interesting!’

An inscrutable smile touched Alvin Morgan’s lips.

***

「Two days later.」

The Sinclair Group’s shareholder meeting finally began.

Master Sinclair attended in his finest attire. Aside from the younger Sinclairs still in school, every family member and shareholder with a stake in the company was required to be there.

The five-hundred-seat conference hall was nearly full.

Hailey Gordon, sitting beside Linton Sinclair, muttered under her breath, “Something feels off. Why is Janet the only one who came back?”

Linton Sinclair shot her a glance and reminded her coolly, “Aurora is an adult now.”

As if struck by a thought, Hailey Gordon’s expression darkened, and she ground her teeth.

’That old fossil, he really kept this under wraps!’

Many of the Sinclair family’s servants were her spies, allowing her to keep tabs on Master Sinclair and Butler Sinclair’s every move. This time, however, she had been unable to uncover the purpose of the shareholder meeting.

Linton Sinclair continued, “Seventy percent of Second Brother’s assets ended up in Janet’s hands. We didn’t get much.”

“That was still hundreds of millions! All for that little freak…” Hailey Gordon said, her expression pained and full of bitter resentment.

When Thomas Sinclair’s assets were divided, she had considered it bad luck and had been reluctant to take much. But after all these years, those assets had grown tremendously. Giving them back now would be like carving off a piece of her own flesh.

Hailey Gordon was seething with a helpless rage; Linton Sinclair’s signature was right there in black and white.

If they didn’t return the assets, they would have to pay Aurora Sinclair an equivalent dividend each year—which was still a huge sum of money.

She stewed with resentment just thinking about it. This was the main reason she had been so against Aurora Sinclair’s return.

Seated at the head of the table, Master Sinclair made a few perfunctory opening remarks before cutting straight to the chase: he demanded that the family members who had managed Aurora Sinclair’s assets in her stead return them to their rightful owner.

Linton Sinclair braced himself to speak, but Hailey Gordon cut in, “Dad, this requires careful consideration. Aurora may be an adult, but she has no experience in the business world. If she takes over now, she won’t know how to manage anything…”

Master Sinclair snorted, not even deigning to look at her. “Linton, are you trying to steal your niece’s inheritance?”

Linton Sinclair, his face flushed with embarrassment, hastily denied it.

Hailey Gordon’s expression turned sullen. Under the table, she dug her nails sharply into Linton Sinclair’s leg.

Janet Sinclair shot her a cool glance before addressing the head of the table directly. “Dad, this is the contract Aurora signed, renouncing her shares. Please take a look.”

As soon as she spoke, the expression on every face in the conference hall changed.

Master Sinclair thought he must have misheard. But after seeing the signature in black and white, his face turned ashen, and he fixed his youngest daughter with a dark glare.

But Janet Sinclair simply raised her chin, her gaze unwavering as she met her father’s eyes. “Dad, Aurora gave up the shares I was holding for her of her own accord.”

“You…” Master Sinclair snatched the contract from the table, furiously suppressing the urge to tear it to shreds. “When did this happen?” he demanded in a low voice.

Just then, a smirk appeared on Hailey Gordon’s face. “Dad,” she said snidely, “since Aurora doesn’t want these assets, I suppose we don’t have to return them, do we?”

“How dare you—” Master Sinclair roared, slamming his hand on the table.

He had expected Linton’s family wouldn’t give up the shares easily, but he never imagined that his youngest daughter, whom he doted on, would act so ruthlessly.

“What did you say to Aurora? COUGH, COUGH, COUGH…” Master Sinclair clutched his chest, coughing violently.

Butler Sinclair immediately rushed forward to help him, shooting Janet Sinclair a reproachful look.

Tanner Sinclair turned to glare at his twin sister. “Janet,” he reminded her in a low voice, “that was what Second Brother left for Aurora…”

But Janet Sinclair merely glanced at him and said coolly, “I didn’t force her. She gave it up willingly.”

“You—COUGH, COUGH, COUGH…” Master Sinclair’s ragged coughing was heart-wrenching to hear.

Hailey Gordon, who had long resented Janet Sinclair, seized the chance to add fuel to the fire. “See, Dad? Now it’s perfectly clear who’s really after their niece’s inheritance.”

“That’s enough!” Linton Sinclair hissed, tugging at her arm when he saw Master Sinclair’s face grow even darker.

Clutching his chest, Master Sinclair gestured to Butler Sinclair, pointing at the documents on the table.

Butler Sinclair understood immediately. He picked up the documents and spoke into the microphone. “There are two announcements to be made today. First, the heir apparent agreement stipulated in the original will of Mr. Preston Sinclair is hereby revoked. A new agreement will be announced in one year.”

“What—” Hailey Gordon’s face paled as she let out a shriek.

Butler Sinclair merely gave her a cool glance. “Second, Ms. Janet Sinclair will be stepping down from her position as President of the Sinclair Group’s Overseas Division, effective immediately. Mr. Linton Sinclair will be her successor.”

Janet Sinclair’s eyebrows shot up. She clearly hadn’t expected this. Standing, she gave Master Sinclair a thumbs-up and laughed. “Master Sinclair, they say the older the ginger, the hotter the spice! Fine, you win…” With that, she grabbed her sunglasses from the table and strode out of the conference hall, her face a grim mask.

After Janet Sinclair left, Hailey Gordon was the next to her feet, demanding agitatedly, “Dad, what did Linton do wrong? Why would you revoke his status as heir?”

But Butler Sinclair replied, his face impassive, “Madam, the Family Head’s decisions are not to be questioned.”

Hailey Gordon was left speechless, her face ashen. She clenched her fists, turning to look at Linton Sinclair, who was still sitting dumbly in his chair. In a fit of exasperation at his weakness, she struck his arm. “Well? Aren’t you going to say something?”

But Linton Sinclair remained silent, as if stunned by the announcement.

Butler Sinclair scanned the room and announced in a businesslike tone, “The Family Head is unwell. Mr. Tanner Sinclair will now preside over the remainder of the meeting.”

***

「That night.」

Master Sinclair was admitted to the hospital.

The atmosphere in his hospital room was fraught with tension.

His four children were gathered around the hospital bed, each with a different expression.

The more Hailey Gordon thought about it back home, the more she felt something was off. There was something suspicious about Linton Sinclair being stripped of his status as heir.

On the surface, Master Sinclair had stripped Janet Sinclair of her authority, but he had also transferred her back to Kingsford. Meanwhile, though Linton Sinclair had gained more direct power, he was now far from the Sinclair family’s center of influence.

’She had a nagging feeling that Master Sinclair wanted Tanner Sinclair to inherit the family business, with Janet there to support him.’

’If that was his plan, it was a brilliant move!’

Seething with resentment, Hailey Gordon was the first to lash out at Janet Sinclair. “Well, Janet, I hope you’re happy now that Dad’s in this state. Stealing from your own niece—how could you bring yourself to do it!”

Janet Sinclair gave her a cool glance and replied without missing a beat, “At least I did it out in the open, unlike some people who prefer to play dirty games in the shadows.”

Hearing the insinuation, Hailey Gordon gritted her teeth and turned to Master Sinclair, her voice a tearful whine. “Dad, just look at her! She has no respect for her elders, and she’s the one who angered you into this state! She’s a disgrace—”

Leaning against the wall, Janet Sinclair idly flicked a lighter in her hand, a smirk playing on her lips.

Master Sinclair, wearing an oxygen cannula, kept his eyes closed and said nothing.

When he didn’t respond, Hailey Gordon secretly pinched herself, forcing her eyes to redden. Her voice thick with fake tears, she pleaded, “Dad, you have to take care of yourself. Linton says he’ll definitely give the shares back to Aurora. We would never try to steal from our niece…”

Master Sinclair remained silent, as if he had fallen asleep.

Jade Sinclair gently tucked the blanket around the ashen-faced old man. “Sister-in-law,” she said, her own eyes red-rimmed, “let’s not bother Dad with this anymore. Let him rest for a few days. We can discuss company matters later.”

Hailey Gordon pressed her lips together, swallowing her dissatisfaction. She made a show of dabbing at the corner of her eye. “Rest well, Dad. Please don’t let Janet’s behavior ruin your health. We’ll come see you another day…”

As she spoke, she shot a venomous glare at Janet Sinclair before grabbing Linton Sinclair’s arm and pulling him from the room.

After they had all gone, Master Sinclair opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling and asked softly, “Forrest, why do you think Marcel did this? It’s not like Aurora was in her way…”

Butler Sinclair stepped forward and sat on the edge of the bed. He sighed. “Family Head, perhaps it would have been better if Miss Aurora had never returned to the Sinclair family.”

“Why would you say that, too? COUGH, COUGH, COUGH…”

“Family Head, please don’t get agitated…” Butler Sinclair helped Master Sinclair sit up, quickly soothing him.

“COUGH, COUGH, COUGH… Get Marcel. Bring her back here…”

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