Araceli POV
I froze.
Valeria was automatically drawn to Raphael every time she saw him.
Krish turned his head. He frowned slightly when he saw Valeria and pulled Valeria's arm.
"Vallie, don't go out. Mommy will be worried." Krish whispered, "Mom is not feeling well right now. We can't let her worry about us, right?"
Valeria looked at Krish, nodded, and stopped in her tracks.
She looked at Raphael's back in the corridor. After a long moment, she withdrew her eyes.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
...
I felt better, but still a little groggy, so I decided to stay here until tomorrow.
Krish and Valeria slept on the other bed in the ward. They stayed quiet and didn't make a fuss.
Reynaldo sat on the edge of the bed and whispered, "I have sent someone to check it out. It was indeed Eclipse who sent those men to kill you today."
"I know." I frowned. "Eliezer just went to the police station, but the female secretary won't say anything."
"That was Eclipse's plan." Reynaldo said coldly, "But we can do that to them, too."
He brought over a stack of papers.
"This is information about Eclipse Group's potential clients. I did some research."
I frowned and asked him, "How did you get this stuff?"
He shook his head. "I have some connections."
I took the papers over and glanced at them casually.
It was very detailed and documented the operational strategies and product information of many large companies that were not known to the public.
I said sincerely, "Thank you, Reynaldo."
"It's nothing." Reynaldo waved his hand, then smiled, "But if you really want to thank me, you can marry me."
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
The glimmer of gratitude immediately dissipated.
I stared at him coldly and said, "I can beat you up instead."
Reynaldo laughed and said, "I'm just kidding. Come on, do you take it seriously?"
I coughed twice and took my glass of water.
...
The next morning, Reynaldo took the two kids to Brizela Daycare.
I went home, changed my clothes, and drove to Eclipse Group.
This was the first time I'd been here since I returned to the US.
Eclipse Group's building stood on one of the most expensive pieces of land in New York. It towered above the clouds and looked dazzling with the blue sky and white clouds reflected in the glass of the facade.
I walked in with ease.
As soon as I appeared in the lobby, I attracted the attention of countless people.
I was the eldest daughter of Eclipse, the "most notorious woman" in New York. My presence was certainly enough to alert every employee of Eclipse Group.
"Is it Araceli Chancey? Why is she here?"
"Yesterday the news said that Araceli became a shareholder of Eclipse Group! There's a shareholder meeting today. She's probably here because of that."
"Is she fucking crazy? She doesn't know anything! How is such a trollop going to be a shareholder of our group? She will ruin everything, including our jobs!"
Amidst the chattering voices, I calmly stepped into the elevator.
In a short while, I arrived at the president's office.
I came here the year I turned eighteen to sign the agreement to inherit my mother's shares.
I didn't expect that so many things would happen afterwards. Now that I was back here again, I was surprised to feel a little nostalgic.
"What are you doing here?"
Zackary received a call from his secretary and immediately rushed out.
In the hallway, I looked at my father with cold eyes.
There was something unexpected in his eyes. I thought maybe it was because I didn't show any fear.
I smiled, "Mr. Chancey, I'm the majority shareholder of Eclipse Group, so of course I'm here today for the shareholders' meeting."
Zackary said angrily, "Are you crazy? Araceli, do you know our group's business strategy? Do you know which clients we are in contact with? There is no point for you to attend the shareholders' meeting! I'll ask someone to send you back immediately..."
"Mr. Chancey, you're wrong. I'm not as stupid as you think." I said sarcastically, "Besides, you had nothing to do with the creation of Eclipse Group. It was built by my mother! And now, I'm coming back to take over my mother's mantle."
Zackary was so angry that he was trembling, and his eyes seemed to be burning with fire.
I smiled calmly. I knew that my father had always loathed me for bringing up my mother because she was so much smarter than him.
After my mother died, he always felt he was the one in charge.
I was here to break all that.
There was contempt in my eyes. How could Zackary have played the role of a loving father for so many years in order to steal my shares?
Soon, I regained my composure and smiled politely, "Maybe I inherited my mother's business talent, Mr. Chancey."
Zackary suppressed his anger and yelled, "Get the fuck out!"
"Even if I get out, it doesn't change the fact that Eclipse Group was founded by my mother."
My indifferent tone was in stark contrast to Zackary's fury.
A few secretaries in the hallway were too frightened to speak, staring at us fearfully.
Zackary said grimly, "You really should have died that night!"
I nodded and smiled, "But I didn't, my dear father. I came back to drag you down to hell with me."
From now on, he was no longer my father, and I was no longer his daughter.
I had nothing to worry about now.
"That's enough!"
Melany hurriedly came over. The heels of her high heels hit the ground with crisp ringing sounds.
Melany said gently, "The shareholders' meeting will be held soon. Araceli, don't be so aggressive, okay?"
I turned my head and stared at her, my eyes sharp.
I said coldly, "Melany, you're here. Do you want this bullshit company so badly that you'd kill me for it?"
Melany froze for a second, then suddenly, her eyes widened, and she shook her head. "Araceli, I don't know what you're talking about."