Chapter 280

Natalie seethed, but without proof, she dared not provoke Shermaine further.

Jameson, however, was beyond reason. “You claim you paid that scammer? Show me the evidence.”

Shermaine replied calmly, “I didn’t pay a cent.” She paused, then added, “My husband did. If you want proof, I can call him over right now.”

Everyone knew her husband was Joshua, a man no one dared to question lightly.

Jameson’s face purpled. He feared Joshua, who had never spared him courtesy. Worse, Shermaine didn’t even pretend to respect him. The fact choked Jameson.

Shermaine smiled, “Oh, it seems you’ve changed your mind.”

Jameson could only glare at her.

Shermaine continued, “Mr. Jean, question me like this again, and I won’t bother with familial niceties next time.”

“You… You ungrateful brat!” Jameson sputtered.

“If I’m a brat, you’re the deadbeat dad?” Shermaine snorted.

Jameson was left speechless. He couldn’t refute the fact.

“Since Ms. Keller isn’t a shareholder, her presence is inappropriate.” Ross nodded to his secretary. “Lead her out.”

“Yes, Mr. Jean.” The secretary approached Natalie, stone-faced. “Ms. Keller, please leave.”

Humiliation burned through Natalie. The feeling was worse than being stripped naked in public. She couldn’t believe Ross was really kicking her out. She turned tearfully to Jameson. “Jamie.”

“Stay,” Jameson barked, flexing his authority as the president. “No one removes anyone under my watch.”

Feeling supported, Natalie lifted her chin proudly. Her smirk returned. “Hear that? I don’t need shares to stay. No one can throw me out.”

Even Jameson’s allies grew uneasy. One shareholder cleared his throat. “Mr. Jean, protocol dictates she shouldn’t be here.”

Another added pointedly, “If confidential information leaks, the responsibility falls on you.”

The unspoken warning was clear. If Jameson insisted on breaking the rules, Ross would have more than enough reason to move against him.

Jameson wanted to argue, but under overwhelming pressure from Shermaine and Ross, he relented. Defeated, he gritted out. “Nat, just go outside for now.”

Natalie’s lips whitened from pressure. With a final glare, she stormed out, her stilettos stabbing the floor.

The revote ended in a tie. Jameson’s plan to exile Ross to Archulea collapsed. Worse, Ross owned Ruth’s 15% stake, and his influence had only grown.

But this agreement wasn’t without flaws. The person who had actually signed it wasn’t Ruth at all. Technically, this agreement was legally invalid.

Madeline signed the agreement. She used a cloned body. Her appearance, DNA, and fingerprints were identical to Ruth’s, making her signature legally valid.

But Jameson couldn’t possibly reveal that scandal. If he did, no one would believe him. They would think he was just making up stories to target Ross. The shareholder meeting ended, leaving Jameson humiliated, and worse, everyone knew he had lost ten billion dollars in a failed scheme.

By mid-afternoon, Ruth’s car idled outside the Jean residence. She sat in the car, studying the house, familiar yet foreign after all these years.

Richard, though deeply reluctant about her decision to return, knew he had no choice but to let go. “Only Janice is home right now.”

“Where’s Jameson?” Ruth asked.

“At the office.” Richard clenched his fists. “He has spent years undermining Ross. Today, he called a shareholder meeting to exile him to Archulea.” It was a blatant power grab.

“How did it go?”

“Backfired spectacularly. Natalie tried scamming the shares, but Shermaine outmaneuvered them. Cost Jameson ten billion dollars and humiliated them both in front of everyone.”

Ruth exhaled in relief, proud of her children. Still, Jameson had betrayed her and allowed Natalie to strut around Jean Group as if she belonged there. Ruth would never forget that humiliation.

And there was a matter of how Jameson had endangered Shermaine years ago. That debt was still unpaid.

“Madeline has been exposed and detained,” Richard added. “They think you’re dead. Your timing is perfect.”

Inside the Jean residence, Janice skipped her nap. She sat in an armchair, listening absently to the radio. Just then, the doorbell rang.

None of the servants were in the living room. Janice got up to open the door. “Who is it?”

Ruth stood with her back to the door. At the sound of Janice’s voice, she slowly turned around, “It’s me. I’m Ruthie.”

Janice’s eyes widened in shock the moment she saw Ruth.

At Jean Group, Shermaine had planned to have high tea with Ross at the office before heading to school. Suddenly, her phone rang. It was Janice calling.