Chapter 328

Shermaine’s words landed like a barrage of daggers in Jameson’s chest, piercing him with excruciating pain. He was consumed by misery.

‘How is this my own doing?’ he thought.

He refused to accept it. He thought, ‘Why should my current choices be labeled self-inflicted? I didn’t misjudge people. How many men could stand having a wife more successful than themselves?’

‘If Shermaine and Ross had been half as dutiful and compliant as Jason, would I have ignored them? Would I have treated them like strangers? How is this all my fault?’

But Jameson overlooked a crucial fact–relationships were two-way. How could he demand from others what he himself hadn’t given?

Overcome with rage, he lunged to strike Shermaine, only to be blocked before reaching her.

This wasn’t the first time Jameson realized how daunting it was to cross his powerhouse daughter. He was no match for her.

After the meeting, Shermaine swept out in triumph. By the time Ross recovered and returned, she’d have purged most of the corrupt figures from the company.

Jameson stayed in the conference room, utterly overwhelmed.

He’d embezzled five billion dollars. Failing to repay it would mean another lawsuit. Problems kept piling up.

‘Why did Shermaine come back after all those years? Things would’ve been better if she’d never returned,’ he thought.

As this thought hit him, a wave of powerlessness washed over him, followed by dizziness. A warm trickle ran from his nose. When he touched it, his hand came away bloody.

He brushed it off as leftover effects from poor food and sleep in the police station.

With Jameson removed as chairman, Jason would never enter Jean Group’s inner circle. The shares he held were now worthless.

The two left the building in utter disgrace.

“Dad, I’m heading to the hospital to see Mom. You coming?” Jason asked as they left Jean Group.

“Go on your own. I’m not in the mood,” Jameson snapped, striding off.

At Yaleview Hospital, Natalie’s condition had stabilized, but the areas where the allergic reaction had flared now bore dark, stubborn scars.

Holding a hand mirror, she saw the blotchy marks–like permanent black birthmarks–and flew into a rage, smashing the mirror against the wall.

She thought, ‘How could I keep Jameson hooked looking like this? Even if I use that aphrodisiac perfume to stoke his desire, will he still find me attractive?’

Spotting Jason, she demanded, “What’s the update? Did you fix this mess?”

Jason hesitated before confessing, “Mom, Dad got removed as chairman. Shermaine did it.”

“What?” Natalie gasped, stunned. “That bitch had the right to do so?”

“Some of the ten billion dollars Dad gave you came from embezzled company funds. Shermaine found the evidence,” Jason explained.

Natalie’s face paled. Years of scheming had gone up in smoke. “Your dad’s a pathetic fool. Letting a nobody like Shermaine take him down. He couldn’t even marry me, and now he has lost everything.”

Jameson, who’d initially decided not to visit, had a change of heart. Fueled by guilt and lingering attraction, he turned back, only to overhear Natalie trashing him as a failure.