“What’s her next step?”

“She’s still leaving with Mrs. Brown,” Eric said, slipping an arm around Hadley as they climbed the stairs. “Their schedule hasn’t shifted. They’ll leave as planned.”

Hadley wasn’t so sure. A quiet unease gnawed at her. Could Elissa really walk away so easily given the situation?

“It’s tough to predict,” Eric admitted with a sigh. “If it were just Elissa’s choice, she might struggle to leave. But her mother’s set on it. Oh, and…” Eric paused, a thought striking him. “Did you reach out to Cristian?”

Hadley faltered, a trace of guilt flickering across her face. “You… found out about that, huh?”

“Yeah. Tell me, what are you planning?” he asked calmly.

The whole thing started because Cristian told Eric that Hadley had asked him to find a lawyer for Chelsey.

Eric couldn’t wrap his head around it. “Chelsey caused you so much harm. And you’re still doing this for her?”

Hadley shook her head and explained, “I’m not helping her. I just heard that after everything that happened, her father never went to see her.”

Sure, Chelsey had been wrong. But deep down, the fault lay with her father. And now he had left her alone, forcing her to face it all by herself. It struck Hadley as rather sad.

Hadley sighed and added, “Think of it as paying her back for that one final bit of kindness when she stopped me from drinking that coffee. Getting her a lawyer just means she can go through the legal process properly. Whatever the law decides, that’s how it will be. And I won’t step in again.”

Eric understood what she meant. “Alright. I’ll tell Cristian to go ahead and get her a lawyer.”

He didn’t mind carrying out this small gesture for her. It was a little thing on his end, and it wouldn’t let Chelsey slip past the law. As for whatever sentence came down, that was the judge’s problem. And with Cristian taking care of things for them, neither Eric nor Hadley would have anything to worry about.

“Come on. Let’s go upstairs. Joy’s probably finished her bath by now.”

“Okay.”

? g?ν﹐

While Hadley helped Joy get dressed after her bath, Eric made his way to the study. Phillips was already there waiting.

Eric got straight to the point. “Everything going smoothly?”

For days now, he had been staying on Jewel Avenue, leaving all the business matters in Phillips’ hands.

Phillips nodded. “Yes. No need to worry, Mr. Scott. Gifford’s getting ready to meet with Mr. Flynn.”

That drew a smile from Eric. With a nod, he remarked, “Well, it’s about time.”

Phillips smiled faintly as well. “Gifford really isn’t the sharpest tool.”

Eric couldn’t have agreed more. He hadn’t even bothered to put in much effort yet, and still, Gifford had fallen for it so easily. No wonder Ferris had once called him a failure.

Eric shook his head with a chuckle. “A man like that would ruin the Scott Group even if it were handed to him on a silver platter. No wonder Ferris won’t let him take the reins.” Then he turned to Phillips and said, “You’ve done well. Go get some rest.”

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