Jeffrey, sitting in a garden lounge chair, looked at Gloria and habitually narrowed his eyes slightly.
Gloria, still draped in a black veil, clenched her fists tightly, veins bulging on the back of her hands. She stood ramrod straight, her pale purple eyes behind the veil staring directly at Jeffrey, her voice showing no sign of backing down.
There were only two people in the garden, making the atmosphere exceptionally quiet and oppressive, with the occasional chirping of insects from the withered grass being the only sound.
"Who gave you the courage to say such things to me? Or rather, what makes you think I would agree to your suggestion that a woman become the heiress to the Morton family?" Jeffrey looked at Gloria in silence for a long time before finally speaking.
"It was my father who gave me courage. He can choose to do what he truly loves, and I feel that I can also choose to do what I want to do, just like he gave up his status as the heir to the Morton family twenty years ago. I want a chance to fight for something like that." Gloria said firmly, clenching her fists tighter and raising her voice slightly. "Besides, isn't Xi Er • Buffett, the heiress to the Buffett family, a woman? Since she can become the heiress and leader of the Buffett family, I believe I can do it too, leading the Morton family in the right direction. I think I can do it better than my second uncle."
"Ha, I'm not that fool Ian, letting a woman inherit the family. Am I just handing the whole family over to someone else?" Jeffrey curled his lip, his expression disdainful and mocking as he looked at Gloria and continued, "I gave him a chance twenty years ago, and for over twenty years he has never shown the slightest remorse. Now he wants his daughter to pick up what he left behind? If it was Miji, may be I would consider it. As for you? I can't hand over the Morton family to a woman who doesn't dare to show her true face. Besides, it's not a good habit to slander your rivals behind their backs."
"Grandfather, this matter has nothing to do with Father. He doesn't even know I'll be standing in front of you saying these things. And even twenty years from now, he won't regret the decision he made twenty years ago. You should know him better than I do." Gloria didn't back down. Instead, she took a step forward and said earnestly, "One day, I will unveil myself and stand in front the world to declare my identity and appearance. I will not be ashamed of it, nor do I believe that I am inferior to any man as a woman. Moreover, I am not slandering my opponent, but stating a fact. I can definitely do better than him, at least I won't lead the Morton family into the abyss."
Jeffrey looked at the girl in front of him and vaguely saw the girl in red who had confronted him in the conference room. Although the two had some differences in personality, but they both seemed to have a tenacious spirit of not giving up.
Gloria's last words were remarkably similar to Xi Er's words that day, both directly targeting Cyril.
Jeffrey, who had somehow straightened up, looked at Gloria in silence for a moment before speaking, "From what you're saying, your target is that little girl from the Buffett family?"
"No, my goal is to surpass her." Gloria shook her head.
"Oh?" For the first time, a look of surprise appeared on Jeffrey's face. He looked at Gloria seriously and asked, "What is that?"
"The position of the President of the Aden Square Merchants' Union, your current position." Gloria looked at Jeffrey with a firm tone.
"Quite the boast." Jeffrey smiled for the first time, lay back in the recliner, which rocked slightly, and continued, "A person's goal determines the height they can reach. If you say your goal is her, you will never be able to stand at the same height as her, because you will always be looking up to her. The Morton family will never be handed over to such a person."
"So, can I become the successor now?" Gloria's voice held a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
"No, I haven't decided whether to give you this opportunity yet. You can go now." Jeffrey • Morton shook his head, his smile fading, and said with a hint of warning, "Remember, just saying it isn't enough. Doing business is far more difficult than you imagine. Even that little girl from Buffett's family took more than ten years to get to where she is now."
"Yes, I remember, but I believe I can do it." Gloria nodded, her face showing no sign of frustration, but rather joy. This was the first time in her life that her grandfather had valued her, even if it wasn't quite approval, but it was still a change and a breakthrough.
"President! Catering…"
Just then, Ma Er Si hurried into the garden. Seeing Gloria, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he swallowed back what he was about to say.
"You may leave now." Jeffrey gestured to Gloria.
"Yes." Gloria replied obediently, turning to leave.
"What's wrong?" Jeffrey then asked, looking at Ma Er Si.
"President, the news that came this morning is that the City Lord's Mansion has taken action against the Catering Association. President Warren, several vice presidents, and almost all of the association's middle and senior management have been detained. Moreover, this morning, the City Lord's Mansion directly sent a team into our Merchants' Union headquarters to seal up the data of our affiliated restaurants. They are currently verifying all the information and accounts." Ma Er Si said quickly.
"So, Lord City Lord has finally taken action against the Catering Association? Warren has gotten a bit too arrogant these past few years, forgetting his place. It was only a matter of time before he was dealt with." Jeffrey sat up from his recliner, not particularly surprised, and looked at Ma Er Si, saying, "Our Merchants' Union's information should be fine. Send a notice to the member restaurants and tell them to keep their mouths shut. As long as the City Lord's Mansion doesn't want to lose face, this matter won't escalate. It'll be fine once the storm passes. Ma Er Si, is such a small matter causing you so much panic?"
"President, there's something you might need to know. Since last year, after Young Master Cyril took over the Merchants Union's catering department, he expanded the cooperation with the Catering Association, adjusting the guaranteed spots on the food ranking list from 50% to 90%, and ranking them through bidding. These bills should be kept by the Merchants' Union now." Ma Er Si's forehead was covered in cold sweat. Looking at Jeffrey's increasingly gloomy expression, he forced himself to continue, "Furthermore, some time ago, Goodinia and Devo were involved in the Gray Temple Level 4 incident. Young Master Cyril was commissioned by both families to try to get them out of Basti Prison. Today, a group of people from Basti Prison also entered the Merchants' Union building."