Chapter 676 Giving Up
Gabriel let out a tired sigh, staring at the huge, empty villa. It looked like a castle, but it felt so lonely in the dark.
He felt a mix of emptiness and unease creeping in.
Betty mentioned that Sophia had taken the kids on a trip, and Ruth found it boring at home, so she went to stay at The Blackwood Manor for a few days.
Betty added, "Since no one's home, Ruth decided to give the servants a paid vacation."
Gabriel almost laughed, thinking, 'What about me?'
"Oh, and Ruth also reminded you to focus on your work and not to bother Ms. Kelly and the kids on their trip."
That felt like a punch to the gut.
Gabriel's face darkened.
He had actually thought about finding out where Sophia and the kids were and following them.
"Ruth also said that if you insist on going after them, it might upset Ms. Kelly. If you still want to pursue her, you'd better take the advice."
Ruth crushed Gabriel's last bit of hope.
Gabriel hung up the phone and slumped on the couch, feeling even more alone.
The house felt dead.
Meanwhile, Nicholas was itching to see Caroline. He held back all day, but when he got to The Wolf Mansion, Daniel wouldn't let him in.
Late at night, with the cold wind blowing, Nicholas sat in his wheelchair at the entrance of The Wolf Mansion until dawn, only to be persuaded to leave by Sharpe.
Nicholas called Caroline, but she didn't pick up. He texted her, but she didn't reply either.
If Daniel hadn't been acting normal, he would've thought something was wrong with Caroline.
Daniel had started targeting the Watson Group. A new drug they were about to launch got delayed because of Daniel's interference.
This drug was for common ailments and had fewer side effects. The development cost wasn't high, so Nicholas didn't pay much attention to it, but this was just the beginning.
When Aragorn got the news, he immediately called Nicholas. When Nicholas didn't answer, he had to call a veteran employee of the company.
The old employee said, "Mr. Aragorn Watson, what Daniel did is a clear sign that the friendly relationship with the Watson Group is over. From now on, the two families are adversaries. If Daniel keeps this up, I'm worried Mr. Nicholas Watson won't be able to handle it."
Although Nicholas was just as capable as Daniel, Daniel had more experience and connections.
If Daniel and Nicholas became enemies, it was hard to say who would win.
The veteran employee curiously asked, "Mr. Watson, why did the Wolf Group suddenly target the Watson Group? Do you know?"
'Well, there's a lot of speculation out there. Could it be that the two families became enemies because their marriage alliance failed?' the veteran employee wondered.
Since the Wolfs hadn't announced Caroline's identity, no one had thought of her yet.
Aragorn snorted, "The marriage alliance with the Wolfs should've been a win-win. Now that it's a mess, if Daniel wants to target us, we're not backing down."
He had been intent on facilitating the marriage to make the Watsons stronger and an unrivaled global conglomerate.
But now it came to a fight, Aragorn believed Nicholas could handle it.
Besides, Caroline still liked Nicholas.
He couldn't believe Daniel was truly that ruthless.
Aragorn, full of confidence, asked, "What about Nicholas? What did he say?"
The veteran employee replied, "Mr. Watson hasn't said or done anything."
"What?" Aragorn's eyes widened. "Daniel's already pushing us around, and he's just sitting there? What's he thinking? Does he want to hand over the Watson Group on a silver platter?"
Aragorn had indeed gotten the answer; Nicholas was really thinking that way.
Nicholas called Sharpe into his office.
He'd been trying to call and text Caroline for two days, but she wasn't answering.
"Go register a company called the NC Corporation."
Sharpe looked at Nicholas in shock.
'What does Nicholas mean?' he thought.
Nicholas didn't explain and continued, "In Caroline's name."
Sharpe suddenly understood.
He was even more shocked.
The company was quickly registered, and Nicholas had Sharpe transfer the medical research team to the new company. Then, Nicholas moved some of the talents he had brought into the Watson Group over to the new company.
The new company was up and running in just three days.
Meanwhile, shareholders of the renowned Watson Group suddenly started dumping their stock like crazy.
Aragorn had just finished a treatment session. Gummidge took him back to his room, and Aragorn asked her to turn on the TV, switching the remote to the financial news channel.
It was so sudden and without any warning that the news went wild, reporting on it everywhere. Even his phone was buzzing with related news.
Speculation was rampant that the event was related to the fallout between the Wolfs and the Watsons.
Seeing this, Aragorn quickly picked up his phone and opened the stock page. The Watson Group's stock had already hit rock bottom.
He hurriedly called and texted Nicholas, but there was no response, so he called Paul instead.
As soon as Paul answered, he heard Aragorn's roaring voice.
"Get Nicholas to see me immediately! What is he doing? Why are so many people selling off stocks for no reason?"
Aragorn fired off several questions in a row.
Paul replied nonchalantly, "I don't know either. Nicholas is very busy right now, and I can't find him."
"You can't find him, or you just don't want to?" Aragorn yelled.
"Really can't find him. I guess Nicholas is having a hard time pursuing Caroline, after all..."
Aragorn was so angry that he rolled his eyes and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Gummidge screamed, "Aragorn!"
Paul's expression turned serious. 'Gosh!' he screamed in his heart.
He rushed to the hospital, and Aragorn was taken to the emergency room.
An hour later, Aragorn was moved to a ward. The doctor sighed and said, "The patient can't take any more stress. If he gets worse, there will be no saving him."
Paul thought to himself, 'This is terrible. There's no way Aragorn won't be stressed. Daniel is now openly declaring that he wants the Watson Group to disappear from the world, and Nicholas has already given up.'
Aragorn was still unconscious, and Gummidge sat by the bed, crying quietly.
Paul sighed and walked out of the room, calling his mother, Ashley.
"Mom, you need to come back. Uncle Aragorn is critically ill."
Daniel was going after the Watson Group, hard. Their stock had been tanking for three days straight.
The turmoil in City B was in stark contrast to Caroline and Sophia's serene vacation.
They were on a road trip with the four kids, stopping at each place for two days, eating, drinking, and having fun, very happily.
Sophia, Caroline, and the four kids were all dressed in local ethnic attire. Walking down the street, everyone was staring at them.
Two boys with tanned skin and delicate features, also dressed in local attire, approached with their phones to chat with Sophia and Caroline.
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