Chapter 510 How Do You Want to Spend Your Birthday?
Beatrice steadied herself and took a deep breath.
"Mr. Semona, I can't just cut ties with Aurelia. She and my son love each other, and they're going to end up together eventually. We'll be family sooner or later. For Aurelia's sake, please let Thaddeus go. The Heilbronn family will cover any losses your company has suffered from this project. Just save my brother."
Beatrice's voice was almost pleading.
Joe, having listened to her for a while, was getting annoyed.
"Mrs. Heilbronn, since you say you'll cover the losses, let's break it down. I spent three million dollars compensating the families of the victims. Sure, that's only pocket change to you, Mrs. Heilbronn. But the real loss is the project itself. From buying the land to the initial investments, we're talking several hundred million dollars. And that's not even considering the hit to my company's reputation or the time and effort I've put in.
You're a savvy woman, Mrs. Heilbronn. How do you plan to make it right?"
Beatrice's face turned from purple to green and back again. She had thought a few million dollars would settle the matter. While she could afford that, she knew Nathaniel wouldn't give her the money for several hundred million. She had already used up her monthly allowance of three million dollars. If she asked her son for more pocket money, he might give her some, but not hundreds of millions. That kind of money was out of her reach.
Seeing her silence and discomfort, Joe continued,
"Aurelia made a mistake marrying into the Heilbronn family once. No one would make the same mistake twice. To be honest, the Semona family looks down on the Heilbronn family."
Joe's words left Beatrice with no dignity, trampling on her status as a wealthy socialite.
The proudest moment of Beatrice's life was marrying into the Heilbronn family. This top-tier family elevated her status among her relatives and made her a star in social circles. Now, what she was most proud of meant nothing to Joe. Her self-esteem was shattered with his final words.
Beatrice stood there, stunned, unable to believe Joe had said such things. She had to admit that this young businessman had broken her defenses.
Joe remained seated in his leather chair, looking at her with a faint smile, as if she were a joke.
"I have other matters to attend to, Mrs. Heilbronn. Please see yourself out. No one can change my mind about this. I hope you won't bother Aurelia again."
With that, Joe's assistant opened the door.
"Mrs. Heilbronn, this way, please."
Beatrice stood there for a moment before being escorted out by Joe's assistant. It wasn't until she reached the lobby that tears began to fall. When she gave birth to Nathaniel, she thought her status was secure. As the mother of the Heilbronn Group's heir, she believed she could do as she pleased in Imperick.
For the first half of her life, she indeed lived with impunity. But now that her son was grown and no longer listened to her, she realized she had only her monthly allowance and the superficial flattery of her social circle. Beyond that, she was no different from any other housewife.
Beatrice grabbed her two suitcases from the front desk and hailed a cab to head home.
After she left, Joe called Aurelia.
"Aurelia, what did you need to talk to me about?"
"Joe, when are you coming back? We're waiting for you to discuss Burry's situation."
Joe took a sip of tea.
"Tomorrow."
The next day was the court date for Nathaniel's lawsuit against those who had harassed Aurelia online.
All the defendants showed up in court, while Nathaniel's side was represented by his lawyer.
Outside the courthouse, Nathaniel's car was parked with Aurelia in the passenger seat, waiting for the verdict.
The outcome was predictable. Even so, Nathaniel had hired the best lawyer in the country to handle the case.
As expected, the defendants were ordered to pay damages and apologize. The judge's ruling was fair, but to Nathaniel, it wasn't enough.
After the lawyer called to report the result, Nathaniel sat in the driver's seat with a stern expression.
Aurelia had overheard the lawyer's report.
"Let's go back to the office."
Nathaniel paused, then sent the court's decision to his Instagram before driving off.
The next day was the weekend. Nathaniel asked,
"Aurelia, my grandfather is being discharged from the hospital today. His pneumonia is cured, but he's still not in great spirits. I was thinking of taking Jacob and Dorothy to visit him for the weekend. What do you think?"
Aurelia smiled.
"If the kids are up for it, I have no objections. Just be prepared; they can be quite a handful."
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.
"I think I can handle it."
Aurelia thought to herself that he needed to experience taking care of the kids alone to understand how challenging it was.
"If you're so eager to take the kids, let's make every weekend a daddy-kid time."
Nathaniel glanced at her.
"Shouldn't it be family time?"
"Weekends are my free time, my shopping time."
Nathaniel's eyebrow twitched. Fine, if she wanted her freedom, she could have it, as long as she wasn't with another man.
"Aurelia, how do you want to celebrate your birthday?"
For the past few years, Aurelia had celebrated her birthday at home with Cathy organizing a family gathering. She hadn't thought of anything special. It was just a birthday, something she no longer had high expectations for. She just wanted it to be simple.
"I'm fine with just getting a cake."
But Nathaniel had other plans. They had never had a grand wedding or a honeymoon. He thought it was time to make up for that.
"Aurelia, you used to talk about wanting to go abroad to ride a hot air balloon and try paragliding. We were always too busy to go. How about we do that for your birthday this year?"
Aurelia was taken aback. She had mentioned this countless times when they lived at the Bloom Villa, not knowing if he had ever listened. She had practically worn out her voice.
What had he said back then?
He had said it was pointless, as boring as a Ferris wheel, like a kiddie ride.
Aurelia had been so angry that she had considered going on a trip without him.
"Why the change of heart? Didn't you say it was like a kiddie ride? Maybe we should just go ride one of those. A dollar for a few minutes of fun, and we won't waste money."
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