Chapter 53 Sophia and her daughter's downfall
The Anderson's mansion was set up with extreme luxury for the engagement ceremony. Friends and relatives filled the room.
After they escaped from the award ceremony, both Sophia and Ava returned to the Anderson family, both injured from their ordeal. As soon as Ava laid eyes on the romantic engagement banquet, she seethed with anger and clenched her teeth in frustration.
The journalists Ava had invited had already witnessed the live broadcast of the award ceremony and were about to rush toward her.
Just then, Matthew descended from the second-floor meeting room. As soon as he saw his wife and daughter were back, he asked with excitement, "Did you bring home the first prize? Then, let's continue the engagement ceremony immediately! Where are Daniel and Mrs. Davis?"
Ava trembled uncontrollably and sought refuge behind Sophia, in annoyance. Sophia saw the unusual excitement on Matthew's face and understood his need to save dignity.
Today's engagement was already ruined, but she dared not tell him the truth.
She cast a quick look at the numerous friends and relatives, a sense of unease washed over her as she carefully said, "Matthew, could you come here for a moment? Let's temporarily postpone the wedding. There's something I need to talk to you about..."
"What is it? Can’t it wait?" Matthew's face was initially filled with excitement but then he frowned.
"I've been waiting all morning. The bosses who said they wanted to invest in the Anderson Group, why haven't they arrived yet? My daughter is about to marry into the Davis family. Let's see if they dare neglect their responsibilities. I'll go and call them."
"Matthew!" Sophia anxiously called, not wanting him to make the phone call.
However, Matthew had already picked up the landline and arrogantly said, "Everyone, take a look! My daughter has secured the first prize. Yet, none of you had shown up for the engagement ceremony nor have you signed our contract?"
Silence echoed from the other end.
After a pause, CEO David scoffed, "Mr. Matthew, haven't you seen the news? Your daughter made such a huge scene at the award ceremony. Do you expect us to invest after such an incident? Don't you know that Mrs. Davis publicly called off the wedding?"
"What?" Matthew froze in an instant.
He turned his head and fixed a penetrating gaze on Sophia who was standing behind him.
"Matthew, listen to me. It's all Winnie's scheme." Sophia desperately tried to explain.
Matthew pushed her away forcefully and only realized at that moment that he should have checked the news on his phone.
The news articles were dominated by Ava's act of plagiarism, her attempt to bribe at Imperial, and the CEO of Imperial Jewelry exposing the scandal publicly. The Davis family had disowned Ava, and the scandal involving the Anderson Group was prominently featured in bold headlines.
His forehead throbbed, a wave of embarrassment washing over him.
"Matthew!" Sophia's voice echoed through the air.
He dragged her away from the second floor.
Meanwhile, Ava quivered with anxiety near the entrance on the ground floor. She knew all too well about her father's temper. He prioritized his reputation and interests above everything else.
Just a moment ago, her mother had concealed the truth from him and now Matthew’s fury knew no bounds. Ava couldn't escape his wrath.
Without delay, Matthew grabbed her.
Matthew was furious. He thought about the reputation of the Anderson Group, the entirety he cared about the most. He had just been humiliated over the phone, and he felt like a fool being deceived by his own wife and daughter.
He disregarded the onlookers, including relatives and reporters, as he angrily threw them to the ground. In a fit of rage, he slapped Sophia and yelled, "Both of you created a scandal at the awards ceremony, and you tried to keep it from me! I was eagerly anticipating investment opportunities.
"Do you realize how many billions of dollars I borrowed from the bank in the past few days? And now, Ava's engagement is canceled. You can't even raise a daughter properly.
"If I had known that you two were so incompetent, only bringing shame upon me, I would have confined you after the charity banquet!"
Matthew’s dissatisfaction with Sophia had been brewing for a long time.
Her repeated failures in dealing with Winnie and her murky history with a celebrity were just part of the issue.
Matthew had tolerated the situation for a long time. However, today's scandal was too enormous, and he vented his pent-up frustration on them.
Sophia's face reddened and swelled from being slapped. Ava felt humiliated as all their relatives looked on and laughed at them.
She had never experienced such humiliation before and angrily said, "Dad, how can you speak ill of Mom? She has worked tirelessly for the Anderson family for all these years. Whenever we bring you honor, you never find us inadequate. You are heartless, only caring about your precious Anderson Group!"
"How dare you talk back to me! Look at the mess you've caused!" Matthew's fury surged and he slapped her again.
"Ultimately, you're just a woman, useless."
"Matthew, your dissatisfaction stems from my inability to give you a son. That's unfair and sexist!" Sophia exclaimed. Her choice not to have more children was not by preference rather the tumultuous nature of her relationships in the entertainment industry during her early years left her unable to conceive.
"Shut your mouth!" Matthew shouted angrily.
Only at that moment, he noticed that the family's scandal had attracted the attention of relatives and journalists.
Matthew aged visibly within moments. He dismissed everyone and collapsed onto the couch.
He immediately received a call from the company. "Mr. Matthew, the Anderson Group's stocks are plummeting.
"The news about Ava Anderson can't be contained and it has been broadcasted all over by the media."
Matthew's complexion paled, and he forcefully closed the door upon his departure, stating, "Witness the chaos you both have caused. If the Anderson Group faces consequences, you'll bear the cost!"
Sophia and Ava, their faces marked with handprints, held onto each other as they cried in pain.
This failure would make it difficult for them to recover from Winnie's ruthless scheme.
"Mom, why would the CEO of Imperial Jewelry help that despicable Winnie?" Ava’s frustration was evident. "The CEO of Imperial Jewelry was rumored to be the heir of the Rodriguez family. How could Winnie possibly be associated with such a prominent figure?"
Sophia was also unable to comprehend it.
.
Ava, with a pale face, unlocked her phone. Her Twitter feed was blowing up and was filled with private messages criticizing her.
She noticed a trending topic that grabbed her interest. Certain individuals had started a crowdfunding campaign to purchase prison attire for Ava and send plagiarized goods to her while she was in jail.
Surprisingly, 80,000 people participated in the crowdfunding which made Ava very upset that she almost fainted.
"Haha, these citizens are powerful!" Olivia scanned the comments that had flooded her Twitter.
Winnie glanced at the Twitter content and said, "You're seeking revenge pretty swiftly."
"After all, the internet is my domain." Olivia snapped her fingers and quickly pushed Ava's scandal to the hot search.
She smirked and said, "Winnie, the CEO of Imperial Jewelry turned the tide for you today. We should take advantage of this. It's my turn to show my skills next. Daniel, Ava, the Anderson family – none of them will be spared. I will make Triton and the Anderson Group go into turmoil!"
In the business world, stocks were directly linked to news.
Winnie narrowed her eyes and let Olivia do as she pleased.
Only as the news kept escalating, Triton's shareholders, who mocked her before, would start to panic.
Once the stock plummets, they will all abandon Ava, and she could regain back control of the company.
When Winnie checked the news regarding the Anderson family, she found news headlines that had covered the distressing scenes of Sophia and her daughter being slapped and thrown to the ground, with Matthew storming away.
A cold sneer formed at the corner of Winnie's lips. She had anticipated this outcome. Matthew's true nature dictated that anything that loses its value will be immediately discarded.
She turned the steering wheel and Olivia gazed at the road ahead and asked, "Where are we going?"
"I'm going home. Mr. L might be back," Winnie replied.
"Just heading home? Let's go out and celebrate instead! On a day like today, wouldn’t it be worth drinking 300 bottles of champagne?" Olivia rolled her eyes.
"Besides, as for Mr. L, he didn't help you. If you are looking for someone to spend time with, it should be Mr. Lawrence. How about we invite him along?"
Winnie thought of the teasing from earlier and immediately shook her head. "Although Mr. Lawrence isn't entirely unforgivable, he's a dangerous man. I shouldn't get too close to him."
"Oh, so him helping you once makes him no longer unforgivable. Between him and Mr. L, whom do you prefer? You're so fortunate, both are outstanding men." Olivia teased.
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