Chapter 382 A Voting
James noticed Laura pointing at him, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. He couldn't help but ask, "Laura, what's going on? Why do you want me to leave?"
"No reason, I just don't want you to hear what Lily and I were talking about. So, please, just go," Laura said to James, her expression serious.
James hesitated for a moment, then nodded reluctantly and said, "Alright, I get it. I'm leaving."
With that, James got up and walked out of the conference room.
Laura let out a sigh of relief once James was gone, then turned to Eldon. "Mr. Soto, you can play it now."
"Okay, Miss Hall." Eldon nodded slightly, then pulled out the phone and hit play.
"Lily, are you asleep?" Laura's voice came through.
"Not yet, what's up?" Lily's voice followed.
"I can't sleep, I need to talk to you..."
The conference room fell silent, except for the conversation between Laura and Lily.
Matthew stared coldly at the phone, his expression growing darker.
"Lily, honestly, I know I like James. I want to be with him, but I'm still unsure."
Laura's words made everyone's expressions change.
That sentence was enough to prove Laura liked James before his identity was revealed and had considered being with him.
Matthew's frown deepened, his anger evident.
"If you like James, why don't you tell him?" Lily's voice sounded.
"I'm just worried that if I agree to be with James too soon, he'll think I'm some easy girl. What if he stops caring about me?"
"Laura, it's the 21st century. Why are you still thinking like that? You like James, and James likes you. You should be together. If you miss this chance because of your doubts, you might not even get the chance to regret it."
Lily's voice sounded a bit exasperated.
"But, I'm still a bit..."
Meanwhile, James stood alone outside the conference room.
The soundproofing was good, so James couldn't hear anything inside, but he could see everyone's faces.
He noticed Charles's expression becoming more relaxed, while Matthew's grew more serious.
At this point, James didn't care about regaining the right to inherit the estate. Those things weren't as important to him anymore. What he really cared about was whether he and Laura could still be together.
Laura showing up today gave James hope. He felt that Laura must care about him, otherwise, she wouldn't have come.
Even if he lost the inheritance, if he could end up with Laura, James felt it would be worth it.
Plus, James had another question: why was Charles helping him so much?
To him, Charles was just a businessman driven by profit. Whether James inherited the estate or not, Charles's position wouldn't change. The heir couldn't fire the legal team or Charles, so Charles didn't need to worry about who would inherit the estate in the end.
"Why is he doing all this?" James looked at Charles in the conference room and sighed
Twenty minutes later, the recording finally finished playing.
Eldon handed the phone back to Charles and said, "Miss Hall, Mr. Wilson, we heard the recording. Now, we need to discuss how to handle this, so please wait a moment."
"Okay." Charles nodded slightly. He knew that since Eldon said this, there was still a glimmer of hope.
Matthew's expression turned grim. He sat with his head down, lost in thought.
Charles got up and walked out of the conference room, then said to James, "Mr. Smith, you can come in now."
"Okay." James nodded and followed Charles back into the conference room.
Once inside, James sat next to Laura and asked softly, "Laura, what did you and Lily talk about on the phone? Why couldn't I hear it?"
Laura glanced at James but didn't say a word.
"Earlier, Lily said you agreed to be with me. Is that true?" James pressed on.
"Does it matter? You've lied to me for so long. Even if it is true, I've changed my mind. I won't be with a liar," Laura replied coldly.
"But I didn't mean to lie to you! You saw it yourself, it's a clause in the contract. What could I do? If I told you my identity, I'd be violating the contract," James explained helplessly.
"So what if you violate the contract?" Laura asked.
"If I violate the contract, I lose the right to inherit the estate," James said softly.
"So, in your heart, the inheritance is more important than me, right?" Laura sneered.
James was stunned, not knowing how to answer.
"Mr. Smith, Mr. Wilson, Miss Hall," Eldon called out, walking over to them.
"Mr. Soto, what did you decide? Is Mr. Smith's case a special situation?" Charles asked excitedly.
"Mr. Wilson, we analyzed the evidence and found this matter to be quite complex. We can't say for sure if it's a special situation," Eldon said slowly.
James's eyes flashed with helplessness. Even after they provided the recording, it still couldn't convince the legal team. Now, he could only leave it to fate.
"What do you mean by complex?" Matthew stood up and asked excitedly.
"It means that this matter cannot be judged solely based on the contract to determine if Mr. Smith violated the rules," Eldon answered.
"Then what will you use to judge?" Matthew continued.
"According to the fifth clause of Willard's will, if we cannot handle a matter, and both parties have different opinions, we can use a voting method. The twelve of us will vote, and the minority will obey the majority," Eldon said calmly.
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