Chapter 496 Half of the Shares Transferred to Him
Dana nodded, "Okay, Ms. Roach."
Before long, Dana brought Demetrius to the door.
Seeing Leo and Jerold, Demetrius furrowed his delicate brows and looked up at Sharon. "Mom, why is Jerold at our house?"
Sharon gently patted his head and said softly, "He's here to apologize to you."
"Alright."
Leo watched Sharon's gentle demeanor towards Demetrius, his eyes flickering. He turned to Jerold and said, "What did you promise me before we came here?"
Reluctance flashed in Jerold's eyes. He had indeed agreed to apologize to Demetrius, but only because Leo had threatened to withhold his meeting with Ayla.
"Demetrius, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you yesterday. I hope you can forgive me."
Demetrius didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Sharon, seeking her opinion.
"Demetrius, this is your decision to make," Sharon said. She would support whatever choice he made.
Demetrius lowered his head, thinking for a moment before speaking. "I wasn't hurt this time, and you apologized, so I'll forgive you. But this is the last time. I won't forgive you again if it happens."
A smile finally appeared on Jerold's face. "Thank you, Demetrius!"
As long as he got Demetrius's forgiveness, Leo would take him to see Ayla later.
Sharon's expression turned cold. "Mr. Wendy, now that this matter is resolved, you can take Jerold and leave."
From the start, Sharon had no intention of letting them inside. She only agreed to meet them outside to prevent the young boy from freezing in the cold.
Seeing Sharon's cold demeanor, a hint of disappointment flashed in Leo's eyes. "Sharon, I want to talk to you. There are too many misunderstandings between us."
Sharon remained unmoved, her gaze growing even colder. "I don't think there's anything to discuss."
With that, Sharon closed the door.
Leo sighed as he looked at the closed door and left with Jerold.
After all, the Silvercrest Group was on the brink of collapse, so there was no rush.
Back in the car, Jerold immediately asked to see Ayla.
Leo dialed Ayla's number and handed the phone to Jerold. "You talk to her. If she agrees to see you, I'll take you there."
The call connected quickly, but Ayla's voice was as cold as ever. "Leo, do I need to remind you that we're divorced? Why do you keep calling me?"
"Mom, it's me, Jerold."
There was silence on the other end for a moment before Ayla spoke again. "You've been given to your dad. Don't contact me anymore."
Jerold was hurt by her cold tone, his eyes filled with disbelief and sadness.
"Mom, Dad promised to let me see you. I want to see you."
His voice was already choked with emotion.
He didn't understand. Just a few days ago, Ayla had been fighting Leo for custody of him. Why was she so cold now? Had she found another man?
"I don't have time. Don't call me again. Consider me dead."
With that, she hung up.
Jerold clutched the phone, tears welling up in his eyes.
Seeing his distressed expression, Leo reached out and patted his head. "Jerold, be good. Don't cry. How about I take you to get something delicious?"Although he didn't know why Ayla's attitude had suddenly changed, it was exactly what he wanted.
As long as he could keep Jerold from wanting to see Ayla, their bond would naturally fade over time.
Jerold threw Leo's phone onto the back seat and started crying loudly. "I don't want that! I want to see Mom! I want to be with Mom!"
He tried to open the car door, but Leo quickly locked it, his face turning cold.
"Your mom doesn't want you anymore. Even if you go to her, she won't take you. You have to stay with me now."
"I hate you! I don't want to be with you! I don't want you to be my dad!"
Leo's patience was wearing thin after days of dealing with Jerold.
He looked at him coldly and said seriously, "It doesn't matter what you want. No one else will take you now."
Ayla didn't want him, and the Bridges family wouldn't either.
"I don't believe you... Mom... Mom will want me. She's just... just angry. If I behave, she'll want me."
Leo sneered. "Fine, I'll take you to her now and see if she wants you."
He picked up his phone and called his secretary to find out where Ayla was, then started the car.
Jerold wiped his tears and stopped crying, looking cautiously at Leo. "Will you really take me to Mom?"
Leo didn't respond, his eyes cold as he drove.
An hour later, the car stopped in front of Ayla's villa.
As soon as Leo unlocked the door, Jerold jumped out and ran towards the villa.
Leo's expression remained cold as he watched his excited figure and followed him inside.
In the living room, Leo noticed that the furniture was covered with dust sheets, raising an eyebrow.
Carol saw him and was surprised. "Mr. Wendy, what brings you here?"
"Jerold wanted to see his mom, so I brought him."
Carol hesitated before saying, "Ms. Bridges is upstairs packing."
"Is she moving?"
After a moment of hesitation, Carol decided to tell the truth. "No, Ms. Bridges is preparing to go abroad."
Leo was surprised. He hadn't expected the Bridges family to act so quickly.
"Is she willing to go?"
Given Ayla's personality, she wouldn't easily agree to leave. Once she went abroad, she would lose her place in the Bridges Group.
Carol nodded. "This was Ms. Bridges's own decision."
"I see."
"Mr. Wendy, I need to continue packing for Ms. Bridges. If you want to see her, she's upstairs."
"Alright."
After Carol left, Leo headed upstairs to the master bedroom.
As he approached, he heard Ayla's cold voice from inside. "Jerold, I've told you not to come looking for me. Don't you understand?"
"Mom, but Jerold misses you." Jerold's voice was filled with sadness and a hint of pleading. "Mom, don't you miss me?"
There was a moment of silence before Ayla replied coldly, "No, I don't. I'm going abroad. You won't find me here anymore. Don't come back."
Hearing this, Jerold panicked and reached out to grab Ayla's hand, but she pushed him away.
"Don't touch me!"
Jerold, not even five years old and lacking much strength, fell to the ground when Ayla pushed him away. He sat there, stunned at first, then his eyes turned red, filled with confusion and hurt.
"Mom, do you really not want me anymore?"
Seeing Jerold sitting on the floor, looking so pitiful, a flicker of pain crossed Ayla's eyes, but it quickly vanished.
She looked at him coldly. "Yes, I never wanted you. I only kept you around to make your dad come home. That day I took you to eat steak, I purposely let you have that hazelnut cake. When you got itchy, it was because of an allergy. I did it to get you hospitalized and force your dad to meet me.
"Now that Leo and I are divorced, you are of no use to me. You're just a burden. Having you around would only drag me down, and I hate your dad. I hate you too. Don't ever show up in front of me again!"
Jerold sat there, stunned. After a long pause, he started shaking his head and crying. "No, it's not true! Mom, you're lying! You wouldn't abandon me!"
Ayla turned her head and saw Leo standing at the door. She was momentarily taken aback but then spoke coldly. "Leo, I'm about to leave the country, and you still bring Jerold here to disgust me? Take him away. I don't want to see him!"
Leo walked into the bedroom, noticing that most of the things had been packed. His expression remained indifferent.
"Jerold, do you believe me now? Let's go."
He reached out to take Jerold's hand, but Jerold pushed him away. "Go away! I hate you! I don't want to go with you! You both don't want me, and I don't want you either!"
Jerold wiped his tears and ran out of the bedroom.
Leo didn't rush to chase him. The servants in the villa wouldn't let Jerold run outside.
He turned to Ayla, his gaze heavy. "Carol told me you're planning to go abroad."
Ayla sneered. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
Leo sighed, his voice calm. "Ayla, even though we're divorced, you gave birth to Jerold. If you ever have any difficulties abroad, you can always contact me."
"No need, Leo. I don't need your charity."
She still had 10% of the Bridges Group's shares and the money Leo had given her, enough to live comfortably abroad for the rest of her life.
As for Jerold... She looked at Leo seriously. "Leo, Jerold is my son. Since you have custody, I hope you treat him well. Even if you remarry, don't neglect him."
"Don't worry, he's my son too."
"Words are cheap. I don't believe you."
For years, Leo had sweet-talked her. Now, she didn't believe a word he said.
"What will it take for you to believe me?"
"Transfer 50% of your shares in Vertex Innovations Group to Jerold!"
Leo's eyes narrowed, and his demeanor turned cold. "Ayla, do you take me for a fool?"
Jerold didn't need that many shares now. Giving him half could mean Ayla might come back to fight for custody, and those shares could end up with her.
Ayla looked at him coldly. "Don't worry, I won't come back to fight for custody. I just want you to secure Jerold's future. If you transfer half of your shares to him, even if you remarry and have other children, Jerold will have his shares and won't suffer. If you don't trust me, we can sign an agreement. I promise never to fight for custody again."
Seeing Ayla's determination, Leo fell silent.
Sensing his reluctance, Ayla's grip on the wheelchair tightened. "Leo, are you unwilling? You haven't even remarried, and you're already showing little concern for Jerold. How can I trust you'll treat Jerold well?"
Leo's eyes turned cold. "No matter what, Jerold will be better off with me than with you. As for when and how much of the company shares to give him, I'll decide. It's not for you to dictate."
With that, he turned and left.
Just as he reached the door, Ayla's voice came from behind. "If you don't transfer half of your shares to Jerold, I won't go abroad!"
Leo stopped and looked back at Ayla, his eyes filled with mockery.
"Whether you go abroad or not doesn't matter to me. And why do you think your refusal to leave is a threat to me?"
"Leo, you're a bastard!"
Leo smiled slightly, not bothering to argue, and walked out.
He found Jerold in the garden gazebo, looking down at him. "You have two choices: stay here, where your mom will leave in a few days, and you'll be alone, or come with me."
Jerold's face was streaked with tears, and he remained silent, his small face tense, looking like a miniature version of Leo.
Leo didn't intend to coddle him any longer and turned to leave.
As he reached the door, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Jerold following him, his small face filled with panic and fear.
In recent times, Jerold had experienced Leo leaving home, being hit by Ayla, their divorce, being given to Leo, and now being rejected by Ayla. He was in a state of great insecurity and wasn't doing well.
"Dad, I'll go with you. Please don't leave me."
Seeing his cautious, fearful expression, afraid of being abandoned, a pang of pain crossed Leo's heart.
He sighed, picked Jerold up, and carried him out.
"Don't worry, Dad will never leave you."
Jerold's face showed no joy, still filled with fear, as he clung to Leo's neck.
He only had Leo now and wouldn't let anyone take him away.
On the way back, Leo received a call from his secretary.
"Mr. Wendy, there's news from Aidamore. The Silvercrest Group is in talks with the Forbes family, and they seem interested in a partnership."
Leo's expression turned cold. The Forbes family was one of the four major families in Aidamore. If Seb managed to secure a partnership with them, making the Silvercrest Group go bankrupt wouldn't be easy.
"Find out exactly what Seb discussed with the Forbes family and book me a flight. I need to go to Aidamore."
After hanging up, Leo sped up, dropped Jerold off at the villa, and headed straight to the airport.
Meanwhile, in the presidential suite at the top of Aidamore's largest hotel, Seb sat behind his desk, in a video conference with the Silvercrest Group's top executives.
"Mr. Smith, after an initial investigation, it appears the mass malfunction of the Rainbow Group's machines isn't related to our company's chips. We'll need further investigation to determine the exact cause."
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