Chapter 920 I Also Want to Protect You
“The rich can just grab people and force them to donate bone marrow, so the law only applies to poor folks, right?”
“I heard Oliver kidnapped Susan to save Natalie’s brother. Sacrificing an ex-girlfriend to please the current wife is the kind of plot you'd only see in an unbelievable novel, and now I get to see it in real life.”
“I used to really like Natalie and Oliver. I declare that from today, I no longer like these two.”
“The RisingKing Group should hurry up and go bankrupt. Such unscrupulous businessmen don't deserve to live!”
“Saving a life is more important than anything. If Susan can save someone by donating bone marrow, why wouldn't she? She's evil and selfish!”
“It's easy for you to say but do nothing. Would you be willing to donate a kidney? You have two anyway, so you can live with one.”
“Everyone is attacking Oliver, but this should be Natalie’s responsibility. If it weren't for Natalie constantly talking about it, Oliver wouldn't have done such a despicable thing.”
“From today on, boycott Oliver! Boycott the RisingKing Group! Boycott the Windsor Group!”
“The Windsor Group is now Arthur’s, not Oliver’s. There's no need to blame them together.”
Just as someone tried to speak up for the Windsor Group, the Windsor Group's official website posted an update: "Unconditionally believe in and support Oliver Windsor".
The Windsor Group implied that there was no need to clear its name and they stood with Oliver.
How arrogant!
When Collin told Natalie the news, the comment section on the official website was already flooded with messages calling for a boycott of the RisingKing Group and the Windsor Group, creating an uncontrollable situation.
"Don't worry," Natalie said, holding a tablet and checking the official website and another major social media platform. After a while, she asked Collin, "Spreading rumors and causing trouble can be a criminal offense, right?"
Collin was stunned by Natalie's calm demeanor and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Mrs. Windsor..."
"It's obvious that there's deliberate incitement of public opinion here. Susan is missing, and we're also looking for her. Arthur isn't an idiot. If he dares to speak like that, it means he's absolutely confident," Natalie explained methodically. "So, Collin, why did you come to me? You've been by Oliver's side for years. If I can understand this, there's no way you can't."
However, Mrs. Windsor being too smart made Collin feel a sense of inadequacy.
"Mrs. Windsor, the board of directors doesn’t understand the real situation. Seeing the stock price drop and the public opinion shift, they're getting quite restless. Some major shareholders even want to sell off large amounts of stock. So I wanted to get your opinion."
"Why don't you contact Oliver?" Natalie asked, puzzled. "I don't understand business matters."
Collin blinked awkwardly.
In this situation, Mr. Windsor would prioritize finding Susan. He wouldn't care if the shareholders were upset, but Collin couldn't afford to ignore it!
If Collin didn't seek Mr. Windsor's opinion, the shareholders would continue to cause trouble. If he rashly approached Mr. Windsor, Collin felt he would not only get scolded but also lose his quarterly bonus.
So, Collin ultimately turned to the good-tempered Mrs. Windsor.
Having known Collin and Jamie for so long, Natalie understood them well and quickly realized that Collin was looking for someone to placate the situation.
"Do my words carry any weight?" Natalie thought for a moment and asked seriously.
"Of course."
Mr. Windsor had drafted a stock transfer agreement back then, but Mrs. Windsor refused to sign it. Otherwise, Mr. Windsor and the others would all be working for Mrs. Windsor now.
"Then what do you think about us buying up the stocks at a low price after those major shareholders sell off?" Natalie asked Collin.
Collin was stunned for several seconds, incredulous. "Mrs. Windsor, did you study economics?"
In fact, it wouldn't be hard to turn public opinion around now. Oliver just needed to come out and clarify things, or as Natalie suggested, send a lawyer's letter accusing defamation. Those inciting public opinion would delete their comments and disappear.
But Natalie didn't do that!
Natalie didn't think she was being ruthless. ‘If major shareholders want to sell off their stocks at this time, it means they don't trust Oliver or the group. They are even disloyal to the group. If major shareholders sell off large amounts of stock and our competitors buy them at a low price, gaining a say in the RisingKing Group would be detrimental to our development.’
Natalie paused and asked Collin, "If I remember correctly, we have the right of first refusal, right?"
"That's correct, Mrs. Windsor. You must have studied economics." Natalie even knew about the right of first refusal!
The right of first refusal was a shareholder's preemptive right to purchase shares being sold by other shareholders under the same conditions. Of course, that assumed that the shareholder was aware of the sale. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many instances of "corner overtaking" in stock manipulation.
"Isn't this common knowledge?" Natalie said calmly. "It's mentioned on TV and in various books. It's a simple concept."
Collin felt insulted, as if his expertise and intelligence were being questioned.
With Natalie's words, Collin dared to proceed boldly.
Those agitated major shareholders indeed had some ulterior motives, as Natalie had pointed out. Oliver had once considered kicking them out of the company and out of his sight, but he eventually gave up because he didn't want to waste the effort.
This time, it was a good opportunity.
The matter caused quite a stir, and Lucas naturally would find out quickly.
Lucas wasn't like those online users who were easily misled and swayed by public opinion. He knew that Susan wasn't kidnapped by Oliver but was missing.
The organization had deployed a large number of people to search for Susan, but to no avail.
Lying in his hospital bed, Lucas glanced at the comments attacking Natalie and many attacking Oliver as well.
Lucas had never cared about Oliver's reputation before. But this time, he felt a pang in his heart.
Even though Lucas knew Oliver was helping him because of Natalie, regardless of the reason, they were real and tangible.
Lucas issued a statement.
Natalie, keeping an eye on the online situation, quickly noticed a tag called "Lucas’ Biological Sister" skyrocketing up the trending list.
“I am Lucas Watson. At the end of last month, my leukemia relapsed. A matching bone marrow was found and it was Susan's. I've heard that Susan was taken by Oliver, but I don't want to comment on idiotic rumors. What I want to say is, as everyone knows, Natalie is not my biological sister. What people don't know is that Susan is my biological sister.”
The crowd that had been publicly condemning Oliver and Natalie was suddenly stunned.
“Susan is Lucas’ biological sister? This is the most shocking news of the year.’
‘This explains why Susan and Lucas were a match. The compatibility is higher among relatives.”
“Susan, as Lucas’ biological sister, was unwilling to save him. She truly is the malicious woman who once attempted murder!”
“I've always wondered, shouldn't Susan still be serving her sentence in prison? How did she get out?”
“I retract my previous comments attacking Natalie and apologize to her. By the way, Susan is truly malicious and selfish! She wouldn't even save her brother, unlike Natalie, who isn't even his real sister!”
Lucas' words significantly influenced and even began to reverse public opinion.
Natalie had become somewhat numb to the misunderstandings and even the scolding from the outside world.
She had endured far worse verbal abuse, countless harsh words, and isolation.
What Natalie cared about was Lucas publicly acknowledging his relationship with Susan.
This acknowledgment would inevitably tie him to Susan in the future and could even become a point of attack against Lucas.
"I need to discuss this with your family."
When Natalie entered the room, she happened to hear the attending doctor say this to Lucas.
"Discuss what?" Natalie asked.
Before the attending doctor could speak, Lucas said, "Sis, I've decided to undergo intensive chemotherapy."
"Lucas!" Natalie frowned deeply, instinctively wanting to oppose the idea.
Chemotherapy was painful with significant side effects, and it might also be ineffective.
It could be suffering for nothing.
"Sis, hear me out first," Lucas said with determination. "Susan is missing, and no one knows when she'll be found. Even if she's found, she might not be willing to save me."
Lucas curled his lips in a mocking smile. "We don't even know if she's still alive."
"Lucas..."
"Sis, I'm not as kind as you think. I don't consider Susan my sister. You're my only sister. Hearing about her death is like hearing about a thug from the neighborhood dying when I was a kid. I feel nothing." Lucas added.
Natalie flickered her eyes. She had always disliked Lucas facing the conflict between him and Susan head-on.
After all, they were blood relatives.
Natalie had experienced such confrontations with her blood relatives. It was not a pleasant experience.
However, Natalie didn't realize that not everyone was as sensitive as she was like Lucas.
Seeing that he was no longer needed, the attending doctor left the room.
Natalie took out her phone and showed Lucas the page with his statement. "Then why did you suddenly post this?"
Lucas had anticipated Natalie's question.
His tone carried a hint of helplessness but was mostly firm. "Sis, I'm an adult now. I'm not a child anymore. I don't want to be a burden to you. There are things I can do. If you and Oliver can endure public opinion, why can't I? I don't want to always be the one being protected. I've grown up. I also want to protect you."
Natalie was completely taken aback by Lucas' words, feeling as if something had scorched her heart.
"Sis, give me a chance, okay?"
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