Chapter 1426 Raymond, Let's Go Back
Selena stared at the two documents with a sense of unreality.
She instinctively stepped back, looking to Raymond for guidance. But Richard's next words stopped her cold.
"Father would be thrilled to know he's about to become a grandfather," Richard said, his expression distant. "Consider this a gift for your child. If you refuse it, we wouldn't know what else to do."
"I'm sorry," Selena replied immediately. "It's too valuable."
Richard's lips twitched as he pushed the transfer documents directly into Selena's hands.
He spoke up, "Take them. Sign whenever you're ready. You're now the head of the Smith family. Whatever you want Lawrence to do, everyone in the family will comply."
Just last night, Selena had told Raymond she never wanted to see Lawrence again. Now life had delivered a cruel irony.
She remembered how Lawrence had caused her to lose her voice, how he had slapped her, choked her. She simply couldn't forgive him.
She set the documents aside and said flatly, "Raymond, let's go home."
Clearly, this immense wealth held no interest for her.
Raymond quickly embraced her. "You can't get emotional," he cautioned. "You're pregnant now."
He seemed to deliberately say it loud enough for Lawrence to hear. "Selena, you need to stay calm. That scene from last night where both your lives were at risk—I never want to experience anything like that again."
Lawrence flinched as if physically wounded. His mouth tasted of iron, and his eyes were so red he couldn't bear to show his face.
He didn't dare look at Selena, fearing the disgust he would see. Instead, he cowardly kept his head bowed.
After signing the documents, he remained rooted to the spot.
As Selena and Raymond walked past him, he couldn't even bring himself to glance at them, stepping back to give them space.
Only after Raymond and Selena had descended the stairs did Lawrence's head turn mechanically to watch their retreating figures.
Pregnant. Two lives at risk.
Each phrase cut through him like a sword, leaving him bleeding inside.
He stood there helplessly. In his twenty-some years of privilege, he had never made such a catastrophic mistake.
Richard broke the silence. "Selena, since you're unwilling to make a decision, I'll make it for you. This was Father's intention anyway. Lawrence will no longer be part of the Smith family. He will move out and lose access to all family resources. Everything the Smith family has given him will be reclaimed. Whether he ends up hauling bricks at construction sites or delivering food, the Smith family will block every career path available to him. Perhaps when he's suffered enough, we can reconsider."
He announced this in front of everyone, making it an official declaration.
Turning to Lawrence, he asked coolly, "Lawrence, do you have any objections?"
Lawrence kept his face down, his voice barely recognizable. "No."
Richard sighed with relief. "Good. Then you'll handle Tessa yourself. After that's done, move out of the villa. The Smith family will no longer concern itself with your life. Lawrence, you've had it too easy for too long. You've taken too much for granted."
Lawrence remained silent. These were words he had once said to Richard, now returning to haunt him.
Unable to look at Selena, he turned and left.
He was so ashamed he couldn't even bring himself to pass by Selena, instead taking the staircase on the opposite side of the hallway.
The two staircases were quite far apart.
Lawrence's once-proud posture was now slumped as he quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.
Richard had expected Cora to speak up, but from beginning to end, she stood silently in the corner, not uttering a single word.
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