Chapter 260 Proclaiming Sovereignty
Lauren's head was spinning. Jessica's nasty words were the last straw, totally breaking her. She felt drained, but her blood was boiling, making her thoughts all jumbled.
Sophia's words kept ringing in her ears. It was her fault Jessica died.
Quentin and Jessica hated her.
She started doubting why she was even here. That thought flashed for a second before she snapped herself out of it.
She couldn't blame herself now. She felt guilty about Jessica, so she had to live up to what Jessica would've wanted.
Lauren wiped her tears and headed back to the villa, acting like nothing happened. Kimberly was pacing, waiting for her, and when she saw Lauren, she rushed over.
Kimberly glanced behind Lauren, hoping to see Matthew, but he wasn't there. She finally gave up.
"Lauren, did everything go okay?" Kimberly asked, her voice shaky.
She looked at Lauren with worried eyes. She wanted to ask about the Robinson Family but didn't know how to start.
Lauren just nodded, not saying much, and headed for the stairs.
Kimberly couldn't hold back anymore. Like a kid who messed up, she ran ahead and blocked Lauren's way.
She confessed, "Lauren, I was so worried I called Ethan. He's on his way back now. Please talk to him and don't make him worry, okay?"
Lauren felt both angry and helpless about Kimberly's decision. 'Even now, Kimberly's still worrying about me.' Thinking of this, Lauren secretly hated herself for being such a letdown.
Kimberly, who was in her fifties, sported more wrinkles on her face. Catching the concern in Kimberly's eyes, Lauren felt a bit guilty.
Having Kimberly by her side for three years, it dawned on Lauren that she had never truly taken a good, hard look at Kimberly.Three years had flown by. She had lost so much, and many beautiful things were slipping away. She wanted to grab them again, but she had no chance.
"Mom, I get it. Don't worry. I'll go upstairs to work first. When Ethan gets here, tell him to come find me," Lauren said softly.
Kimberly looked at the calm Lauren in surprise. After coming back from the Robinson Estate, Lauren's mood should've been off, but she seemed normal.
Kimberly nodded blankly and watched Lauren go upstairs.
Ethan got Kimberly's call and found out Lauren was planning to send Matthew to the Robinson Family. He rushed out of his meeting. Instead of heading straight back to the home like Kimberly suggested, he drove to the Robinson Estate.
On the way, Ethan was pretty mad. Lately, Lauren had been ignoring him, and now, with such a big deal, she didn't even talk to him and just sent Matthew to the Robinson Family. He didn't know why, but he felt like he and Lauren were drifting apart, and he couldn't stand it.
When Ethan got to the Robinson Estate, Lauren was already gone. He got out of the car, straightened his suit, and walked into the Robinson Family's door with a serious look.
He needed to hash things out with Quentin. No matter what Quentin thought of Lauren, he had to lay down the law.
Ethan walked into the funeral parlor, nodded respectfully, and proceeded towards Quentin, who shot him a cold glare.
Matthew was standing next to Quentin. When he saw Ethan, he couldn't help but call out to him loudly.
Ethan nodded at Matthew and then faced Quentin. "Mr. Robinson, my condolences," he said.
Quentin frowned and looked at Ethan with disdain. "Mr. White, there's no need for you to be here, and you're not welcome."
Quentin's bluntness caught Ethan off guard. He glanced at Matthew and then said to Quentin, "There are some things I want to discuss with you. Since there are a lot of people here, if you don't mind, I can speak directly."
There were all kinds of people coming to mourn Jessica, including some who wanted to see Quentin's downfall. Naturally, Quentin wouldn't give those with ulterior motives a chance.
Quentin turned and walked upstairs with a cold face. Ethan followed with a knowing smile and said to Matthew, "Matthew, wait here for me."
Matthew nodded, confused, not knowing what Ethan and Quentin wanted to talk about.
Quentin and Ethan went to the study on the second floor. Quentin got straight to the point. "Mr. White, you're quite the schemer. While I was busy with family matters, designers from Robinson Conglomerate's architectural design company jumped ship. This must be your doing, right?"
Ethan smiled and said, "I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Robinson. Staff turnover is normal for a company. Didn't you also lure many of my company's designers with high salaries back then?"
Ethan smiled calmly at Quentin. This time, he and Quentin had completely dropped their pretenses. Although he had no chance of winning against the Robinson Conglomerate, he had to do this to make Lauren completely give up on Quentin.
Quentin's gaze became sharper. Jessica's death had hit him hard, so he hadn't paid attention to a newly established small company. He didn't expect Ethan to cause trouble at this time.
Business was like a battlefield. Quentin understood Ethan's actions, knowing they were deliberate attacks. However, if Ethan thought he could be defeated with such a small trick, he was underestimating Quentin.
"Since you want to compete with me, I see no reason not to accept the challenge," Quentin said coldly.
Ethan's eyes showed a dangerous glint. Because of Lauren, he and Quentin were destined to be enemies.
"I'm not here to discuss business. I'm here to remind you that you promised Lauren to give up custody of Matthew, which means Matthew is no longer a Robinson. Lauren, out of kindness, wanted Mrs. Jessica Robinson to rest in peace, so she brought Matthew here. I know you're a man who sticks to his word, so after today, I'm hoping to take Matthew back," Ethan said politely to Quentin.
Quentin squinted and showed a mocking expression.
He asked, "What right do you have to take Matthew from here?"
Quentin's tone was full of disdain and contempt, but Ethan wasn't angry because he had been waiting for this question.
Ethan replied, "Since Lauren and I are about to get married, I will legally become Matthew's guardian."
