Chapter 141 Cooperation Gone, Position Lost!
After nearly a week, Tiffany finally left the prosecution office, looking rough and feeling unlucky.
Without her usual high-end makeup, her face looked tired and older, with some gray hairs showing.
Dodging reporters, she didn't want to go home like this, afraid Patrick would see her and ruin her carefully maintained image.
So, she secretly went to a beauty salon with Debra. She took a bath, changed clothes, plucked the gray hairs, and put on some natural makeup to look presentable.
"Don't go home yet. Let's visit Nicole," Tiffany said, adjusting her hair in the mirror, her eyes full of malice. "Nicole is my niece. I can't ignore her after she almost died. I need to show Patrick my kind-hearted, gentle side."
'A persona I've kept for twenty-five years can't fall apart now!'
"Tiffany! Nicole even tried to kill herself!" Debra, despite hating Nicole, shivered at the memory of the bloody bathroom. "If she hadn't been found in time, she could've died. She really went all out!"
"How could she not be found in time?" Tiffany put away her mirror, raising an eyebrow mockingly.
Debra was stunned, then gasped, "Tiffany! Did you know about this all along?"
Tiffany put a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.
It was her idea to push Nicole to "suicide" to force Edward's hand. She used the same trick to get Patrick's sympathy and enter the Wellington family. Plus, Edward had depression, and Nicole helped him out of it. By making him relive that, he'd remember Nicole's goodness. High risk, high reward!
"Even if Nicole isn't perfect, I can't let Edward and Evelyn get back together!" Tiffany had suffered a lot lately, and just thinking of Evelyn made her furious. "Evelyn, you messed with me? I'll fight you to the end!"
"Exactly! The Taylor family may be powerful in Hameen, but Mugden is Wellington territory! We'll have plenty of chances to deal with Evelyn!" Debra vowed, still angry about the slipper marks on her face.
As they reached the hospital room, they learned Patrick and Edward were inside. Tiffany immediately put on a different face, tearfully pushing the door open.
"Nicole! My dear! How could you do this?" Tiffany hugged Nicole, crying in front of both families. "We're so unfortunate, framed and bullied. I can't go on like this!"
"Tiffany, please don't," Nicole cried, looking pitiful.
Karen joined in, sobbing.
Edward watched silently, showing no emotion.
Nicole glanced at him, trembling with fear at his indifference.
'He used to comfort me when I cried. That tenderness is gone. The affection that was mine is slipping away, all because of Evelyn!'
Tiffany, Karen, and Nicole cried together, while Patrick frowned deeply. "Tiffany, Edward, come here. We need to talk."
A few minutes later, in the meeting room.
"Patrick!" Tiffany, with tears on her cheeks, looked at Patrick with tender sorrow. "I thought I'd never see you again. These past few days have been hell! I'm so scared, Patrick."
Patrick saw Tiffany was worn out and felt a bit of pity for her.
But with all the recent troubles, he didn't have the energy to comfort her.
Just then, the TV on the wall started broadcasting the news.
It was the signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement between Landon, the president of KnightSpear Group, and Mario, the head of the Starhaven project!
In the footage, Landon and Mario exchanged contracts and shook hands warmly, with cameras capturing the moment.
Edward stared at the screen, gripping his cup tightly, veins bulging, a dark fire of agitation rising in his chest.
Patrick's face also turned grim.
Tiffany's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly clung to Patrick's arm, tearfully accusing, "Evelyn has gone too far! What did the Wellington family ever do to her? She intervenes in our project and wants to send me to jail! How can she be so ruthless? During her three years with Edward, we never treated her poorly. I always respected her. How can she repay kindness with such malice?!"
Edward felt uncomfortable hearing this and put down his cup, raising his eyes coolly. "Aunt Tiffany, your 'respect' was making Evelyn cook for you for three years?"
Tiffany was furious, gritting her teeth. "That was Evelyn's choice. None of us forced her!"
"Tiffany," Patrick, who had been silent, suddenly spoke in a deep voice, "There's something I need to tell you."
Tiffany was stunned, Patrick's words like a thunderbolt, "The personnel appointment has been issued. From now on, Edward is the president of the Wellington Group and the vice-chairman of the board."
"Patrick, what did you say? Why?" Tiffany was utterly shocked, her face turning pale.
Patrick pursed his lips, remaining silent for a moment.
Edward's deep eyes narrowed slightly. Understanding the deep bond between the couple, Patrick couldn't bring himself to say it, but Edward was willing to do it for him. "You know very well why, Aunt Tiffany. A high-level executive facing multiple charges of bribery, abuse of power, and embezzlement can't hold a key position. If word got out, the Wellington Group would be a laughingstock in Mugden's business community."
"I was framed by Evelyn! She used Rodolfo's situation to trap and harm me!" Tiffany's eyes were red, standing up abruptly. Whether from standing up too quickly or from anger, her vision went black for a moment. "Those things were all done by Rodolfo! And he has already confessed, it has nothing to do with me! Why shouldn't I be the vice-chairman?!"
Edward's lips curled into a cold smile, and he couldn't be bothered to argue with Tiffany anymore. He got up and left the meeting room.
Tiffany cursed Edward inwardly, gripping Patrick's stiff arm tightly. "Patrick! I was wronged, framed by Evelyn! You promised me that position, you can't give it to him!"
"Tiffany, although I am the chairman, the Wellington family is a publicly traded company with shareholders and board members. It's not up to me alone. With this incident, how can I let you take that position?"
Patrick took a deep breath, slowly and forcefully pulling his arm out of her grasp. "And, are you really innocent?"
"Patrick, you're doubting me? I'm your wife! We've been married for twenty-five years, don't you know what kind of person I am? How can you believe those rumors?!" Tiffany, feeling guilty, raised her voice to cover her insecurity.
Patrick furrowed his brows, giving her a deep, meaningful look, then said nothing and left.
That look was like a sharp lightning bolt, piercing Tiffany's soul!
'It's all over. After all my efforts and years of clinging to Patrick, the position I had in my grasp is gone!'
