Chapter 632 Matthew Transferred Shares to Justin
When Jasmine and Ben got to Capital Hospital, Matthew had already passed away.
On the way there, Ben got a call from Henry, who was already heading back.
"I heard Mr. Patrick was in really bad shape last night. Ian's people kept it from Henry on purpose, so he missed seeing Matthew one last time," Ben whispered. "Now, he's just landed at the airport, and it'll take him over an hour to get here."
Jasmine took a deep breath and sprinted towards the emergency room.
Jasmine said, "Sorry for your loss. The dead can't come back."
In the hallway, you could hear faint sobbing. A bunch of the Patrick family's extended relatives were there, but Henry hadn't shown up yet, which was kind of ironic.
Henry knew Matthew's health was going downhill, but the doctor said he could hang on until next spring. He thought he'd always have one last chance to see Matthew.
"Mr. Patrick was old and had been suffering for years. Now, he's finally free from pain. My condolences," Matthew's assistant, Landon Hayes, said, then turned to those wanting to handle Matthew's affairs. "Henry hasn't returned yet; we should wait for him before making any decisions."
Landon meant that Henry, as the current head of the Patrick family, should make all the calls once he got there.
"Does Landon mean that without Henry, everyone has to wait? Should Mr. Patrick lie on this emergency table waiting?" Ian's assistant, Paul, said, annoyed. "Henry isn't his only grandson."
Ian stood there calmly, his look stopping Paul from saying more. "The only grandson Grandpa acknowledged publicly is Henry, so we have to wait for him."
"Whether acknowledged or not, Ian is a Patrick," someone from the Patrick family spoke up for Ian.
Ian held Justin's hand and smiled down at him.
Justin's eyes were red. He didn't get the adult's scheming; he just knew Matthew was dead, and he was really sad.
Someone started to say, "Matthew was too biased. After all, they are all children of the Patrick family, yet he gave shares to his great-grandson and not his grandson."
"The will hasn't been announced yet, so stop talking nonsense," another person scolded.
But it was already a well-known fact.
Everyone knew Matthew didn't favor Ian. No matter how hard he tried over the years, he never got Matthew's approval.
Ian had been the one taking care of Matthew before he died, and even the hospital staff said Ian was a good and filial grandson. But Matthew stayed unmoved and had no intention of changing his will.
Because Matthew knew Ian was someone who could endure. If he got the shares and took over SHC Group, it would be like inviting a wolf into the house, giving Henry a tough opponent.
"No matter what, Ian is now the head of SHC Group. During Matthew's final days, Ian took care of everything. His filial piety is clear to all," Paul spoke up for him.
Ian didn't interrupt, holding Justin's hand and moving to the side.
Landon and Larry wouldn't let anyone take Matthew's body before Henry arrived, so they could only remain in a standoff.
"Justin!" Jasmine ran over, relieved to see Justin safe and sound.
"Mom," Justin let go of Ian's hand and rushed into Jasmine's arms. "Mom, he's gone."
Justin didn't fully get what "gone" meant; he just knew that once someone died, they'd never meet again and would go to a very far place.
"Yeah." Jasmine squatted down in front of Justin, ruffling his hair, and shot a wary look at Ian. "Justin is my son. Who gave you the right to take him away without my permission?"
Did he think that just because Ethan was in trouble, Jasmine would be easy to push around?
Ian, with reddened eyes, explained, "I'm sorry. I know I was wrong, but the situation was urgent. Grandpa wanted to see Justin before he died. I tried to contact you but couldn't reach you, so..."
Jasmine frowned and glanced at the Patrick family members crying in front of the emergency room.
Out of respect for the dead, she wouldn't confront Ian right now. "I'm taking Justin with me."
Jasmine stood up, bowed towards the emergency room, and got ready to leave with Justin.
"You can't take Justin away. He's a Patrick family child, and the will is going to be read soon." A middle-aged woman blocked her, clearly waiting for the will to be read. "Landon said that without Justin present, the will can't be read."
They didn't care whether Matthew was dead or alive; they just wanted to know if Matthew's will left anything for them.
Jasmine frowned, looking at those people. "This is my son. His last name is Douglas. He is a child of the Cunningham family and the Douglas family. We don't need the Patrick family inheritance."
"Oh, look, they don't even want it," a few women said angrily, looking at Landon. "Landon, how do you plan to handle this? If they don't want the inheritance, shouldn't Matthew's estate be divided among us?"
"Exactly. Even though we are an extended family, we've contributed a lot to the Patrick family. We can't agree to get nothing."
"That's right, that's right."
"Even if Henry comes, Matthew's belongings should be divided among us."
The Patrick family was already in chaos.
Matthew had just passed away, and instead of mourning his death, people outside were arguing over his inheritance.
It was truly pathetic.
"Mom," Justin looked up at Jasmine and spoke softly. "Great-grandpa said he liked me. He knew I wasn't a Patrick family child, but he still decided to give those things to me. I don't know what they are, but he asked me to promise, and I can't break my promise, right?"
Justin didn't understand much; he only knew that Matthew asked him to promise, so he did.
Jasmine looked at Justin in shock and took a deep breath. Matthew knew Justin wasn't a Patrick family child, yet he still preferred to give the shares to Justin rather than Ian.
Matthew was using these shares to ally with the Douglas family and the Cunningham family.
As his grandfather, Matthew had planned a far-reaching future for Henry.
He feared that one day Henry wouldn't be able to compete with Ian, so he dragged Justin into the fray. Justin's unique status—being the grandson of the Cunningham family, Ethan's son, and Richard's nephew from the Sanders family—meant that his involvement would affect three families.
These three families held significant positions in the business world today.
By giving the shares to Justin, Matthew had cut off Ian's path.
But Ian wasn't a fool, so now Ian's goal was to compete with Henry for Justin.
"Grandpa liked you. Since he gave it to you, it should be Justin's, and no one can take it away." Ian squatted in front of Justin, his voice gentle. "Justin is a smart child, and your future is destined to be extraordinary."
"Ian, I advise you to drop your schemes. Whatever your intentions, if you try to manipulate my son, I won't let you get away with it," Jasmine said, frowning as she shielded Justin behind her. "My child is my bottom line."
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