The Heiress They Lost Came Back Overpowered
Chapter 10 - 9: Conversation in the Study

Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Conversation in the Study

Upon entering the study, Grandpa Lowell retrieved a document from a drawer. He pushed it in front of Yvonne Lowell and said with a benevolent expression, "This is something I’ve had planned since you were born. I originally intended to give it to you on your coming-of-age ceremony, but I guess I’m a year late."

Yvonne Lowell opened it to find a share transfer agreement. ’All the shares of The Lowell Group under Grandpa Lowell’s name—a full 15%—he’s giving them all to me?!’

"Grandpa, I can’t accept this..."

"And why not?! If Grandpa says they’re for you, then they’re for you! No one else has any objections, not that they get a say in the matter!" Grandpa Lowell cut her off.

Yvonne Lowell sighed in resignation. "Grandpa, you know that’s not what I mean. I’m not short on money."

"What’s that? So because you’re not short on money, you’re looking down on this little something from your grandpa?" Grandpa Lowell shot her a stern look.

Yvonne Lowell was left speechless and could only sign her name at the bottom.

Grandpa Lowell smiled, satisfied. "Nola, do you know how to play Go? It’s still early. How about a match with this old man?"

"Alright." Yvonne Lowell helped him to his seat by the Go board.

After they sat down, Yvonne Lowell gestured for Grandpa Lowell to take the black stones and make the first move.

"Caleb gave us a heads-up," Grandpa Lowell said, placing a stone on the board. "He told us you have amnesia and that we shouldn’t ask about your past. Whether you’ve really lost your memory or you just don’t want to talk about it, Grandpa won’t pry. But I still want to know... have you been doing okay?" he asked tentatively.

Yvonne Lowell’s hand paused for a moment before she calmly placed her stone on the board. "Yes, I’ve been fine. It’s all in the past now, isn’t it?"

"Good, good. It’s all in the past. From now on, things will only get better for our Nola." A flash of deep pain flickered in Grandpa Lowell’s eyes as he added with hidden meaning, "Now that you’re back, do whatever you feel you must. You have the Lowell Family and the Sutton Family behind you now. You’re not alone anymore."

A warmth spread through Yvonne Lowell’s heart. "I know, Grandpa. Thank you."

"What’s there to thank your grandpa for? If you run into anything you can’t handle, go to the family elders. And if they’re no help, you come find me. No one gets to bully my Nola."

Seeing the old man’s encouraging and expectant gaze, Yvonne Lowell hesitated for a second. "Grandpa, how much do you know about Sutton Construction?"

"Sutton Construction? You mean the company that used to belong to that second-rate family, the Ford Family?" Grandpa Lowell said, trying to recall.

Yvonne Lowell nodded.

Grandpa Lowell’s expression filled with undisguised disgust. "That Hector Sutton is nothing but a social-climbing Phoenix who married into a family only to usurp its wealth. The Ford Family’s only daughter took a liking to him back then, so he became their live-in son-in-law. Then, the Ford couple died in a car accident, and his wife passed away from an illness shortly after, leaving behind a son and a daughter. Before his first wife was even cold in her grave, Hector Sutton changed the name of Jacobs Corp to The Sutton Group and moved his mistress and their two children into the family home."

"Rumor has it his illegitimate daughter is even a few months older than the legitimate Miss Ford. Not long after he moved them in, word got out that the two children of the first marriage had run away from home. I say he and that mistress of his orchestrated the whole thing! Her son was a year younger than you—only three years old at the time. How could he possibly run away..."

Grandpa Lowell paused mid-sentence, his expression changing as a realization dawned on him. "Come to think of it, those two children disappeared the same year you did!"

"To be precise, it was on the same day, and in the same car."

Grandpa Lowell felt his mind reel. "But we checked the park’s surveillance footage at the time! We only saw you being forced into a car with stolen plates. We never saw any other children!"

"We were both drugged and lying unconscious in the car. Of course you couldn’t see us," Yvonne Lowell stated calmly.

Grandpa Lowell’s voice trembled. "So you were just collateral damage? That mistress was behind it all?!"

"From the information I’ve gathered so far, it was because I witnessed her selling the children. That’s why she had the traffickers take me too. I assume she didn’t know I was one of the Lowells."

"Hmph! Our family is on a level he couldn’t hope to reach in eight lifetimes. A Phoenix and a mistress—a pair of low-class trash!" Grandpa Lowell slammed his hand on the table in a rage. "Nola, I’ll have your brother take action right now. We’ll destroy him by the end of the day!"

Yvonne Lowell felt a little helpless. "Grandpa, please don’t get so worked up. I want to handle this myself. I’ve already collected all the evidence; I’m just waiting for the right moment."

"What’s there to wait for?! Do we need to consult an almanac to bankrupt him?! If this old man had known about this sooner, they would have been run out of Kingsland fifteen years ago!"

’Tsk, just a moment ago he was a calm, composed old man, saying things like ’do whatever you feel you must.’ How did he suddenly turn into a hot-tempered Old Geezer?!’

’No, wait. More like a hot-tempered, overbearing CEO? Is it getting chilly? Time for the Suttons to go bankrupt?’

"Grandpa, it’s true The Sutton Group could disappear at any time, but Jacobs Corp still needs to be restored to its place among the first-tier families," Yvonne Lowell quickly soothed.

Hearing this, Grandpa Lowell barely managed to calm down. "You have a point. What about those two children now?"

"Zachary Jacobs is managing Pluto for me; he also returned to Kingsland not long ago. As for Sister Luna... she passed away nine years ago, protecting Zachary and me. That’s why taking back Jacobs Corp is a promise I made to her. It’s something only Zachary and I can do." Yvonne Lowell lowered her gaze, hiding the vicious glint that flashed in her eyes.

Grandpa Lowell was stunned by her words and let out a deep sigh. "If that’s the case, then it’s our Lowell Family that owes the Ford Family a debt."

"Please don’t think of it that way. The bond between us has long since surpassed such things. In any case, this is something the two of us must do ourselves."

"Fine. Grandpa won’t interfere. But are you going to tell me your plan?" Grandpa Lowell gave her a resigned look, but there was no trace of anger in his eyes.

Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow. "The Sutton Group signed a massive overseas order last week and has already started liquidating assets to fund it. As for the others involved, I have plenty of evidence of their illegal activities. They’re all going to prison."

"Hahahaha! You’re quite the little fox, aren’t you! Since that’s the case, wouldn’t your welcome-home banquet be the perfect opportunity? Expose their true colors in front of everyone," Grandpa Lowell roared with laughter, pointing a finger at her playfully from across the space.

Yvonne Lowell was taken aback. "Grandpa... if we do that, it would be a waste of all the effort Grandma and Mom have put into it."

"Downstairs, when you were quiet, you were thinking about whether to make your move before or after the banquet, weren’t you? Worried it would affect the Lowell Family? The Lowell Family isn’t that fragile!"

"Besides, we’re family. In my opinion, you should just take care of it all at once on that day! Consider it a clean break with the past. With the evidence laid bare, no one can criticize you for taking action. We will always be your rock, and the family will never blame you for such trivial matters."

Yvonne Lowell suddenly felt her eyes begin to sting. Ever since Esther Rivera’s death, she hadn’t shed a single tear. But in the few short days since she’d returned home, she had felt the urge to cry several times.

’Tsk, I must be getting sick. I’ll have to get Nina Jennings to check my pulse when she gets back.’

Grandpa Lowell pretended not to notice and said with a sigh, "Actually, back when you were a little girl, your grandmother wanted to hand the Lowell Family over to you one day. I disagreed. I thought, how could our little princess do all this dirty work? Isn’t it better to just stay home and spend money?"

"So we looked to your brothers. But those little rascals all pretended they couldn’t understand what we were asking. In the end, Caleb was the one who stepped forward voluntarily. Caleb has done an excellent job, but looking at it now... he’s not as good as you. You have a ruthless streak that he lacks."

"Big Brother is very capable; the company is in good hands with him. But if you keep talking, Grandpa, you’re going to lose the game," Yvonne Lowell said, glancing slyly at the board.

Grandpa Lowell quickly looked down. Originally, the white stones had been completely surrounded by his black ones. But with the move she had just made, the situation had been instantly reversed. The white stones had carved out a bloody path, snatching life from the jaws of death.

"Well, aren’t you a cheeky one! Creating a smokescreen for your grandpa! This round doesn’t count! I’m hungry, let’s go downstairs and eat." Grandpa Lowell stood up, feigning indignation, but his heart was filled with complex emotions.

’A game of Go is just like life,’ he thought. ’Was she once like this, too? Snatching life from the jaws of death?’