"She constantly stirs up trouble, stressing Tabitha out, and you do nothing to stop it. That makes it your fault."
Mrs. James wasn't about to let York off the hook.
Before the Byron family's financial disaster, York had been the most eligible bachelor in Apex.
But everything had changed.
Now, without the financial backing of the James family, the Byron empire would instantly crumble.
Begging for their money while simultaneously playing knight-in-shining-armor to another woman was a direct insult to her daughter.
Mrs. James honestly thought they would be better off finding a decent, loyal man from a modest background to marry into their family.
Tabitha was perfectly capable of being groomed as the sole heir. They didn't need to rely on York.
If York actually married Tabitha, there was no guarantee the company would remain under their control after she and Larkin passed away.
It had to be said, Mrs. James was incredibly far-sighted.
Her mindset was much more progressive than her husband's.
Larkin believed York had been groomed excellently as an heir. He just needed more time to mature before he could take the reins.
Tabitha was their only child. If she couldn't handle the corporate empire, her future husband could step in.
But her mother feared Tabitha would be stripped of her assets by a gold-digger. Based on York's current attitude, he clearly didn't harbor any real love for her.
How much longer could they protect their daughter?
Larkin, however, was playing a longer game.
He hadn't built his empire from scratch just to hand it over to an outsider.
That was precisely why he had demanded their firstborn take his last name.
He planned to personally mold that child to inherit everything the James family owned.
Any subsequent children could take the Byron name and inherit Frederic's company.
It was a flawless, profitable strategy.
"I apologize. I handled the situation poorly and caused Tabitha unnecessary stress." York apologized sincerely.
With York acting so submissively,
Larkin and his wife couldn't press et
the issue further.
They turned their
attention to Tabitha.
.net
"Tabitha, the choice is yours," her mother said. "If you want to end the engagement, we pull our
wooverbet
investments today."
"If you want to move forward, York needs to prove his commitment."
The entire Byron family stared at Tabitha in tense silence.
Their company's survival hung entirely on her next words.
Frederic shot York a pointed look. York took a deep breath. "Tabitha, I swear I will
cut all contact with Cindy."
"I hope you can forgive me."
"Name your terms, and we can figure this out."
Tabitha studied York. She had evaluated plenty of men, and York checked all the
boxes for intelligence and looks.
Their future children would undoubtedly be exceptional.
Unless absolutely necessary, she had no desire to start her search over.
"Cutting ties with Cindy is
non-negotiable But I have
Condition Tab stated.
one more
self that
apartment."
FindNovel.net
"I refuse to live somewhere another woman has already nested."
"Instead, York can move into my place."
"Frederic made a fair point earlier. We should try cohabitating. If we click, we get married."
"If we don't..."
Frederic hadn't expected the girl to be so sharp.
"Oh, you two will get along wonderfully. York has an incredibly sweet temper," Olga chimed in immediately.
York opened his mouth to speak but froze.
His gaze had locked onto Claire.
His former fiancée!