"Claire isn't your biological daughter, so you swapped her for Cindy. Now that you know Cindy isn't yours either, who are you going to swap her with next?"
"Or is it that the Byrons are useless and can't help the company out of trouble, so you want to use Cindy to find a new backer?"
Octavia was furious. She found Latham completely cold-blooded and utterly ruthless.
"We are already in the same boat as the Byrons, but if we want to save the company, we have to find another way out."
"The Byrons can't help, but the Clarks can."
Latham watched calmly as Octavia hurled insults, completely unmoved.
"Impossible. Even if Cindy doesn't marry York, she could never be with Mr. Clark's son," Octavia rejected the idea immediately.
She added, "Mrs. Clark prefers outstanding kids. With Cindy's grades, she can only get into a community college. She doesn't meet Mrs. Clark's standards at all."
"Besides, she is engaged to York. If we break the engagement, we'll be the ones breaking our promise."
"The Clarks are proud. They might not even be willing."
"If you're so desperate for a strategic marriage, you might as well talk to Pearce and Patti. Let Shirley do it."
"They have been enjoying the family's wealth and protection for years, and they are part of the James family too."
"Now that the company is in trouble, everyone should naturally pitch in to solve it."
"Mrs. Clark wants a daughter-in-law, and Shirley happens to be unengaged. We can let her try first."
Seeing Latham frown, Octavia knew he was still determined to push her daughter into this mess.
She knew it was because Latham resented that Cindy wasn't his biological daughter. He was furious that Octavia had cheated on him.
Therefore, he would not only withhold his love from Cindy but also oppress her, squeezing every last drop of value out of her.
"Think about it. We are still in-laws
with the Byrons. If you rashly push
Cindy toward Mr. Clark's son, what if
the Byrons stab as in the back at
time like this?"
Latham froze. He hadn't considered that. He had been so blinded by the company's crisis and his anger toward Octavia.
The more dire their situation became, the less they could afford to fall out with the Byrons. Did he really have to consider Shirley?
Seeing that Latham was swayed,
Octavia pressed her advantage. "When it comes to personality, Cindy
isn't as likable as Shirley. Shirley
might be arrogant, but she is also
clever and sweet 'FindNovel.net
"I can go talk to Mrs. Clark again to smooth things over. I don't want the James
family to go bankrupt, and I certainly don't want our family to fall apart."
"I know I was wrong about Cindy, but back then, I was so upset over you and Fallon.
I got drunk and was totally confused..."
"It only happened that one time. Who knew I would get pregnant? I always thought Cindy was our daughter. I was so happy when I found out I was expecting."
"Honey, you have to believe me. I really didn't mean to betray you."
"Don't you remember? When we got married, you promised me absolute respect. You promised you would never have illegitimate children outside."
"So, when Fallon was acting all sweet and innocent in front of you while challenging my position as your wife, I went out to drown my sorrows."
"If I didn't love you, why would I care that another woman was carrying your child?"
Hearing her admit Cindy wasn't his
daughter, Latham's expression. soured his gaze turning stone-cold. "I never planned to keep Fallon's child. That was just an accident!
At the time, he had always felt that Fallon had manipulated him and played a trick. Otherwise, how could there be a baby?
Because of that, he had never intended to marry Fallon. He had only strung her along, hoping she would get an abortion.