After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 95

“Catherine, what are you doing? Why did you push my mom?” Shirley rushed over to help her mother up, her voice shaking with anger.

Catherine just scoffed, turned on her heel, and walked away without looking back.

“Catherine, I swear, you’re not getting away with this!” Shirley shouted after her, her words echoing down the hall.

***

At The Blair Group headquarters, things were tense. Nestor had barely set foot in the conference room when bad news hit him: one of the projects had run into serious trouble. Halfway through the meeting, he quietly popped two heart pills, hoping nobody would notice. His heart had never been strong.

After the meeting, he made his way to the restroom, pushing open a stall and locking the door behind him. Just as he was catching his breath, he heard two of his employees walk in.

“Did you see Nestor’s face just now? Bet his heart couldn’t take the stress again.”

“If something happens to him, The Blair Group is doomed. There’s just a bunch of women in his family. No way they can keep this place running.”

“I know, right? Larkin’s already gutsy enough to move project money around. Who says he won’t run the whole company into the ground next time?”

“Honestly, Nestor should’ve had a son. What are those two daughters good for, anyway?”

Behind the closed door, Nestor’s face went pale. When the men finally left, he dragged himself to the sink and stared at his reflection. His hair was graying at the temples, and he looked every bit as tired as he felt. The weight of it all pressed down on him.

If something really happened to him, what would happen to The Blair Group? Alice didn’t know a thing about running a business. His daughters were brilliant, sure, but their focus was on technology, not the company.

Maybe it was time to start grooming someone who could actually help.

A calm, low voice answered, steady and a little guarded. “Hello, who is this?”

Nestor cleared his throat. “It’s Nestor.”

There was a pause, then Lawrence replied, his voice a bit stiff, “Dad. What’s going on?”

“Lawrence, since Catherine’s so set on you, I’ll give you two my blessing for now. The company’s short-handed, and I need you here. Come help me manage the business.” Nestor went straight to the point.

After a few seconds, Lawrence answered in his usual even tone. “I can give it a try, but I need to get up to speed on how the company’s doing first.”

Nestor blinked in surprise. He’d expected Lawrence to drag his feet, make excuses, maybe even refuse. He hadn’t expected him to agree so quickly.