Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1397

Martin rubbed his temples, a headache throbbing behind his eyes. He was already drowning in the company's financial crisis, and now this massive personal debt had landed on his dining table. He slammed the legal summons down.

"Brandon, tell your sister something came up today. We won't be coming over."

He had absolutely no desire to go to Halfridge Villas and endure the humiliation of groveling to Eleanor Lancaster today. He would treat it like taking a sick day from work. Lillian was his daughter; surely she would understand.

"Got it," Brandon replied, making no effort to argue.

This was going to be quite the show.

Before heading to the office, Brandon made his usual morning stop at Halfridge Villas. Now that he was allowed onto the property, he relished his morning visits.

The household was having breakfast in the glass conservatory, shielded from the autumn chill.

"Just the two of you today?" Lillian asked casually, not bothering with titles. She had long stopped calling Brandon and Colin her brothers.

"Oh, I'm thrilled," Lillian smiled. "Watching them tear each other apart is incredibly satisfying. But it's just $300 million. Surely the Mercer family can bail her out?"

The Mercer Group might be on the brink, but the family had deep pockets. Between the grandmother's private accounts and her collection of antiques and jewelry, they could scrape the funds together if they were desperate enough.

"Dad's private stash is empty," Brandon scoffed. "And Colin and I are broke. Even if Dad had the cash, he wouldn't pay it. He already gave her $300 million to settle this exact debt months ago!"