Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 85

She went straight to Leonard, holding up the contracts. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. “You didn’t have to do any of this.”

Leonard raised his wine glass, which was filled with milk, and took a sip with the grace of a connoisseur. “Congratulations, Ms. Mercer. You have your own company now.”

“Why didn’t you or Nathan tell me about this beforehand?”

“If we had, would you have accepted the gift?”

Lillian shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t repay you.”

Leonard was well aware of her physical condition and could empathize with her situation.

He understood the unspoken fears behind her words.

Changing the subject, he said, “I was diagnosed with a host of health problems when I was twelve. Doctors gave my family the critical notice countless times, but I’m still alive and well today. Lillian, don’t be afraid of dying. Logically speaking, I should be the one to go before you. But when it comes to fighting against fate, no one can say for sure. We might end up living for a very, very long time. We might even live long enough to see each other with gray hair.”

Nearby, Ethan looked up from a stack of documents and glanced at his employer.

Already thinking about growing old together?

Sir, you’re really thinking far ahead!

Ethan silently gave his boss a thumbs-up and went back to his work.

He had initially thought Lillian was just a master programmer who was brilliant with a keyboard. He never expected her to be a powerhouse in management as well. Working with someone so capable, any mistake on his part would be a huge embarrassment to his employer.

Lillian was genuinely comforted by Leonard’s words.

“I guess all I can say is thank you.”

Leonard reminded her, “Now that your company is established, Sebastian and the Mercer family will soon notice. It’s possible that...”

Before he could finish, Lillian’s phone began to ring.

Two calls were coming in at the same time—one from Brandon, and the other from an unknown number.

She held up the phone to show Leonard. “Look, they’re even faster than you thought.”

Leonard shrugged and smiled, raising his glass of milk. “What they think doesn’t matter. I wish you a swift rebirth from the ashes.”

Only Sabrina remained seated, a smile on her face as she watched her daughter return, clearly pleased. She was very satisfied with the way the three Mercer men were behaving. This was how things should be.

Bella sat down next to Sabrina and linked arms with her. “Why is everyone still up so late?” she asked softly.

Sabrina replied, “It’s because of Lillian. I heard she started a company. That child is really something. If she wanted to work, why not come back and help the family? Or she could have joined Sebastian’s company. It’s all family; no one would bully her there.”

Bella said, “If Lillian starts her own company, she’ll be the boss. No one would be foolish enough to bully their own boss.”

Martin started to speak, but Sabrina cut him off. “Your sister doesn’t have any experience. If she were just an employee and someone bullied her, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But she has no work experience, let alone experience running a business. If people take advantage of her, she might not even realize it. They might just see her as a sucker with deep pockets.”

At first glance, Sabrina’s words seemed reasonable. But to Martin’s ears, they were grating. He had always doted on his younger daughter, Lillian, teaching his sons to manage the family business but never her. What did Lillian know? Out in the world, she could be easily deceived and wouldn’t even see it coming.

The more Martin thought about it, the more convinced he became that Lillian starting a company would only bring him shame. He had been in the business world for years, and with the support of the Blake family, he had a certain reputation and dignity to uphold. Lillian’s actions were a direct blow to his pride.

Bella had already noticed the change in Martin’s expression, but she just smiled and said, “Mom, you’re worrying too much. Lillian started a tech company. We’re all family. We can just help her out a little, and everything will be fine.”

In truth, after thinking it over, she was quite happy about the situation.

Lillian had insisted on entering this industry, and Bella just so happened to be a top talent in this very field. The thought of facing her in the business world, where she held all the advantages, was exhilarating.