Chapter 1239
“Unless Elliana prefers Campbell. That I can live with. But Griffiths? Not a chance.”
The room went still. Campbell? Of all names, that one? Rage rippled through the elders. Faces turned crimson.
Cole had struck a nerve, and he knew it. The Griffiths and Campbells had been enemies for generations. To even mention that name was a pure insult.
“You—” Anita faltered, her face pale with fury.
“How can you say that? If she bears the Campbell name, how can she ever lead the Griffiths family?”
Cole scoffed.
“Who cares about leading the Griffiths family? My daughter doesn’t need the Griffiths family. The Evans name will open doors you can’t even imagine. If Maxine hadn’t pleaded with her dying breath and blackmailed Elliana with Rita’s secrets, she’d never have agreed to lead this pathetic family—let alone tie our child to it.”
The room fell silent. Pathetic family? The words echoed, heavy and cruel.
Cole wasn’t finished.
“You should be thanking us for even considering letting my daughter inherit this collection of failures. And yet you dare demand more? Shameless.”
A collection of failures? The Griffiths elders trembled with rage. Anita looked ready to strike him.
“You insolent boy! A Griffiths descendant, behaving like this?” Anita’s voice sliced through the air as she jabbed a finger at Cole.
“Such disrespect!”
Cole arched an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. Had the woman not been one hundred and two, he might have thrown in a few words just to rattle her more. But he chose silence instead. He didn’t respect her, but he respected her years—and that was enough. Still, that didn’t mean he was backing down. His resolve remained unshaken.
“Let me make one thing perfectly clear,” Cole said, his voice calm but cutting.
“Elliana agreed to lead this family only as a promise to Maxine—until our daughter is ready. That doesn’t make them part of the Griffiths family. If my words offend you, pick another leader. Elliana doesn’t care for the position, and my daughter has no interest in being heiress.”
Let your mind wander with g?lnσν?s﹒
Before anyone could utter a sound, he reached for Elliana’s hand.
“Let’s go home for dinner.”
Dinner? The word felt oddly domestic, almost out of place coming from him.
The entire hall went dead silent. No one dared move. They simply watched as Cole led Elliana out.
When the doors shut behind the two, the tension in the room broke. A collective breath escaped, all eyes turning to Anita. Once, she had served as the matriarch; she was the one they always looked to when chaos struck.
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