Colin smiled. "Mom, I'll do whatever you say. I also went to see my brother. He's doing well at the rehab facility, but he has amnesia. He doesn't remember Susan."

"He also doesn't remember how he was hurt, or that Natalie saved him."

"His legs are slowly recovering. The doctor said that in about a year, he should be able to stand and walk slowly. He said he'll focus on his recovery and come back to help you then."

Wendy was happy, but she knew that now, more than ever, she needed to remain patient.

"Colin, now is the time to be patient. Don't worry about your brother for now. Just make sure to cover his tracks so Joanna can't find the facility he's in. Right now, you need to focus on your end. Joanna must not find out that you've acquired Alexander's company. I know there's someone backing her, and that person is ruthless. You two have to be extremely careful over there."

Colin said, "I understand, Mom. I'll follow all of Lindsay's instructions. She has a brilliant mind for business, and I've learned so much from her these past few days. If only I had been willing to learn this from you earlier, our family wouldn't be in this situation."

Wendy gave a wry smile. "It's not too late to grow up. As long as you're willing, it's never too late."

Next, hard times were coming for Sophia and Nathan.

Wendy could have crushed them in one blow, but where was the fun in that?

Now was the most exciting part.

Everything Sophia wanted would turn to dust.

Everything Nathan had striven for his entire life would amount to nothing.

And Mrs. Wilson wouldn't let Sophia off the hook either. Sophia would pay the price for her ambition.

***

Natalie spent the entire afternoon going through files on every partner at

Sebastian's company.

Afterward, she called each of them

met

one by one. She was highly professional, using expert terminology and demonstrating deep understanding of the products and various projects. She shut down every doubting partner with her expertise and walked away with their full confidence.

By the end of the afternoon, she'd made a hundred calls, her throat raw and scratchy from talking nonstop.

Natalie was this close to hurling her phone across the room.

She raised it, not wanting to make another call. There were still so many partners

left to contact. She had never talked this much in her entire life.

Luna sensed her frustration and quickly stood up to stop her. "Natalie, don't smash it! I had that phone custom-made for you. The parts alone cost over two hundred grand, and the irreplaceable data on it would be gone forever if you broke it. It's a custom-built,

५

industrial-grade smartphone made exactly to your requirements."

"If you have to smash something, smash mine." She handed her own phone to Natalie.

She knew Natalie hated schmoozing and putting on a fake smile for people.

That's why she had let Keith manage the company while she stayed behind the scenes.

Natalie had never felt so cornered in her life, and of all people, it was Sebastian who had put her in this position.

She licked her lips and said angrily, "Luna, that jerk Sebastian must have done this on purpose. From the looks of it, we'll be working late tonight."

Luna didn't know if Sebastian did it on purpose, but he had handed Natalie a golden opportunity.

Luna knew there was no such thing as a free lunch-you had to earn everything you got.

Luna glanced at the time. It was dinnertime. A good meal would definitely lift Natalie's spirits.

"Natalie, I'll work late with you tonight. Keith is coming over in a bit. What do you want to eat? I'll have him bring it."

Natalie thought for a moment. She

needed something to keep her energy up and a good meal to lift her spints. Let's have a seafoort feast ell hoto bring lots of crabs, the kind with plenty of roe. I'm craving steamed crab with some spicy dipping sauce. I need a kick to clear my head."