Old Mr. Blake sighed heavily, the weight of the family's fractured state pressing down on him. "Neither of them are decent people. With the wedding approaching, we're in for a spectacular disaster.
"I swear, our family is cursed. We had a peaceful, prosperous life, and Sebastian threw it all away."
"We can only blame ourselves for not having more children," Old Mrs. Blake murmured sadly. "Now our lineage hangs by a thread, and our only grandson is being poisoned by that wicked woman."
Mentioning Noah darkened Old Mr. Blake's expression. "What did Arthur Pendergast say when he called yesterday? How is the boy holding up?"
"He's regressing," Old Mrs. Blake admitted, her voice trembling. "He's refusing to learn and picking up terrible habits. When Arthur tries to discipline him, he lashes out. He's far too young to be acting this rebellious."
"It's entirely Bella's fault. She ruined a perfectly good child," Old Mr. Blake growled.
"And Sebastian is just as guilty! Look at how brilliant and well-behaved Noah was when Lillian was raising him. It feels like the heavens are punishing the Blake family."
Consumed by regret, Old Mr. Blake spent his days hunched over a chessboard, trying to numb his mind.
He and his wife desperately wanted to mend fences with Lillian, hoping she might throw the Blake Group a lifeline when Sebastian inevitably ran it into the ground.
But Lillian had made her stance brutally clear. She had severed all ties, even walking away from the son she had raised.
She was never coming back to save them.
"We need a contingency plan," Old Mrs. Blake urged gently. "Sebastian is holding the company together for now.

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