Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 611

I was driving Neil's car back to the hospital.

Dad was still stuck in there for a while longer, and even though I was running back and forth every day, I was feeling a lot more steady since he was showing good signs of recovery.

Mom, on the other hand, had been MIA for the past couple of days, burying herself in the cosmetics startup she was working on. There was this one formula that was holding up the whole project. Now that we’d finally found a replacement, it was time to get things back on track.

“Mom, can you take me to meet the person who provided the new formula?” I asked, just as she was about to ink a deal with them.

“You want to come?” Mom seemed surprised.

I nodded. Something about this whole situation didn’t sit right with me. We’d been negotiating with Karina for ages, and she’d never budged. Now, suddenly, we had found a substitute right after I’d turned down a partnership with her? Seemed a bit too convenient.

“Sure,” Mom said, not overthinking it. She was in a pretty good mood today, hopeful that wrapping up this project would be a big relief and somehow make up to Lucas for everything.

As we were heading over to sign the contract, I took a closer look at the person we were about to partner with. A foreigner, just returned from abroad, looking to make this his first big collaboration domestically. What caught my attention was that he’d been living in the same country Karina had spent years in.

This coincidence had me on high alert.

“Mom, let’s not rush into signing anything. I’ve got a bad feeling about this guy,” I cautioned her, noticing her furrowed brow and the weight of worry on her shoulders.

I understood the pressure she was under, not just because of Lucas but also due to the expectations of the other shareholders. This project was a big deal, and failing could mean a massive blow to the company. If things went south, blame would surely land on Mom’s shoulders, especially since she had taken over Lucas’s company on such short notice. Many were just waiting for her to slip up.

Despite all this, Mom chose to listen to me.

Upon arriving at the contract signing, several shareholders were already there. This wasn’t just Mom’s call; the contract had everyone’s approval.

The partner turned out to be a woman named Jenny.

I kept a low profile, sending out a message to test Jenny. If she was indeed up to something, it was likely connected to Karina. Contract signings involve more than just putting pen to paper; they require clear discussion of numerous terms and conditions.

All I did was occasionally disrupt the meeting room's internet connection—a task best left to the pros. Jenny was glued to her phone, taking her time to respond to critical questions only after checking it.

Me: Cut the connection.

Mom remained calm, backed by my warning, while the shareholders tried to press her into agreement.

“I’m the CEO here,” Mom reminded them, wielding her veto power decisively.

Jenny stormed off, leaving the shareholders to unleash their frustration on us.

As the internet flickered back to life, my phone buzzed with a message from Russel: Don’t sign with Jenny.

Seeing his message, my anxiety dissolved into relief, and I managed a weary smile, showing Mom the text.

Russel, now closely tied to Karina’s schemes, had always been a reliable source of intel. His warning confirmed my suspicions, strengthening Mom’s resolve amidst the shareholders’ uproar.

As we were all in the midst of a heated debate, my mom's assistant rushed in, breathless. "Rainbow Group just inked a deal with Jenny; they're announcing the launch of a skincare line pronto. It's probably hitting the shelves any minute now."

Almost immediately, Neil's call came through. Turns out, he'd been keeping tabs on the project Lucas left behind. "Rainbow Group has been butting heads with Lucas's firm for years, but Lucas's outfit always had the upper hand. How did they not clinch the deal?"