Thaddeus's fingers trembled as a family member walked in to tell him the good news. He asked vehemently, "Really?" Aren't you lying to me?
The family member nodded anxiously. "Yes! Spark Enterprises has agreed to work with us and sent someone to sign the deal. Our factories are also back in operation. And the bank has given us some leniency in loan repayment because Spark Enterprises has agreed to be our guarantee. They will no longer apply for obligatory execution!"
"Good!" Thaddeus rubbed his hands together in excitement. The Reed family's crisis finally would end!
Another family member rushed in just then. "Great news, Mr. Reed Senior! The companies previously ending their ties with us have asked to restart their cooperation! They have called this morning to inform us."
"Great! Wonderful! The Reeds have finally come through this hardship!" Thaddeus's face flushed with eagerness.
All of the Reeds were happy that they had survived the disaster. God knows how difficult it had been for them the previous two days. They almost wanted to abandon the family and make their way out! What happened to them in the previous days had made them wary and didn't slept properly.
"Brendan deserves credit for this matter!" A woman's voice immediately appeared. It was Evelyn Crocs, Brendan Reed's mother.
Thaddeus's visage returned to a melancholy expression when Brendan was mentioned. "Don't bring up that sinful bastard in front of me!" That impudent brat acted arrogantly and became embroiled in a scandal that embarrassed us considerably!"
Evelyn began pouting angrily. "Thaddeus, you are well aware that someone set Brendan up. If that loser Ethan Knight... hadn't drugged Brendan's and Alaric Voss' drinks and even taped a video of them, they wouldn't have ended up like that. Furthermore, if Ethan hadn't abruptly gone to cause trouble that day, the Reeds' crisis could have been addressed two days ago."
Evelyn blamed everything on Ethan in a few sentences, reminding Thaddeus of the anguish he felt when Ethan broke into the Reeds' main house and choked him.
He was now filled with terror and hatred for Ethan.
Evelyn Crocs looked at Thaddeus's face and said, "Brendan was chased out of the family, and he's also sad. Yesterday, he went about doing errands for the Reeds. Doesn't he deserve some credit?
"Brendan is your only grandson, after all. It's fine to be upset with him, and you can give him as many lessons as you want, but can you stand to throw him out of the family?" Evelyn feigned to wipe away tears.
Thaddeus felt conflicted as well.
Brendan was his sole direct descendant, and he would undoubtedly take over the family in the future. He chased Brendan out of the family yesterday due to a lapse in judgment, but he genuinely wanted to teach Brendan a lesson and not disown him.
Thaddeus groaned and nodded as he saw Evelyn continue to plead for mercy and several other family members assist him. "Okay, since everyone is pleading for him, I'll give him another chance. But don't blame me for being cruel if he causes difficulty or embarrasses the family again!"
"Yes, sure! I'll hold Brendan's hand and ensure he listens to you!" Evelyn agreed hurriedly and joyfully.
On the other side, after hearing Thaddeus's decision to allow him to return to the family, Brendan believed this should have happened.
He was Thaddeus Reed's sole biological grandson, and the entire family will be turned up to him in the future, so how could Thaddeus possibly drive him away?
Ethan is horrible! He turned on me and wrecked everything for me. He even made me the laughingstock of the whole county!
Brendan vowed that he would never let Ethan off easy!
While the Reeds rejoiced that the family crisis had ended, no one realized it was only because Anastasia had requested Ethan to provide them a way out because they were once family.
Otherwise, the Reeds would have long since disbanded.
However, neither Ethan nor Anastasia considered allowing the Reeds to discover the truth.
Ethan soon received a phone call, and the caller was, surprise, Charlotte.
"Um, are you free right now? I want to treat you to a meal!" Charlotte's voice was unsteady, and she seemed uneasy.
Ethan broke out laughing. Of course, he understood why Charlotte surprised him with a supper. He had saved her that day, but she misunderstood and slapped him. She wanted to save her face by treating her a meal.
Charlotte felt humiliated and conflicted after Anastasia described it to her. She wanted to thank and apologize to him but was too bashful to speak anything. This is the only way she thought that could compensate for what she did to him.
She should have thought about it for a long time before calling him.
Ethan smiled. He didn't mean to hold it against Charlotte. "There's no need to treat me to a meal..."
Charlotte swiftly interrupted Ethan, saying, "I'll book a private room and be waiting for you at Aristocrat Restaurant."
After saying that, she hung up the phone.
Ethan was split between laughing and crying. How can she insist on treating me to a meal?
Nonetheless, Ethan arrived at the Aristocrat Restaurant at midday.
His relationship with Anastasia had finally improved, and Charlotte was critical of Anastasia. So, no matter what, Ethan had to succumb to Charlotte.
Aristocrat Restaurant was a long-standing Emerald Coast County restaurant that was well-known for hosting banquets for both businesspeople and regular customers.
When Ethan exited his car, he noticed Charlotte waiting not far away. When she spotted him, she sighed relief, as if she feared he wouldn't come.
Ethan walked up and touched his nose. "There's no need to do this."
Charlotte scowled at him. "I must respect my promise to treat you to a lunch. "I can still afford to treat you to a meal."
Ethan was instantly stunned.
Charlotte was not an irritating girl, but she was immature and arrogant.
Ethan didn't blame her for it. A voice came from the side as they were about to enter the restaurant. "Huh? Charlotte, it's you!"
A young man approached Charlotte with a pleased look. A woman with bouncy, curly hair stood close beside him. They were quite intimate with one another.
Charlotte's expression altered abruptly as she spotted the man. She then clutched Ethan' arm awkwardly and smiled radiantly at the pair before her. "Oh, it's you, Riley. I did not expect to run into you here."
Charlotte abruptly grabbed Ethan' arm, taking him by surprise. However, Ethan noticed Charlotte becoming rigid.
She and this man had a past together.