CHAPTER 513: KNEEL

Joe’s voice came to an abrupt stop.

Everyone still in the Turner Group building exchanged looks—they had clearly thought of the same thing.

—Just fifteen minutes ago, the Morris family had acted high and mighty and driven Selina away. When Selina said they’d end up begging her, everyone had treated it as a joke.

But now... it had actually come to the point where the Morris family was asking for her.

Joe opened his mouth, but couldn’t bring himself to swallow his pride. His face flushed red, and several times he almost spoke, only to stop himself.

He stammered, "Selina... it’s n-not what you think..."

"Oh? Then what is it?" Selina asked quietly.

Joe could only choke on his words. "I didn’t know Hannah would be so bold... that she would... that she would deceive even me and Angela. Now that I know these designs are Victoria’s, o-of course I want you to take charge..."

Selina gave a short, mocking laugh. "Have me take charge of the collaboration? Will Grandma Morris agree? Will Angela? Let’s not kid ourselves, Chairman Morris—your family doesn’t exactly need this daughter. Better find someone else for the job. I think Angela will do just fine."

On the other end of the line, silence. Both Grandma Morris and Angela looked visibly unpleasant.

...Did Selina think they wanted this? That they were so pathetic they’d beg her to come back?

No—it was only because Turner Group had specifically demanded Selina.

"Oh." Selina’s tone shifted as if she’d just realized something. "So Turner Group insisted I be the one to handle this, and without me they’ll cancel the deal. But here’s the problem, Chairman Morris—I told you before, once I leave, I’m not coming back. Even if you kneel and beg, the answer’s still no. This conversation is over."

She was about to hang up when Joe, panicked and red-faced, blurted out in guilt, "I really didn’t know, Selina..."

Grandma Morris was about to explode. She had hated Victoria and her daughter all her life, and now to see her own son groveling like this—it made her furious.

But she hadn’t expected that Joe’s begging wouldn’t be the most humiliating part. The worst was—

Selina’s slow, deliberate voice, clear enough for everyone present to hear:

"However, I’m not unreasonable. Chairman Morris, my mother’s designs ended up in Hannah’s hands, and the entire Morris family covered it up. I don’t believe Hannah acted alone—someone else must have been involved. Otherwise, how would my mother’s designs, stored in your family’s possession, end up with Hannah?"

"My demand isn’t even that high. All I want is for the person who orchestrated this to... kneel and apologize to me. Then I’ll forgive the Morris family and agree to the collaboration."

The room went still.

...The orchestrator, apologize?

Of course this wasn’t simple. Hannah’s plagiarism and theft of Victoria’s credit was one thing—but who had instructed her, encouraged her, and helped her pull it off?

Was it Grandma Morris, whose authority in the family was untouchable? Or was it Angela, newly returned and basking in favor? Or perhaps... both?

The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point. Selina’s condition was something Grandma Morris could never accept.

She immediately snapped, "Kneel and apologize to you? Keep dreaming!"

Angela’s face went pale, her voice trembling. "Sister, Grandma is an elder, how could you—"

"I never said the apology was non-negotiable," Selina replied evenly. "Don’t get worked up, Grandma Morris. We can just call the whole deal off instead."

Click. Selina hung up. "Think it over, Chairman Morris. Call me if you decide—offer expires."

The line went dead, leaving the room in utter silence.

Grandma Morris trembled all over, gritting her teeth, her face twisted with rage. "Impossible. Absolutely impossible! Me apologize to that jinx? I’d rather die! You’re all trying to drive me to my grave, is that it? Fine! Fine! Then I’ll bash my head in right here!"

"Grandma!" Angela cried as she ran forward. She turned back to the shareholders with tears streaming down her face. "Please, talk to her. Are you really going to stand by and watch her be forced to death by Sister Selina? We’re all family—can’t we talk this out peacefully..."

But the shareholders who had once firmly stood on Grandma Morris’s side now kept silent for the sake of their own interests. Not a single one spoke up for her; instead, they sounded impatient:

"Madam, this whole mess started because of you. Do you expect us minor shareholders to take the loss?"

"Just apologize! Selina’s demand isn’t even that excessive. You’re the ones who looked down on her and drove her away in the first place!"

Grandma Morris looked on the verge of fainting.

She wanted to turn to her son for help, but after so many years under her control, Joe had grown into a man utterly devoid of backbone.

When the woman he loved most was tormented by his mother, he hadn’t dared to speak up.

When his daughter was insulted by his mother, he had pretended nothing was happening.

And now, with his mother being cornered by shareholders, Joe only averted his eyes, guilt and pity flickering in them, but without taking a single step forward—allowing the shareholders to press Grandma Morris to her knees for an apology.

Time dragged on in a stalemate. Over on the Turner Group’s side, Anthony was starting to grow impatient.

"Chairman Morris, Madam Morris, discuss it and come back when you’ve decided. Or better yet, I have a compromise: whoever committed the plagiarism can apologize. I trust Miss Clark only wants to stand up for her mother—not start a fight to the death with the Morris family. If the madam refuses, then let the plagiarist decide for herself."

Grandma Morris’s eyes lit up as if she had found a lifeline. "Yes, yes! Hannah—"

"All right, I’ll apologize," Hannah said.

She gave the reporters and shareholders a bitter smile. "It was my fault from the start, so it’s only right I take responsibility. Joe, call Selina."

When Selina received the call, she wasn’t surprised. She had known from the beginning that Grandma Morris would never kneel to apologize to her mother. That wasn’t what she wanted anyway.

What she wanted was Hannah on her knees.

Grandma Morris was nothing—Hannah and her family were the ones responsible for her mother’s tragedy, and Selina intended to reclaim every ounce of that debt from Hannah herself.

Logan, as considerate as ever, escorted Selina back to the Turner Group building.

Anthony announced, "Since Miss Clark is here, let’s begin the signing ceremony."

The secretary had already prepared the contract documents. The reporters snapped out of their daze, turning their flashing cameras toward Selina to capture the moment her pen touched the page.

Selina took the pen and was just about to sign her name—

When Linda suddenly spoke, as if she’d just remembered something. "Oh, right. Didn’t Mrs. Morris just say that, as the plagiarist, she would kneel and apologize to Selina? Now that Selina’s here, go ahead—kneel."

The lively atmosphere of congratulations froze instantly, as though someone had hit a pause button. All color drained from Hannah’s face.

Selina blinked slowly, setting the pen down like she was settling in to watch a good show.

"Now that Mrs. Turner’s mentioned it, I just remembered—yes, Chairman Morris brought me back on the condition that Mrs. Hill would kneel and apologize. So... why aren’t you kneeling?"