Chapter 35
"Even the small divorce settlement wouldn't buy you a decent handbag, and yet Cary is clawing it back?"Caleb was exasperated.
As soon as he got Evelina's call, he had rushed to Morningstar Villas to strategize their next steps.
He'd always thought the Gibson family for lacking shame,yet they had outdone even his wildest notions of their greed.
"This is monstrous! Cary's actions are beyond forgiveness!" Florrie exclaimed, her anger was clear as she balled her hands into fists, all set to confront Cary directly.
"And Demi still hopes that her grandson will reconcile with Ms. Marsh," lan scoffed, disbelief coloring his tone.
lan had returned from the Gibson Mansion with updates, reinforcing the notion that the Gibson family harbored ongoing schemes against Evelina.
"He wouldn't have a chance!" Florrie and Caleb both shouted, their outrage mirroring each other's. Florrie stopped short, then quickly grabbed Evelina's arm, asserting her claim. "Evelina is part of the Russell family now,and nobody else's."
Caleb,seizing Evelina's other arm, said, "What are you talking about, Russell family? She's my family, and that's final."
Florrie's face scrunched up in dismay. "Nonsense!Evelina is mine,all mine!"
She had always thought Caleb was merely helping Evelina legally, not knowing he was a contender for her affection, challenging Jasper directly.
Now she finally understood why her uncle would grow tense as soon as he saw Caleb.
"Enough, both of you," Jasper finally said, bringing calm with his voice. "Florrie, remember, Evelina is still healing from her injuries."
Florrie promptly straightened up from where she had been resting her head on Evelina's shoulder,a show of her concern for Evelina.
Caleb,noticing Florrie's change in posture, sheepishly released his grip on Evelina.
Jasper,with a calm demeanor, turned to Evelina and inquired, "What's your plan moving forward?" He had always known Evelina as a woman of substance,unlikely to be rattled by the petty schemes of the Gibson family
Evelina offered Jasper a knowing smile. "I suspect Cary's abrupt decision to strip me of everything might be Esme's handiwork."
In Evelina's view, Cary had always been a puppet of his own selfish desires, now manipulated further by Esme's scheming and Elora's disdain. They thought they could leverage financial means as a weapon against her.
Evelina's gaze hardened as she said, "Money isn't an issue for me. I can walk away without a penny,but the Gibsons will need to clear their debts. Caleb, draft a bill for Cary covering the cost of the surgeries I performed. Four surgeries, each at a minimum of five million, that's twenty million total."
Caleb,energized by Evelina's assertive stance, clicked his fingers in agreement. "Consider it done."
Evelina wasn't finished. "Moreover, inform him that I'm prepared to absolve Margot and drop all criminal charges in exchange for ten million in compensation."
Caleb hesitated. "Evelina,given your financial standing,demanding a billion from the Gibson family wouldn't be out of line." The requested amount of ten million seemed rather insignificant.
"Do you really believe the Gibson Group could net a billion?" Evelina asked, her tone laced with incredulity.They wouldn't fetch that much even if they liquidated the entire company.
With a decisive tone, Evelina instructed her assistant,Lena, over the phone, "I've met my responsibilities to the Gibson family. Moving forward, we will no longer offer them discounted raw materials."
Evelina had previously supported Cary's corporate struggles against his uncle by providing materials at half their cost. It was time to adjust those terms back to standard market rates.
"Furthermore, our affiliated retail brands will stop overpaying for Gibson Group products. We'll assess their offerings on par with all others, prioritizing only those that offer the best value and quality."
She was curious to witness how the Gibson Group would fare in the competitive market without her favorable support
Chaos erupted within the Gibson Group the following day.
Executives flooded Cary's office, delivering one piece of awful news after another.
"Mr. Gibson, terrible news-the cost of our raw materials has tripled overnight. Suppliers are sticking to what they claim is the current market rate, and they're not shy about giving our allotment to others if we refuse."
"Mr. Gibson, there's more bad news-our clients are only offering to pay half of what they used to for our products, claiming that our competitors provide better quality for the same price."
"Mr. Gibson, there's an urgent issue-the Sight Weaver has issued us a bill demanding twenty million for medical procedures."
Cary turned to Esme, who had just arrived to bring him lunch. "A bill from the Sight Weaver? But aren't you the Sight Weaver?"
Esme,who had previously flaunted sapphire earrings worth three hundred million Cary had gifted her, was now supposedly billing for twenty million more for surgeries? This confusion deepened his frustration.