Chapter 8 Grandpa Is Hospitalized

• "No," Elias replied quietly.
• "Then why do you have a check from Coco Investments Incorporated?"
• Iris' heart began to pound. She wondered if Elias was the boss of Coco Investments. Coco Investments was a rookie company that emerged in Elmstead three years ago. Its market value had doubled year after year. As soon as the financial statements for the first quarter of this year came out, all the businessmen in Elmstead were stunned because Coco Investments ranked second among listed companies in Elmstead with a market value of seventy billion. Although it ranked second to Mortimer Group, its market value was only three billion lower. All businessmen predicted that when the financial statements of the next quarter came out, Coco Investments would be able to crush Mortimer Group. This was due to Coco Investments' development momentum was too strong and the market value growth rate being too rapid. With its keen market insight, Coco Investments had seized a considerable share of emerging markets, so the development speed was unparalleled.
• If Elias is the boss of Coco Investments...
• Iris' heart beat faster at the mere thought of it, and her mood was too complicated. If Elias was indeed the boss of Coco Investments, then she suffered a significant loss. She gulped, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself. Then, she asked again, "You said that you're not the boss of Coco Investments, so why do you carry the check of Coco Investments around with you?"
• Elias said softly, "I have a project worth eighty million with Coco Investments. Since I need to distribute eighty million to the supplier, I requested that Coco Investments provide me with the financial check for convenience. This is how I pay my suppliers one by one."
• Iris frowned. "Is that so?"
• When she gave it some thought, she would have come to the same conclusion as everyone else. Elias was an illegitimate descendant of the Mortimer Family with no talent. Joseph wanted to promote him to a key position in Mortimer Group's head office. Still, he had consistently underperformed and had made little progress over the years. Elias' business and management skills were poor, so he remained a deputy general manager at Mortimer Group's branch after many years. Some reports indicate that he was only paid 500,000 per year. What could he do with 500,000?
• "Yes, do you need anything else?" Elias' tone was cold and alienated, with an aloof expression.
• "No." Iris looked at the seventy million checks and was extremely satisfied.
• The sixty million and the bungalow were returned to Iris, and she even made an additional two million, which was great.
• Elias walked away without another glance at her.
• ...
• Meanwhile, as soon as Elias and his wife left with the Lancasters at the Mortimer Residence, chaos broke out in the Mortimer Family's household.
• It was because Joseph and Leonard were at odds over the investment with the Lancaster Trading Company. Joseph wanted to treat everyone equally, and after Elias married Raven, the Mortimers invested one billion. Furthermore, Joseph wanted the same for Cayden and Aria's wedding, so he invested one billion into the Lancaster Trading Company. Overall, two billion were invested.
• Leonard was furious about it. He sneered and stated that Raven had no right to be treated like Aria because Raven was an illegitimate daughter. In addition, he claimed that Aria's marriage was worth three billion in investment.
• When Joseph heard this, he became enraged. To rub salt in the wound, Leonard stated that Elias was just an illegitimate child and he had never acknowledged Elias as his son. In the past, a crafty woman named Tessa secretly plotted against him and gave birth to Elias. This caused him a great deal of embarrassment, and upper-class people would constantly mock him. Those people often praised his three sons as handsome and fine, especially the third son, Elia. Elias possessed an extraordinary temperament and was better than a superstar. Did they believe Leonard was unaware of their ridicule of his illegitimate child?
• Joseph trembled with anger. He pointed at Leonard and scolded him. How could something like this happen if it weren't for Leonard's recklessness? What was wrong with Tessa? She was just a woman who secretly gave birth to a child and raised Elias alone until he was twelve years old. She had sacrificed her youth to care for Leonard's child, so how could Leonard say that without feeling remorseful?
• Then, Leonard retorted that Tessa was the one who had caused the uproar in the Mortimer Residence. If it weren't for Tessa's schemes, the current situation would not happen.
• Joseph's temper flared. He slapped Leonard in the face and scolded him for being the one who did dirty deeds but blamed others for the consequences.
• Leonard remarked irately that he had wanted to kick Elias out fifteen years ago. If Elias had been kicked out at the time, the Mortimer Family's reputation would not have suffered now. It was already highly disgraceful to have an illegitimate child, and now that child was marrying another illegitimate daughter? The Mortimers would become a laughingstock in the future due to this. Soon, whenever Leonard went out in public, others would laugh at him because his illegitimate son had married an illegitimate daughter. They would be a perfect match.
• Joseph was so annoyed that he pointed at Leonard. "Y-You!"
• He had trouble breathing for quite some time and eventually passed out.
• Chaos had descended on the Mortimers.
• Leonard now chose to take his father to the hospital rather than argue with him.
• In contrast to the Mortimer Family, the Lancasters were filled with joy. Gideon began to gear up for a big celebration when he said, "Great! We've finally made it to today. Aria, you did well, and I'm glad I pampered you. You must get the marriage certificate quickly so that we don't have to worry too much. As for the wedding, we can take it slowly and make it grand. This will not only benefit the Mortimer Family but also us."
• Lori echoed, "Y-Yes, your father is right. Get the certificate quickly. No matter what, it's most important to become Mrs. Mortimer first."
• Aria smiled charmingly, "You make it seem as if I can't wait to marry him."
• Lori laughed and took Aria's hand with a proud smile. "You're the best, so of course not. Cayden is the one who is most eager to marry."
• Aria raised her chin slightly and said, "That's right! Cayden pursued me first."
• At that moment, Iris rushed in with two checks for seventy million in her hand. With a smug expression, she crowed, "The sixty million and the bungalow's money have been returned to me. Isn't it amazing? Come on, praise me."
• The radiance of Lori's eyes increased, and her face lit up with excitement. "You got it back? Who gave it to you?"
• She enthusiastically stared at the checks in Iris' hand and reached for them. "Iris, let me take a look. Show me. The checks won't be counterfeit, right?"
• "How did you get the checks?" Gideon and Aria both asked in unison.
• They were so surprised.
• Iris raised her chin. "Of course, Elias gave them to me, but I got them due to my cleverness. I saw him coming and pretended to be helpless in front of Raven. I said that the Lancasters took care of Raven for twenty years. We provided her with clothes, food, and care. Why is she deceiving the Lancasters of our money now that she is married? How could she be so ungrateful? Then, Elias heard everything. Later, he called me to give me the checks. I was really surprised when I received the checks. What a surprise! My bungalow has returned, and so has the sixty million from our Lancaster Family."
• Aria frowned, "Is it that simple?"
• Iris raised her chin with a smug smile on her face. "Why not? How complicated do you want it to be?"
• Lori still thought this sounded strange, so she emphasized her request. "Iris, quickly show me the checks."
• "Just take a look!" Iris proudly handed her the checks.
• Lori took the checks and frowned. "Why does Elias have checks from Coco Investments?"
• Gideon and Aria exchanged glances with furrowed brows with caution in their eyes.
• Then, Gideon took the checks, flipped them over, and handed them to Aria.
• Aria took a serious look at them as well. She whispered, "Elias isn't the boss of Coco Investments, is he?"