Chapter 3 One Hundred Million

• Behind them, Eric was stunned.
• In disbelief, Theresa roared at Serena, “Serena, have you gone mad? Do you know what kind of person Mark is? How will you face the public in the future?”
• Oliver could barely hide his delight as he burst out laughing. “Excellent! You truly are my granddaughter. You will play the most significant role in guiding our family through this crisis!”
• The other women in the Groff family stared at Serena, their expressions complicated.
• Some felt fortunate that they weren't selected, some looked at Serena in disdain, and some gloated in her misery.
• No one felt grateful for her sacrifice, though.
• Serena's eyes lost their usual luster. After Oliver's laughter subsided, she added, “I have a condition, though.”
• Despite his discontent, Oliver inquired, “What is it?”
• Taking a deep breath, Serena announced, “I demand the transfer of ten percent of the company shares to my mother, and I also require the family to deposit two million in cash into Eric's bank account.”
• Oliver's frown deepened, and he fell silent.
• The others protested unhappily, “Serena, don't push your luck! You should feel honored that we're giving you an opportunity to save the family! How dare you attempt to negotiate terms with us?”
• “That's right. Maybe Mr. Mark will find you appealing and consent to marriage. Others can't even dream of such an opportunity!”
• The Groff family wasn't big, so ten percent of the shares wasn't a substantial amount. However, they balked at granting it to a widow whose spouse had passed away, let alone transferring two million to Eric.
• In short, these people felt uncomfortable seeing others benefit and couldn't stand losing out.
• Chaos erupted within the conference hall while Eric found himself feeling heavy-hearted.
• Never in his wildest dream did he expect Serena to still think of him amidst the situation. After all, he knew well the perception he had left on her family over the past three years.
• Though Serena didn't say it, Eric knew she was extremely disappointed in him.
• Surprisingly, she didn't fight for herself but thought of compensating Eric at the final moment.
• Eric let out a relieved smile as the humiliations he had endured over the past three years faded into thin air.
• Amidst the noise, he kicked the table over and declared, “I object!”
• His loud voice silenced the rest.
• The room fell silent, and everyone stared at the frenzied Eric in disbelief.
• “Eric? He's been here all along?”
• “You trash, how dare you pick a fight here? Don't you know where you are?”
• “Kick him out now!”
• Everyone cried out in anger.
• Ignoring the shouts, Eric stood by Serena's side and shouted again, “I object!”
• Serena looked at Eric in astonishment. She didn't expect the usually timid Eric to have an emotional outburst.
• On the podium, Oliver wore a displeased expression when he saw Eric kick the table over.
• Meanwhile, Andres pointed at Eric and admonished, “Who are you to object?”
• Eric replied calmly, “I'm her husband.”
• Andres burst out laughing. “I can't believe you have the audacity to claim you're Serena's husband. You object, huh? Sure! If you can produce one hundred million, she won't have to keep Mr. Mark company. If you can't fork out the money, then scram. Don't stop Serena from sacrificing for the family!”
• With that, he signaled to the male members of the family seated below, indicating for them to drive Eric out.
• Eric lowered his head to glance at Serena, who had remained silent all the while. Turning to Andres and the rest, he said, “One hundred million, right? I have it!”
• Everyone exchanged a look before guffawing out loud. “What did he just say? Did he just claim to have one hundred million? Does he even know how many zeros are involved?”
• “We knew Serena's husband was useless, but we didn't expect him to be a fool!”
• Facing these comments, Eric remained unfazed. He was about to continue, but Serena stopped him.
• He looked down with some confusion, only to receive a disappointed gaze from the woman. “Eric, please leave now. Don't embarrass me any further!”