Meanwhile, at the Sheffield residence, Wilmer’s Porsche pulled up at the entrance. As Wilmer stepped out of the car, he adjusted his clothes before walking into the living room in a composed manner.
He had seen a photo of Madilyn. Ever since that first sight, he had been unable to get her off his mind. Her exquisite features seemed to be out of this world.
Thus, even though Wilmer knew that Norton had arranged this marriage of convenience to save Southern Star Group from imminent danger, he was willing to go through with his proposal. In fact, he had even convinced his father Jensen to allow him to get married.
After all, in Wilmer’s mind, it was natural to give up a little bit of money to court and win over a belle. However, what awaited Wilmer was Norton’s dejected expression and Mildred’s dark gaze. “Mr. Sheffield, hasn’t Madilyn returned?” Wilmer frowned, evidently displeased with the situation.
Norton raised his head to look at Wilmer, not knowing what to say. Just as he was about to explain the situation by blaming Madilyn’s disobedience, Mildred shot up from her seat in fury at that exact moment.
Gritting her teeth, she seethed, “Mr. Wilmer, you’re way too good for Madilyn. Never would we have imagined that she has gotten a boyfriend behind our back and has now even gotten herself pregnant! We’re enraged beyond words! Just before you arrived, her dad had gotten into a huge argument with her.” Mildred sighed in exasperation. “Oh, I can’t believe this!”
Wilmer blinked, dumbfounded. For a second, words eluded him. The next moment, a look of disgust filled his eyes. He had been expecting a morally upright woman.
“Fine! Since that’s the case, this whole ordeal cannot be carried forward. Goodbye, Mr. Sheffield!” Wilmer was burning with rage as he turned around and walked away impatiently. Norton’s lips quivered, but no words came out.
If he were to be truthful, he had to admit that vilifying Madilyn’s morality would immediately make the Cheever family back down from the deal.
Mildred’s approach was better than his plan to provide the Cheevers with endless explanations. If that were to happen, he might very well offend the Cheever family instead.
In the end, he turned to look at Mildred with a crestfallen expression. “Darling, can your side of the family still lend us some money? We just need about one hundred million to be able to redeem the mineral resources abroad. By then, we can continue to develop the area and get through this difficult time!”
Instantly, Mildred shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, “Norton, where would my family still have the money? We’ve given what we can to you a long time ago, and didn’t that result in a severe loss as well? If you ask me, since your daughter has gotten entangled with the Queen family of Horington, you should consider asking the Queen family for help! See if they can at least help patch up some holes in this sinking ship!”
Norton was rendered speechless. He threw Mildred a look of exasperation as though one would look at an idiot.
All the while, Mildred and her two daughters had been bullying Lorraine and Madilyn. Not to mention that they had practically kidnapped Madilyn back to Xandenia that time around. How could they hope that his future son-in-law Jonathan would help them?
They should be grateful that Jonathan had not turned hostile and sought revenge. Just as Norton was lost in thought, his phone suddenly rang. It was a call from the secretary of the board of directors.
“Mr. Sheffield, there’s terrible news! Our company’s shares are plummeting as we speak! What on earth had happened? Do you know anything about it? The board of directors is hoping that you can show up immediately for a meeting!”
Norton froze on the spot. Alas, one attracts what one fears. Mildred was still going on and on, nagging relentlessly beside him. All of a sudden, Norton exploded. “Shut the hell up!”
Taken by surprise, Mildred stared at him in shock before roaring, “Why the f*ck are you shouting? What’s the use of you shouting at me?”
Norton no longer wanted to talk to her. Getting up from his seat, he got ready to go to the office. However, before he could leave the house, a series of cars drove into the compound. Upon closer inspection, Norton realized that those were all people he knew.
Among them was a manager of a bank which Southern Star Group had taken a five hundred million loan from. He had been postponing the payment again and again.
Another was a person in charge of a private funds group. With a look of fury written on his face, he dashed to the living room the moment he stepped out of the car. Following suit were many contractors. All of them looked unfriendly as they marched toward Norton.
“Mr. Sheffield, we can’t tolerate it any longer. You’re a big shot. Shouldn’t you be able to settle a small debt of a few million?”
“Mr. Sheffield, the upper management is beginning to take action. If the numbers don’t tally, I will lose my job. Please be merciful and pay up the five hundred million that you owe.”
“Norton Sheffield, Southern Star Group is done for! What are we going to do now? I demand you to give me an answer!”
That day, the gate of Norton’s mansion was broken into by countless people. Shocked out of her wits, Mildred hurried upstairs and locked the door.
