"What?" Freya squeaked, throwing a cold stare at Nicholas. She withdrew her gaze and grabbed Adele's hand
"Please grandmother, I don't want to watch Marie die, please help her." She mumbled, hoping that Adele wouldn't bring up her request one more time.
"Then marry Nicholas. What else do you want?" Mason cut in before Adele could reply.
"Freya, Grandma has just given you a second chance, don't be an ungrateful prodigal child." Patricia chipped in.
Freya crashed to the floor dejectedly, tightening her fists as a multitude of thoughts flowed through her brain.
Her only hope of saving Marie was through Adele, and now she had made an almost impossible request.
"On no condition will I ever divorce Maxwell and marry Nicholas." She had said furiously to her mother in the last few days.
Asides being a rich dandy, Nicholas was a playboy whom only sluts would fawn over. He had a reputation of carrying and dumping different girls as though they were just a piece of cloth he could always get for a few dollars.
Marrying Nicholas will only make her a laughing stock in the whole of the city. Especially since he had a wife already, and she would be nothing but his concubine.
Adele, Mason, Lilian and the rest all knew that, but it's their personal interest that matters more to them.
Meanwhile, Clara had overheard the discussion and had raced down the stairs.
"What? They are forcing her to divorce me and marry Nicholas? And she needs a million dollars to save Marie?" Maxwell asked in a slightly shocked tone.
"Yes, what should we do? I can't allow my lady to marry that playboy who won't even take care of her." Clara replied.
Maxwell clenched his fists and took a deep breath.
"And they call themselves a reputable family. Yet, all they can do is to cower behind the skirts of a little girl and bully her into marrying someone she doesn't want." He scoffed.
He turned to Clara and smiled;
"Thanks for informing me. Trust me, Freya won't be divorcing me, nor marrying Nicholas." With that said, Maxwell walked away and headed towards the boardroom after which he made a detour when Clara was no longer looking.
He took out his phone and dialed Ava's number.
"Hi boss." Ava's voice came in from the other end of the call.
"Release a statement now that we've ended all collaborations with the Stone's family, and we will be working with the Smith's family, particularly with Freya Smith. Also…" He said the remaining part in a very tone, but loud enough for Ava's ears to catch.
"Alright. I am on it." Ava replied as she grabbed her computer.
Maxwell hung up the call, and smiled.
"Seems we are in for a show." He dipped his phone back into his pockets, and waited for a few seconds.
About thirty seconds later, his phone made a beep and he smilingly took it out. A message was clearly displayed on his screen and his smile widened.
"Done." He mumbled and instantly pushed open the board room's door.
"How dare you barge in, can't you…"
"Congratulations dear! Skye's corporation is willing to collaborate with you." Maxwell yelled happily as he hugged Freya.
Mason, Adele, Nicholas, Patricia and Avery all exchanged confused glances as they wondered what was going on.
Even Freya was confused, she couldn't phantom what Maxwell meant by his message.
She hurriedly pulled Maxwell closer and gave him a stern look.
"This is not the time for a joke, Maxwell. I really need grandma's help in saving Auntie Marie, please don't ruin it." Freya pleaded, striking Maxwell with her reddened eyeballs.
Maxwell remained calm instead, and to Freya's bewilderment, his smile widened as he placed his phone in front of Freya's face.
"I am not lying. Skye's corporations just released a statement on their main account a few minutes ago. You can check for yourself." Maxwell said, and Freya instantly grabbed the phone from him.
Patricia and Avery instantly logged in to their social media accounts, and they were greeted by massive traffic, and Freya trending greatly. They managed to see the original post, and their shoulders slumped, which was accompanied by their bulging eyes and dropping jaws.
"What happened?" Adele asked in a hurry, seeing Patricia and Avery's reactions.
"Granny, it's real. The Skye's corporations just ended collaborations with the Stone's family and would love to pick up with Freya Smith." Avery said in shock, his heart tightened as he revealed the message.
Adele collected the phone and read the news herself. She glanced at Freya, read the news again before switching her gaze back at Freya.
"Freya, come here, come sit on my lap." Adele happily said, waving her hands at Freya.
"You've done a great job, I am proud of you." Adele praised her, while Patricia and Avery grunted silently. Even Mason couldn't hide his irritation.
As Freya sat on Adele's lap, her phone rang and it was from Skye's corporation. She showed it to Adele who prompted her to pick it immediately.
"Hi, Mrs. Freya. Here is to notify you that we will love to collaborate with you on our upcoming project. We've reviewed your performances in the past, and we think it's safe to say you are the best person for the job.
To show our commitment, we've transferred the sum of five hundred million dollars into your account, please check and confirm.
By the way, we will be waiting for your presence in our headquarters, so you can sign the necessary documents and begin the contract in earnest.
Thanks, and have a nice day."