Ch. 516..520: The Adorable Twins and Their CEO Daddy Chapter 516-520
Chapter 516
Eliana was silent for a moment, trying her best to suppress all the reluctance in her heart. She said firmly, “I have already thought over it, and I must do it.”
“Okay, since you’ve decided, I’ll support you. So, what should we do next?”
When she saw that Eliana had made up her mind, Nana had nothing else to say. Eliana was her best friend, so she would certainly support Eliana.
Eliana’s eyes unconsciously turned red. She was moved and felt lucky to have a friend like Nana, who was always on her side no matter what.
“Nana, thank you so much. Don’t worry. I’ve asked Rosamond to help cover up our whereabouts. And I’ll pay all the money I owe Maurice, so we’ll be free by then.”
Nana didn’t expect that Eliana arranged everything so well. And although she didn’t want her best friend to miss out on her own happiness like this, she would still respect Eliana’s choice.
“Then let’s get started.”
Eliana and Nana divided the work and quickly packed their things, ready to leave that night.
When everything was packed, the taxi called by Eliana came.
After the driver helped them load their suitcases in the trunk of the car, Eliana and Nana picked up the sleeping Adrian and Aileen, respectively, and embarked on their trip.
In the darkness of the night, the car gradually drove towards an unknown destination.
On the other side of the world, Maurice knew nothing about Eliana’s departure. At this moment, he was in a meeting with Wilfred abroad.
“Mr. Moran, I heard that you handed over all the projects to your uncle, Gerald. Is this true? And why?” Wilfred asked, looking at Maurice in disbelief.
They were in the conference room now.
Maurice picked up his coffee and said calmly, “It’s just some normal transfer within the company. It’s no big deal.”
“It’s infighting, right?” Wilfred pointed out the key directly. As a shrewd businessman, how could he not see the real reason behind the sudden change?
Maurice was about to take a sip of his coffee, but his hand froze midair upon hearing this. He raised his eyes and looked at Wilfred deeply.
“Mr. Moran, I’ll be honest with you. If you didn’t come this time, I was going to withdraw my investment. You also know that your uncle has a very bad reputation in the industry. I’m afraid that the infighting within the Moran Group will affect my business.”
Wilfred was straightforward. He only cooperated with the Moran Group because of Maurice. Once Maurice was no longer involved, there was no need for him to continue the cooperation.
“Mr. Morales, rest assured that those are all rumors. I am still the one in charge of Moran Group.”
The calmness and confidence in Maurice’s voice soon dispelled Wilfred’s doubts.
He laughed. “Sure enough, those are rumors. I’m relieved then.”
The atmosphere in the conference room eased a lot in an instant.
Then Wilfred suddenly changed the topic.
“By the way, I also heard that you and the Stone family are about to cooperate on a land development project. I’m actually interested in it as well.”
“Oh…” Maurice raised his eyebrows. “Mr. Morales, do you have any suggestions?”
Wilfred smiled like a cunning fox. “It doesn’t count as a suggestion. I know you want to do real estate development. I know a world-famous architect here, and I want to introduce him to you. What do you think?”
“Since he has your recommendation, of course, I trust your judgment. I also hope this cooperation will be successful.”
After the negotiation, Maurice successfully resolved this urgent issue.
On the surface, he looked like he was concentrating on his work. But his mind was full of Eliana’s images while she said goodbye to him that night in front of her home.
The uneasiness in Maurice’s heart gradually deepened. He couldn’t tell why, but he felt that Eliana was behaving strangely at that time.
Something was wrong. Something was really wrong.
Chapter 517
Gerald had always been in a good mood because when Maurice wasn’t in the company these days, he directly took over the Moran Group.
He had been suppressed by Maurice and his father for so many years. But finally, he kicked Maurice out of the game. And the Moran Group would be his hands from now on.
Today, Gerald called for a meeting with the Design Department. He proudly announced, “From now on, all the affairs of the Design Department have to be approved by me. Only me.”
Upon hearing this, a midlevel employee asked weakly, “What about Mr. Moran?”
“Which Mr. Moran?” Gerald asked. He then added in a low voice, “From now on, there is only one Mr. Moran in the company, and that is me. Maurice isn’t coming back anymore.”
The employees in the Design Department were all sensible. As soon as they heard Gerald’s announcement, they started to flatter him.
“Mr. Moran, indeed, you are wise.”
“That’s right. Mr. Moran, I’ve heard wonderful things about you before. And seeing you today, I must say that you are really wise.”
“Mr. Moran, our department will be under your leadership from now on.”
These flattering words made Gerald’s heart jump for joy.
However, Lucia was an outlier. She was the only person who didn’t bother to flatter him.
And she disliked the complacent look on his face, so she deliberately said. “Sir, the chairman hasn’t made an official announcement yet, so don’t be in a hurry. You haven’t been formally introduced to us
as the new CEO. I believe that Mr. Maurice Moran will come back sooner or later.”
As soon as these words came out of her mouth, the conference room fell silent.
Everyone looked at Lucia with astonishment in their eyes. It was as if they were saying, “How dare you say that! You are just an intern. Do you want to get fired?”
Gerald’s face darkened at once. He stared at Lucia gloomily. For him, she was a thorn. And he wanted to get rid of her right away. But because she was the daughter of the Todd family, he couldn’t do it.
Gerald thought for a while. He knew that there would always be someone who could help him.
At this moment, Harriet stood up and shouted, “Lucia, what are you talking about? Let me remind you that you are just an intern. How dare you contradict the CEO?”
Because of Eliana, Lucia repeatedly went against her, so she had long considered Lucia her enemy. She could take this opportunity to kick Lucia out of the company.
She looked at Gerald and found that he didn’t intend to say anything. Thinking that his silence meant that he acquiesced to her, she became more determined.
“Lucia, pack your things and leave now. You are fired!”
The crowd was immediately in an uproar.
A satisfied look slowly crept across Gerald’s face. Of course, he was happy that someone could offend the Todd family for him.
“Fine! I’m leaving. With a boss like you, do you think I want to stay here? No way!”
Lucia then stormed out of the conference room and slammed the door behind her.
After the meeting, Gerald went back to his office. This time, Sean started to flatter him.
He was about to lose himself in the flattery when Harriet rushed in.
“Mr. Moran, something happened!”
Gerald glanced at her impatiently. “What’s with the panic? What can happen now?”
Harriet looked very serious. “We have been tricked. Many of the contracts of the projects Maurice signed before state that we cannot replace the person in charge. If we do, those contracts won’t be valid anymore.”
Gerald was so shocked that he immediately stood up from his chair. “What? That brat!”
Sean’s brain worked at once. He chimed in, “Boss, I have an idea. If those contracts become null and void, we can negotiate with the partners again and sign new contracts in your name. After all, you are now the CEO of Moran Group.”
Gerald’s eyes lit up. “That’s a good idea! Okay, let’s do it. Anyway, the partners want to cooperate with Moran Group, not with Maurice.”
However, Harriet countered, “Mr. Moran, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Your reputation in the business world has been very bad, and the news that you are taking over the Moran Group has spread out. The moment our partners heard the news, they immediately wanted to withdraw one after another. Many of our projects may fail.”
This time, Gerald was dumbfounded. If the projects became problematic, and Maurice used this opportunity to attack him, he could possibly lose the position as CEO.
So he quickly asked, “What about Maurice? Does he already know about this?”
Harriet shook her head and replied, “I don’t know. He seems to be on vacation now.”
“That’s good then. There is still a chance for us. We can have time to think about how to deal with this.”
Gerald was a little relieved. As long as Maurice didn’t make any move, he would be able to figure out a way.
“Boss, what should we do now?” Sean asked in a panic.
Gerald comforted himself, “It’s okay. We still have a chance as long as my dad is on my side.”
But as soon as he said this, Earle came in with a long face.
Chapter 518
“Gerald! You still have time to be idle in your office now? Do you even know what is happening outside?”
Earle heard about the news. Seeing that the Moran Group was in a mess now, he was even more dissatisfied with Gerald.
Harriet quickly stood up and spoke for Gerald. “Mr. Moran, please don’t be angry…”
However, Earle interrupted her, “Miss Stone, don’t talk yet. I want to listen to what Lucia will say first.”
He then waved his hand, and Lucia walked out from behind him.
Harriet’s eyes opened wide in shock and she wondered what Lucia was doing there. She had already fired Lucia, right?
Lucia stood beside Earle and began complaining, “I just mentioned Maurice in the meeting today, and Miss Stone fired me. Mr. Gerald Moran said that Maurice would never come back again.”
Harriet was even more surprised when she heard Lucia call Maurice by his first name only.
She frowned and retorted unhappily, “Be careful with your words. Don’t forget that you are just an intern here. Who gives you the courage to sow discord in front of the chairman?”
But Lucia was not afraid of Harriet at all. She held Earle’s arm and said, “Mr. Earle Moran gave me the courage.”
Harriet was so shocked that her mouth gaped open. “What do you mean?”
Earle coughed to clear his throat and said, “I’ve arranged Lucia to work here as a kind gesture to the Todd family and to train her as well.”
Harriet’s face turned pale at once.
She never thought that Lucia was from the Todd family.
If she had known, she wouldn’t have offended Lucia.
Earle stared at Harriet with his sharp eyes and continued, “I arranged an internship for her here. But I’ve heard that she has been bullied since she came in. Only Eliana was working with her, right?”
Harriet felt a chill down her spine. At the thought of all the bad things she had done to Lucia before, she explained, “No, everyone in the company is very friendly to Miss Todd. They were only a little strict on her because they wanted to help her learn.”
When Lucia heard that Harriet started to call her Miss Todd now, she curled her lips in disdain.
Sure enough, Harriet pretended to be nice to her as soon as Harriet knew her identity.
“Dad, Miss Stone is right. How can anyone bully Lucia here? There must be some misunderstanding here.”
Gerald also spoke for Harriet. After all, they were allies.
At this moment, Earle also noticed that Gerald and Harriet were helping each other. He sensed something was wrong.
It seemed that Gerald and Harriet were rather familiar with each other.
Gerald was his son, so he naturally knew Gerald very well. Gerald wouldn’t help anyone if there wasn’t something to be taken advantage of. There must be something in Harriet that Gerald wanted.
It seemed that there was something between them.
Earle knew Gerald and what was on Gerald’s mind.
So he said, “Gerald, listen to me. Stop playing tricks. Because you are my son, the Moran Group will always have a place for you. But the future will belong to the next generation. I’m warning you, don’t dream about getting what’s not going to be yours. Otherwise, you will end up with nothing.”
After saying this, he felt extremely exhausted.
Earle drove Maurice away and gave Gerald a chance.
But it seemed that he had made the wrong decision. It looked like Gerald didn’t deserve this chance at all. Gerald would probably never be better than Maurice.
Gerald and Maurice were both members of the Moran family. But why were they so different from each other?
Earle didn’t say anything more. He just turned around and left in disappointment.
Harriet didn’t want to give up just like that. She hurriedly followed him, wanting to defend herself and discredit Eliana.
“Mr. Moran, please listen to me. Miss Todd is very close to Eliana. Eliana must have said something to her…”
Before Harriet could finish her words, Earle’s phone suddenly vibrated.
It was a message from Eliana.
“Mr. Moran, as I have promised, I left while Maurice was on a business trip. I hope you can also keep your word. Return everything that belongs to him.”
Chapter 519
Earle put away his phone that contained Eliana’s message. He then looked up at Harriet who tried to discredit Eliana.
He was getting mixed feelings now.
Earle was beginning to realize that Eliana loved Maurice so much that she could give up everything and leave him.
And Harriet here… Harriet, whom he had chosen for Maurice, might not really love Maurice.
She and his grandson belonged to families of the same social status. Yet, she had already started to take sides even before she married into the Moran family. Moreover, she took Gerald’s side and started to help him when she learned that Maurice lost power in the Moran Group.
So why was he letting such a woman marry his grandson?
For the first time, Earle doubted his own judgment.
He might not want to admit it but he could tell that Eliana—and not Harriet—was the better choice for Maurice.
With Earle staring at her, Harriet felt uncomfortable. She wanted to say something.
“Miss Stone,” Earle said in a tone that startled Harriet, “may I remind you that you aren’t married yet to Maurice? There may be ladies from prominent families, just as you are, who would give the world to be his wife. So it is for your own good that you behave yourself… Because I wouldn’t mind replacing you.”
Earle then turned away and left Harriet open-mouthed.
She couldn’t believe what Earle had just said.
What did he mean?
She had done so much so she could marry Maurice. And now, Earle was changing his mind about her.
Harriet’s heart sank. There was a pained expression on her face. She wanted to go after Earle but she couldn’t.
Lucia smiled to herself as she followed Earle.
She was somehow delighted to see Harriet being scolded. That woman deserved it for what she had done to Eliana!
Lucia, however, was worried about Maurice.
She hurried along to catch up with Earle. Holding him by his arm, she asked, “Mr. Moran, may I ask you something? Is Maurice taking over the Moran Group again?”
As far as Lucia could remember, Maurice had always been a good grandson. Even when he quarreled with Earle before, their relationship had never been so strained.
Earle took out his phone, glanced at it and then said, “The problem is solved. He will be back.”
“Oh, great!”
Lucia breathed a sigh of relief.
“Look, Lucia, I’m sorry about what they had done to you. Really, I am. I know you are a good girl. So if you want to keep working here, I’ll make sure that no one bullies you again.”
The change in Earle’s attitude was noticeable. He had become considerably cheery now that the matter with his grandson was settled.
“Really?” Lucia asked in surprise. “Can Eliana come back and work here?”
“You can come back. But Eliana, she won’t be coming back to work here,” Earle said emphatically.
“Why?”
Lucia had a bad feeling about it.
She took out her phone and punched in Eliana’s number. She couldn’t get through to her.
Lucia saw the e-mail icon lit up on her cellphone’s screen monitor. She clicked it open and found that Eliana had sent her an e-mail. She had attached all the files about the bracelet project, including the information about the factory she had contacted.
Did she want her to take over the project?
Lucia could sense that something was wrong.
It only meant one thing. Eliana was about to leave and she might have already left!
Damn it! What should she do?
She wondered if Maurice knew about it. Where could Eliana be?
Questions popped into Lucia’s mind. She didn’t know what she should do so she called Corbin for answers.
Corbin picked up her call.
“Mr. Jenkins!” Lucia said anxiously. “Bad news! Eliana might have left!”
“We… We already know.”
Chapter 520
Corbin and Maurice had already arrived at Eliana’s house at this time.
When Maurice was on a business trip abroad, he already felt that something was wrong. He then decided to fly back home overnight and went straight to the Pierce family’s house. He didn’t expect that it was still too late.
The house was empty when he and Corbin arrived.
Eliana left everything Maurice had given her, except for some things she had brought with her.
What in the world did Eliana want?
Did she intend to completely cut her ties with Maurice?
Maurice’s face darkened and his eyes sharpened as he stared at the empty house.
After a few moments, he received a text message.
Maurice immediately checked his phone, hoping that the message was from Eliana.
Unfortunately, reality did not match his expectations. It was a text message from the bank.
Someone just recently transferred a large amount of money to his account.
Maurice knew without a doubt that it was Eliana.
Did Eliana believe she would owe him nothing by doing so?
No way!
“Mr. Moran, please come here.”
Corbin was checking the surveillance footage.
The surveillance camera was installed to ensure Eliana’s safety, but now it came in handy.
Eliana and Nana were seen in the surveillance video carrying their luggage before walking out with the children in their arms. They both looked calm.
Maurice became enraged as he watched the video. He replayed it several times until he was certain Eliana had left of her own will.
The atmosphere in the room was so overwhelming that Corbin didn’t dare to say a word.
“What about the kindergarten and the company?” Maurice finally asked after a long time.
Corbin then told Maurice everything he had discovered.
“Mr. Moran, I just received the information that Aileen and Adrian has dropped out and Eliana has resigned…”
Corbin’s voice grew lower.
He was afraid Maurice would explode with anger at any moment and would vent his rage on him.
Maurice sneered, and the veins on his forehead were now very visible.
“She has been carefully planning it for a long time! She informed everyone she was leaving, except me!”
Suddenly, he remembered something and murmured incomprehensibly, “No… She informed me of this. That day, she asked me out. She wanted to tell me about it…”
“But Mr. Moran, where did Eliana get such a huge amount of money to arrange all of this?” Corbin asked in a low voice.
How could Eliana be rich in an instant?
Someone else must have given her the money, but who would do so all at once?
Was it Eli? Nicole? It must be Jonathan!
Did Eliana get in touch with Jonathan?
The thought infuriated him even more. Maurice gritted his teeth and ordered, “It must be Jonathan. Hurry up, check it out! You have to find Eliana!”
“Yes, Mr. Moran.”
Corbin took out his phone to contact someone to look into Eliana’s whereabouts, but Maurice stopped him.
“It’s too slow to find her this way. Contact Nana right away. She left with Eliana. She surely knows where Eliana is.”
Corbin paused, his phone in his hand. “I don’t want to take advantage of Nana, Mr. Moran,” he said slowly.
Maurice immediately turned around and looked at Corbin coldly, his eyes bloodshot.
“Call Nana! If you can’t find Eliana, then leave! Don’t you think I can put Nana out of work for good?”
Maurice was becoming more irrational, which frightened Corbin even more.
He had never been so scary.
“Mr. Moran, don’t you think it’s too much for Nana? This is only between you and Eliana. Nana has nothing to do with it,” Corbin argued.
Maurice sneered. “But only in this way will Eliana appear.”
Apparently, Maurice would use Corbin to reach out to Nana.
Corbin was disappointed. He had believed he was important to his boss, but the reality was a bit of a slap in the face.
In the end, he just sighed and dialed Nana’s number.
When her phone rang, Nana was with Eliana.
She hesitated for a moment when she realized it was Corbin who was calling her.
Should she pick up the phone?
It only took her one look at Eliana before she decided to decline the call.
Nana then turned off her phone. She looked at the phone screen sadly. For Eliana to be able to escape successfully, she had to change her number, too.