Chapter 478: Ruined the Birthday Speech (2)

Chapter 478: Chapter 478: Ruined the Birthday Speech (2)

"In your dreams! I’m the older brother, and you’re the younger sister!" Zion Hale stood his ground, his position unwavering. He didn’t need an older sister, only a younger one!

Shelby Fenton couldn’t even process it. She’d asked Zion Hale for help dealing with Seraphina Sterling! How were the two of them suddenly acting so chummy? And it seemed like they were actually close?

This was the little sister he’d worked so hard to claim; there was no way he’d let someone bully her! Zion Hale draped his arms over Seraphina Sterling’s shoulders. "Shelby, I don’t know all the details, but I’m certain this is your fault! Seraphina would never do something so petty! She’s never really been interested in other people! To put it nicely, she’s quiet and well-behaved. To put it bluntly, she’s distant and cold! If you hadn’t started it, she wouldn’t have fought back!"

Seraphina Sterling was speechless. ’Is that really how other people see me?’

"You’re both girls of a similar age, so some friction is inevitable. If you did something wrong, just apologize, and this whole thing will be over! Then you can see each other in the future without any hard feelings!" Zion Hale played the role of peacemaker, though he was clearly on Seraphina Sterling’s side. His attitude made it crystal clear: an apology was mandatory. There was nothing more to say!

Not only had Shelby Fenton’s request for help been shot down, but she had also managed to recruit a powerful ally for Seraphina Sterling! How had she never noticed before how manipulative this woman was! Justin Hale listened to her, and so did Zion Hale! She clenched her fists, making one last stand. "And what if I don’t apologize?"

Zion Hale’s smile was usually full of sunshine, but at this moment, it glinted with danger. "If you don’t apologize today, then from now on, no one from the Fenton Family is to ever set foot in the Hale Family’s home again!"

With one casual sentence, he threatened to sever all ties between the Fenton and Hale families! Shelby Fenton was vain and cared about her reputation, but she wasn’t stupid. On the contrary, she was very smart. She had always known how important the Hale Family was to the Fenton Family. After her recent time working at Fenton Bank, she had come to realize it even more profoundly. And now Zion Hale was actually using that to threaten her?

Shelby Fenton gritted her teeth and stared at Zion Hale. "Do you have the authority to make that decision? The Fenton and Hale families’ partnership wasn’t built in a day! You may be the second young master of the Hale Family, but this is a business collaboration between our companies. Do you really think you can end it just because you feel like it?"

"If you don’t believe me, feel free to try me! See if I can pull it off! I may only hold a minor position at the company, but that doesn’t stop me from understanding the state of our partnership! Our contract is up for renewal soon, isn’t it? Whether we renew, whether we continue to cooperate—that decision lies with Hale Corporation, not The Fenton Group!"

Zion Hale’s sunny smile made him look like an innocent, carefree boy, but his words were absolutely devastating. An attack most people would be powerless to resist.

"Shelby, apologize to Seraphina Sterling this instant! If you cause any more trouble, you are forbidden from coming to the company ever again!" Zane Fenton asserted his paternal authority, his tone unprecedentedly stern. He was like a completely different person from the gentle man of moments before.

Seraphina Sterling suddenly had a realization. ’For a man like him, business and family are always the top priorities. Only when both are safe and sound does he bother to display his magnanimous fatherly love. The moment either is threatened, he probably forgets the meaning of the words "fatherly love" entirely.’

"Miss Sterling, I am so sorry. What just happened must have been upsetting for you. I was too rash; please forgive me. Shelby can be impulsive and speaks her mind too freely. Often, she says things in the heat of the moment without any malicious intent. I hope you won’t hold it against her!" Shelby Fenton hadn’t said a word, but Jacinta Hale had already spoken up. It seemed Zane Fenton’s threat to bar Shelby from the company had been a powerful one indeed.