Chapter 251: Sowing Discord

Chapter 251: Chapter 251: Sowing Discord

Damian Morgan was stunned. "You mean Sophie Shaw really has leukemia?"

Anne’s eyes reddened, tears welling up. "Yes. It’s the same illness her mother had."

Damian Morgan was dumbfounded. The last time he saw Sophie, she didn’t seem sick at all. ’How could this happen so suddenly...’

"Let’s put past grudges aside for now. Come with me to the hospital to get tested for a match."

Anne grabbed him and started to pull him away.

He pulled his arm back, asking in confusion, "Even if Sophie’s sick and getting treatment, she cares so much about Heart of the Ocean. If she can’t run the company, why isn’t Alaric Blackwood doing anything?"

’Doesn’t that man care a lot about Sophie?’

’To be so hands-off at a critical moment... that’s too strange.’

When asked about Alaric Blackwood, Anne immediately became evasive.

Sensing something was wrong, Damian Morgan pressed her relentlessly. Left with no other choice, Anne had to reveal the "truth." "You haven’t heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Alaric Blackwood has been stripped of his status as heir. He’s not the CEO of the Blackwood Group anymore. An illegitimate daughter stole his position and was dropped into the Blackwood Group as the new executive CEO."

Damian Morgan wasn’t too surprised. He’d seen the press conference Quentin Blackwood held. He had assumed Alaric was just being moved to a different post. ’So he was actually stripped of his inheritance rights?’

No wonder Heart of the Ocean was in so much trouble, and Alaric Blackwood hadn’t made a peep.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get involved; he no longer had the power to.

A flash of glee crossed Damian Morgan’s face. "So Alaric Blackwood is finished just like that?"

Anne’s expression turned ugly. "Don’t you dare gloat."

"Oh, I’m definitely gloating. Isn’t Alaric Blackwood supposed to be so incredible? I guess he’s not all that. Strip away his inheritance, take away the halo of a rich young master, and he’s nothing."

Anne glared at him fiercely. "You’re disgusting."

"Am I wrong? I was wondering why the story was trending for days with no one managing it. After all this, it turns out the Kane Group is coming after you, Sophie is too preoccupied, and Alaric Blackwood is powerless to help her. She had no choice but to hand the company over to you, but what can you possibly do? You’re a clueless idiot! What the hell do you know?"

The more Damian Morgan spoke, the angrier he got. The thought that his shares in Heart of the Ocean could just go down the drain made him grab Anne and roughly drag her outside.

"Take me to the hospital to see Sophie. Right now, I’m the only one who can help her."

"Wait, my coat..."

Damian Morgan reluctantly let her go, waiting impatiently as Anne put on her coat and grabbed her bag. He left the company with Anne, and they took her car to the hospital.

When he saw Sophie in a VIP ward in the inpatient wing, Damian Morgan almost didn’t recognize her.

The woman who had always been so tough with him was now lying on the hospital bed with a deathly pale face, looking weak, helpless, and pitiful.

The chemotherapy had taken a toll on Sophie’s spirit. She couldn’t keep food down and was always throwing up. Alaric Blackwood stayed by her side in the ward, not even going home. His face was covered in stubble, and he looked completely worn down.

The sight of the pair brought Damian Morgan immense satisfaction, a smirk nearly splitting his face.

He closed the door to the room, his gaze landing on Alaric Blackwood’s exhausted face. He taunted, "How should I address you now? Mr. Blackwood, Mr. Blackwood, or the great Young Master of the Blackwood Family?"

Alaric Blackwood’s face was grim. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you’ve been stripped of your inheritance rights. How does it feel to lose everything?"

"Stop with the snide remarks and get out!"

The darker Alaric Blackwood’s expression grew, the wider Damian Morgan’s smirk became. His smug satisfaction was written all over his face. "All you can do now is fume helplessly."

With that, his gaze shifted to Sophie. "Look at the man you chose. So useless! Heart of the Ocean is caught in a media firestorm, and he can’t do a single thing for you."

Sophie turned her face away, her voice weak. "I told you to get out, so get out. I don’t want to hear your voice, and I don’t want to see you."

"I’m the only one who can help you, Sophie. Give me control of the company. I can save Heart of the Ocean."

"I don’t need you. While I’m away, Anne will manage the company just fine."

"She doesn’t know anything. She can’t possibly manage a company. Just let me do it."

"Never," Sophie said resolutely.

Damian Morgan had expected this reaction. He patiently tried to persuade her, "Do you want to watch Heart of the Ocean go bankrupt? With the Kane Group’s pressure, Heart of the Ocean won’t last long."

It was a small company to begin with. If all the investors pulled out, Heart of the Ocean wouldn’t even last a month. The inevitable outcome would be bankruptcy.

"Even if it goes bankrupt, I will not hand the company over to you."

Sophie roared at him, her eyes turning bloodshot.

He didn’t get angry; instead, he laughed. "Sophie, do you know what your biggest problem is? You’re too stubborn. Stubborn as a mule."

"So what if I’m stubborn? If the company goes bankrupt, I’ll take you down with me. Vianne Kane has already filed for divorce and kicked you out of the Kane Family. All you have left are those few shares in Heart of the Ocean. If we’re going down, we’re going down together! Once I recover and get out of the hospital, I can start a new business with my husband and begin again. But you, Damian Morgan, you won’t get another chance to start over. You’ll be utterly ruined."

Anne chimed in at just the right moment, "Sophie, don’t lose hope. The company isn’t on the verge of bankruptcy yet. You have to have faith in me. I’m sure we can get through this."

Hearing Anne’s naive words, Damian Morgan snorted with laughter. "You’re a makeup artist. Stop talking so big."

Anne glared at him. "None of your business!"

Damian Morgan couldn’t be bothered with the brainless woman. His attention returned to Sophie. "I’ll ask you one more time. Are you giving me control or not?"

"No."

"Sophie Shaw, don’t you regret this."

He smiled, pulled the door open, and walked out. Anne followed him and forcefully grabbed him to a stop.

"I’m taking you to a nurse to get your blood drawn."

He shook Anne’s hand off. "Get lost. Who said I was going to give blood?"

"Sophie’s in such a bad state. Can’t you just give a little blood to see if you’re a match?"

"Stop trying to guilt-trip me. She got sick, and she deserves it."

Anne was so angry her face and neck flushed red. She raised her hand to slap him, but he caught her wrist. "Aren’t you the loyal one? Ready to sink or swim with Sophie?"

"So what if I am? I’m not like you, a Social Climber and a scumbag."

"Then I’ll sell my shares to you."

"I don’t have the money!"

"Then you’re not so loyal after all. You’re just afraid of throwing your money into Heart of the Ocean and watching it all go down the drain."

Anne gritted her teeth and tried to shake his hand off, but he only gripped her tighter. "Let go! You’re hurting me."

"If you don’t want the shares, I’ll find a way to sell them," Damian Morgan said, his eyes sizing her up. "You’ve known Sophie for so many years, always playing second fiddle to her. You’re really content with that."

"Stop trying to sow discord."

"Sophie married into a rich family, but she never bothered to give you a leg up, did she? Just look at you, dressed in these cheap clothes."

Furious, Anne raised her other hand and punched him hard. After taking the hit, he forcefully grabbed her arm, dragged her into the stairwell, and pinned her against the wall.

"Instead of sinking with Sophie, why don’t you give up on her and be with me instead?"

"Who would want to be with you! You damn scumbag!"

Damian Morgan snorted, pressing her against the wall with his arms wrapped firmly around her waist. "When Sophie’s life got better, she never helped you out. Now that she’s hit rock bottom and her company is in crisis, she’s dragging you down with her. She never treated you like a real friend. Why are you so devoted to her?"

"As far as I know, you have a mortgage to pay, so your financial pressure is considerable. You gave up a stable job with a big star to help Sophie guard that half-dead company. What are you getting out of it? Aren’t you afraid you won’t be able to pay your mortgage, that the bank will repossess your house, and you’ll end up with nowhere to live?"