Chapter 270
As they stepped outside, Daphne stood by, staring at Asher. "If I weren't here, you'd have no one left. Asher, who else in this world would ever care about you besides me?"
"I'd rather you didn't like me." Asher ignored her and got straight into the car.
By the time JoJo's first birthday party rolled around, Adam and his team had turned their video platform into a massive success. Meanwhile, news of QuickClip being involved in money laundering had hit the headlines.
At the party, Felicity sent over a gift. Aubrey had been absent from Starfield City for the entire year. After learning that Wyatt wasn't his biological father, Aubrey, overwhelmed with guilt, chose to leave.
Elara and Lysander decided not to hold him accountable, given that Aubrey had saved their child. Barrett arrived late, nearly at the party's end.
It wasn't until then that Elara saw her father. She walked up to him and asked, "Dad, why are you so late today?"
Barrett replied, "There's been a lot going on with QuickClip. The staff there want Asher out of the company. They believe he's behind all of this mess."
""Isn't QuickClip something he built from scratch?" Elara asked.
"Sure, but the shareholders have increased, and things have gotten complicated. Either way, he won't be running the company anymore. For now, I'll be taking over," Barrett explained.
"And he's okay with that?" Elara raised a brow.
"Actually, I'm not okay with it," Barrett muttered. "It's a disaster waiting to happen. But he told me that if it was not me, he didn't want anyone else to have it."
There wasn't anyone Asher trusted as much as Barrett.
"So, how's he holding up now?" Elara inquired.
"He's stepping away from the company. With everything that's happened, there's a chance he might face an investigation. Honestly, he might even end up serving a few years in prison." Barrett sighed.This is property © NôvelDrama.Org.
Elara hadn't expected this turn of events. He'd managed to dodge trouble during the kidnapping incident, only to be brought down by his company's issues now.
"And what about the Linde Group?" she asked curiously.
He explained, "He's asked me to bring Dana back. The company will go to her. As for his assets, I've already sold off a portion to help cover his fines and penalties. The idea is to get him out as quickly as possible. I told him before, don't rush things. "But who knows what he was thinking? Maybe he just wanted success too badly. Things only got worse after he got involved with the Myerson family."
Hearing all this, Elara couldn't help but recall Daphne's smugness from before. No one could have predicted things would end up like this. Since Daphne had left the company early, none of the blame had landed on her.
Noticing her father's tired expression, Elara suggested. "Go grab something to eat. You must be starving." Barrett nodded and headed off to eat.
Meanwhile, Lysander approached, holding JoJo, who was crying loudly in his arms. Elara immediately reached for her son.
"What's wrong?"
"He refuses to stop crying until he sees you," Lysander replied, casperated. "He's so annoying.
Noticing Lysander's disgusted expression, Elara gave him a pointed look. "Hey, that's your son."
"I can already tell that we're going to argue nonstop when he grows up. He peed on me again today." Lysander grumbled, his face full of frustration. Elara couldn't help but laugh at his expression. "Come on. He's just a baby. Don't hold a grudge against him. Are you seriously mad at a kid?"
"Well, he cries when he doesn't see you," Lysander muttered. "I hold him, and he's unhappy. You spend more time with him than you do with me."
Elara burst into laughter at his pouty tone. She looked at JoJo, who was now in her arms, and grabbed his bottle. "I told you when I was pregnant with him that there might be someone in our family who ends up being more important than you." Lysander sat down beside her. The moment JoJo was in her arms, his cries stopped, replaced by a wide, toothless grin.
Lysander frowned deeply. He genuinely couldn't stand JoJo, especially since the kid looked just like him. It made Lysander dislike him even more.
A few years later, Asher was released from prison. He had served several years for his company's issues.
By the time he got out, Elara had already made a name for herself as a prominent attorney in Starfield City. She had taken over Evelyn's law firm after Evelyn fully retired.
One afternoon, before Elara had finished work, her phone buzzed with a call from JoJo. "Mom, when are you coming home?" "Aren't you
with your dad?" Elara asked.
"Dad hit me," JoJo said, his voice full of pitiful indignation. "I don't want to stay with him. I miss you."
"Jordan!" Lysander's stern voice sounded in the background, and JoJo hurriedly hung up. "I'll talk to you later. Bye, Mommy."
It seemed like every time the two were together, a fight was inevitable. Elara sighed helplessly. JoJo was still so young, but Lysander had already started putting him under a strict, almost military-style regimen. She could only imagine it getting harsher as JoJo grew older. No sooner had she ended the call with JoJo than her phone rang again. This time, it was Asher's voice on the other end. "Elara, I'm dying. Can you come see me?" His voice was frail and weak.
similar a
Asher way. Elara couldn't help but think back to the time before her time travel, back when she had begged him in had told her then that seeing her made him sick. She never thought the day would come when their positions were reversed. She chuckled. "I still have to go home tonight to be with my husband and son. I don't have time."
"I'm sick," Asher said. "I've been in the hospital for a while now. I've been dreaming about the past... I dreamt about taking over the Kensington Group, driving you out of the family.
"I even dreamt about you calling me, saying you loved me. It's strange. It was just a dream, but for some reason, it felt so real."
His words made Elara pause, She had always believed he would go through life never knowing the pain she had endured. Yet now, he seemed to understand.
Elara bit her lip, fighting back tears. His words stirred memories she had tried to bury. Back then, Asher had been unbearable, and he had tormented her so cruelly. Even though his current downfall seemed like justice, it didn't erase the suffering she had endured. "I want to see you," Asher said. "Before the end, I'd like to see you one last time. And there's something I need to tell you about Lysander."
"Lysander? What could he possibly have to do with anything?" Elara asked, frowning.
"If you don't come, I won't tell you," he replied, his tone baiting her expertly.
Despite herself, Elara found her curiosity getting the better of her and went to the hospital. When she arrived, she saw Asher lying in his bed, alone. There wasn't a single soul by his side.
Asher was sick, gravely so. He had believed that life after prison would give him a fresh start, but it was clear now that he had been wrong.
His health had deteriorated rapidly. His immune system was shot, and he had contracted several other illnesses. His current state was no better than Elara's had been during the darkest days of her time travel.