Sylvana's POV
Seeing my father’s attitude, Elowen immediately followed up with another blow.
“My sister has already been assigned to the company’s cleaning department,” she said sweetly. “She’ll get familiar with things very soon, so everyone can rest assured.”
Jasper also stepped in with a mocking smile. “Heh. Just because someone comes back to our family doesn’t mean they can affect the company.”
His words were clearly meant to signal the shareholders about the family’s stance toward me.
With the three of them working together, the shareholders, who had looked uneasy just moments ago, gradually relaxed, smiles appearing on their faces one by one.
“You’d better think carefully about how you’re going to explain this later,” I said coldly as I stood up from the floor, gripping my phone, which was now nothing more than a useless brick.
Overhearing me, my mother shot me an annoyed glance. “Stop making a scene here. They were just playing around with you. Why are you taking it so seriously?”
“I’ve already said everything I needed to say,” I replied calmly. “If you won’t listen, then there’s nothing more I can do.”
Just then, an elderly man with graying hair but a straight, dignified posture spoke up. “I hear your daughter works in a research institute. Her professional standards should be quite high. From what I saw just now, it was actually your son and your other daughter who were behaving improperly.”
“Mr. Stanton, it’s not how it looked,” my mother quickly stepped forward with a forced smile. “This child has a wild temperament. Elowen and Jasper were only trying to help her integrate into the family. Who would’ve thought she couldn’t even take a joke?”
“Well,” Mr. Stanton chuckled lightly, “it’s your family matter. As long as it doesn’t affect our cooperation, I won’t interfere.”
“Conflicts between kids should be handled by the kids themselves,” my father added quickly. “Mr. Stanton, rest assured, even if they have disagreements, it won’t impact the company.”
It was obvious that Mr. Stanton held significant influence in their circle.
With the Kesslers smoothing things over, the farce was quickly brushed aside.
No one cared, except me, the one who had just been toyed with like a dog.
I sat in the corner, gripping my phone tightly, my gaze icy as I watched the Kesslers move gracefully among the guests.
The segment that had originally been planned to introduce me was quietly dropped, as if it had never existed.
Instead, news that Elowen would soon take up the position of Deputy Director in the CEO’s Office made her the undisputed center of attention.
People crowded around her, showering her with praise. As such, she grew increasingly smug and radiant, her face flushed with excitement as sharp, grating laughter escaped her lips from time to time.
After finishing a round of socializing, Mr. Stanton walked over to me. He hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice. “Miss, you’re from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, aren’t you?”
I immediately looked up at him, my body instinctively tensing as I leaned back slightly.
But when I saw his face more clearly, he seemed vaguely familiar.
Before I could exchange another word with Mr. Stanton, a sudden wave of cheers erupted from the center of the event hall.
“Thank you all for your support! We will definitely live up to this responsibility! For this, I’d like to propose a toast to everyone!” my father cheerfully said.
The guests eagerly responded with flattering praise. “Mr. Kessler really raised a fine daughter. So young, yet already sharing the family’s burden. We’ll be relying on Miss Elowen to look after us in the future.”
My parents and Jasper stood to the side, watching Elowen in the spotlight, their faces filled with satisfaction and pride.
Just as everyone was about to raise their glasses, the sound of shattering glass rang out, followed by the heavy, synchronized footsteps coming from upstairs.
Before anyone could react, the villa’s front doors were violently blown open.
A group of special security agents in black tactical gear stormed inside, weapons drawn.
“Signal jammer is functioning normally! Target located. Confirmed Senior Principal Researcher Sylvana Kessler. Target is currently safe. Requesting permission to initiate protective measures.”
