My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 92

Cole Blackwood’s POV

If it had been any other woman with Alexander today, I wouldn’t have been concerned. But it was Vivienne.

Vivienne’s background was ordinary—nothing like the heiresses of other wealthy families—but she had earned Chairman Hawthorne’s affection. And Alexander, raised by Chairman Hawthorne, held a deep respect and love for his grandfather.

If Chairman Hawthorne had pushed for their union, Alexander, the dutiful grandson, might not have refused.

This meant Vivienne was now the greatest threat to Isabella.

Just then, Cole’s assistant approached. "CEO Cole, should we follow them?"

Cole shook his head. "No need. Since CEO Hawthorne isn’t here on business, it’s a personal matter. We shouldn’t interfere."

Follow Alexander? I’d have to be crazy to do that.

"Okay, sir."

When Cole returned home, the servant handed him a glass of water. "Sir, Mr. Miles has been waiting for over an hour in the meeting room."

Mr. Miles was Isabella’s father—my brother, Miles Blackwood.

Upon hearing the name, Cole furrowed his brow and muttered a short "Mm," before heading upstairs.

Once upstairs, he paused outside the study door, hesitated for a moment, then pushed it open.

"Big Brother, you’re back," Miles greeted, not even bothering to get up from the couch. He gave a casual glance in Cole’s direction.

Cole walked over and sat down. "Mm. What brings you here today?"

"Big Brother, you’re quite the busy man, always forgetting things. I’m here about the project with Vanguard Global Enterprises. Megan, the VP, gave me a heads-up. There’s a good chance we’ll secure the deal."

Megan had done him a favor, of course. Although my older brother wasn’t the most upstanding character, his daughter was quite charming, and having befriended Alexander, it was believed she might become the future matriarch of the Hawthorne Dynasty. In that case, Miles would be Alexander’s father-in-law, so it made sense for Megan to try to get in his good graces.

But hearing this, Cole’s expression darkened. "You’ve contacted him?"

"What’s the issue? I’m a shareholder in the company, so why shouldn’t I be able to contact him?" Miles raised an eyebrow. "Big Brother, don’t you remember when our parents passed? They asked us to manage the company together."

At his words, Cole fell silent.

How could he forget?

The thing was, Cole had been managing the company all these years while Miles just sat back and collected dividends.

Now, Miles suddenly wanted a say in the company? That wasn’t going to happen.

Miles continued, "I may not have been directly involved in the business, but many of the company’s projects have been tied to Vanguard Global Enterprises. And as for how we’ve been landing all these deals with Vanguard... I don’t need to spell it out. Without Isabella, we’d still be that small factory from back then."

Cole’s heart sank upon hearing this. "Hey, brother, that’s a pretty harsh thing to say. I’ve worked hard for this company, and the shareholders know it. To say that it’s all thanks to Isabella... you’re effectively dismissing the hard work I’ve put in with our partners."

Miles had always been the carefree, party-loving playboy. He’d never participated in the business side of things.

When their parents had passed, during the company’s hardest times, Miles hadn’t helped at all—Cole had done it all on his own.

Thankfully, their parents had known Miles wasn’t cut out for business, so they had left most of the shares to Cole, leaving Miles with only a small stake.

It was true that Isabella had helped the company connect with Vanguard Global Enterprises. But to get to where they were now—established in Virellia City’s high society—Cole had done the legwork, networking, and securing business.

Even without relying on the massive operations of Vanguard Global Enterprises, the Blackwoods could still sustain themselves, no matter how bad things got.

However, Miles believed that the Blackwoods’ current standing was entirely due to his daughter, Isabella.

At present, Miles wasn’t happy with the shares he held. He had openly and subtly asked me for more, but I pretended not to understand. That ignited his frustration, and he began interfering in the company’s affairs.

"I didn’t mean it that way. I just wanted to point out that Isabella has made a tremendous contribution to the company. You’re her uncle, so surely you wouldn’t want to neglect her, right? Isabella is one of the company’s biggest assets, yet she doesn’t even have a single share. Is that fair?"

I immediately realized that Miles was only bringing up Isabella as a way to push for more shares.

I didn’t argue with him, but instead asked, "Speaking of Isabella, I need to ask—how’s her relationship with Alexander Hawthorne?"

"Of course, it’s going well. Just a few days ago, Alexander even threw Isabella a birthday party. Didn’t you see it yourself?" Miles said, his face brimming with pride.

No matter what else Miles had failed at in life, he had one thing going for him: a good daughter. These days, anyone who met him couldn’t help but shower him with compliments.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Miles scoffed, eyeing me disdainfully. "Isabella is going to be the future lady of The Hawthorne Dynasty. That’s a done deal."

"I’m not so sure about that."

"Miles, what are you trying to say?" He gave me a sideways glance. "Isabella and Alexander being together is good for both of us. Even if you don’t want to give her more shares, you don’t need to curse her like that, do you?"

"I’m not cursing her. Let me be honest with you—earlier today, I met a few business associates at a private club. When I was leaving, I ran into CEO Hawthorne, and he was with a woman."

Miles looked at me with suspicion. "Who was the woman?"

"Vivienne Sinclair."

"Vivienne Sinclair? The adopted daughter of The Hawthorne Dynasty?" Miles raised an eyebrow. He had heard of her, but that was the extent of it.

"Yes, that’s her."

Miles chuckled. "Big brother, I think you’re overthinking this. So what if Vivienne is with CEO Hawthorne? You’ve gone through a lot of trouble to come up with excuses to avoid giving Isabella more shares, and now you’re dragging in all sorts of rumors from the media!"

I sighed in frustration. "I’m not overthinking. When I saw them, CEO Hawthorne was holding Vivienne’s hand, and they were very close. I even tried to casually mention Isabella to him, but he barely responded. Maybe I’m wrong, but being cautious can’t hurt. And it’s not just anyone with him—it’s Vivienne, who’s highly favored by Chairman Hawthorne..."

I didn’t need to say more—Miles understood exactly what I meant.

Vivienne Sinclair had a very special position. If there was any romantic involvement between her and Alexander, it would basically mean that Isabella’s claim to the title of future lady of The Hawthorne Dynasty would be over.

"Vivienne? I can’t believe this quiet adopted daughter has so much influence!" Miles said, his expression one of surprise.

I continued, "Of course, I know Isabella’s contributions to our company can’t be overlooked. Don’t worry, she’ll get her share. But right now, the priority is getting Isabella married to CEO Hawthorne, so she can officially become the lady of The Hawthorne Dynasty. Brother, we need to think about the bigger picture, or someone else will take advantage of the situation."

The Blackwoods may have been a well-known family, but right now, Isabella’s rumored relationship with Alexander was causing a stir everywhere. If Alexander ended up marrying someone else, the Blackwoods would lose face.

And then what would happen to Isabella? Would she cut ties with Alexander, or would she remain his mistress? Either way, it would reflect poorly on the Blackwoods.

Miles couldn’t let that happen. Right now, he was out there, surrounded by people calling him CEO Miles, living the high life. But if The Hawthorne Dynasty’s lady ended up being someone else, he’d become the laughingstock of the community.

"I’ll call Isabella and find out what’s really going on."

With that, Miles pulled out his phone, found Isabella’s number, and dialed.

After a few rings, the call was answered, and Isabella’s tired voice came through. "Hello, Dad? What’s up?"