the two-faced Adopted Girl Who Melted CEO's Ice-Cold Heart-Chapter 759: Mr. Li Resents Not Being Able to Dote on Miss Delphine to His Heart’s Content
Delphine noticed Yeats Howard hadn’t asked a single question about Ignatius Leclair’s involvement in the case, as if he trusted him unconditionally. She turned slightly to glance at the man.
From the moment the incident occurred up until now, apart from the moment when the old master fainted and his expression changed, Ignatius Leclair had remained calm and composed, handling things methodically.
It seemed as though nothing could faze this man.
When Ignatius Leclair noticed her looking his way, his phoenix-like eyes dropped slightly, meeting her gaze. Seeing the off-shoulder gown she was wearing, he immediately took off his own jacket and wrapped it around her, covering her snow-white skin. In a low voice, he said, "It’s chilly at night."
Maximilian hung up Arthur White’s call and walked over to report the latest updates.
"Mr. Leclair, we’ve already taken emergency measures to handle the collaboration projects between the Leclair Family’s enterprises and the group. Thankfully, two separate teams have been managing them for a long time, so we expect to limit losses to within five percent."
After the incident, Maximilian had immediately led a team to sever ties between the Leclair Family’s properties and Ignatius Leclair’s private assets. By tomorrow morning, once the news breaks and the stock market crashes, the longer the turmoil lasts, the more severe the losses will be for the Leclair Family’s businesses. Ignatius’s private assets, however, had long been operated independently from the family’s enterprises. Hitting Ignatius financially was nearly impossible.
Ignatius Leclair nodded slightly.
"Nathan said that once the matter erupts tomorrow, the second brother will inevitably try to manipulate the influential families to reclaim the shipping rights. Why not transfer the assets to Miss Delphine’s name ahead of time? After all, Miss Delphine is legitimately the Madam Leclair," Maximilian suggested cautiously. "Miss Delphine wouldn’t need to show up; we will handle all the proceedings."
Southshore, situated by the sea and designated as a special economic zone, has always derived its prominent status from possessing shipping rights. Losing these rights was practically synonymous with losing the status of heir.
Ignatius Leclair’s expression turned cold as he said icily, "No need to bring that up. Make him stay as far away as possible."
His voice was low and deep, clearly showing his anger. Shipping rights were almost universally coveted among Southshore’s influential families. Now that both he and Stone Leclair were immersed in lawsuits and Nathan Leclair had just returned to Southshore, he still lacked the clout to command authority. Drawing Delphine into this would be no better than throwing her to the wolves, and the tactics employed by those families were anything but innocuous.
Maximilian noticed Ignatius’ anger and dared not press further. Instead, he cursed Arthur White under his breath for suggesting such a lousy idea, knowing full well that Ignatius wished nothing more than to protect Miss Delphine as delicately as if she were nestled on his heart, yet dared to bring up such nonsense.
Delphine noted the cold and distant look on his face, yet she felt no fear. Reaching out, she tugged at his sleeve and murmured softly, "It’s getting chilly."
The man’s sharp features softened, and he stroked her intricately styled hair. His voice was low and gentle as he said, "I’ll have Maximilian bring a blanket over. Lean against me and rest for a while; Grandfather’s surgery might take some time to finish."
Delphine nodded, leaning into his embrace and closing her eyes. She felt inexplicably reassured. She sensed the sincerity in him—amidst the hostile glares and encirclement of enemies, his first instinct was still to shield her completely, ensuring she was untouched by danger.
Delphine heaved a quiet sigh.
The old master’s surgery was successfully completed in the latter half of the night. With timely medical intervention, he escaped danger but had to avoid any form of stress or agitation.
By the next morning, not only Southshore but even the Imperial City was shaken by the news of the Leclair Family’s father-son fallout: a father suing his son, and Ignatius Leclair being deeply entangled in a murder case. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Leclair stocks hit the limit-down that day, and seismic shocks rippled across the influential families, leaving many sleepless through the night. The rift between the Leclair father and son, the family’s strongest heir in history embroiled in lawsuits, and the old master suffering a heart attack—such a rare opportunity could tempt any family to entertain ambitions of rising to power.
