Seraphina's eyes locked, and she instinctively recoiled a step.

Julian's brows knit tightly. He had never been on good terms with Ethan, and he felt a sudden flash of anger at being interrupted.

"Is there something you need?" He actively stepped in front of Seraphina, shielding her behind his frame.

Seraphina froze slightly, her gaze locking onto Ethan. What on earth did he want to do now?

Ethan let out a bitter, mocking laugh. "Tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock, Vance Enterprises is holding a temporary board meeting. The two of you share some shred of a connection with the Vance family after all, so letting you witness it is a matter of basic consideration."

Chapter 32: The Board Meeting

Ethan's words left both Julian and Seraphina utterly bewildered, and they even found it rather suspicious.

What did a board meeting at Vance Enterprises have to do with them, and what kind of consideration was this supposed to be?

However, Seraphina immediately thought of the shares she had transferred to Janice. Did Ethan intend to officially announce the transfer of shares before all the board members tomorrow?

This realization filled her with a deeper wave of disappointment. Had Ethan truly become that good to Janice?

Ethan caught Seraphina out of the corner of his eye. Seeing her turn her head away and bite her lip without sparing him a single glance, a fierce pang of pain shot through his chest, making his expression grow even more freezing and rigid.

Julian was also aware of the share transfer, but he didn't display the slightest hint of surprise, his face entirely solemn instead.

He stared at Ethan and asked, "Do you intend to announce before all the board members that Seraphina has transferred her shares?"

Ethan's expression darkened. He didn't answer, which was an absolute tacit admission.

Julian let out a sudden, mocking laugh. In a cautionary tone, he said, "I advise you not to do that."

"A mere parasite of the Vance family has no right to utter those words," Ethan sneered.

Seraphina's brows knit tightly. Rather than anger, she felt a profound sense of desolation; Ethan had truly become increasingly cruel and malicious.

Yet, Julian didn't lose his temper at all. He slipped his hands into his pockets and said flatly, "Fine. Seraphina and I will both be there. I hope you don't regret it."

Ethan's jaw tightened slightly. His brooding gaze swept over Julian before lingering on Seraphina for a brief moment, and then he rolled up the window.

The car drove off into the distance. Seraphina looked at Julian, her eyes filled with confusion.

Such provocative words from Ethan hadn't provoked him at all; instead, he wore an expression as if he were waiting to watch a grand spectacle.

Julian let out a disdainful chuckle and said casually, "He is completely beyond saving. But tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock, I am quite looking forward to it."

Seraphina felt more and more that these two nominal brothers were each more difficult to read than the other.

Once they reached the hospital, Dr. Oliver Sterling, who had been introduced by their attending physician, shook his head after conducting a thorough examination on Seraphina.

"The damage to the vocal cord nerves is far too severe. My recommendation is still against undergoing surgery. However, if you have firmly made up your minds, the hospital will put forth its absolute greatest effort."

Hearing Dr. Sterling's words, it would be a lie to say Seraphina wasn't disappointed, but it was already beyond her control, and she could only resign herself to fate.

Julian, however, remained resolute about the surgery. He comforted her, saying, "Don't worry. You are a good person who saved two lives; heaven won't be that heartless."

Seraphina let out a bitter smile upon hearing this.

If she counted Ethan, it would actually be three lives. Yet, fate had stubbornly chosen to heap every ounce of suffering upon her alone.

Because Seraphina's condition was notably complex, the surgery was temporarily postponed.

It wasn't until the following day, at two-thirty in the afternoon.

Seraphina and Julian stepped out of the car. Before she even had the chance to marvel at this soaring skyscraper that had rarely visited yet left a profound impression on her, her gaze locked onto a man in his late forties or early fifties dressed in a sharp business suit.

Mr. Harrison? Why was he here?

Seraphina stared in astonishment at Mr. Harrison, who was standing outside the entrance. After the reading of the will three years ago, Mr. Harrison had relocated to Silveridge. Why had he suddenly appeared here today?

Julian walked over and shook hands with Mr. Harrison. "Thank you for making the trip."

Holding his briefcase, Mr. Harrison replied, "It is my duty. But has the Young Master truly made up his mind?"

"The board meeting is starting in half an hour; how could he not have made up his mind?" Julian let out a mocking chuckle, then gestured to Seraphina. "Let's go, let's head inside."

Mr. Harrison gave Seraphina a respectful nod before leading the way inside.

Seraphina tugged at Julian's sleeve, her face a picture of pure confusion. Seeing this, Julian smiled gently. "You'll find out in a moment."

Chapter 33: The Prerequisite of the Will

Inside the massive boardroom, a total of thirteen large and small shareholders were gathered, though the single largest block of shares remained firmly in Ethan's grasp.

Julian, Seraphina, and Mr. Harrison sat on the chairs arranged against the wall, rather than joining the boardroom table.

Aside from Seraphina, whom only a few board members recognized, the others were quite familiar with Julian and Mr. Harrison.

Particularly Julian; Old Mr. Vance hadn't left him a single fraction of an asset, yet he was undeniably a member of the Vance family.

Seraphina felt as though she were sitting on a bed of needles, her restless heart completely unable to settle down.

Today's setting was far more solemn and formal than her previous workplace, yet what made her deeply uneasy was the undercurrent swirling beneath the surface.

She constantly felt that Mr. Harrison's presence harbored some underlying purpose.

The boardroom doors were thrown open once more, and a tall, lancer figure strode inside first.

Seraphina's gaze locked; it was Ethan.

However, a woman followed closely behind him.

Janice?!

Seraphina's mouth parted slightly, yet she immediately felt her surprise was entirely redundant. After all, her shares had been transferred to Janice, so it was only logical for her to be here.

Just as Janice was turning to look for a seat, she caught sight of Seraphina sitting a few paces away.

"Seraphina Cross?!" Janice turned completely pale with shock, her legs even giving a violent tremble.

It was truly her! Wasn't she dead? Janice's eyes were filled with pure terror.

Her loss of composure earned her a fierce, sharp glare from Ethan. Janice shivered and immediately choked back her voice, her heart thoroughly terrified by this "return from the dead."

Janice glared at Seraphina and sat down in her seat. Perhaps because the shock of Seraphina's presence was far too immense, she hadn't even noticed Julian and Mr. Harrison sitting beside her.

Seraphina, however, didn't spare her a single glance. A woman like Janice was no longer worth competing with in her eyes.

Ethan's gaze landed on Seraphina's face. She sat alongside Julian with absolute composure, looking as though she didn't care in the slightest about what was on the verge of unfolding.

His chest tightened, and the ice in his eyes grew several layers thicker.

The moment Ethan stood to announce that the shares Old Mr. Vance had left to Seraphina had undergone a formal change, Julian suddenly stood up. Staring at the document Ethan was about to draw, he said in a deep voice, "CEO Vance, I am advising you for the very last time."

He turned his gaze toward Janice, who was struggling to contain her absolute ecstasy, and added, "Think twice before you act."

Ethan's eyes turned menacingly cold as he sneered, "Matters of the Vance family are none of an outsider's business."

With that, he pulled out the share transfer document Seraphina had signed months prior, gesturing for Leo to pass it around to the board members.

Immediately after, he drew a copy of the divorce agreement, gritting his teeth as he spat out each syllable deliberately, "From this moment on, Seraphina Cross shares absolutely no connection with Vance Enterprises or the Vance family."

Seraphina's heart tightened violently. She tightly pressed her lips together, her dull eyes fixed entirely on her own hands resting on her lap.

Perhaps these things truly didn't belong to her to begin with...

In truth, she had also wondered: although Julian wasn't the patriarch's biological grandson, he had been raised in the Vance family for over a decade, which should have made him far closer to the old man than a granddaughter-in-law.

Furthermore, he had contributed tremendously to the company in the past. Why was it that Julian had received absolutely no assets in the end, while she had been granted a block of shares?