Chapter 28 A shadow passed through Harvey's eyes. This wasn't over-not by a long shot. Not as far as he was concerned. His smiles, his teasing-none of it meant he'd moved on or let go. He hadn't forgotten what his sister had been through. It was all just a disguise-a calm before the storm. Success depended on timing and secrecy. Until everything was in place, even if he ran into Ernest himself, he'd smile and greet him politely. "Alright," he said, ruffling her hair one more time before heading inside. "Let's go in. At this rate, by the time we finish talking, they'll have finished eating without us." "Hmph. I'm not worried." "Yeah, yeah, of course you're not. Mom will always save food for you. Meanwhile, I'll be stuck scraping leftovers from the plates." After lunch, it was already around 2 p.m. The sun was blazing outside. Grandpa usually took a nap around this time, so Harvey took him and a drowsy Irene to their rooms to rest. Evelyn was cleaning up the messy dining table. Marvin had just put on his suit and was about to head back to the office when Stella hurried after him. "Uncle, wait!" "Stella?" He turned, his face softening into the same kind smile he'd always had for her. "What is it, sweetheart-" He paused when he saw the bank card she was holding out. His lips trembled slightly. "Stella, take it back. I can't." "Please, Uncle, take it," she insisted." Marvin shook his head. "You've given us so much over the years, but the company still hasn't improved. We even had to change direction out of desperation. I can't keep wasting your money." He knew life wasn't easy for her in the Lloyd family. He couldn't help her much, and if she didn't even have money to fall back on, how would she manage? Before, when he didn't know how things were, he'd accepted her help-it was her way of showing love. But now, taking what little security she had felt wrong. "Uncle!" Stella grabbed his hand and pressed the card into his palm. "When Mom and I were thrown out by that scumbag Theodore, you, Auntie, and Grandpa didn't hesitate to take us in." Her voice softened. "You even broke contracts with those suppliers connected to the Jansen, regardless of the sky-high penalties, just to stand up for us." "If we're being honest, Mom and I could never repay what you've done for us in this lifetime." That incident had been the turning point for the Spencer's decline. 1/3 Her brother had left for abroad, her once-confident uncle had been weighed down by responsibility. And today she'd even noticed new wrinkles on her aunt's face-ones that hadn't been there before. Even though she tried to hide it well, Stella-who'd worked with jewelry for years-was observant. She noticed the foundation her aunt wore was thicker than usual, less natural, almost cheap-looking. It was nothing like the high-quality skincare and makeup she used to wear. The thought made Stella's heart ache. If it weren't for her and her mother, her uncle's family wouldn't have fallen into such hardship. Marvin was silent for a moment, but he didn't regret what he'd done back then. What was the point of building a fortune if he couldn't even protect his own family? Just to torture himself with guilt later? "Stella, listen..." Marvin had made up his mind-he wouldn't take his niece's money. But before he could finish, a tired voice interrupted them. "Dad, just take it." Harvey walked over from inside. "Watching you two go back and forth is exhausting." "But this is your sister's-" "She's my sister, so what's wrong with me taking her money?" Harvey understood his father's hesitation, but how much could Stella really have? Based on what he'd pieced together about her situation and the fact that she'd helped out repeatedly over the years, there was probably only around ten million in that card. He could make that back. If he took it, he could invest it for her-turn ten million into a hundred million. Wouldn't that give her more security? "You-!" Marvin didn't know his son's plan, and he couldn't argue with him. He was so angry he almost swung at him. Stella stepped between them, or Harvey might've gotten a taste of old-fashioned discipline. "Dad, you don't know what I'm capable of yet since I just got back. Give it a few days-you'll see." With that, Harvey snatched the card from his father's hand and dashed off before anyone could stop him. "That rascal," Marvin sighed, shaking his head. "He's even more trouble after all these years away." He turned to Stella. "Don't worry, sweetheart. When he comes back, I'll make him return the card to you." Stella smiled and shook her head. "Uncle, the card was meant for you. Whether you or Harvey has it, it's the same. There's no need to give it back." 2/3 Before he could refuse again, she added, "We're family, Uncle. You're not treating me like an outsider, are you?" "Alright then," Marvin finally relented. He picked up his suit jacket and left. Elsewhere, Harvey walked away, the bank card spinning deftly between his slender fingers. He was a man of action-once he had the resources, he moved. No second-guessing, no worrying about whether he might lose it all. You only got results by doing, not dreaming. If success came from just thinking about it, there wouldn't be so many failures in the world. Of course, all of this assumed one had the skill and vision to pull it off. Otherwise, it was just handing over assets far beyond one's intelligence. "Jewelry," Harvey murmured to himself. The Spencer's pivot hadn't included the jewelry industry-they'd moved into other fields. After all, the family couldn't afford more instability. What they needed now was stability-entering industries they knew well or where they could gain a foothold. Jewelry clearly wasn't one of them. Seabrook already had the Lloyd Group dominating the high-end market and Lumière Group rising fast as a dazzling newcomer. Other jewelry companies were left fighting for scraps. An outsider didn't stand a chance. "Saturated market, fierce competition... Breaking in won't be easy," Harvey mused, rubbing his temples. Yet, he wanted to use this money to enter the jewelry world. He remembered how that crybaby little girl used to love drawing all kinds of jewelry designs when she was small. She'd be over the moon if she knew she had a jewelry company all her own. The thought made him smile, easing the pressure. Hard? Good. It was supposed to be hard. Taking on the Lloyd family in the future would be ten-no, a hundred times harder. He pulled out his phone and made a call. "Get two people back to the country. I have a plan." 3/3 AD Comment Send gift No Ads