"They''ve mentioned her name. It can''t be mistaken."


    Cloudia was at a loss for words.


    ise pressed on, "What did she demand from you?"


    "She wants to cut ties with us all. How could I agree to that?"


    Reflecting on thest call from Ste, Cloudia had thought it was just an empty threat. But now it seemed all too real.


    A young woman raking in over seven hundred thousand a year surely had some powerful backing. But her approach... The thought alone was a stab to Cloudia''s heart. How could she bear the thought of severing ties with her own daughter?


    As ise heard Ste''s demand, his breath caught in his throat.


    "Did she really say that?"


    "What else could it be? What else could she possibly ask for that I couldn''t give her?"


    Since things had escted into this degree, Cloudia had hoped for any other demand from Ste - jewelry, a house, money, anything. If she just had these requirements, Cloudia would have done anything, especially if it meant getting Tegan and Finley on board to treat Urs.


    But Ste wanted none of that; she wanted to cut ties.


    Cloudia was fuming.


    ise was equally infuriated, "What did you argue about this time with her?"


    His tone carried a hint of me towards Cloudia. The call he received was no joke; he fully believed that the other party had the power to destroy the entire Larkin Group.


    Cloudia retorted, "She made seven hundred thousandst year, shouldn''t I find out how? She''s my daughter after all, I don''t want her degrading herself."


    ise asked, "So you confronted her directly?"


    "What else was I supposed to do?"


    "You..."


    ise was so livid he couldn''t find the words.


    In his eyes, every argument between Cloudia and Ste stemmed from Cloudia''sck of tact.


    Ste hadn''t grown up by their side, making her temperament and boundaries unclear to Cloudia.


    Using such a confrontational approach was never going to work on Ste.


    "I''ve told you countless times, be patient with her."


    "Patient? Weren''t you the one who said we shouldn''t give the ess to her ount after you got back from the Silk-River Residences?"


    On the matter of Ste, neither could critique the other.


    ise uttered, "I''m not going to argue about this. Just fix it!"


    "How am I supposed to do that? She''s not taking my calls, won''t see me."


    Their brief encounter moments ago had been anything but pleasant.


    "If you don''t resolve this properly, you can say goodbye to the good life of being Mrs. Larkin."


    ise hung up, fuming. The thought that thepany''s turmoil was all tied to a mother-daughter dispute was beyond frustrating.


    ise then called Yorick.


    When Yorick heard that the Larkin Group''s issues all revolved around Ste, he immediately thought of the man by her side. Did that man have the clout to halt two major projects of the Larkin Group within half an hour? Who exactly was he?


    "Rick, you know how my rtionship with your father stands right now. About this..."


    The Quarry family had already been displeased with him due to Urs, and now an unknown factor wasplicating matters further


    ise felt his life was bing unbearable.


    Yorick''s expression darkened, "Understood. I''ll handle it."


    After hanging up, Yorick nced at


    tone


    his cast-bound left hand.


    was icy as he turned to Orion, "Still


    no word on who that man with her


    is?


    Orion, feeling a chill down his spine, replied, "We''ve been blocked at every turn, can''t find anything."


    Up to this point, they didn''t even know the man''s name.