My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 147

Tristan now understood that Chairman Hawthorne’s decision had been made with the company’s best interests in mind, so he kept silent.

Most of the shares were held by Evelyn, and it was likely there would be further divisions in the future. Since Alexander had contributed so much to the company, it was only natural that he would receive a larger share.

After the initial shock, the other shareholders quickly came to terms with the reality.

Tristan, who was focused on his own restaurant business and had little knowledge of the company’s operations, was not seen as a viable candidate for Chairman.

Arabella Hawthorne had lived in Los Angeles for years and rarely involved herself in company affairs.

Alden had no shares in the company and preferred to remain at the R&D center.

Evelyn didn’t have much of an understanding of the company’s management.

When you factored it all in, no one seemed more suited than Alexander to assume the Chairman role.

However, the idea of the younger brother becoming Chairman while the older brother remained as CEO felt... strange.

John Smith’s expression was a complicated mix of emotions.

His initial suggestion to remove Alexander had been based on the assumption that Chairman Hawthorne was in good health. No one had anticipated his sudden death.

Now, John had to admit that only Alexander taking over as Chairman could stabilize the situation.

John glanced at Sebastian.

Sebastian kept his gaze lowered, his face cold and unreadable, as though lost in thought.

Chairman Hawthorne had left behind a will, explicitly appointing Alexander as Chairman. Clearly, this was a sign of dissatisfaction with the CEO’s personnel changes and a deliberate snub toward Sebastian. If Chairman Hawthorne had intended to limit Sebastian’s influence, the CEO would have little room to maneuver.

But weren’t they all Chairman Hawthorne’s grandsons? Sebastian had held a senior management position in the company and had performed reasonably well. His projects might not have been groundbreaking, but they hadn’t failed either. Why would Chairman Hawthorne show such clear favoritism?

Or had Sebastian done something that Chairman Hawthorne simply couldn’t tolerate?

Alexander’s POV

When Jane relayed the results of the shareholder meeting, I had just returned to the villa.

Vivienne had started eating, and I finally allowed myself to exhale in relief. I could take a moment to unwind.

I stood on the second-floor balcony, lit a cigarette, and flicked the lighter shut. Taking a drag, I exhaled slowly, watching the smoke curl into the air as my thoughts deepened.

I never imagined things would end up like this.

Before Grandpa passed away, he had met with Isabella. I thought he would be utterly disappointed in me, but I never expected him to still choose to protect me!

What right did I have for Grandpa to treat me this way?

I held the cigarette between my fingers, tapping the ash lightly, then turned to look at the villa.

Three years of marriage, and we had spent all of it here.

Our lives had become so intertwined, inseparable.

This place held all of our memories, both good and bad.

Before long, after we returned from St. Damaris Cathedral, I’d be moving out of here. Vivienne’s presence would fade from my life, leaving no trace behind.

My phone rang.

It was a video call from Arabella.

As soon as the connection was made, a little girl appeared on the screen. She had two tufts of hair sticking up, her round face like a little bun, her big eyes blinking mischievously. She was absolutely adorable.

Arabella stood beside her and said, “Uncle, Grace, say hi to Uncle.”

“Uncle Alexander!” Grace’s voice rang out, bright and cheerful. “Long time no see!”

I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her, though my smile was tinged with sadness. “Long time no see, Grace.”

There was a bitter undertone to my smile.

I thought of the unborn child, whose features were still unformed. If he were born, by the time he was four or five, would he be as cute as Grace?

“Uncle, do you miss me? I miss you so much... Are you at your home in Virellia City now?” Grace asked, tilting her head.

“I do miss you, Grace. Uncle really misses you. I’m at home right now,” I replied, turning the phone around to show her the surroundings.

“Hmph! I don’t believe you! You have Aunt Vivienne now, how could you miss me?” She peeked behind me. “Uncle, where’s Aunt Vivienne?”

My smile faltered.

“Aunt Vivienne is sick. She’s at the hospital,” I said softly.

Grace’s face immediately filled with concern. “Huh? Does it hurt when she gets a shot? I’m scared of shots. When will Aunt Vivienne be back?”

“In a few days,” I answered quietly.

"Uncle, once Vivienne Auntie gets her shot, you should give her some ice cream. After she eats the ice cream, the pain will go away."

I couldn’t help but laugh at her words. "Alright, Uncle will give Vivienne Auntie some ice cream."

Arabella took the phone from me and said to Grace, "Grace, go finish your homework."

Los Angeles is a few hours behind Virellia City. It was 7 a.m. in Virellia City, but still the previous night in Los Angeles, and Grace had just finished her dinner.

Hearing Arabella’s words, the little girl pouted. "I want to talk to Uncle Alexander."

Arabella knew this was just Grace’s way of stalling on her homework.

"No homework, no ice cream."

Grace’s little face showed an internal struggle. Between homework and ice cream, she finally chose the ice cream. Pouting, she waved at me. "Uncle Alexander, I’m going to do my homework now. Bye-bye! Mua!"

"Go ahead, study hard. I’ll visit you when I have time."

The screen now showed only Arabella.

She looked at me for a moment before asking, "You haven’t been resting well lately, have you? You look exhausted."

"Yeah," I replied flatly, taking a drag from my cigarette.

"When did you start smoking?" Arabella asked, surprised.

"Recently."

"You must’ve heard about the results of the shareholders’ meeting, right? Your grandfather still had faith in you."

I lowered my eyelids. "Yeah, I know. I feel like I’ve let Grandpa down."

"Let him down? Maybe. But I think your grandfather figured some things out before he passed. He probably realized he shouldn’t have forced you and Vivienne together."

Arabella’s guess was a bit far-fetched, so I didn’t respond.

She continued, "I heard Vivienne’s pregnant? Is she resting in the hospital?"

I paused, then slowly shook my head, my voice low as I replied, "Yes, but she had a miscarriage."

Arabella was momentarily surprised. Then she said, "Well, maybe it’s for the best. If she had the baby, it would’ve been harder for you two to separate. Now that your grandfather’s gone, when are you planning to get a divorce?"

"Soon," I said, my voice cold.

"Alright. What about Isabella? Once you get divorced, hurry up and marry her. She’s been waiting for you all these years—it’s not been easy for her!"

"She killed Grandpa, and now she’s disappeared. I won’t marry her. Arabella, please, don’t bring it up again."

"If you’re not marrying Isabella, that’s fine. I met a girl here. She..."

"Arabella," I interrupted, my voice stern. "After the divorce, I have no interest in looking for another woman. You don’t need to worry about me."

"I’m just looking out for you. You’re turning thirty soon, and because of your grandfather’s wrong decision, three years have been wasted..."

"My grandfather’s decision wasn’t wrong!" I said firmly, my gaze unwavering. "If it weren’t for him, I might never have understood my own heart."

Arabella’s face froze. "Alexander, you haven’t been blinded by Vivienne, have you? She..."

"Arabella, I have something to take care of. I’m ending this call now."

I hung up the video call decisively.

Arabella called back, but I hung up again.

I crushed the cigarette in my hand and was about to go rest when I absentmindedly glanced out the window and saw a black car driving up to my villa, stopping at the front gate.