Chapter 388: Vanessa Watched Helena and Ronnie Ascend the Staircase

Vanessa watched Helena and Ronnie ascend the staircase. She rose from her seat immediately. Her footsteps carried her toward the first-floor study. Philip was inside, organizing a stack of documents. She entered without knocking. “Philip. We need to talk. I want to give Vanessa our twenty-five percent shares.” They originally held twenty percent. After the wedding incident, they had seized an additional five percent from Vanessa. That left Vanessa with a mere five percent.

Philip’s face darkened instantly. “Have you lost your mind? Give her all our shares? I might have agreed before, but consider her recent actions!” First, the nude photo scandal. Then, her scheme against the top supermodels. It got worse. She seduced the man who was nearly her brother-in-law. And now, a pregnancy-forced marriage. She had brought endless shame to the Bennett name.

“I know she’s made mistakes,” Helena sighed. “But she’s apologized. She’s been punished. Her only desire now is to marry Derek and find happiness. She’s carrying a child. She won’t act recklessly anymore.”

She continued, her voice tightening. “Do you know how the Prescotts are treating her? They’re treating this wedding like a joke. She’s still the daughter we raised, despite everything. She’s always supported you with the business. She was the most considerate of our children. Now the Prescotts are bullying her because of her past and her tiny five percent share! If this is how they treat her before the marriage, what happens after?”

Tears streamed down Helena’s cheeks. As a woman, she understood the pain of being undervalued. She had endured her own hardships when she married into the Bennett family. She refused to let her daughter suffer the same fate.

Philip’s expression remained grim. “You’re not entirely wrong. I’ve considered that too… But every time I remember her plotting against those models, how she lied to us with those pitiful acts, it sends a chill down my spine. You were there when she claimed she was happy for Sienna. Look what she did behind her back. She slept with Derek. She conspired to steal Sienna’s assets. Now I can’t distinguish her truths from her lies.”

Outside the door, Vanessa listened, her fists clenched. Were they really going to deny her everything because of past errors?

She had been obedient lately. She had followed all their rules. She had even helped Philip resolve several company crises. Wasn’t that enough to atone for her mistakes? Were her own parents refusing to help her when she was being mistreated? Back in the study, Helena felt a sharp pang in her heart. After a long silence, she spoke. “She’s pregnant now. I believe, for the baby’s sake, she will mature and learn from her errors. Regardless, I won’t let the Prescotts destroy her!”

“Don’t worry. I am her father. The wedding is in two days. We still have time to discuss this,” Philip said, his tone placating.

Vanessa’s face contorted with fury. Discuss? What was there to discuss? They simply didn’t want to give her the shares! They were this critical of her without knowing she was adopted. What would they do if they found out? Knowing Sienna, the truth would eventually surface. Vanessa needed those shares now. Her eyes turned dangerously dark.