Chapter 10 Final Judgment

"Elena, is it true that you signed a contract with Hogan Company?" Every member of the Collins family had been waiting for the news to be confirmed since they got wind of it. They queried Elena as soon as she arrived.

Although Hogan was a new company, the news of its establishment had spread like wildfire.

It was unbelievable that Elena had successfully closed a deal of three hundred million dollars with this new company.

The value of the contract was higher than that of all the contracts Addy had won.

Elena walked to the center and placed the contract on the table with a smile. "This is the contract I just signed with Mr. Ortiz. It's a hundred percent real."

Clara grabbed the file before anyone else. She flipped through the pages quickly. She didn't know what all the clauses meant, but she was elated.

"Woo-hoo! My daughter is the best. I never for once doubted that she will achieve such a great feat. Congratulations, dearie!" She stood up and hugged Elena tightly.

"Sis, you're so awesome. You got a deal worth three hundred million dollars. This is the biggest contract in the history of the company. Grandpa hasn't won such before. Kudos!" Lilian gave Elena a thumbs up as admiration sparkled in her eyes.

"Humph! This contract must be fake!" Rickey frowned. All the contracts Elena won during the past six months had been had been abruptly terminated by the clients.

For this reason, he didn't believe that she won such a huge contract at the last minute.

"That's right. Elena most likely faked this contract. She wants to deceive us and retain the position of the president!" Terry Collins, one of Elena's cousins, echoed with a cigarette in his mouth.

It wasn't a secret that most of the extended family members were against Elena. But she didn't care.

"Like I said earlier, this contract is a hundred percent real. The company's seal is on the document for you all to see. If you think I'm telling lies, you can check the company's information on the government's website. I can't possibly fake that, can I?" Elena glanced at Terry, exuding great confidence.

"Come to think of it, Terry. As the eldest grandchild of this family and president of a subsidiary company, you are yet to make any good contribution that will take this family forward. All you know is sow seeds of discord." Elena gave him a mouthful.

Terry was ten years older than Elena. He began to work at a young age. Currently, he was heading one of the family's companies.

He was quite popular in Antpelle.

Like Addy and the others, he didn't like the fact that Elena was made the president of Hytai. He wanted her to lose the position.

"I'm sowing seeds of discord? As a member of this family, I have the right to air my views on what I think is fishy. Why are you being so defensive? Or could it be that you really faked this contract?"

"Ha-ha! Jokes on you, Terry. For your information, Addy was there when Mr. Ortiz signed this contract. He can attest to its authenticity!" Elena looked at Addy who put on a long face.

It was no news that Addy had been trying to get Flint to sign the contract for a long time.

Now that Elena beat him to it, he was so embarrassed.

A sea of eyes was staring at Addy at this moment. Everyone was waiting to hear him speak.

If he corroborated what Elena just said, he would lose the competition.

"Addy, is what Elena said true?" Eveline asked impatiently.

Addy gritted his teeth and nodded.

Clara held her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. That confirmation meant that Elena could retain her position.

"But..." Addy said suddenly.

"I tried signing a deal with Mr. Ortiz of Hogan, but he declined.

But when Elena got there tonight, he signed a contract with her almost immediately.

I think she used a honey trap. I witnessed how she was talking to him seductively. She must have offered him sex in exchange for the contract. It's a dent on our family's reputation.

Grandmother, such a slutty person doesn't deserve to head Hytai. Don't let her deceive you!"

Elena banged her hand on the table.

She knew that Addy wouldn't give up easily.

It wasn't particularly surprising that he could go as far as slandering her just because she won the competition.

"Addy, take back what you just said!" Elena demanded, staring at him crossly. The slanderous accusation didn't get to her.

But she wasn't going to take it from Addy because he was fond of defaming her at every given opportunity.

"I said what I said, Elena. I won't take it back. If you really didn't sell your body to Mr. Ortiz, why did he sign such a big contract with a woman he barely knows?" Addy fired back.

Everyone looked at each other, puzzled.

In the business world, big contracts were only signed after the parties met and did extensive research. So, it was questionable that Flint signed the contract on a whim.

"He doesn't need to know her well. He doesn't know you either, right?

Based on your argument, would I be right to assume that you had an improper relationship with him if he had signed a contract with you?"

Lyndon broke his silence. His sarcastic words took everyone by surprise.

"Shut the fuck up, you outsider! How dare you meddle in our family discussion? You kicked me earlier. I still haven't punished you for that. Don't provoke me!" Addy's anger was fueled by Lyndon's interference.

"Don't speak to him like that ever again. He's my fiancé, not an outsider!" Elena cautioned Addy sternly. No matter what others thought of Lyndon, she couldn't allow Addy to make a rude remark about him.

"Be quiet!" The entire room became silent as soon as Eveline shouted.

"Three days ago, I said that the person who wins the contract with the highest value will be the president of Hytai.

Elena won a contract worth three hundred million. On that note, she remains the president. And that is final!"

Upon hearing Eveline's judgment, Clara breathed a sigh of relief again.

"But Grandma, Elena got the..." Addy stood up and was about to counter the judgment.

"Shut up! Have you gone deaf? My judgment is final. Just so you know, I can see through you, Addy. You mustn't make trouble for Elena again. If you do, I'll not spare you!" Eveline pointed her walking stick to Addy. She was so scary that Addy swallowed his words.

Lyndon was taken aback by Eveline's remarks. It occurred to him that she was more excellent than him when it came to seeing through people.

It appeared that she had also smelled something fishy.

All the old clients had suddenly terminated the contracts and refused to listen to Elena's pleas.

Something was definitely fishy about the whole thing.

Despite her suspicions, Eveline didn't say anything about it. She called for the competition only because she wanted to test Elena.

She wanted to be sure that Elena was capable of running the company well.

"You may all leave now!" Eveline waved her hand and left.

"Adrien, you have a good daughter. You'd better try your best to protect her." Denis patted Adrien on the shoulder. It was a slap in the face that Elena still won by a margin even though he tried to help Addy.

"What do you mean?" Adrien looked at his brother in confusion.

"Nothing." Denis smiled.

Addy walked up to Elena.

"This is not over yet. Don't get too comfortable on that seat. Winning a big contract is not an excuse for you to slack off. Keep in mind that you still have a long way to go."

"Of course, I know that I still have a long way to go. And I don't intend to slack off," Elena responded with a smile.

"Humph!" Addy snorted and stormed out.

Clara's mind was at ease now. As long as Elena remained the president of Hytai, she could continue to live a luxurious life.

"My daughter is still the president. This calls for celebration. Lyndon, go and prepare a sumptuous meal for us!" Everyone looked at Clara with their eyes widened in shock. She had actually said Lyndon's name. This showed that her joy knew no bounds now.

Lilian was surprised that her mother didn't call Lyndon a loser like she always did. She was not used to the sudden change.

Just when Lyndon was about to go to the kitchen, Elena stopped him and said, "Mom, Lyndon played a pivotal role in the signing of this contract. Don't ask him to cook. Let's go out to eat."

"Actually, I didn't do much. Elena landed the contract because she's smart," Lyndon said, smiling.

Clara became annoyed when she heard these words.

"Loser, you've become arrogant due to our kindness, haven't you? Don't you know that eating out will cost us a lot? Besides, which restaurant will be open by this time? Go to the kitchen now!"

Elena wanted to speak up for Lyndon, but he shook his head. He didn't mind cooking at this time, especially since it was to celebrate for the woman he loved.

"Wait for me, Elena. I'll quickly fix up something for everyone." Lyndon rushed to the kitchen.

Everything that happened tonight flashed in Elena's mind as she stared at his receding figure. Joy was written all over her face.