Chapter 3

I patted Vincent on the shoulder. 'No wonder he's our kid, coming from an expert; genes really are a wild thing,' I thought with a hint of pride.

Thanks to the way Kate, Grover, and I raised him, Vincent grew up lively, cheerful, and driven. Among all the rich kids, he was in a league of his own.

When he turned eighteen, he breezed into Riverspire University in Meriland.

Truman had huge expectations for his grandson and immediately transferred 20% of the Taylor Group's shares to Vincent.

Meanwhile, Grover's older brother and his kids hadn't received a single share. Even Grover's older brother only held 20%.

Over the last eighteen years, thanks to the Maxwell Group's financial support, Grover had firmly cemented his position and had already surpassed his brother by a mile.

Truman never hesitated to approve any of Grover's decisions, knowing I always had his back. If anything went wrong, I'd pay out of my own pocket and clean up the mess for my husband.

The Maxwell Group's execs were all slick operators, and by now they'd pledged their loyalty to Grover, both openly and on the sly. His brother'd been stripped of all real power.

*****

Three years later, Vincent came back home triumphant after finishing his studies.

That day, I made him binge-watch four straight hours of videos filled with the juiciest scandals and wild drama that only the ultra-wealthy could cook up.

He sat there in silence for a long time before finally asking, "Mom, what do you want to do?"

I kept my emotions in check as I asked, "After twenty years together, if you really have to make a move, will you be able to walk away?"

Vincent mulled it over for a moment. "Mom, I get it. If he has even a shred of decency, I'll know what to do."

I gave Vincent a reassuring pat on the shoulder, pride bubbling up inside me.

My boy wasn't a kid anymore—truth was, some of his ideas and skills were already outpacing mine.

I knew he wouldn't let me down.

Just like I wanted, Vincent got started right away as an intern at the Taylor Group.

With his dad and grandpa backing him, he made the Taylor Group's stock price soar three times in just two years.

Truman was already considering bypassing his own son entirely and passing the reins straight to Vincent.

A few days before Vincent's twenty-fifth birthday, we held a family meeting.

During the meeting, I announced my plan to transfer all my shares to Vincent and make him CEO of Maxwell Group, while I'd finally take a step back and enjoy my retirement.

After all, I'd put in over twenty years of hard work as a woman in this game—I'd earned a break.

When I made my announcement, Grover's face lit up with barely concealed delight.

I sneaked a look at Kate, sitting quietly in the corner.

Her eyebrows arched ever so slightly, lips pressed tight as she struggled to keep her composure, but anyone could tell she could hardly contain her joy.

Truman tapped his cane thoughtfully, deep in thought.

After all, if Vincent went back to the Maxwell Group, he wouldn't be able to keep driving up the Taylor Group's numbers.

After all, the Maxwell Group and the Taylor Group weren't united yet.

Truman wasn't about to let his grandson build up someone else's empire.

With a few subtle hints from me, Truman finally caught on.

We merged the Maxwell Group and the Taylor Group into one family empire, with Taylor's name front and center. From now on, the T&M Group was born, and everyone knew who was running the show.

Vincent stepped up as the new CEO.

Just like that, T&M Group became the top dog in all of Riverspire—nobody could touch us.

Truman could hardly contain his excitement. 'This is it—the Taylor legacy goes on, and my own grandson is calling the shots. The Maxwell name? Gone and forgotten.

'The Taylor family's rise was now unstoppable. In Riverspire, our heirs would stand tall for generations to come.

'It was like we managed to gobble up the Maxwell Group without breaking a sweat.'

Grover's older brother tried to protest, but I was quick to shut it down—I slapped a generous offer on the table for his shares. No way I was letting him stick around and be a pain in our side.

With Truman breathing down his neck, the poor guy knew there was no winning this. In the end, he had no choice but to take the cash and begrudgingly walk away.

Kate—the third in the Taylor family—threw both hands up in support, chiming in with a warm, heartfelt declaration, "Since Derick's gone and I never had kids of my own, I've always thought of Vincent like my own son.

"When I'm old, I'll be relying on him to have my back, so I'm leaving everything I have to him."