It happened at Christmas dinner.
The entire family had gathered for dinner at the Ashford estate. I sat off to one side, quietly eating my meal.
"Julian, did you understand today's finance lesson?"
That was Nathan Ashford, the son of my uncle Vincent Ashford. Nathan was 3 years younger than me, but he was already quick-witted and articulate. Uncle Vincent had already started bringing him to Ashford Group to learn the business.
My dad was quite fond of him.
I glanced at Nathan and ignored him.
His smirk deepened.
"Oh, right. I forgot. Julian's a born genius. He already knows everything. Unlike a dummy like me, who actually has to study."
"Nathan, don't say that," Elena Ashford, the daughter of my uncle Damien Ashford, said with exaggerated concern. "Julian just doesn't feel like talking to us. Some brilliant kids are late talkers, you know."
The whole table burst out laughing. Even the servants kept their heads down, their shoulders shaking as they tried not to laugh.
Everyone was laughing at me, the i***t who couldn't speak.
"Enough!"
I looked up. My dad was glaring at everyone, clearly furious at what they'd said.
The room fell silent at once.
For a moment, I was genuinely touched.
"Jules, all Dad wants is for you to be healthy. That's enough for me."
I froze for a moment, then slowly lowered my head.
My mom sat beside me, quietly putting more food on my plate.
I knew it hurt my mom to watch them treat me that way.
After we got home, she pulled me into her arms and looked at me, her eyes full of pain.
"Jules, why won't you talk? Just say something to Mom. One word. If I could hear even one word from you, I'd die happy."
Before she could finish, a warm tear splashed onto the back of my hand.
My heart wasn't made of stone after all.
'Maybe it's time I finally spoke.'
I had just opened my mouth, ready to call her Mom for the first time, when I heard hurried footsteps outside.
Our butler, Frank Brooks, called urgently from outside the door.
"Ma'am, something's wrong! Someone from the Ravenport financial market is here. John Mercer is already at the office!"
My mom's face went white.
John Mercer was one of the biggest financial predators in Ravenport, notorious for shorting companies into the ground.
Over the past few years, he'd used ruthless tactics to take over more than a dozen companies about the size of Ashford Group.
"What does he want?" my mom asked.
"He... he wants to acquire Ashford Group at one-tenth of its market value. He says if we refuse, he'll bankrupt the company."
My mom's arm tightened around me, and her body began to tremble.
If John really tried to force the acquisition through, Ashford Group had no real way to stop him.
Ashford Group was on the brink of disaster.
I looked up at the tears brimming in my mom's eyes.
'So much for my quiet life. John, huh? Guess I didn't give him enough hell in my last life.'
Aksara