William stood motionless, as if frozen in place, his silence and stillness filling the air with a sense of inner turmoil. "Mr. William, why are you quiet now?" Leon's voice broke through the tension, his patience wearing thin. "Is it that the Hamiltons are unwilling to return the doctors to the Daves?" Leon's words were sharp, his body moving as he paced slowly across the floor, his footsteps echoing in the otherwise silent room. "I'm fully aware of how many doctors the Daves sent, he continued," his voice steady but firm. "So when the time comes, I expect the Hamiltons to send them all back—no more, no less." William's face grew uncertain, and he struggled to find a valid reason to hold on to the doctors. "These doctors have been with the Hamiltons for years, some even have families now. Calling them back to the Daves would be a huge disruption for them." "Oh? Is that so?" Leon raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the turn in conversation. William, seeing a possible opening, pressed further. "Yes, the Hamiltons have even provided transports and accommodations for them. Some of these doctors have practically settled down here. To ask them to leave all of a sudden—it would be unjust." William's voice carried an unmistakable note of criticism, his tone firm and resolute. Each word he spoke weighted with authority and purpose, leaving no question as to where he stood on the matter. Leon, however, wasn't swayed by this moral argument. He chuckled lightly, as if amused by William's concerns. "Unjust?" Leon repeated, clearly unfazed. "Don't worry about it. The Daves will ensure these doctors receive everything the Hamiltons have given them. There will be no injustice done, I assure you." He paused, his tone casual yet pointed. "Just have them sent back, there's no need for you to get involved in this." William fell silent, unable to come up with a counter-argument. He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out. "And, sending back the doctors, along with all the necessary equipment, might take some time," Leon added a carefully crafted expression of sympathy, as if he were being extra considerate. "If the Hamiltons are too busy, the Daves can approach them directly to collect everything." Leon then turned the conversation to a more personal level. "Oh, and wasn't it you, Mr. William, who said you didn't want to collaborate with the Daves?" His voice carried a challenge, his words pointed. "Well then, perhaps it's time to end the Daves-Hamilton partnership in Kreshill today as well?" Leon's words were deliberate, his gaze unwavering. "After all, the Hamiltons won't miss just one partnership, will they?" The challenge hung in the air. Cutting off the partnership with the Daves would have no real consequences for the Daves. In Kreshill, the Daves stood alone as the premier pharmaceutical family, unrivaled in the medical field. If the Hamiltons chose not to cooperate, the Daves would still have plenty of other families lining up to form partnerships—families like the Litchens, the Wisburns, and the Vales, just to name a few. Any one of them would be eager to work with the Daves. But for the Hamiltons, losing the Daves would be a significant blow. It would shake their long-term plans and force them to reconsider their entire approach.Leon understood this dynamic well. He had identified William's weakness and knew exactly where to strike. His words had cut through William's resolve, forcing him into an uncomfortable decision between his family's business and his granddaughter's well-being. From the start, William had been tense, his face a mask of indecision. The weight of the situation seemed to hang heavy on him, and the room was thick with unspoken tension, as if something was about to snap. Just then, the sound of a cellphone ringing broke the stillness, loud and unexpected. Addison jumped at the sudden sound, her eyes darting around the room to identify the source. Who could be so thoughtless as to let their phone ring this loudly at such a crucial moment? She scanned the room, trying to locate the phone, but found nothing. Just as she was about to speak, one of the servants quietly tapped her on the shoulder. "Ms. Addison, your phone is ringing." The servant handed her a phone that was buzzing with an incoming call. It was her phone. All eyes turned to her, and she felt the heat of the spotlight. Her face flushed, and she wished she could shrink into the floor.My phone? Addison let out a nervous laugh and quickly took the phone from the servant. The ringtone, though not particularly loud under normal circumstances, seemed to echo in the tense atmosphere. She hadn't recognized it at first and had been too distracted to realize it was her phone. "Addy, who's calling?" Matthew asked from nearby, his tone concerned. "Oh ... let me check," Addison said, glancing down at the screen. The name flashing on it was unmistakable—Lance. "If it's urgent, feel free to step outside and take the call", Matthew offered kindly. But the moment Addison saw Lance's name, she quickly responded, "It's not urgent, not at all." "Definitely not urgent. I'll call him back later," she added, almost too quickly, pressing the end call button without hesitation. As she hung up, she muttered under her breath, "Lance sure knows how to pick his timing ... " On the other end, Lance sat with his phone in his hand, frowning at the screen. He had missed Addison's call earlier when Virginia collapsed, and now that things had calmed down, he had planned to return her call. But when he tried to call her back, she had hung up on him. His expression darkened. She had called me first, but when I called her back, she hung up on me. Is she toying with me? Frustrated, Lance threw his phone down on the couch and leaned back, feeling irritated. Back at the Daves Residence, Matthew had assumed the call wasn't important when he saw Addison hang up. "It's fine if it isn't important, I thought the ringtone sounded like one, but I guess not," he said with a shrug. Addison waved him off. "It wasn't important at all." Especially not in this serious, tense atmosphere. Leon shifted his gaze back to William. "Have you made up your mind?" he asked, his tone steady and unrelenting. William's legs seemed stuck to the floor, his face locked in a grim, silent expression. He remained mute, unable to make a decision.Leon, seeing that William wasn't responding, didn't show any sign of rushing. He sat back leisurely, taking a slow sip of soup. After a moment, he stood up again and served Addison a few small dishes, placing a bowl of thick soup in front of Matthew. "This soup is quite good," Leon remarked, casual and relaxed. "The new chef seems to know what they're doing." With every passing second, William's face grew darker. He couldn't bear it any longer. With a sharp motion, he stood up, his face was hard as stone, and stormed toward the door. "Hey, hey, hey—" Leon called out, standing quickly and signaling for the bodyguard to block William's path. "Where are you going? Leaving without saying a word?" Leon said, his voice almost taunting. "You haven't made a decision yet, and now you're just walking out? That's not very polite, is it?" William was cornered. With no other option, he finally spoke. "I'm going home to pick up Georgina and bring her here to apologize to Addison in person. "Will that be enough to satisfy the Daves?" he asked reluctantly, his discomfort clear. The words tasted bitter on his tongue. At his age, he had never before been forced to compromise so completely.