The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 93
“Leilani is formidable now,” Josiah stated.
Hackett frowned. “What does that mean?”
His eldest son was usually steady; for him to speak like this, had that rebellious daughter done something to disgrace the Sloan family again?
“Leilani has a deep connection with Callahan,” Josiah said, his gaze dark. “Today at the airport, Callahan personally stepped in to protect her and took her away with him.”
“What?” Hackett stood up abruptly, his expression changing drastically. “Are you sure?”
Tamara was also stunned, forgetting to cry. “C… Callahan Langley? Of the Langley Group?”
“Who else could it be?” Josiah’s face was grim. “I thought Leilani was just bluffing before, but Callahan actually stood up for her! They seemed close, definitely not like strangers.”..
Zadie’s face went pale. “How is that possible? With Leilani’s background, how could the Langley family possibly take her seriously?”
“Whether they take her seriously or not isn’t the point,” Josiah said, his voice rising. “The point is, Callahan is clearly standing on her side right now!”
Tamara clenched her fingers, a flash of jealousy in her eyes, but she quickly switched back to a fragile expression. “Josiah, then… then could Milford’s sudden change of heart be because of the Langley family too.”
Hackett slammed the table. “It must be Leilani pulling strings behind the scenes! She is deliberately taking revenge on us!”
Josiah narrowed his eyes. “Regardless of whether it’s her, with Callahan backing her now, we can’t touch her.”
Tamara bit her lip, looking ready to weep. “Then what about my marriage? Are we just going to let it go?”
Zadie hugged her tightly. “Don’t be afraid, Tamara. We won’t let the Sherwood family off that easily!”
Hackett pondered with a dark face for a moment, then suddenly sneered. “No matter how powerful the Langley family is, they can’t control the Sherwood family’s private affairs. Since Leilani dares to meddle in Tamara’s marriage, she shouldn’t blame us for getting nasty!”
Josiah looked at his father. “Dad, you mean…”
Hackett’s eyes were cold. “The Sherwood family wants to break the engagement? Then let them know the price of offending us!”
Josiah frowned, disagreeing with Hackett’s approach. The most important thing now was to figure out the relationship between Leilani and Callahan. Callahan had already refused to cooperate with the Sloan Group; if Leilani whispered in his ear again, their family would be in trouble. The Sherwood matter needed to wait.
Josiah took a deep breath and spoke somberly. “Mom, Dad, now isn’t the time to obsess over the Sherwood engagement.”
Hackett frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Callahan stands behind Leilani now,” Josiah said gravely. “Think about it. She just got out of prison. Where did she get the money to live in Celestial Heights? How did she afford to go abroad? Now Callahan is personally protecting her. Isn’t it obvious?”
Zadie’s face shifted. “Are you saying… she’s spending the Langley family’s money?”
“How else?” Josiah scoffed. “Callahan suddenly refused to work with us before, and now he’s so close to Leilani. Do you think that’s a coincidence?”
Tamara clenched her hands, jealousy flashing in her eyes again. “Josiah, are you saying she badmouthed our family to Mr. Langley?”
“It’s very likely,” Josiah said heavily. “You know the Langley Group’s influence in the business world. If Leilani really poisoned his mind against us, doing business will only get harder for the Sloan Group.”
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Cedella
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