The Heart Left Behind (Cole and Yvonne) novel Chapter 209

If I had known Grandma only wanted me to return so that she could introduce me to her other grandson, I wouldn't have bothered.

"Mom, I'll visit you someday later. Bye."

"Cole…"

Hearing Mom call out to me, I paused but still led Lorraine out of the door.

After we got into the car, I slumped into the car seat. Thinking about Chris gave me a headache.

Returning at such a critical moment suggested he had ulterior motives. He had been living comfortably abroad for so many years, yet he chose to return when Joplin Group was at its weakest. Was he going to prove himself or acquire the company?

No matter what, I had to stay vigilant.

"Cole, he…"

"Don't worry about him. Let's go home first."

…

Murphy was back ten minutes later—he'd been trying to placate Mom.

"How did it go?"

Since I had been relentless, I bet things must've been chaotic at home.

"Mrs. Joplin Senior isn't doing so well. They called the family doctor," Murphy began, eyeing my expression.

I sneered, "That's only right. Perhaps she's getting irrational due to her old age."

To think she allowed an illegitimate child into our family… If she were five years younger, she wouldn't have made such a decision.

Noticing the tension in the air, Jonas sat next to Lorraine and kept quiet.

It had barely been ten minutes since I reached home when an unfamiliar call came through.

"This is Cole speaking."

I had just parked the car when Chris called again.

"Cole, we're all waiting for you to start the meeting. It's my first day at work today…"

"Have you ever seen an employee urge their boss on their first day of work?" I shot back, clearly annoyed.

Lorraine frowned, looking even more concerned than I was. I took her hand and squeezed it before responding to Chris, "If you came early, you should wait. Do I need to teach you that?"

The moment I opened the door, I was greeted by bewildered expressions on everyone's faces. Thankfully, I couldn't hear what they were thinking, or I'd probably be driven mad by the noise.

"Everyone should already know who this is. He's Chris Joplin, the new vice general manager."

It was already past midnight when Grandma called me yesterday. She sounded so frail on the other end of the line that I feared she couldn't handle another shock. In the end, I had no choice but to appoint Chris as the vice general manager.

Beside me, Chris plastered a smile on his face and said, "Hello, everyone. I hope to work well with all of you from now on."

He nodded politely, looking every bit the polite gentleman.