Chapter 57

The "no" that was about to come out of her mouth got swallowed back down thanks to just a few words from him. Bits and pieces about his aunt suddenly flashed through Alice’s mind. Martha Hawthorne—Edward's biological aunt. People used to say she was sharp and strong-willed. For nearly a decade, before Edward took over GrandVerse Group, she was the one holding everything together after old Mr. Hawthorne stepped down. Back in those days, she was a regular in headlines across major financial media. Some even called her the “female Buffett” of the Capital. But that once dazzling figure vanished from the spotlight after a car accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. Rumor had it, Edward wouldn’t have been able to claim the president’s seat at just eighteen if it weren't for her backing. Martha never had kids of her own, and Edward lost his mother early on. The two were closer than most mothers and sons. Then Alice remembered what Sophia once mentioned—how Edward had lived with his l