Chapter 7 Severing Ties

When Judd Group’s largest shareholder announced he was pulling out, Jeremy panicked, terrified things would spiral out of control. He rushed to explain, "Mr. Ramsay, what do you mean by this?" "I’m here because of the backlash online," Mr. Ramsay said steadily. "I invested in the first place because I admired Ms. Naomi’s talent. She’s accomplished so much at such a young age—I believed in her. But you brothers? Not only are you completely talentless, you’re downright malicious. Especially you. You actually went online and publicly slandered your own sister. If Judd Group ends up in your hands, there really is no hope left." Disappointment was written all over Mr. Ramsay’s face. There was so much in that one sentence that Jeremy stood there dumbstruck. What? Mr. Ramsay invested because of Naomi? He’d never heard anything like that before. She must have made that up to win over their older brother’s trust and convince him to invest. It had to be a lie. Jeremy’s face turned an ugly shade of red as he stammered, "Mr. Ramsay, Naomi must have tricked you! She slacked off in school, partied all the time, bullied other students—her papers were all plagiarized! Just a while ago, she even burned down her lab because of a mistake she made, and then she had her sister Sarah take the fall for it..." He didn’t even finish before Mr. Ramsay cut him off coldly. "Mr. Judd, maybe you can fool other people, but you can’t fool me.I’m almost ashamed to say this, but I’ve probably spent more time with Ms. Naomi than you and your brothers combined. She’s incredibly talented—nothing like the person you’re describing." "I don’t deserve such high praise from you, Mr. Ramsay." A cool, calm voice rang out from the doorway. It was the loveliest voice—but it was the one Jeremy least wanted to hear. Naomi had finally arrived. As soon as he saw her, it was like fire shot out of Jeremy’s eyes. But then Mr. Ramsay stood up straight and politely nodded. "Ms. Naomi. Good to see you." Jeremy’s eyes widened with visible shock. The president of Ramsay Group—the company’s largest investor—was greeting Naomi respectfully? Could everything Mr. Ramsay had said just now be true? Before he could wrap his head around it, Naomi nodded back, polite and poised. "Thank you for speaking up for me, Mr. Ramsay. I trust that the truth will come out on its own. I won’t be dragged down by slander and pettiness." Jeremy had been about to explode, but the words got stuck in his throat. Given the situation, securing the company’s funding had to take priority. He had no choice but to lower his head. "Naomi—no, sis," he immediately switched to a flattering tone, forcing a smile so fake it made Naomi want to throw up. "You heard what was said just now, right?It’s all just a big misunderstanding. That’s all it is." "A misunderstanding?" Naomi raised an eyebrow. She scoffed. "You went online and spread lies about me cheating in school. You’re telling me that’s just a misunderstanding?" Jeremy forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Yes, yes, I was misled by bad actors. I’ll make sure the people spreading those lies are dealt with. Sis, the company’s at a critical moment right now. Investors are backing out left and right. I’m sure that’s not something you want to see happen, right? Mr. Ramsay is here right now—why don’t you help us out? The entire Judd family would be grateful for your kindness." Naomi let out a string of cold, bitter laughs. "Grateful? Jeremy, not long ago you were spitting venom at me over the phone. If you weren’t actively cursing me to drop dead, that would’ve been considered generous of you." Jeremy’s face darkened. He swallowed the rage rising in his throat and forced himself to say, "Sis, I’m begging you. If you’re willing to help, I’ll agree to anything you want." "Alright. You said it—deal. I’ll help you reconnect with the investors. But you have to agree to one thing—help me legally sever all ties with the Judd family." That was her true goal all along. To cut ties with these cold-hearted monsters and finally break free from the Judd family. Jeremy froze for a second, eyes flickering with disbelief. "Sever ties? Naomi, I really did underestimate you. Without the Judd family, you’re nothing. You want to sever ties? If you leave the Judd family, where are you even going to go?" "What I do after I leave the Judd family is my business. Whether or not you help me—that’s your business." Naomi cut him off sharply. Jeremy thought for a moment and then said, "Fine. I’ll help you. So now what?" Naomi’s smile finally reached her lips. "Don’t worry. Since you’ve agreed, I’ll make sure the investors don’t abandon Judd Group." As long as she could officially break away from them, sever her connection to this family, she’d be free to walk away and live her own life however she pleased. "What? Ms. Naomi’s cutting ties with the Judd family and going abroad to study?" The Creative Team at Nolan’s game company exploded the moment they heard the news. The entire office descended into chaos. The team members were all talking over each other, full of outrage. "I’ve been sick of that idiot Nolan for a while. Now that Ms. Naomi’s leaving, there’s zero reason to stay here! Boss, let’s quit!" The team’s leader, Shawn, narrowed his eyes. His brows were tightly furrowed, his voice icy. "Let’s go. We’re talking to Mr. Judd." At that very moment, Nolan was in a bar, wasted, drinking with some girl on his arm. He saw Shawn’s name flash across the screen and impatiently hung up. But Shawn wasn’t giving up. Call after call, he kept blowing up Nolan’s phone. "What the hell is wrong with Shawn today?" Nolan cursed, stubbing out his cigarette. He leaned in close to the woman beside him, voice sleazy. "Babe, let me take this call real quick. Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back." He stepped out of the booth, answered the call, and snapped, "Shawn, have you lost your damn mind today? You think you can just bother me, Mr. Judd, whenever you want? I’m warning you, if today you—" He didn’t even get to finish before Shawn’s icy voice cut him off. "Sir, we have something important to discuss with you. You weren’t at the office, so I called." "Important? Let me tell you—what I’ve got going on with the CEO takes priority!" Nolan barked. "Sir, today our Creative Team heard Ms. Naomi is officially cutting ties with the Judd family. We’ve decided to terminate our collaboration with Judd Group’s game division.The termination contract is ready. We’ll wait for Mr. Judd to come in and handle it face to face." What? The Creative Team was pulling out? Hearing that sobered Nolan up on the spot. His game company was one of the top dogs in the industry, and the entire thing relied on that powerhouse Creative Team. And now they wanted to walk away—just because of Naomi?