Chapter 27
The expanse of sky stretching outside the large window of Skylar’s office was cloudy.
Skylar sat in her chair, staring blankly at the laptop screen that had only been displaying a blank worksheet
Her mind had not been at peace since her secretary said that her uncle, Ray Parker, wanted to see her today.
The uncle was from Skylar’s late mother, Renee’s side. She only knew the person briefly from her late mother’s stories.
Roy Parker was the person who she said had a big fight with Renee over the inheritance from their very rich mother. They were siblings from the same mother, different fathers, like Skylar and Jenna
Roy was rarely seen, even when Renee died, he only came for a short time and then left again without saying much.
Skylar’s thoughts were interrupted when Wendy knocked on her door and showed her head through the crack. “Ma’am, Mr. Parker is waiting in the executive living room.”
Skylar nodded slowly. “Ask him here, Wendy. I’ll just meet him here,” Skylar said
Wendy went to tell Roy. Skylar calmed herself down before shouting the command to enter, when Wendy knocked on the door again.
When the door opened, Wendy invited Roy to come in and she closed the door again.
A middle–aged man with partially gray hair stepped into Skylar’s office. His steps were steady, although it was clear that he felt awkward, just like Skylar was feeling right now.
It had been several years since Skylar last saw Roy. She remembered, the last time she saw Roy was in her grandfather’s office, if she was not mistaken, two weeks after her marriage to David
At that time Roy only looked at her with a look that was dificult for her to interpret and his smile was so faint that Skylar doubted that her uncle was actually smiling.
“Good morning, Skylar” Roy greeted in a soft voice that made Skylar’s heart tremble slightly.
“Good morning, Mr. Parker,” Skylar’s voice was a little stiff, but still polite. “Please sit down.”
They sat facing each other. For a few moments there was only silence, until finally Roy spoke first.
1 know you must be wondering why I suddenly came to see you Roy said slowly.
Skylar just nodded, holding back from immediately becoming defensive.
After all, their current position was not as two people who were bound by blood, but rather a professional working relationship.
“I want to tell you something important, Roy continued carefully. “My wife is very sick. The doctor said she doesn’t have much time left”
The surprise came like a punch to the chest. Skylar’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, 1…I didn’t know, Mr. Parker. I’m sorry”
Roy nodded, looked down, then continued after taking a breath. “I decided to retire early. I want to spend the rest of my time taking care of and accompanying my wife. We don’t have children and only have each other, so I want to be with her while she’s still around”
Silence fell again. Skylar was still speechless. She didn’t expect of all the possibilities, Roy’s reason for wanting to see her would be something like
this
“I also want to apologize, Skylar,” Roy said softly, “I know, since my fight with your mother, I have rarely appeared. Even though.. love you. Since I was little, I have always followed your news, even from afar.”
Skylar’s heart sank. All this time, she thought Roy hated her, because she and her mother were very close. But it turned out.
“May I ask, Uncle, Skylar said softly, spontaneously changing his nickname, “What exactly made Uncle and Mother fight at that time! I don’t remember much because I was still young at that time”
Hay seemed silent. His gaze drifted out the window for a moment. “Ah.. you must have heard some of the story from your mother,” he said in a deep voice. “But you don’t know the whole story. In the end, your mother and I agreed not to talk about it anymore and let the whole thing just fade away between us.”.
Skylar waited silently. She knew that what was about to come out of Roy’s mouth now could change the way she viewed their past relationship.
“Your mother and I, we used to be very close, Roy said finally. “Even though we had different fathers, she and I were like siblings. But she… was stubborn. When I found out that her husband—your father—had a mistress, I warned her. I asked her to divorce him before things got worse. I
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Chapter 27
hated Gerry because he didn’t respect Renée”
Skylar took a deep breath. This was the part her mother had never inld her in detail.
“But she persisted Roy continued. His voice sounded like he was holding back anger. “She said she loved Gerry very much. What I know is that she was actually the one who asked her father to arrange her marriage with Gerry, I was angry. I thought she was stupid. Then when our mother died, we got a very large inheritance. Our mother was a descendant of nobility and her family had been very rich since their ancestors. Lasked her to protect her share, so that your father would not find out. But she instead changed the inheritance into shares and injected it into your father’s company.”
Skylar looked at Roy with a mixture of surprise and confusion. “But why? Why was she doing that? The Carter family is vey wealth, right?”
“She said she had a plan,” Roy answered softly. “She wanted to show that she could make the company big, then put you there, as the true owner disagreed. It’s nothing, but I was worried about you. You were still young and as far as I know, your mother was always sick and very vulnerable. Moreover, your father never loved her. We had a big fight because she didn’t heed my advice at all. Since then, we haven’t talked much. I let go of all her affairs
“Then why did Uncle finally want to lead The Carter Canadian Property? Even though, that was the company that my mother had invested in. right?”
Roy nodded. “I refused at first too. I don’t like your father’s family. But at that time, your grandfather, Aaron Carter—came to me himself. He said, Roy, you are the only person Renee trusts. Even though you two fought, she still trusts you. Protect Renee and Skylar when I’m gone. I don’t trust my own son. He’s unstable, and Lilian, that bitch, is very greedy”
Roy’s eyes began to fill with tears. “But then, it was your mother who left us first.”
to eat
Skylar took a deep breath. Her mother was seriously ill and died not long after her condition became critical due to the cancer that continued to i away at her.
“I did that, what your grandfather asked, because I saw how much he loved your mother more than his own son,” he continued. “I entered The Canter. I brought many of my trusted people. I made sure that all of your mother’s shares are now in your hands. Even without the inheritance your grandfather gave you, you still have the right to The Carter through your mother’s shares. When I retire, you won’t be alone. I made sure that there are many people who will still look after you. They only move behind, so that Gerry and Lilian don’t bother us.”
Those works hit Skylar’s heart. Her tears flowed. She looked at the man in front of her who she had thought was an enemy, but turned out to be a hidden protector.
Unconsciously, she stood up and reached out to hug Roy tightly: “Sorry. Uncle.. sorry for misunderstanding.”
Roy hugged her back, slowly. “It’s okay, Skylar. I know this isn’t easy to understand. But I’m doing all this because I love you. I want you to be a strong leader, just like your mother wanted. She already knew that she wouldn’t live long and that you would most likely be pushed aside by your father’s new wife when she was gone. Your mother is a smart and clever woman, and she loves you very much”
“My grandfather, did he know about that condition?” Skylar asked confusedly. “If he knew, why did he give my mother the opportunity to control The Caner shares”
“Because your grandfather felt guilty towards your mother. He didn’t know that her son turned out to be a jerk. Your mother loved your grandfather and took care of him like a daughter takes care of her biological father. That meant a lot to your grandfather and he made up for his guilt over Gerry’s behavior through your mother’s freedom to own The Carter shares.”
Suddenly, the door to the room opened.
David rushed in and was shocked to see the scene before him. Skylar and Roy were hugging.
“Hey!” he exclaimed. “What the hell is this?
Before Skylar could explain, David had pulled Roy away from Skylar and his fist had already flown towards Ray’s face.
Bugh!
Roy staggered and fell onto the sofa. Skylar screamed, “David: Stop: This is Roy Parker, CEO of The Carter Canadian Property!
Asep was shocked, his eyes widened. “Parker! The CEO of Can-
Ray wiped his bleeding mouth. He wasn’t angry, just smiled bitterly. “You must be crazy, Mr. Lawrence!”
Skylar quickly helped Roy sit up. Tm sorry, Mr. Parker. I don’t know why he did it, but I didn’t invite him here in the first place.”
David stood stifly, looking down in guilt. I’m sorry, sir. I thought…
Roy raised his hand slowly. “Next time ask before you let your fists do the talking”
Chapter 27
The atmosphere became quict, but this time not because of the distance—but because of a new understanding that was forming
Skylar looked at Roy and she understood that there was an invisible legacy called affection that her late mother and grandfather had left to her uncle, Roy Parker, li was also about protection that went quietly, without expecting anything in return.
Skylar pushed David hard, making him fall two steps back.
“Your jerk is getting worse, Mr. Lawrence Skylar hissed. “You hurt my unc..
I
“Ms. James, I think we need to talk about my plan and I’ll see you again before I go back to Canada,” Roy said, suddenly cutting Skylar off.
His tone made Skylar look at him and she saw Roy’s eyes glance at David and his shoulders move forward.
Skylar knew Roy was giving her a signal.
