Yours, Until Needed
Chapter 66: Anderson Group

Chapter 66: Anderson Group

I probably spoke too soon.

Because it’s been so long since I’ve talked to my parents in person, I couldn’t help but be more animated in my retelling.

As great and active listeners, I was invigorated to continue telling them about Lily’s scary adventures, the results of the investigations on the missing materials, and the unveiling.

My parents had a huge hand in procuring the documents we needed for evidence in such a short time.

From what I’ve learned, Dad worked closely with Lucian and the authorities to expedite evidence gathering.

There was no doubt that Mr. Sollen could be nailed with just a few transactions, but they really wanted to know the total damage, so they reviewed all of it.

The amount was staggering, considering it had happened for many years. This also prompted my parents to launch an internal investigation.

But nothing came up.

Mr. Sollen realized the close ties between our families, so he could only touch the goods that way. Anything else that didn’t match would be easily noticed, so he could only go for the freebies.

We had an interesting discussion about tightening the procedures to make sure that something like this doesn’t go unnoticed.

Who would’ve thought that someone would take advantage of the payment terms in such a manner?

Then, I got to my tales of the unveiling. I was prepared to re-enact Aunt Alicia’s antics as my Mom and I always do, but when I looked over, both of them were scowling at me.

What? I panicked a bit because of the sudden change in the atmosphere.

"Miss, when did we raise you to be such a Daredevil?"

"A good deed sure sounds great when nothing bad happens. But the same deed could’ve been a tragedy."

My Mom rarely got angry, nor did she often raise her voice at me. So it does get scary when she’s like this.

I received a stern lecture on the number of ways that could’ve gone wrong. And I do see the point.

"You always act like you’re dispensable." Dad pointed out. He looked somber, and all the rebuttals I had prepared collapsed.

"I’m sorry. I just...I know what it feels like to drown, so I reacted instinctively."

I know I should’ve called for backup before jumping in. Even shouting loudly would’ve done something. But having experienced the same thing alone, as the victim, I have always felt like no one would come.

So why bother?

And it wasn’t once or even twice. There were multiple instances of such experiences, especially when my parents were away for business.

After a while, I learned to accept the reality of facing terrifying things alone. And now I’m more comfortable doing it this way.

Because involving others would be burdensome.

I’d be burdensome.

And this wasn’t some emotional pity party. It was literal.

Several maids from the main house got fired for trying to help me. Aunt Ingrid said they were "meddling" too much in our personal affairs.

The gardener’s kid, Tommy, an old childhood friend who lived in the estate, was even framed for stealing Alexa’s necklace.

I tried telling them that Alexa did it herself, which she whispered to me as Tommy and his father got kicked out of the mansion, but no one bothered to listen.

Tommy was a thief, and I was a liar.

If Auntie Lin hadn’t been the nanny of both my dad and uncle, then you better best believe she would’ve been sacked, too.

I felt so bad. And one by one, all the allies I had vanished.

Whenever the remaining ones took pity on me, I had to push them away, or they would bear the brunt of their petty tricks.

Then, I slowly realized that they could only touch those much weaker than them.

People like the Sinclairs and the Zellners were mostly unharmed because all they could do was try to influence them.

They were too powerful, and their efforts would just be party games for them, not that they didn’t try. But mostly because none of their efforts have worked over the years.

So, I figured that what I was lacking was power.

For as long as I was associated with the Thornhills, I would never be free of these annoying shackles.

The wait had been so long. And my patience had been tested far more times than I wanted.

But we’re here now.

My Mom reached for my hand as I was lost in thought. It reminded me that I wasn’t the only one waiting for this moment.

So I grinned at my parents, partly to try and save my butt from more lectures, but also in actual excitement.

"So when do we begin?"

___

My parents were born into influential families but never sat on their laurels. That was the most significant differentiation that eventually led to our current standing.

Despite being the most likely candidate for the clan’s successor, Dad still opted to develop what was left of the Anderson Group.

We were left with all of the inheritance, being the only surviving members of the clan.

Not that it would catapult us three onto the map, but the inheritance was substantial for our plans.

The Thornhills actually kept calling for mergers, citing wanting to revive the companies and helping Mom, who was the legal successor.

But we knew they just wanted to increase the size of the pie that they could share.

Anything owned by the clan could end up in their hands once something happens to the Chairman and the successors.

So, which idiot would put all the eggs in one basket?

Under the guise of honoring my Mom and her family, Dad first revitalized Foundation Tools, a hardware store chain under the Anderson Group.

Then, with a stable supply of materials and a good amount of prime real estate that the late Andersons had long held, my parents started opening our own hotels.

And sticking to the excuse of filial piety, all of it was kept separate from the Thornhill clan.

The construction was a no-brainer. The Sinclairs were happy to do us a favor. And with such a closed business loop, we were able to expand much faster than our competitors.

But what sounded like a short time actually took years. Even with advanced construction processes and streamlined pre-fabrication production, significant developments would still take some time.

However, if we were being honest, it took time because that was our smokescreen.

As we amassed more wealth, the Thornhills ramped up their plans to absorb the budding Anderson Group.

It was at that point that my life also started getting more chaotic because my parents had been forced to deal with their machinations left and right, rarely able to go home.

They even once considered homeschooling me so that I could come with them, but I was resolute in finishing my studies here.

Because they never kept their plans from me, I fully understood what my parents were trying to do and why they were doing it.

We didn’t want to experience that feeling of helplessness again, nor did we want to be backed into some corner.

And for my part, staying here as their punching bag would help distract them from further looking into what my parents were up to. That’s why I stood my ground because I knew.

So behind those two major industries under the Group were my Mom’s partnerships with the Zellners, Rina’s family.

With so many money-grubbing hands after us, my parents decided to invest in other industries, ideally kept away from the eyes of these vipers.

Pharmaceuticals.

No one would have thought that we would enter such a market, considering how we’ve been known to integrate our businesses.

But that was why it was the perfect way to hide our hands.

Far from public knowledge sat our actual cash cow, and we plan on keeping it that way for as long as possible.