An Understated Heir Returns

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Contract on the Table

The moment Adam and Emma stepped into the Turner residence, Robert looked at the clock on the wall and laughed.

“Well, look who finally came back.”

Margaret sat in her usual chair with Linda beside her, while Robert rose from the sofa with an expression that made it obvious he had been waiting for this moment all morning.

Emma tightened her grip on the folder in her hand, but Adam remained relaxed beside her.

Margaret looked directly at Emma. “So? Where is the Weston contract?”

Before Emma could answer, Robert laughed again.

“Mother, why bother asking? Look at their faces. If they had gotten anything from Weston, this useless man would have probably entered here shouting about it from the gate.”

Adam glanced at him but said nothing but Robert took his silence as embarrassment.

“Yesterday you were very confident, weren’t you? Twenty-four hours. That was what you said.” He walked closer to Adam. “I almost admired your stupidity. A man who has achieved nothing in five years suddenly thought he could decide whether Weston Group gives out contracts.”

Linda shook her head at Emma.

“I warned you. You should never have allowed him to make such a ridiculous promise with your marriage. Now look at what he has done.”

Emma’s expression hardened. “Adam didn’t do anything to me.”

“He has done nothing for five years,” Robert cut in. “That is exactly the problem.”

Margaret did not stop him and Robert became even more confident.

“You live in my niece’s house, eat what she provides and ride around on that ridiculous scooter while she works herself to death. Yet somehow you still found the confidence to gamble her marriage.”

Adam finally looked at him.

Robert spread his hands. “What? Did I lie?”

Adam’s expression did not change and that irritated Robert.

“Yesterday you refused twenty million as if you were some wealthy man. Do you even know how much twenty million is? You could work for the rest of your life and never see that kind of money.”

Adam slipped one hand into his pocket. “Are you finished?”

Robert stared at him, then laughed.

“Still pretending.”

Linda frowned. “Adam, this pride of yours is exactly why Emma’s life has become like this. A sensible man would have taken the money yesterday and left quietly. At least then Emma could finally marry someone useful.”

Emma stepped forward. “Enough.”

Linda ignored her.

“Jason Ford can actually help this family. He has money, connections and a future. What exactly do you have?”

Adam looked at Linda for a moment but before he could answer, Robert did it for him.

“Nothing.”

He pointed toward Adam.

“Five years, and this man still has nothing. If Emma hadn’t married him, nobody in our circle would even know his name.”

Adam’s lips curved slightly, Emma knew that expression, it wasn't amusement, she had seen it the previous night when Margaret raised her hand against her but Adam still said nothing.

Robert turned toward Emma. “You should be thanking us. Once this divorce is done, you can finally stop carrying dead weight.”

Emma’s eyes cooled.

Margaret tapped her walking stick against the floor.

“That is enough. The agreement was clear yesterday.”

She looked at Adam.

“If Emma failed to secure Weston Group’s cooperation within twenty-four hours, you agreed to leave voluntarily.”

Adam nodded. “I remember.”

Robert smiled immediately.

“Good. Then there’s no reason to waste time.”

He pulled his car keys from his pocket and tossed them lightly in one hand.

“The civil affairs office is still open. I’ll drive both of you there myself.”

Linda nodded in agreement. “The sooner this is finished, the better. Jason is already waiting for an answer, and we cannot keep delaying him because of someone who has no future.”

Robert looked Adam up and down.

“You should consider yourself lucky. Most men in your position would have been thrown out years ago.”

Emma had remained quiet long enough.

She walked past Robert and placed the folder in her hand directly on the table.

The sound was not loud but the room went silent, Robert’s smile slowly faded and Margaret looked down at the folder whilevEmma folded her arms.

“You all seem very sure I failed.”

Robert frowned. “What is that?”

Emma looked at him. “Since you were so eager to drive us to the civil affairs office, maybe you should read it first.”

Robert stared at her for a second before grabbing the folder.

He opened it, his expression changed almost immediately and Margaret noticed.

“What is it?”

Robert did not answer.

He turned the first page, then the second, reading faster.

Linda stood up.

“Robert?”

“This…” He looked at Emma. “Where did you get this?”

Emma’s mouth curved slightly.

“Weston Group.”

Margaret reached out sharply. “Give it to me.”

Robert handed over the agreement, but he was already shaking his head.

“This can’t be real.”

Emma laughed softly. “Of course. I stayed up all night making a fake Weston contract just so I could entertain you this morning.”

Robert ignored her sarcasm and pointed at the papers.

“Weston doesn’t accept companies like Turner Group this easily.”

“They didn’t accept Turner Group easily.”

Emma’s voice became colder.

“They questioned me for almost an hour. I defended my proposal, and they accepted it.”

Linda stared at her. “You actually met with them?”

Emma nodded.

Margaret’s eyes moved quickly through the contract, stopping at the company seal and authorization signatures.

Robert immediately pulled out his phone.

“I’m verifying this.”

Adam finally spoke.

“Please do.”

Robert shot him a glare but Adam looked completely unbothered, as though the insults from a few minutes earlier had meant nothing.

That confidence made Robert even more uncomfortable.

He called one of Turner Group’s senior managers, sent copies of the agreement and waited.

The next few minutes were painfully quiet, then the confirmation came, the agreement was genuine.

Weston Group had officially approved cooperation with Turner Group.

Robert slowly lowered the phone, then nobody spoke, Emma looked at the same people who had spent the last ten minutes calling her husband useless.

“So,” she said calmly, “who was driving us to the civil affairs office again?”

Robert’s face tightened while Adam almost smiled but Linda recovered first.

“Emma, this is wonderful.”

The sudden warmth in her voice was almost insulting.

“You’ve done something incredible for the family.”

Emma looked at her mother but said nothing.

Margaret was already reading through the figures attached to the agreement. The contract was large enough to stabilize several parts of Turner Group if managed properly, and her expression slowly changed from disbelief to satisfaction.

“This could solve many of our current problems.”

Robert immediately moved closer.

“How large is the project?”

Emma told him and his eyes changed, Adam noticed how the mockery disappeared quickly once money entered the room.

Robert took the agreement again and went through the terms more carefully. Within minutes, his embarrassment had already been replaced by calculation.

“This project is too important to leave entirely in your hands.”

Emma stared at him.

“What?”

“You did well getting the contract,” Robert said, as though he were generously giving her credit. “But securing an agreement and managing something of this size are completely different things. I’ve handled Turner Group’s major operations far longer than you have.”

Emma’s expression hardened andvRobert turned toward Margaret.

“I should take over the project.”

Linda hesitated. “He does have more experience.”

Emma laughed in disbelief.

“Ten minutes ago, all of you were ready to throw me out because you thought I failed. Now that I succeeded, suddenly I’m not experienced enough to manage what I brought in?”

Robert frowned. “Don’t make this emotional.”

“You’re the one trying to take my work.”

Margaret looked down at the agreement, the size of the project clearly made her uncertain but before anyone could pressure Emma further, Adam stepped forward and took the contract from Robert’s hand.

Robert immediately snapped, “Who told you to touch that?”

Adam ignored him and turned several pages before placing the agreement back on the table.

“Clause twelve.”

Margaret looked down, Robert read it next and his face darkened.

Weston Group had specifically named Emma Turner as project director. Any unauthorized change in leadership gave Weston the right to suspend or terminate the cooperation.

Adam looked at Robert calmly.

“You wanted the project. Take it.”

Robert said nothing.

“Just make sure you explain to Weston why Turner Group decided to break one of the agreement’s conditions before the project even started.”

Robert’s jaw tightened and Margaret immediately made her decision.

“Emma remains in charge.”

Robert turned toward her. “Mother...”

“I said enough. We are not risking Weston.”

Then Margaret looked toward Adam and Emma.

“And I remember yesterday’s agreement. Since Emma secured the contract, I will not use Weston as a reason to interfere in your marriage again.”

It was not an apology, but Emma knew it was the most Margaret was likely to give but before the argument could continue, the sound of a car pulling up outside reached them.

Moments later, a servant entered.

“Madam, Young Master Ford is here.”

Margaret’s entire expression changed, Robert straightened his clothes while Linda quickly sat properly.

Adam noticed the difference immediately.

Then footsteps approached.

Jason Ford entered the living room dressed in an expensive suit, his confident gaze moving across the Turner family before settling directly on Emma.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He had come personally because he expected Margaret to finally give him an answer.

After all, Jason Ford had already decided that stubborn woman would become his.