The Slumdog Billionaire

8. Useless Son Inlaw

Chapter Eight

Stella’s father, Mr. Woods, sat on the couch, his face buried in his hands. He looked as though he was ready to break down at any moment.

Grandmother Woods, however, was standing by the fireplace, her usual cold composure shattered. She looked like she was ready to explode as well.

Stefan stammered, trying to explain.

“It wasn’t our fault, Father! The vice president—she was unreasonable! Stella just lost her temper, but—”

“I don’t care what excuses you have!” Mr. Claxton cut him off sharply, his voice rising with each word.

“You slapped a member of their staff! You humiliated our family in front of the most powerful business consortium in the world. Do you even realise the damage you’ve done? Our entire future with Hexagon is gone, Stefan! Gone!”

Stella, who had been standing silently, finally spoke up, her voice shaky with fear.

“I didn’t know she was the vice president! How was I supposed to know? She looked so young, I thought she was just some employee—”

“Silence!” Grandmother Woods finally spoke, her voice icy and full of venom. She turned to face Stella, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

“I warned you, Stella. Your arrogance and temper would be your downfall. You’ve brought shame upon this family. Do you know what you’ve done?

Without the Hexagon contract, our empire will crumble. We might go bankrupt. And you—” She pointed a sharp, accusing finger at Stefan.

“You’re no better for letting this happen.”

Mr. Claxton’s face twisted in disgust as he turned to Grandmother Woods.

“I don’t think we can marry into this family with such a dirty attitude from your daughter,” he said coldly.

“Without the contract, there’s no point in this union. Our companies were supposed to merge and benefit from this deal. Now there’s no profit to be made. This marriage is useless to us.”

Stella’s heart sank as she realised the gravity of what had just happened. Not only had she ruined their chances with Hexagon, but she had also jeopardised her engagement. She looked desperately at Stefan, but his face was hard, his anger clear. He wasn’t going to defend her this time.

Grandmother Woods, seeing the disaster unfolding before her eyes, swallowed her pride. She needed to salvage what was left of their reputation.

“Please, Mr. Claxton,” she said, her voice low and almost pleading.

“Don’t be so hasty. I can fix this. I promise you, I will find a way to get back in the good graces of the Hexagon Consortium. We’ve weathered storms before, and I will make sure this family rises again.”

But Mr. Claxton wasn’t convinced. He shook his head, his face still dark with anger.

“We’ll see about that. But I don’t have faith in this anymore. The damage is done.”

Meanwhile, back at the **Hexagon Consortium**Henry was sitting in the sleek office with Zara, both of them watching everything unfold on the CCTV camera.

Henry smiled to himself as he watched the scene, feeling a sense of satisfaction. Stella and Stefan had gotten exactly what they deserved.

“I'm proud of how you handled that,” Henry said, turning to Zara with a genuine smile.

Zara smiled back.

“Thank you, young master. They had it coming. People like that don’t deserve to be a part of our company.”

Henry nodded, leaning back in his chair.

“So, what’s the next move now that their companies are out?”

Zara didn’t miss a beat. “We need to advertise to the public that there’s now an open slot for two more companies to join us.

We’ll make it a bidding process—the most qualified will be awarded the prestigious contract. This will attract the best of the best, and we’ll have plenty of options to choose from.”

Henry grinned, impressed by her thinking.

“That’s a smart business move. We can see what other companies are up to and get ideas without having to hire expensive consultants. Plus, it’ll keep competition fierce.”

Zara nodded, her eyes gleaming with ambition.

“Exactly. It’s a win-win for us.”

Henry stood up, feeling satisfied with how everything had turned out. But there was still one thing on his mind—his wife, Jasmine.

He wanted to repay her for everything she had endured, for her loyalty and love, but without revealing his newfound identity just yet. He didn’t want her to think he had changed or was now someone different just because of the money.

Before leaving, Henry turned to Zara.

“One more thing. Don’t reveal my identity to anyone, not even within the company. This stays between you, Anderson, and me.”

Zara’s smile softened, and she nodded respectfully. “Of course, young master. Your secret is safe with us.”

With that, Henry left the office, his heart light with the possibilities ahead. He headed back to the mansion, unsure of what chaos might greet him.

As he entered the house, he could hear Grandmother Woods shouting furiously. The entire house seemed to be in a state of chaos, with servants scrambling and tension thick in the air.

Grandmother Woods was so consumed by her own anger and frustration that she didn’t even notice Henry’s arrival.

She paced back and forth, breaking glass cups and room decors barking orders ,ranting about how Stella had ruined everything.

Henry quietly slipped past the commotion and made his way to his wife’s room. The moment he saw Jasmine, his heart swelled with love and admiration.

She looked tired, her face still bearing the emotional toll of everything that had happened, but when she saw Henry, a smile spread across her face.

Henry rushed over to her, wrapping her in a tight hug.