Chapter 139

Millie had seen this day coming since she'd slipped that unique clause into the agreement from the start.

She'd sat down with a lawyer well before moving on with her plan.

Brandon's name sat neatly at the bottom of the agreement they had signed. As long as nothing went awry, the approval could go straight through company channels.

Eugene studied his copy of the paperwork,worry flickering across his features.

There was no question of authenticity-Millie still had the original, and Brandon kept his version, giving,Eugene all the proof he needed.

"Mrs. Watson, this..." Eugene said, only to trail off as the staccato rhythm of high heels echoed closer.

Babette's voice cut through, full of curjosity "Eugene? Millie? What are you two doing here?"

With practiced ease, Eugene tucked the document out of sight.

After hosting her now-famous wine tasting, Babette had joined the Watson Group for good-not part of the finance team, but overseeing overseas business especially concerning Flesta and pitching in with her father's division.

She approached with purpose, a document clutched in her hand, and joined them without hesitation.

A sharp glance landed on Eugene as Babette asked,"What's all this about?"

Her attention snapped to Millie. "Brandon's in the hospital, you know. So what brings you here right now?"

Whether Brandon was ill or not made no difference to Millie's agenda.

Today was about settling property matters-a step she'd planned well in advance, complete with legal counsel ready to go.

Keeping things tidy and free from Babette's interference was Millie's goal; she just wanted the Bennett family's assets back, no drama attached.

A subtle gesture from Millie urged Eugene to move the conversation somewhere more private.

Babette blocked their exit, suspicion flashing in her eyes. "Where are you sneaking off to? Up to something behind closed doors?"

Without flinching, Millie replied, "There's nothing secret here. I'm separating what's mine from the Watson Group, that's all."

Babette asked further, her voice sharp, "You mean even that division?"

"Naturally." Millie's answer came cool and quick.

A laugh burst from Babette. "Are you out of your mind, Millie? That department's already absorbed by the Watson Group. There's no pulling it out now-it doesn't belong to you anymore!"

"Babette." Millie didn't hesitate. Taking a step forward, she leveled a cold gaze at Babette. "Asset division between Brandon and me isn't your concern."

A flush of anger crept up Babette's cheeks. "You-!"

Millie, unfazed, turned away and addressed Eugene,saying, "Let's pick up where we left off."

Refusing to give ground, Babette shot Eugene a look that dared him to say a word.

She brushed her own paperwork aside, pulled out her phone, and dialed Brandon. "Just wait, Millie.Brandon's not about to let you walk off with anything."

Millie's gaze flicked to thephone in Babette's hand,expression unreadable.

Eugene spoke up, a note of caution in his voice."Mrs. Watson, this has to go through Mr. Watson personally. Even with these papers, his approval is required."

A quick glance passed between Millie and Darrion,silent understanding flashing between them.

Both had expected Brandon would need to sign off before anything was finalized.

Even so, Millie would have preferred to wrap things up without any more detours.

With a calm resolve, she addressed Eugene, saying,"From now on, just call me Millie."

For a moment, Eugene wavered. In the end,he nodded and made compromise. "Yes, Miss Bennett."

Babette rolled her eyes with a huff. "What a hypocrite!" she grumbled under her breath.

Right then, Babette's call connected.

Brandon's voice filtered through, steady and cool."What's going on?"

Without wasting a second, Babette chimed in,"Brandon, Millie's here, trying to take the department. She's in the office right now-are you aware of this?"

A heavy pause followed; Brandon said nothing at first.

Millie waited quietly, her eyes on Babette, listening as the call played out on speaker.

Seconds ticked by in thick silence. Babette grew impatient. "Brandon?"

At last, Brandon's answer came, firm and final."She's not getting it. Tell her that's from me."

With that, the line went dead.

A grin of victory spread across Babette's face."There you have it. Did you catch that?"

Millie gave Eugene a steady look. "Then we'll go through the courts."

Not a hint of rattle disturbed her poise; to her, this was just business as usual.

One brief nod to Darrion signaled the end of the meeting. Together, they turned and walked out

As the elevator doors slid shut, Babette's warning rang out behind them. "Millie, don't waste your timne!It's not gonna happen!"

Neither spoke as they rode the elevator to the lobby,silence hanging heavy until they walked out of the Watson Group building. Only then did Darrion break the silence. "Miss Bennett,we always knew this was a likely outcome. It's no surprise the Watson Group won't hand things over easily. We'll just move forward with the legal process. Given the evidence and documentation you've provided-your odds are strong, whether through settlement or purchase.Still, litigation will take longer than a direct division."

Cars drifted past on the busy street, their lights reflected in Millie's eyes as she watched.

She gave a quiet nod in agreement.

Legal proceedings had been part of her plan all along.

What caught her off guard was how Brandon had flatly refused, leaving no room for compromise.

She thought back to all those nights he'd promised her-swearing the Bennett family assets were only under Watson Group's care for the time being.He'd pledged to find answers about her father's death and help restore her family's name.

Now, he wouldn't even let her reclaim what was rightfully hers.

Promises from men, she realized, were often just fleeting words.

At least she'd never pinned much hope on him.

For Millie, today was just a box to be checked-one more step in a plan that was always hers alone.

"I'll be counting on your expertise from here on out,Mr. Clark," Millie remarked.

Darrion replied smoothly, "It's my responsibility. Still,Miss Bennett, you should brace yourself-this won't be settled overnight."

A nod from Millie showed her understanding.

Their conversation ended there, and Millie made herway back to her car.

As soon as she slid into the driver's seat, her phonevibrated with an incoming message. "| know a skilleddivorce attorney. He'll be in touch with you thisafternoon."

Almost immediately, another text arrived."Babette'slatest post made your situation clear to me. l'm hereto help-no hidden agenda,l promise."

The messages were signed by Myron

He'd even included a screenshot of Babette's socialfeed.

Babette's post read,"Running off with her tailbetween her legs."

Beneath her words,a photo captured Millie'sretreating figure as she stepped into the elevator.

Meanwhile, Brandon came across Babette's latest post as he scrolled through social media.

A frown creased his brow as he switched to her chat and fired off a message.

"Take it down. Don't air today's business in public,"he instructed.

Babette grumbled her complaints, but she ended up deleting the post anyway.

Turning to his messages with Millie, Brandon started typing, "That wasn't my idea-she posted on her own."

His thumb hovered over the send button. In the end,he left it unsent.

Would it even matter to Millie? She probably wouldn't believe him.

With a sigh, Brandon deleted the unsent message.

His fever was gone now, and a night's rest had started to bring him back to himself.

When Babette called earlier, his assistant had beer sorting out his hospital discharge papers.

Deep down, Brandon always knew the Bennett assets were rightfully Millie's.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to release his hold on them.

Logic settled back in.

He had already run through the possibilities: a court battle could last three months on a fast track, or half a year on a standard schedule-with plenty of time for both rounds of trial, easily covering the next five months.

Darden's words from the night before echoed in his mind-"Millie was furious."

Over these next five months, he would have to stay close to Vivian, but he couldn't let Millie slipaway.

Five months from now, Brandon planned to put the whole truth in front of Millie-no more secrets.

Days blurred together, and before long, the finals for Heavenly Melody were almost here.