"Now then, let me explain why I asked you to be here."
William began talking as he placed his glass back on the table and crossed his arms in front of him on the table.
His calm demeanor didn't change in the slightest as he stared at Anna and spoke in a solemn tone.
"I have something important to announce, so listen carefully because I won't repeat it."
After saying that, William paused for a moment and waited for Anna to nod at him to show that she heard him before he continued.
"Good. As you can see, Mia is here with her husband and son. I believe you already understand why they are here today, but let me confirm it anyway."
"Today, I will announce that my grandson Oliver will become my successor. This means that he will inherit the Ashford Conglomerate and lead it in the future."
Upon hearing William's words, Anna's hand that was holding onto the glass shook for a brief moment as she tried to maintain her calm demeanor, but it was not an easy task for her to do so.
Her sharp and clear eyes reflected Oliver's image, but for her, Oliver was no different from a stranger, and hearing her father's words caused a surge of complicated emotions to emerge inside Anna's heart.
"Oliver will become the next successor?" Anna asked in a low voice, making sure that she didn't misunderstand the old man's words.
William nodded, then continued.
"Correct. And for this to happen smoothly and without any trouble, Mia will temporarily assume the role of Oliver's mentor to teach him everything he needs to know. During that time, I expect you to support him and Mia and help them as much as possible."
When William finished, silence once again filled the dining room, as Anna closed her eyes to calm herself down while Mia stared at her sister without saying a single word.
After a short pause, Anna opened her eyes and spoke in a quiet voice.
"...I understand. If that's what you want, then I'll obey you."
With that said, Anna got up and walked out of the dining room without waiting for William to say anything else.
Seeing Anna's back slowly fade away as she walked down the hall and turned into the corner, Mia frowned as she glanced at the old man, who was drinking from his glass as if nothing unusual had just happened.
She was about to open her mouth and say something when Oliver's voice reached her ears.
"Um... Is everything alright? I can't help but notice that Aunt Anna doesn't seem happy about it. Should I really be the successor? Wouldn't that cause some sort of conflict between family members?"
Before Mia could answer his question, William slammed the glass against the table and stood up as he glared at Oliver before yelling loudly, "You fool! Don't tell me you are going to chicken out just because your aunt didn't seem happy to see you? Ha! She doesn't have what it takes to take over this company and make it prosper. Not to mention, she's a woman! So how the hell could she become the next successor to the Ashford family!?"
"But—" Oliver tried to retort but was instantly stopped by the old man's roar.
"But what? Are you going back on your own words after we agreed to make you the heir? Just because someone from your own family might feel unhappy about it?"
Hearing his grandfather's words, Oliver hesitated for a moment.
Although Oliver had already decided to take up the responsibility of becoming the successor, he wasn't blind to the fact that this decision was making his aunt very upset.
'It's not like I wanted to cause any trouble for the family, but Grandfather is making it sound as if I'm the one who is being unreasonable here. How is this right?!'
Oliver was conflicted because of these thoughts.
Mia noticed his conflicting feelings and quickly moved to intervene before William said something that would hurt his son.
"Stop! Don't force your own selfish opinion onto my son, Father." She exclaimed as she stared at William with an icy gaze. "If you want him to be the next successor, then you better make sure to treat him as such and respect his decision. Otherwise, you can just forget about it. After all, I'm not the type of person who will just watch idly and let anyone push my son around, be it his own grandfather or not."
With that said, Mia took Oliver's hand and led him out of the dining room.
Once they were gone, Adam turned to William and shook his head with a wry smile.
"Sir, although you are my father-in-law, and you might be used to having people obey you just by snapping your fingers, I think it's better if you change your way of thinking. Otherwise, this might cause more conflicts and not result in what you had wanted."
"Are you trying to lecture me?!" William asked in an angry voice.
Adam sighed tiredly before replying calmly. "I'm just stating the facts, sir. Don't let your stubbornness make you lose sight of what's important. Think about it."
Without waiting for William to say anything, Adam stood up and walked away.
After watching everyone leave the dining room, William snorted in disdain but then shook his head as if to forget about what just happened before deciding to return to his own room for now.
Meanwhile, Anna was already inside her room, standing in front of a large window that overlooked the cityscape below.
Her deep blue eyes stared intently at the view without blinking, and she stayed there motionless as her thoughts wandered all over the place.
Her hands clenched tightly into fists, and her face had an expression of anger.
"Why? Why is this happening to me?" Anna murmured to herself, her voice trembling with emotions.