Chapter 2Rich Family's Fool Is a Legal Monster

"Unfortunately, the law is firm when it comes to evidence and legal clauses. And in the business world, might always wins," Gina said. "Ms. Farley's terms may seem harsh, but at least it means the Townsends will get to walk away from this unharmed. As long as you survive this crisis, there's still hope to make a comeback."

Every word out of her mouth sounded like an expression of her genuine concern for the Townsend family—as if she did indeed have our best interests at heart.

Nevertheless, sitting in the corner, I felt sick just listening to her.

In my previous life, I had been a star lawyer who had never lost a case. I'd seen far too many sanctimonious phonies like her.

Just by glancing at the table of contents, I could easily pick out the traps that were hidden in the acquisition contract.

That being said, I didn't want to get involved. In my previous life, I devoted my entire life to my cases and ended up working myself to death. This time around, I just wanted a peaceful life as a mute.

If the family went bankrupt, so be it. At worst, I'd take some money from my trust fund and start a farm in the countryside. I lowered my head and continued twisting the Rubik's Cube.

I accidentally twisted the Rubik's Cube the wrong way, and it fell onto the carpet. The sound was muffled, but it stuck out in the heavy silence of the conference room.

Everyone's gaze flickered toward me. Dad's eyes flashed with irritation and disappointment. Evelyn frowned and turned her face away.

However, Julian walked over. He picked up the Rubik's Cube and placed it back in my hand.

"Be good, Logan. Why don't you go play in the lounge outside?"

His voice was gentle. He didn't scold me. He even took a mint from his pocket, unwrapped it, and put it into my mouth.

"We have something to take care of here. You wouldn't want to disturb Dad while he's busy, right?"

Julian patted my head. There was no anger in his eyes, only the pity one might show a useless person.

This was a reflection of the Townsend family's upbringing. They never shouted at me or hit me. Nevertheless, in the gentlest way possible, they slowly but surely excluded me from the core of the family.

Gina walked over as well. She crouched down to bring her gaze level with mine, her smile benevolent. "You should listen to your brother, Logan. There's a slice of your favorite cake waiting for you outside. I'll tell Carl to play some cartoons for you, okay?"

She made a quick call.

"Carl, take Logan out of the conference room and close the door behind you."

I sucked on the mint candy in my mouth. The initial sweetness gave way to a subtle hint of bitterness.

Gina was blatantly overstepping her boundaries with this display. Even if she'd worked for my family for a decade, at the end of the day, she was just an employee. Yet here she was, trying to kick me, one of her employers, out of the room.

And my family didn't react to it at all.

"Let's go, Mr. Townsend." Carl Miller, Gina's secretary, came in and grabbed my arm.

"Why the rush to send him away, Ms. Whitman?" Lucille abruptly spoke up with a chuckle.

She slowly swirled the coffee in her cup, her gaze settling on me with unmistakable interest. "So this is the youngest son of the Townsend family that I've heard so much about?"

Her tone was even, but the words landed like a resounding slap, striking every member of the Townsend family squarely across the face.

Dad's face drained of color. Evelyn whipped her head around, her gaze sharp as she glared at Lucille.

"This is a business matter, Ms. Farley. Kindly leave our family's personal matters out of it. Logan may be intellectually disabled, but he is no less worthy of respect," Evelyn said, her voice icy.

Despite always looking at me with nothing but disappointment, at a time like this, she instinctively stood up for me.

Lucille chuckled again.

"You've misunderstood, Ms. Townsend. Why would I possibly disrespect him? I just think that, in the Townsend family's hour of crisis, every single member of the family should be gathered together to bear witness to its outcome. Even the youngest son of your family should be here to witness the very moment his family hands over their business empire to another."

Her words couldn't be more cruel.

Julian trembled with rage as he pointed toward the door. "Don't push it, Lucille!"

Gina immediately straightened up and stepped in front of Julian. Her tone was earnest, but it sickened me.

"Ms. Farley, Julian is just a little agitated. Please don't take his words to heart. It really isn't appropriate for Logan to stay here. What if the situation ends up distressing him? It'll only cause more pain for the Townsends."