Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1049

Chapter 1049: It shouldn’t be a problem, but now it is
“And what exactly is that? If even the law barely recognizes children like him, what exactly is Jonathan Pierson’s right in this family? Or, to be precise, what is that illegitimate child’s right compared to the legitimate child and the late Enzo Pierson’s one and only heir? I’m curious about fate’s answer to that.”

Illegitimate children in the Pierson family were no secret. With such a large family, things like this could happen. Some would allow their illegitimate children into the family, letting them carry the Pierson name. Others, on the other hand, would simply send their illegitimate children away from the core family. This was why some illegitimate children in the Pierson family could be anywhere in the world except Anteca.

Either way, most illegitimate children would never have the right to claim anything from the legitimate family or fight the legitimate children. The only thing they could enjoy was the privileged life of a socialite, living a lavish life without needing a profession or work.

“I am curious, Director William,” Dean continued, eyeing William and Jonathan. “Where are we going with this?”

William smirked at Dean, not surprised by the latter’s reaction. “That’s what I want to ask the CEO as well, Director Dean,” he replied, shifting the focus to Zoren. “All this time, we’ve known that the late CEO Enzo Pierson only had one son, and that’s the current head of the family. This was also the reason that, despite his health complications and the initial instability this caused, the board and shareholders chose to put their trust in the chairwoman’s decision.”

“What I’m trying to say is—”

“What you’re trying to say is that if there was another option, things wouldn’t have been like this?” Dean interrupted, cutting off William’s vague insinuations. “Director William, you said it yourself—initial instability. The instability wasn’t due to the new head’s inability to lead the company, but rather whether or not he could live long enough to finish his first project. And he did, along with all the other projects on hand, over the past six years.”

“Director Dean Pierson, it sounds to me like you’re being a little too aggressive toward me. I am no enemy, my dear nephew. Please don’t take this as an attack on the CEO; I’m simply seeking clarity on all of this,” William responded kindly and calmly, shrugging. “This board obviously wants clarity, which everyone deserves.”

“Bringing an illegitimate child into this meeting is the opposite of clarity; it only brings confusion and incites argument,” Dean didn’t budge. “Speaking in a roundabout way might work in some situations, but not in this board. Every person at this table earned their seat because they were deserving—meaning such indirect ways of delivering your point won’t work. If anything, it’s wasting everyone’s time when we could be discussing more important matters for the future of Pierson Corporation.”

William’s face twitched as his eyes scanned the room. Some shareholders glanced at Dean and nodded, convinced by his argument. A few seemed torn, feeling that both William and Dean had a point. The rest looked either confused by the situation or satisfied with Dean’s words.

They had wanted this from Dean, but he hadn’t been providing it recently. He hadn’t been proactive in meetings, usually staying quiet and observing. He was too passive

“I guess he’s starting to wake up from whatever distracted him,” a supporter from the first branch nodded in approval. “I was thinking he was losing interest in the company.”

“Or it’s just that illegitimate children are a sore spot for him,” someone next to him remarked with a shrug. “Either way, he does make a point.”

“I agree with Director Dean,” Finn suddenly chimed in, having remained quiet until now. He turned on his microphone, unable to shout as loudly as William or argue as sternly as Dean. All eyes turned to him, noting his slightly sickly appearance, which he concealed with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “And at the same time, I agree with Director William as well.”

Dean frowned. ‘This guy is supposed to be on my side,’ he thought. ‘What’s the use of having him on this board if he just goes against me?’

“Director Dean is right about discussing more important subjects at this meeting, which is the real agenda,” Finn continued. “However, even though I and the majority of this board don’t need any disclosure about the CEO’s secret half-brother, some articles are already out there for the public to read.”

Finn shifted his gaze from Dean to William, and then to Jonathan. “The public reaction is already massive, and it’s too late to shut down the articles. Doing that would only backfire on us. It shouldn’t be a problem, but now it is.”

“Exactly my point! Now that it’s out in the open, the public will want our statement! If we don’t handle this properly, the company will take a huge blow!” William said, smirking at Dean, and then at Finn. ‘I thought that little fox would just mindlessly back that brat Dean, but he’s a true fox at heart. How could he go against Dean in this situation?’

“Public opinion is very important for us,” someone on the board added, agreeing with Finn. “I don’t care if the late CEO had ten more children with ten different women—no offense, CEO Pierson. What I’m trying to point out is that since this has become a public debate, our actions today will affect the company.”

“That’s right. Having a secret brother shouldn’t be a huge issue, but now that it’s public, we have to respond.”

Everyone spoke their minds one after another, gaining more clarity after Finn’s comment. Dean, however, clenched his fists, his sharp eyes fixed on Finn.

‘Is he changing sides now, too?’ Dean wondered, only to see Finn flash him a kind smile. Seeing this, Dean raised an eyebrow as he watched Finn shift his attention to Zoren.

“CEO Pierson, with the situation at hand, what is our next step?” Finn’s direct question made everyone turn their attention to Zoren.

“I am acknowledging Jonathan Pierson as part of the Pierson family.”