<b>Chapter</b>48 A<b>Public</b>Apology
Jonathan had always refused to apologize to Sylvia<b>,</b>which was causing their familypany<b>to</b>deteriorate. Everyone wanted him to swallow his pride and apologize so that things could move past this incident.
At the very least, apologizing could help salvage theirpany. Any grudges could be<b>settled</b>another time<b>–</b>there was no need to fight for some fleeting satisfaction now.
But Jonathan was an extremely stubborn man. The more people told him to do something, the more he resisted.
During the years that Sylvia was married to Cyril, Jonathan had been meek and subservient, never daring<b>to</b>confront them directly.
Needless<b>to</b>say, Sylvia had been so submissive in front of Cyril. Jonathan saw her as beneath him and could not bring himself to apologize to someone so pathetic.
Plus, when they had gotten married, Jonathan had mocked and ridiculed Sylvia relentlessly<b>.</b>Now being asked to personally apologize to someone he had looked down on was too much for his pride.
He felt his whole family was deliberately trying to humiliate him and make him lose face.
Even Cyril came as a mediator, asking Jonathan to simply apologize to Sylvia.
<b>“</b>Why should I apologize to her? What exactly did I do wrong here? If she hadn’t done those things<b>,</b>why would there be photos in the first ce? It just shows what kind of woman she<b>is</b>. I was standing up for you!” Jonathan insisted.
In Jonathan’s mind, Cyril had suffered immense grievances by marrying Sylvia. With Cyril’s status, he could have found someone much better. Their marriage must have been Sylvia’s
machinations.
Now that Sylvia felt she had the upper hand, she was targeting their family. As if Jonathan would swallow his pride and let that happen!
Cyril’s face darkened. He used<b>to</b>feel their marriage was a hardship to endure, but looking back over the years, it was not much different than not being married at all.
In their marriage, Sylvia was more like a vase that obediently stayed in the home.
–
a unimportant but indispensable decoration
Sometimes Cyril would use Sylvia to resolve problems, both in business and at home. Bringing her out served to mitigate many issues.
Chapter 48 A Public Apology
<b>So</b>it wasn’t<b>entirely</b>urate<b>to</b><b>say</b>Sylvia was<bpletely</b>useless<b>to</b>him.
<b>Jonathan’s</b>words<b>were</b><b>nothing</b>Cyril hadn’t heard<b>before</b><b>,</b><b>but</b>for some reason they rang<b>false</b>now.<b>Perhaps</b>because recently Cyril realized<b>some</b>things were not what he expected.
“<b>If</b><b>you were</b>standing up<b>for</b>me, there’s no need. I can stand up for myself if<b><i>I</i></b>want<b>to</b><b>get</b>back at someone<b>.</b><b>You</b>shouldn’t<b>get</b>involved<b>,</b>especially since<b>you</b>created this situation<b>yourself</b>. Isn’t it only right Sylvia would retaliate<b>?</b><b>”</b>
<b>If</b>Cyril was in Sylvia’s shoes<b>,</b>he would definitely be angry too before the truth came out, and would strike back even harder.
<b>So</b>he felt Sylvia’s reactions now showed some restraint out of consideration for his face<b>.</b>
“How can<b>you</b>stand up
for Sylvia now? You used to have such a different attitude about her.<b>Just</b>because<b>you’re</b>divorced, suddenly you care about her feelings? Don’t go too far!” Jonathan felt betrayed that Cyril had taken the other side when he was doing this for both their sakes.
<b>Cyril’s</b>face darkened further. “If you had actual proof she wronged me, that would be one thing. But those photos you leaked clearly show her just greeting or helping a stranger. Do<b>you</b>take people for fools?”
<b>“</b>Listen,<b>if</b>you don’t apologize now, things are only going to get worse for your family’spany<b>,</b>” Cyril said inly, too tired to continue pleading. “Sylvia is giving you a chance<b>to</b>save face. If you apologize, yourpany might not be theughing stock. You can’t let it crumble just because of your stubbornness.”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
Jonathan wanted to argue more but knew the recent downturn at hispany was bad. If things kept declining, thepany would be in real trouble.
“Alright, I get it,” he said begrudgingly. “No need to lecture me anymore.”
Cyril felt unappreciated aftering to offer genuine advice. He should have just stayed
away.
“Do it quickly<b>–</b>Sylvia’s at the Ivan Group now. They have a charity ging up that she’ll probably attend. Apologize to her there, but don’t make a scene. And mean your apology,<b>got</b>it?”
Cyril felt drained from refereeing their messy conflict. He just wanted to help smooth things<b>over</b>but they keptplicating it.
Jonathan waved dismissively, still annoyed that he had to humble himself with a public apology. But fine, if that’s what it took<b>to</b>fix hispany’s mess, so be it.
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<b>Cyril</b><b>left</b><b>after</b><b>that</b>,<b>having</b>said his piece<b>.</b><b>He</b>had work<b>to</b>do and Jonathan was<b>an</b>adult<b>,</b>after<b>all</b>.<b>No</b>need<b>to</b>babysit<b>him</b>.
The Ivan Group did have<b>a</b>charity g nned, holding<b>one</b>annually<b>to</b>donate<b>significant</b>sums. The g doubled as a fundraising event.
Given the prominence of the Ivan name<b>,</b>everyone wanted ess once word got out. Whether to actually contribute or simplywork, attendees had personal reasons<b>for</b>going.
The event day arrived and guests streamed in<b>,</b>mingling for business opportunities even amid the altruistic air.