"Mom, do you have any ideas?"


    N''s eyes widened. "Mom, please tell me."


    Mrs. Kaur sneered, but before she could speak, she received a phone call.


    Her face turned pale as she shouted, "What did you say? Are you kidding me?"


    "Mom... what''s wrong?" N didn''t understand why Mrs. Kaur''s expression had changed so suddenly. Seeing her mother''s agitation, N had a bad feeling.


    "Damn it! Our English ss is in trouble!" Mrs. Kaur hung up the phone in frustration. "This month''s expenses are over two hundred thousand dors, rent is tens of thousands, and the teachers are quitting. The foreign teachers are also demanding their sries."


    "Mom... wasn''t the English ss doing well?" N felt dizzy.


    Mrs. Kaur had established a children''s English training brand.


    There were franchise stores in other cities, with three branches in the capital of Aettosa alone.


    Mrs. Kaur had always been proud of her thriving English sses, standing out among a group of high-spending socialites.


    So N always thought her mother''s children''s English training brand was excellent and sessful.


    "Thriving? That''s just for show, to deceive your father and those socialites!" Mrs. Kaur paced anxiously. "What do we do now? Franchisees aren''t making money and are demanding their deposits back. The foreign teachers are also demanding their sries."


    It was maddening!


    Those foreign teachers were hired at great expense from abroad, and each franchise store had at least three foreign teachers. But for the past three months, the entire brand, including the headquarters, had been losing money due to poor management. They couldn''t even pay the high sries of the foreign teachers.


    Mrs. Kaur was too embarrassed to tell Oakley, so the losses kept piling up.


    She had even used her own pocket money to cover some of the expenses, but it still couldn''t save the brand that had been wed from the start.


    "Mom... don''t worry. Why don''t you ask Dad for a few million dors to help you out?" N didn''t understand business matters at all.


    In her mind, whenever there was a problem, she would turn to her parents for help. This idea was deeply ingrained in her.


    "Your dad will kill me! And it''s not just a few million. Do you know the franchisees paid $880, 000 just for the franchise fee? Plus $660,000 for the deposit! If all fifty-six franchisees across the countrye asking for their money back, what will I do? How could I possiblye up with that much money?"


    Mrs. Kaur was like an ant on a hot pan.


    N was at a loss, unable to help her mother. The only thing she could do was take out her phone and search online.


    The results shocked her.


    In the past three months alone, many franchisees of Mrs. Kaur''s children''s English training brand had gone bankrupt due to poor management. Some had even run away with the parents'' tuition fees. This...


    Even N knew how serious it was to run away with people''s money.


    She had lived a life of luxury since birth. Although Oakley was strict and didn''t give her tens of thousands of dors in pocket money every month to squander, she still had afortable life with ten thousand dors a month.


    She saw many posts andints from parents seeking justice. She swallowed hard. "Mom... maybe I can give you the tens of thousands I''ve saved from my pocket money. You can use it to refund some of the parents."


    "Tens of thousands? That''s a drop in the bucket." Mrs. Kaur said irritably. When she first started the children''s English training brand, she had invested a lot, so there were many franchisees. They did make some money initially, but she spent most of it on luxury goods and gambling in a certain casino.


    She lost millions overnight.


    She didn''t dare tell anyone and kept this secret to herself.


    Although she never gambled again, the training center ran out of funds.


    N frowned. "But it''s better than nothing. Look at those franchisees who ran away; the parents are suffering."


    Mrs. Kaur nced at her. "Since when did you be so kind-hearted?"


    N didn''t respond but kept staring at the posts on her phone. "Mom, you''re my mother. If I don''t help you, who will? If you be a defaulter, it will affect Dad."


    And it would affect me too...


    N didn''t dare voice her selfish thoughts.


    While the mother and daughter were in turmoil, news about franchisees running away from children''s English training centers became a trending topic due to parents seeking justice. Many parents leftments andints.


    There were collective petitions andwsuits.


    Including many regtory procedures and actions.


    Especially since various regtory departments'' phones were bombarded by these angry and anxious parents.


    They were ordinary people, ordinary parents. Two thousand dors a year for children''s English sses was not a small amount.


    Especially since there were hundreds of students at each franchise store, meaning hundreds of affected parents.


    "Closing down is one thing, but why aren''t we getting our tuition refunded?"


    "They were still promoting and collecting fees yesterday, and today they shut down and ran away. This is fraud!"


    "You lost money in business; why should we ordinary people bear your losses?"


    "This children''s English program is a scam!"


    "Sue them! We must sue them and get our tuition refunded!"


    There were at least thousands of affected parents, with millions of dors in tuition fees involved.


    Seeing the trending topic on social media, Mrs. Kaur''s head buzzed.


    It''s over!


    Everything''s over!


    She had just wanted to run a children''s English training center; how did ite to this?


    Parents nationwide were condemning the franchise stores and her as the head of the headquarters.


    Even though it waste at night, her phone kept ringing off the hook.


    Not only that, but her assistant and the headquarters'' phones were also bombarded with calls.


    Thepany''s executives kept calling her. "Mrs. Kaur, the franchisees are demanding their deposits back and want refunds for the parents'' tuition fees. What should we do now?" "Mrs. Kaur, there''s no money in our financial ounts."


    "What now? They also want their franchise fees refunded."


    "The parents are going crazy with their demands."


    Mrs. Kaur finally turned off her phone in frustration.


    But as soon as she did, N''s phone started ringing incessantly.


    Oakley was out socializing but rushed home upon hearing about this issue. He walked in to find N and Mrs. Kaur looking pale.


    "Hubby-" Mrs. Kaur stood up from the sofa as if seeing her savior.


    Oakley strode over and pped her across the face. "You''re driving me mad! Where did all that money go? The franchise fees and deposits! And the tuitionmissions! Where did it all go?" "I... I..." Mrs. Kaur covered her burning face but didn''t dare speak up.


    She lowered her eyes to hide her guilt and finally said after a while, "Thepany''s monthly expenses are so high; just the utility bills are tens of thousands of dors, plus employee sries... where do you think all that money went? Just paying sries costs a fortune!"


    "You better not let me find out you''re lying; otherwise, you''ll regret it!" Oakley pped her again to vent his anger.


    Mrs. Kaur saw stars from the pain. Normally, she would feel very wronged if she were beaten like this.


    But now she needed money to cover her losses, so she could only endure the pain and beg Oakley, "Honey, please help me! Allocate some funds from the Kaur family to calm those angry parents and franchisees..."


    "You think millions can be taken out just like that Oakley was even more furious. "If I usepany funds to cover your losses, the shareholders won''t agree! Theyll hold me ountable for


    olN?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    embezzlement; do you understand?"


    "But... do I really have to be a defaulter who can''t even board a ne?" Mrs. Kaur felt like she was falling into an abyss, her whole body cold as ice. Seeing her in such pain, Oakley took out a bank card and threw it at her face. "Here''s two hundred thousand dors; use it for emergencies."


    "Two hundred thousand? That''s not enough!" Mrs. Kaur cried out in pain. "It''s not even close!"


    "If you don''t want it, then you''ll get nothing!" Oakley red at her as if looking at an enemy.


    He hadn''t told Mrs. Kaur that Dariel now controlled the Kaur family''s finances and had made significant profits for thepany, receiving substantial dividends.


    Under Dariel''s decisive leadership, thepany had reached new heights.


    As a nominal chairman, Oakley''s authority in thepany couldn''tpare to Dariel''s.


    If Dariel were willing to provide funds...


    Thinking of this, Oakley said with a stern face, "You can try asking Dariel; he should have some savings. If that doesn''t work, sell two of your properties for emergency funds."


    "Properties? Those are my assets! If I sell them now, what will I doter? I''ll be an empty-shell wife!"


    Mrs. Kaur screamed in despair. "You want me to beg Dariel? You want me to sell my properties? How can you be so heartless!"


    She owned four or five properties:rge apartments, condominiums, and even a vi.


    With property prices so high now, selling two should cover it, but how could she sell them? They were her lifeline!


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