chapter1458

Stella invited Skyler in and poured him a glass of water.

He took a sip and let out a long sigh. "Star, don't overthink it. You are my and Nora's daughter. That will never change. No matter how the Camerons try to frame you, I will never believe them."

Stella was somewhat surprised that Skyler wasn't using this as an opportunity to pressure her. Then, she understood. Sellers's move seemed simple and easy to debunk, but if the Williams family had given in to temptation, they would have turned on her, leading to self-destruction. And even if the truth came out later, the Camerons would take the blame for the public revelation, leaving Sellers completely uninvolved. It was a no-lose situation for him.

"So," Stella asked, "do I need to do another DNA test with you?"

"There's no need," Skyler said. "Since the Camerons are attacking you, they would surely tamper with the results. A test would be meaningless." He paused for a moment. "Star, by now you should understand why your three brothers have been reluctant to get too close to the Camerons all these years. That family will do anything to achieve their goals. Nora was sold out by them countless times. Star, they can't stand seeing a woman in power. It's best you keep your distance from them from now on."

"I understand, Father," Stella replied.

Skyler nodded and stood up. "It's getting late. You should get some rest. There will likely be a board meeting tomorrow."

After seeing Skyler out, Stella got ready for bed and went to sleep.

...

The next day, Stella sat at the conference table in The Williams Group's boardroom, silently listening to the discussion.

One of the directors spoke up. "What happened at the Cameron gala yesterday is all over the news. Skyler, are we going to do a new DNA test to give the public an answer, or are we going to let this blow over?"

"Re-doing the test would imply that we ourselves doubt Star's identity," Skyler stated firmly. "I believe the best course of action is to take a low-key approach and let it pass."

Zane Vance, a shareholder who had supported Nora, agreed. "Exactly. There's no need to fall into their trap of having to prove ourselves. That Star remains a shareholder and a Williams is answer enough to the rumors. We can't jump every time they tell us to. What if someone claims tomorrow that Skyler's three sons aren't his? Should we listen to them and re-test their relationships too?"

Another shareholder chimed in, "But there's a lot of speculation about Stella's identity right now. Our stock price has taken a small dip."

Another of Nora's supporters countered, "The stock market fluctuates. That's normal. Once the dust settles on this, it will stabilize."

Since the Williams family themselves had no issue with Stella's identity, the other board members had little more to say.

They all assumed the incident was a minor hiccup that would soon be forgotten. While the rumors continued to swirl, their impact on The Williams Group was limited.

That day, Stella was working in her office when Aicken walked in, his face grim. "Ms. Cameron, we have a serious problem with the investment proposal we approved a while back."

Aicken handed Stella a file. It was for

a major project that Stella had

pushed through with sixty percent of

the vote. She had vetted this project for a long time and had been personally overseeing its progr There had never been any sign of trouble.