Chapter 358

Dominic barely got a word out before Richard interrupted. "Let me guess—you think Nathaniel's taking Isabella's side against Victoria again?"

Dominic's eyes widened. The old man had nailed it. "How did you know? Did someone already tell you what happened?"

Richard snorted. "No. Figured it out myself."

When Isabella and Alexander had agreed to work with his stubborn son for his sake, it was obvious they wouldn't sabotage him professionally.

His son wasn’t the type to stir up workplace drama either. Even if they weren’t friends, their business relationship should’ve remained smooth.

If Dominic wasn’t clashing with Alexander or Isabella directly, the problem had to involve someone he cared about—likely Victoria.

Earlier that year, during a dinner with Frederick, Isabella, and the others, they’d run into Victoria at the restaurant entrance.

Back then, seeing how attentive Dominic was to her—her poise, manners, everything—Richard had been impressed.

But after the meal, Walter dropped the bombshell: Victoria was Alexander’s ex.

Richard didn’t know the full history between Isabella and Alexander, but that day, the way Isabella and Nathaniel reacted to Victoria and her father spoke volumes.

Their dislike was palpable.

Isabella wasn’t the type to feud without cause. If Dominic was butting heads with her, Victoria had to be the reason.

Suspecting as much, Richard had called Dominic that same day to confirm. And sure enough—Victoria was at the center of it.

Then, hearing Dominic claim Isabella was targeting Victoria out of jealousy—that Nathaniel was blindly siding with her—Richard nearly laughed in disbelief.

Remembering that now, Richard let out a sharp chuckle. "So what? You want me to call Frederick, explain everything, and have him rein Nathaniel in?"

"Yes," Dominic said firmly. "Nathaniel’s gone too far this time. If this continues, I genuinely think—"

Richard cut him off.

He had no intention of spelling out the truth. Instead, he said flatly, "That’s not a conversation I’m starting. If you want to help Victoria, talk to Frederick yourself."

Dominic frowned. "This isn’t just about helping her. I respect Nathaniel—I don’t want to see him keep acting like this—"

So he still blamed Isabella?

Richard’s temple throbbed. "Nathaniel’s the reckless one? Funny, I think you’re the one being irrational, letting your bias for Victoria cloud your judgment."

"You don’t even know what happened," Dominic shot back. "How can you be so sure I’m the one in the wrong?"

Richard paused. "Fine. Explain it to me."

Dominic gave a rough summary.

When he finished, Richard said coolly, "This mess is entirely Victoria’s fault. As a company leader, she handled things poorly from the start."

"Instead of addressing the issue, she joined her employees and family in berating YodaVision’s staff. If I were Nathaniel, I’d be furious too."

"Beyond that, her family showed terrible judgment and zero respect for their business partners. If they weren’t afraid of contract penalties, I doubt they’d have apologized at all."

"So from Nathaniel’s perspective, cutting ties is completely reasonable."

Dominic rushed to defend her. "That’s not true. They apologized quickly, and Victoria personally called Nathaniel to make amends. She was sincere."

In his mind, if not for Isabella’s grudge, Nathaniel wouldn’t have considered terminating InnovaTech’s contract over something so minor.

"That’s surface-level," Richard said, done arguing. "Victoria already has a boyfriend. You told me you knew that."

"At first, I didn’t know much about her. She seemed impressive. But now? Her character’s lacking. The way she handles things—she’ll never go far."

"Honestly, son, you and Alexander both have terrible taste in women."

Dominic stiffened at the harsh words.

He opened his mouth to defend Victoria, to make Richard see how exceptional she really was—but Richard cut him off again.

"Look, if you want to help her, I won’t stop you. But if you’re expecting my help? Forget it."

With that, Richard hung up.