Chapter 4273

Chapter 4273

Elora walked over and sat down next to her mother.

Mrs. Ormond shifted uncomfortably. “Let’s go outside. This is your bedroom, and I shouldn’t have come in without asking,” she said.

She felt as though she had invaded her daughter’s private space.

“Mom, don’t think that way. We’re mother and daughter—real mother and daughter,” Elora replied with a gentle smile, noticing her mother’s discomfort. “We’re not strangers. You don’t need permission to be here.”

Perhaps it was because Elora had been so consumed with work that she hadn’t spent much time with her parents in quite a while.

She left early and returned home late. Some months, they barely saw each other—even while living under the same roof.

By the time she left for work in the morning, her parents were still asleep. When she came home at night, they were already in bed.

Unless she had a rare weekend off, their paths hardly crossed. But even then, she was often too busy to enjoy weekends at home.

Now, with her cousins stepping in to help, she could finally take weekends off and relax.

Still, her position of authority had created a distance and made her parents cautious around her.

Recognizing this, Elora reached for her mother’s arm and rested her head on her shoulder.

Her voice softened. “It’s been a long time since I leaned on my mom.”

The simple gesture awakened something deep within Mrs. Ormond.

She instinctively wrapped her arm around her daughter’s shoulders, a smile forming on her lips. “And it’s been a long time since I’ve held you like this.”

She let out a quiet sigh. “I used to think of you as my little girl, but in the blink of an eye, you’ve grown up. You’ve become my pillar of strength—the head of this family.”

Her tone grew somber. “Elora, have you ever blamed us? Your father and I… we weren’t able to help you. When your grandparents…

pass everything onto you. If we had been stronger, perhaps you wouldn’t have had to bear so much responsibility at such a young age.”

She paused, her voice heavy with regret. “I could see how exhausted you were and how hard it was for you. But I felt powerless to help. The only thing I could do was manage the house, ensuring you had one less thing to worry about.”

Elora relaxed, sinking into the warmth of her mother’s embrace, reminiscent of her childhood when life was simpler.

“I never held you responsible,” she said softly. “When I was younger, Grandpa and Grandma told me I was the heir to our family legacy. They said one day, the responsibility would rest on my shoulders. I understood that this was my path. It wasn’t easy, but I persevered. And look where we are now—we’re in a much better place.”

She lifted her head slightly. “Mom, managing the company is challenging and demanding, but with experience, it becomes easier to handle. Plus, I have support now—Tinsley, Sevyn, even Violeta. It’s not as overwhelming as it once was.”

A hint of pride crept into her voice. “I’ve also made significant changes in senior management. Nearly all of them were promoted by me. The old executives have retired, so they’re no longer here to challenge my decisions or pressure me with their so-called expertise.”

When she first took over, the biggest challenge had not been the greedy relatives eyeing the Ormond fortune, but rather the company’s veteran executives.

Most of them had been handpicked by her grandfather and had dedicated decades of their lives to the family business.

Elora had always respected them.

However, that respect hadn’t prevented them from creating obstacles for her.

They had watched her grow up and acknowledged her capabilities, but to them, she was still just a teenager. They had spent twenty, even thirty years in the industry.

And they didn’t…

I hesitate to remind her of it.