Chapter 532 Johnny, You Won!
Johnny finished talking and gently hung up the phone.
He leaned back in his chair, and after a bit, he couldn't help but touch his lips lightly.
Lola's breath still lingered there.
He missed her, missed her so much. It had been way too long since he had her, and he was almost desperate.
Johnny knew he was messed up.
He even felt like he wasn't normal anymore.
But he didn't want to get better.
He knew that if Lola came back to him, he would feel better.
There was a knock on the car door.
Johnny turned his head and froze.
Standing outside the car was a man in his fifties, dressed in shabby clothes, with a dark complexion. But Johnny recognized him right away. It was his father, Carlton Flores.
Carlton looked into the car. Johnny met his gaze for a moment and then rolled down the window.
Two men bound by blood locked eyes: one noble, the other down-and-out.
After a long while, a smile appeared on Carlton's face. "I saw you from far away! It's really you, Johnny."
Johnny didn't speak. He just stared at the man in front of him. In his memory, his father, a usually respectable small business owner who frequented entertainment venues, later betrayed his mother for another woman, ultimately driving her to jump off a building.
He used to hate him a lot. Even now, he still hated him. He never thought he'd see him again, let alone in such a miserable state.
It was probably just punishment!
Johnny's gaze made Carlton very uncomfortable; it was too unfamiliar, not like his son at all.
He mustered up the courage to say, "If I hadn't given you away back then, you wouldn't be where you are today. Johnny, I heard you made a fortune, doing great in Syeattel. Even Mr. Hawkins respects you!"
He didn't say it very directly.
Just waiting for his son to understand on his own. He was a smart guy and should know to repay him.
Johnny took out his wallet. Inside, besides cards, there was a stack of money, about 3000 dollars.
He pulled out the money and gave it to Carlton.
Carlton counted it and smiled. "Johnny, you must be mistaken! After all, I raised you, and you think this little money is enough to send me off?"
Johnny sneered. "If you don't want it, you can give it back to me!"
Carlton quickly stuffed the money into his pocket and then left.
Johnny watched Carlton's back for a long time, then lit a cigarette.
The next day, news spread in Syeattel's financial circle.
The Hughes Family signed a letter of intent with the Wealth Management Group, about to receive an 80 billion dollar investment. With the funds, the Hughes Family was on a strong momentum, catching Gavin off guard.
Gavin was swamped at the company, always on the go. The people from Copenhagen were pressing him and his father again!
Near the end of the workday, Gavin called Johnny.
The phone rang a few times, and Johnny answered.
Gavin said, "Are you sure about this? Johnny, you should know you're making a big mistake! Even if I take the loss, do you think Kingsley will tolerate it? If you can go after me now, you can go after the Hawkins Family in the future. Kingsley may not talk much, but his methods are much more ruthless than mine!"
He suddenly laughed twice. "Still waters run deep. Do you really think he has a good temper?"
Johnny certainly knew. He sneered. "A mere $80 billion has you cornered? Looking for help already?"
Gavin sneered even more. "You're playing with fire, Johnny!"
He hung up the phone, clearly pissed off. But then he opened his phone and found a photo. It was a picture of him and Johnny when they were 16. Back then, they were still tight.
Gavin went home with a heavy heart. As soon as he walked in, he saw Molly cooking. He put down his briefcase and took over what she was holding. "Why are you moving around when you're pregnant?"
Molly was just a few months along, her belly still flat. She wore comfy overalls, making her look even smaller.
Gavin cooked while she stuck close to him, whispering, "I wanted you to have food ready when you got home!"
Gavin smiled. Then he focused on cooking, making it light and nutritious. Molly felt happy.
She knew he was worried about the company and hugged his arm, whispering, "Is Johnny teaming up with Sarah?"
Gavin freed a hand to pat her little head.
He suddenly said, "Johnny's real target isn't me! In the end, he won't give the funds to the Hughes Family."
Molly didn't get it.
Gavin didn't explain either; he had too much on his mind.
After dinner, he sat on the terrace, quietly lost in thought.
Molly brought him a glass of water.
Gavin pulled her into his arms, holding her gently, and started talking about his childhood. "The Frederick family had a lot of kids! Lola and Johnny were the same age, but Lola was a girl. She could rest when playing the piano, but Johnny was different. Frederick had very high expectations of him, and he was strict with himself too."
He sighed softly. "If Kingsley or I weren't excellent, we'd still be ourselves, but Johnny was different. He knew from a young age that if he wanted to stay in that family and be looked up to by Frederick, he had to work very hard. Maybe, this isn't what he wanted, and it still isn't now. But for Lola, so he's willing to go down this path."
Molly listened, bewildered.
She was always obedient, leaning against Gavin's chest and whispering, "Will you guys go easy on Johnny?"
Gavin shook his head.
If they needed to go easy on him, he wouldn't be Johnny.
Since he dared to start, he shouldn't fear the consequences.
As Gavin expected, he didn't need to take action. The major financial groups in Seattle were ready to move.
Their core support was Kingsley.
They wouldn't allow Johnny to break the rules and harm others' interests.
In the Wise Counsel Law Firm, Lola stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, listening to the financial news.
She knew very well how fragile the alliance between the Hughes Family and Johnny was. Once they got the investment, the Hughes Family would immediately discard Johnny without hesitation, exposing him to imminent danger. And Kingsley wouldn't show mercy.
Lola lowered her eyes and made a call. Johnny answered almost immediately. Both were silent.
After a long time, Lola spoke softly, "Johnny, stop cooperating with the Hughes Family."
"Are you doing this for me or for Gavin?"
Lola just said, "You should know the consequences of continuing to work with the Hughes Family."
"I know! But I don't care!" Johnny's voice was hoarse and gentle. "Lola, come over, will you? Please, tell me you're not leaving. Say you'll stay, and I promise I won't do anything drastic!"
"Why should I?"
"Because you can't let go of me and still love me! Lola, I'm just that despicable! You should understand my thoughts now. You once wanted someone so badly that you used every means to keep him by your side, didn't you?"
Lola sneered. "Is this what you learned at the Hawkins Family?"
Johnny said gently, "Far from it."
With that, he really hung up the phone. He sent her a Facebook message with the time and place for signing the formal contract with the Hughes Family, specifying that it would take place at a business club.
Lola quietly looked at it.
That night, she went back to the Hawkins Mansion.
Kingsley was there, sitting on the sofa, drinking red wine.
It seemed he was waiting for her.
Lola sat across from him, quietly looking at him.
Kingsley smiled. "Lola, are you here to plead for Johnny?"
Lola didn't speak.
Kingsley lowered his eyes and got himself another glass of red wine. He looked at the red liquid. "Lola, don't think it's me who wants to go against him! He's forcing my hand, you know? If I don't act, he'll come after me."
Lola also got herself a glass of red wine and silently drank half of it.
Kingsley leaned back, slightly tilting his head and closing his eyes gently. "He's a madman! He's calculated everything, just waiting to trap himself! No, Lola, he's betting on you going soft! He's deliberately putting himself on the brink of ruin, forcing himself into a dead end!"
Johnny had planned everything, just waiting to go bankrupt.
Kingsley had never seen such a person.
Calling him crazy was an understatement; he knew Lola too well. Probably only Johnny could threaten Lola like this!
Fortunately, there was only one!
Kingsley said a lot, but Lola just silently drank two glasses of red wine and then went upstairs.
She didn't come down for dinner.
Friday was the day the Wealth Management Group and the Hughes Family were signing the contract.
All the Hughes Family members were at the business club, including the Hughes Family heir, Maurice, and Sarah. Opposite them sat Johnny.
The Hughes Family had already decided to ditch Johnny once they got the investment.
Johnny remained calm, only his assistant was very nervous, frequently checking the time.
Sarah was disappointed. She had thought Johnny was promising, but she didn't expect him to play himself to death. Sarah said softly, "This is the formal contract! Mr. Flores, you can sign now."
Johnny took the document.
He quietly looked at it for a while. The room was silent, just waiting for him to sign.
Once signed, the Hughes Family would be revived. And Johnny would bear the consequences.
Five minutes passed, and Johnny looked up. The crystal light made his face look pale.
He gently lowered his eyes.
She still hadn't come.
He picked up the pen, the tip almost tearing the white paper.
At that moment, the door burst open. Standing at the door was Lola. "Wait!"
Lola was in pajamas, even wearing indoor slippers. She walked up to Johnny like that, bent down, and gently held his hand.
Johnny quietly looked at her.
There was a faint glimmer in his eyes, and so did Lola's.
The room was silent. Sarah finally couldn't help but speak, "Lola, we're signing an important contract!"
Lola ignored her. She gently removed Johnny's hand, and the contract was thrown on the table.
Johnny's chest heaved. He asked her in a trembling voice, "Lola, are you sure?"
Lola slightly raised her head. "Johnny, you bastard; you win!"
With that, she walked out of the room.
At the door, she cried, tears streaming down her face. She finally compromised with Johnny.
In the room, the Hughes Family members were furious.
"Mr. Flores, can you explain? We agreed on the cooperation, and now you say you won't sign?"
Johnny sneered. "Yes! Not signing!"
Sarah cursed, "Johnny, you bastard!"
Johnny glanced at them and said indifferently, "I grew up in the Hawkins Family. How could you trust me?"
With that, he left the room.
Lola was in his car, this proud woman now sitting in his passenger seat, lost in thought.
Johnny felt the joy of regaining what was lost. But he was also cautious.
He got in the car, turned to gently touch her head. "What are you thinking?"
Lola didn't move. She just softly asked him, "If I hadn't come, what would you have done?"
He was silent for a moment and said, "Whatever you can think of, I would have done."
Lola didn't speak.
She just curled up there, as if she had lost all her energy, not arguing with him or hitting him. She was terrifyingly silent.
Johnny felt a slight pain in his heart.
He leaned over and kissed her. "I'll take you home!"
Lola still didn't respond. He fastened her seatbelt and took her back to his apartment.
On the way, Johnny's phone kept ringing.
Most were calls from the Hughes Family, clearly unwilling to give up, either to scold him or demand an explanation.
Eventually, he simply turned off his phone.
Back home, Johnny carried Lola to the bedroom. She didn't resist, but when he kissed her, she pushed him away and softly said, "I want to sleep for a while."
Johnny leaned over, looking at her. "Are you mad at me?"
She was clearly mad at him, using despicable means to force her back.
No matter what her feelings for him were, she couldn't watch him go to jail or die.
So, Lola resented him.
Lola laughed lightly. "You know, why do you still do it?"
Because he missed her and longed for her. But Johnny couldn't say it.
He let her sleep and went to the kitchen to cook for her. The apartment was quiet. When he finished and went to call Lola, she was already asleep. There were dark circles under her eyes. She clearly hadn't slept well for days.
Johnny gently stroked her face and whispered, "I'm sorry, Lola! I had no other choice."
She didn't wake up, so he lay down next to her, holding her face to face.
When she woke up, it was already evening.
Beside her was Johnny's warm body.
She stared blankly, remembering the events of the morning.
"Awake?" Johnny opened his eyes, his voice hoarse. "Dinner is ready. Do you want to eat something?"
Lola moved away a bit.
Johnny didn't want to push her, but her distance still hurt him. He gently pressed the back of her head, his voice very soft. "Lola, when will we get married?"
"You want to marry me?" Lola leaned against the pillow and softly said, "Johnny, maybe in three or five months, you'll get tired of me! Then we can let each other go."
He stared at her, his voice hoarse. "I won't! Lola, I want to marry you!"
He held her, telling her he wanted to be like Gavin and Molly, to get married, have children, and live an ordinary married life.
Lola smiled faintly.
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