Chapter 405 Flattery and Sycophancy
William gave the crowd a once-over, his face totally chill. Then he smirked and said, "I didn't wanna spill the beans. Yeah, I'm the Mr. Jones you all gossip about, the real boss behind Crescent Investment Group."
Everyone's jaws hit the floor.
He was Mr. Jones!
Mary shot William a look, her mind racing with questions.
So, William was the big shot behind Crescent Investment Group.
What else was he hiding?
The rest of the crowd was just standing there, dumbfounded.
How did this so-called loser turn into a rich dude? Envy and jealousy were written all over their faces.
Chloe couldn't believe it. "Mr. Kingsley, it's not that I don't trust you, but William's a total loser. I've known him for three years, and there's no way he's some big boss."
Lucius sneered, then turned to William with respect. "Mr. Jones, maybe you should pull the plug on the investment in Elite Exim Enterprises. That might make them believe."
William just stared at Lucius and Chloe, then said, "Alright."
Lucius whipped out his phone, called up the company, and barked, "Pull the $100 million investment from Elite Exim Enterprises and sue them for $30 million for disrespecting our boss and breaching the contract!"
The call ended.
Everyone held their breath, watching the drama unfold.
Did they really just pull the investment?
Chloe's mind was spinning; she didn't want to believe it.
But then her phone rang like a death knell.
Chloe's hands shook as she answered. The finance manager's frantic voice came through, "Chloe, we're screwed. Crescent Investment Group just yanked a $100 million investment and slapped us with a $30 million lawsuit!"
It was game over.
Chloe finally realized she had messed with the wrong guy.
Seeing Chloe's face go pale, Inigo freaked out, "What happened, Chloe?"
Solon and Ragnar were also on edge, "What's going on? Spill it!"
Chloe looked up, her face ghostly white, and stared at the calm William. Through gritted teeth, she said, "They pulled the investment and hit us with a $30 million lawsuit."
"What? They pulled the investment?" Ragnar felt dizzy and short of breath, almost collapsing on the spot.
Luckily, Solon caught him.
Now, they were in full panic mode.
Not only was the investment gone, but they also had to cough up $30 million.
Where were they gonna get that kind of money?
Chloe, desperate, turned to Mary, "Mary, we can't lose this investment. Our family's done for."
Solon chimed in, "Yeah, Mary, please. Talk to William."
They never thought their fate would be in the hands of William, the guy they always mocked.
Mary glanced at William, hesitated, and said, "I can't help with this."
Her words were like a death sentence for the Kipling family.
William stepped forward, his gaze icy as he looked at Chloe and the others. "Did you forget what I said in the living room earlier? I told you to kneel and apologize to me and Mary."
Now, it was time to pay the piper.
Chloe and Inigo, though reluctant, had no choice but to give in.
They knelt in front of William, heads bowed, pleading, "William, we were wrong. We're sorry. Please don't pull the investment. We're family, after all."
William looked at them, his face cold. "You deserve it."
With that, he shot a cold glance at Margaret and Delia, who were hiding in the crowd.
Margaret had lost all her swagger.
She never imagined William was the big boss of Crescent Investment Group.
'A hundred billion dollars in funds! Oh my God! Is my son-in-law really this loaded? Didn't they say his family went bankrupt? What's going on?' Margaret thought, stunned.
Delia nudged Margaret and whispered, "No wonder William didn't care about that villa. Is he really this loaded?"
Margaret was a bundle of nerves, avoiding William's gaze.
William shot a cold sneer at the crowd, exchanged a few words with Lucius, and then left with Mary.
The crowd watched him go, finally exhaling in relief.
The tension had been suffocating.
No one dared to talk about what just went down and the celebration dinner.
It was just too much to handle!
The scene would be burned into their memories forever.
Outside the community, William turned to Mary and said, "Alright, what do you wanna ask?"
Mary hesitated, her eyes full of questions. "William, how much have you been hiding from me? Didn't you say your family went bankrupt? What's the deal?"
Turns out, William had been secretly helping her all along.
Mary felt a mix of emotions.
William gently cupped her cheeks. "Actually, Crescent Investment Group belongs to my uncle, Nicholas. He just put me in charge for now."
'Sorry, Nicholas, but I gotta drag you into this,' William thought.
"Nicholas?" Mary echoed, clearly skeptical.
William nodded earnestly. "Yeah, our family's situation is complicated. The Jones Group did go bankrupt, but Crescent Investment Group is also ours, managed by Nicholas. That's why Jessica and Nicholas have been fighting; they're dividing the family assets."
The explanation was half-baked but somewhat believable.
Mary accepted it and asked, "So what's Nicholas planning to do?"
William playfully pinched her nose. "He's letting me manage it. Don't worry, I'm in charge now. We don't have the rumored hundred billion dollars, but we still have a few billion."
Mary's jaw dropped, and she sighed in relief.
As long as William wasn't drowning in debt, it was okay.
But she needed time to process everything.
"Let's head back," William suggested.
When they got back to the villa, Margaret and the others were already there.
In the living room, Margaret and Delia were sitting on the sofa, clearly waiting for someone.
As soon as they saw William, Margaret jumped up, offering him a cup of tea. "William, you're back! Look, I made you some tea."
William and Mary exchanged a knowing look.
Margaret was always like this, sucking up to whoever had money and power.
Earlier, she treated William like dirt, wanting to kick him out. Now, she was all over him.
"You go upstairs and rest," William said gently to Mary.
Mary nodded, shaking her head helplessly as she passed Margaret.
Margaret eagerly pulled William to sit down, smiling. "William, I was wrong before. Please don't hold it against me. We're family, after all."
"Yeah, William, if I did anything wrong, please forgive me. I didn't mean it," Delia added.
"William, since you're the big boss of Crescent Investment Group, you must be loaded. So, how much do you have now?" Margaret asked, her eyes gleaming as she finally got to the point.
Seeing William's cold expression, she quickly laughed. "I'm not prying into your assets. I'm just concerned about you. We are family. Let me manage your money. What do you think?"
On the way back, she had discussed with Delia and the others. William was so rich and had hidden it from them.
If they didn't get some money out of him, they'd be fools.
After all, William was a big boss with billions!
Margaret never dreamed William would be so impressive.
They had hit the jackpot!
William's face turned icy. He knew Margaret was after his money.
How dare she?
"Want to know how much money I have?" William asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Margaret nodded eagerly, grinning. "Yes, how much do you have?"
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