Chapter 481 Eradicate
Ryan, in a fit of rage, chucked the metal-edged folder right at Francis.
It came outta nowhere. But Francis just tilted his head a bit, dodging it like a pro.
Victor jumped in, twisted Ryan's arms behind his back, and slammed him onto the table. Ryan, looking all messed up, spat out, "You little punk, trying to off your own dad? Shoulda never raised you, you piece of crap!"
The shareholders were not happy, not one bit. Ryan cussing out his own kid made him look even guiltier.
Keith rushed over and whispered, "Dad, chill out."
Ryan realized he almost fell for Francis's trap. As long as he kept his mouth shut, what could they do?
Seeing Ryan calm down, Keith snapped at Victor, "What the hell are you doing?"
Victor kept his grip on Ryan's neck, not even glancing at Keith.
Keith's face twisted in anger. His fists clenched and unclenched. He took a deep breath and turned to Francis, saying, "Francis, what's your deal? This is our dad. You're just pissing off the shareholders."
Keith threw in "our dad" to rile up Francis! He twisted the whole thing, making it look like Victor stopping Ryan was Francis disrespecting Ryan.
Francis smirked, eyes full of mockery, and said, "Victor, show the shareholders my fahter's master plan."
Victor let go of Ryan and played the video on the big screen. Ryan's voice boomed from the video, "Gentlemen, back my son Keith, and once he's in charge, you can pick any project, and we'll split it seventy-thirty."
The guys in the video didn't budge. The Getty Group usually did an eighty-twenty split, so seventy-thirty wasn't that tempting. They knew messing with Francis was risky; the guy was sharp.
Seeing no one biting, Ryan didn't flinch. He poured himself some wine and said, "The Getty Group takes thirty, you take seventy."
"What?" The bosses gasped. The usual split was the Getty Group taking eighty and them taking twenty.
The Getty Group's projects were top-notch, and payments were guaranteed, so even with just twenty percent, everyone wanted in. Now, Ryan's offer was too good to pass up.
Just like that, the deal was sealed, and that was the end of the video.
The shareholders in the conference room lost it! They were livid with Ryan. No wonder Ryan snagged so many clients so fast. He was using their interests to buy loyalty.
Ryan opened his mouth but couldn't say a thing. He thought he had Francis cornered. Now, he was exposed and humiliated.
Finally, Ryan stammered, "Francis, you set me up!"
No one bought it. The video showed Ryan's face, his voice, and everyone recognized those bosses.
Ryan went berserk, yelling, "You framed me, you ungrateful son. You even set up your own father."
He had planned for so long, he couldn't accept failing now. Once Francis was on guard, trapping him again would be way harder.
Ryan shouted, "Even if I was trying to get ahead, what about the Maple Grove Manor? Didn't you ditch that project for some woman?"
Right then, someone checked their phone and yelled, "Something's up with the Maple Grove Manor project."
It was blowing up online. The Hernandez family was exposed for violent evictions and threats. The whistleblower's dad was forced into a river by the Hernandez family's goons and died after being rescued, brain dead. The whistleblower had been laying low, but once Francis found and protected him, he got the courage to seek justice.
With him speaking out, more victims started sharing their stories online. Some families were fortunate enough to avoid fatalities, they found a disturbing pattern of "accidents" during negotiations. These eerie coincidences, or perhaps something more sinister, pressured them into signing quickly, just to avoid more trouble.
The Getty Group wasn't involved in the early stages of the project; they just slapped their name on it later. Audrey was the mastermind behind it all. When they pulled out last time, they made their reasons crystal clear too.
The shareholders felt a wave of relief. Violent evictions could've trashed the Getty Group's rep for integrity, making it tough to bounce back.
At this point, everyone respected Francis's quick thinking. No one wanted to hear another word from Ryan. Promoting an illegitimate son to run the company, sacrificing the group's interests, and dragging them into a mess for his selfish gains? The guy was a total scumbag.
But Francis was different; he was Dylan's protégé.
Ryan's face turned sour, but he knew he couldn't fix this. He had to admit, Francis's move was genius. First, he exposed Ryan's crimes, then dismantled them one by one, flipping the script.
Ryan suddenly grabbed Keith and cried, "Keith, I was outta my mind. I shouldn't have gone rogue, ignoring your advice. You're a good kid, always telling me to trust Francis, but I didn't listen."
Ryan slapped himself. "I deserve this, dragging you down with me."
Ryan's act was clear. He was trying to clear Keith's name, making it seem like Keith had nothing to do with it!
Keith kept his lips tight, then put on a sorrowful face. As long as he could clear his name, he didn't care what happened to Ryan.
The shareholders' meeting turned into a circus.
Francis made a snap decision to have the internal investigation team dig into all of Ryan's dealings and use his shares to cover the gaps. This meant Ryan's shares could be wiped out, and he might even have to pay out of pocket. This was a total boot from the Getty Group, with no chance of a comeback.
Francis was way more ruthless than Ryan. He actually wiped him out of the company. Ryan was so mad he almost puked blood, but there was nothing he could do. Now he was buried in crimes, and the shareholders' glares could've burned him alive.
Ryan gave Keith a look and prepared to leave in disgrace, but Francis called out to him. Without much preamble, he got straight to the point, "Ryan, there's one more thing that hasn't been cleared up, right?"
Ryan asked, confused, "What?"
Francis reminded him, "About Grandpa's handwritten letter."
Ryan's face changed, then he snapped, "Everyone knows his handwriting. Don't think you can frame me for that."
"Is that even necessary? You know better than I do." Francis's tone was mocking. "I'll give you a chance to come clean."
Ryan spluttered, "Go ahead and authenticate it. You just wish I were dead, don't you?"
Ryan couldn't take Francis's humiliation anymore. He just wanted to slap this ungrateful son. He wanted to pave the way for Keith, so he decided to leave now and keep his dignity. But Francis wasn't letting him off easy.
Keith said, "Francis, Dad was just confused for a moment. Can't you be more forgiving? Why do you have to target him in everything? I know you don't like me, but the projects I took on were all my own, and I brought real profits to the company. Don't you always put the company first?"
Keith's words seemed like he was trying to mediate. But really, he was saying Francis was petty and couldn't stand him.
Francis shot him a cold look. These two wouldn't give up until they were completely down and out.
His lips barely moved as he ordered, "Bring Joseph in."
Hearing that name, Ryan felt a chill of fear.
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