Chapter 374 What Do You Want Exactly?
Stephen stared at Sebastian as if he were an idiot. "Who else could it be? Do you really need me to tell you?"
Seeing Stephen's ugly expression and recalling what she had just said, Sebastian suddenly understood and exclaimed, "My sister..."
Stephen found Sebastian's casual use of the term sister particularly annoying and couldn't help but shrug and sneer.
"You seem to recognize relatives faster than anyone else."
Sebastian said with excitement, "Of course! Haven't you seen how amazing my sister is, Stephen? You must find a way to bring her back. If she falls into someone else's hands, it will be a loss for our family."
"Isn't that obvious?" Stephen was always exasperated when talking to Sebastian. Sebastian seemed to lack common sense, always missing the point in conversations. Is that what he was trying to convey just now?
Sebastian was still immersed in admiration for Reese, muttering to himself, "I never expected my sister to be such a versatile player. Not only is she good at racing and fighting, but she can also hack into our company's system and manipulate stocks. She's amazing."
Unable to bear it any longer, Stephen walked up and slapped Sebastian on the head.
"Are you a fool? If she can be of use to us, that's good. But if she turns against us like this, we'll regret it in the future."
Stephen was attracted to Reese's abilities but feared that she might become their adversary in the future, which is why he wanted her to come back.
Sebastian rubbed his head and said, "Dad, you can't be like this. After all, she is also a member of our family. Can't you stop measuring everyone with your own interests?"
"Shut up." Stephen's main concern now was the issue of the company's stocks. If the stocks continued to plummet, it would have a significant impact on the company.
Stephen instructed his assistant, Jackson Armstrong. "Quickly find the company's technical team and see if they can fix it. If that's impossible, offer a reward online. No matter the cost, we must recover the stocks."
"I've already passed on the message, Mr. Hawthorne. However, I can't guarantee success because our technical team didn't detect any traces when she infiltrated. If it weren't for your intuition, it might not be easy for us to track her down now."
The other party was professional and skilled in counter-surveillance. They might escape as soon as they realize they are being pursued, leaving no trace behind.
Upon hearing this, Stephen's mind buzzed with thoughts. He rubbed his forehead in frustration, unsure whether having such a talented daughter was a stroke of luck or a disaster.
If he had known it would develop like this, he should have kept her back then. But passing his wife's scrutiny was an insurmountable obstacle. Even if he had let Reese stay with the Hawthorne family, it was uncertain whether she would grow up safely. It was better to let her stay outside, where no one could harm her.
That's why, upon learning of their departure, Stephen didn't send anyone to look for them. Even if he found them, he wouldn't be able to protect them, leading to a dead end. It was better for them to be outside, where there might be a glimmer of hope.
Jackson soon received a call from the company. After listening to the other party, Jackson's expression turned even grimmer. He cursed angrily over the phone, "Are you all useless? Can't even handle a woman."
The other party trembled in fear, cautiously responding, "But she's not an ordinary woman. All the technical departments in our company are helping, but it's still not working. Reese's methods are different from ours."
Not understanding Reese's methods, they naturally couldn't come up with a solution.
Jackson dared not meet Stephen's eyes at this moment and urged them. "You better figure something out quickly. If you can't, all of you will be fired."
After saying that, Jackson hung up the phone, and Stephen knew exactly what was going on without needing to ask.
"What do you think my sister is trying to achieve with this move, to show off?" Sebastian asked.
"He wants to teach us a lesson and warn us not to try to bring her back."
The provocation was evident, as they directly targeted the Hawthorne Group.
Sebastian clapped his hands. "Reese is so cool, and I love her. I have to find a way to make her acknowledge me as her brother so she can teach me how to drive."
Hearing Sebastian's confidence, Stephen looked at him and said, "Alright, what's your plan ?"
"Persistently annoy her." Sebastian came up with a rather ineffective plan.
"Fine, go annoy her. If you can bring her back, I'll buy you that car you wanted. If you can't get Reese to return, forget about it." Stephen said although he didn't hold much hope for Sebastian, he had to give it a try for now.
Upon hearing this, Sebastian looked hopeful. "Really? Stephen, with you saying that, I'm even more confident now."
At the moment, Stephen seemed to have no choice but to meet Reese temporarily. Otherwise, if the stocks continued to plummet, there would be trouble sooner.
Sebastian was the only one who had interacted with Reese so far, so Stephen had to take him along.
"Do you have Reese's contact information? I need to meet her." Stephen asked.
"If you meet her, Dad, you're just asking for trouble." Sebastian had already suffered on that end, and now Stephen was about to as well.
Stephen was getting exasperated with Sebastian, "I'm looking for her to resolve company matters. Unless you can find someone who can confront her, stop complaining."
Sebastian nodded thoughtfully. "I'll seek for it now."
"Go ahead." Stephen just wanted a moment of peace. Among all his sons, Sebastian was the most talkative and least useful, always babbling and not focusing on the task at hand.
When Sebastian returned, he provided Stephen with Reese's phone number, and Stephen immediately dialed it.
Reese was sitting on the balcony, sipping coffee, and waiting for the chaos on the Hawthorne family's end.
Suddenly, Reese's phone rang.
Glancing at the screen, she saw an unfamiliar number but already knew who it was.
She slid to answer the call, trying to maintain her composure. But her heartbeat involuntarily skipped a beat. After all, it was her own biological father, making it impossible for her to remain entirely indifferent.
On the surface, however, Reese maintained her pride.
"Who's this?"
"It's Stephen."
Stephen didn't mention that he was her father, just introduced himself, showing how distant their blood relationship had become.
"Mr. Hawthorne, what can I do for you?"
Reese matched others' attitudes towards her with the same attitude. If Stephen was going to be cold towards her, she wouldn't offer him any warmth.
Stephen went straight to the point. "Let's have a meet."
Reese frowned, her temper rising a bit.
"Mr. Hawthorne, are you joking? Do I have to come out to meet you just because you want to see me? What reason do you have to meet me?"
"Just because I gave you life."
"What does giving me life mean to you? Have you ever cared for me? For so many years, you left me outside. Now, just because you say you gave me life, I have to come out to see you?"
Reese detested people like Stephen who thought they had done her a favor and wanted to flaunt it, standing on a moral high ground.
Unfortunately, Reese didn't buy into that.
Stephen realized persuading Reese wouldn't be easy, but he hadn't expected her to be so stubborn.
"You paralyzed the company's stocks just to see me, didn't you?"
Hearing Stephen's words, Reese found it amusing. "Are you overthinking it? Do you really think I made your company's stocks crash just to see you? Mr. Hawthorne, don't be so conceited. You're not important to me."
Stephen suddenly didn't know how to continue the conversation.
"So, what do you want?"
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