Chapter 441 This Joke Has Gone Too Far
Kirk sneered, "I don't need you. If you don't like me, just stay away. I don't want to see you again."
He turned his gaze away, refusing to look at Ariana.
Ariana stared at his indifferent profile for a moment before speaking softly, "Since you don't want to see me, I won't come back. If you need anything, let the lawyer handle it. Kirk, you saved me twice, and I'm really grateful. What I said earlier was for your own good."
Kirk didn't budge, his eyes glued to the white wall like it was the most fascinating thing ever.
Ariana sighed, stood up, and left.
It wasn't until she was almost out the door that Kirk finally glanced at her retreating figure.
The lawyer looked at Kirk and said, "Mr. Marshall, if you don't cooperate, it's going to be tough for me to help you."
Kirk looked at the lawyer and said coolly, "I'll cooperate, but you need to do something for me too."
The lawyer nodded. "Sure, as long as it's legal, I'll do my best."
Ariana waited outside the police station for over half an hour before the lawyer came out with his briefcase.
The lawyer said, "Ms. Stout, I just spoke with Mr. Marshall. He's willing to return all the stolen money and pay the fines. If he cooperates, the case should be easier to handle, and I can help him get a lighter sentence."
Ariana breathed a sigh of relief, "Good, as long as he's willing to cooperate. I have to work, so I might not be able to come often. Please take care of the follow-up. If you need anything, just let me know."
The lawyer replied, "Okay, Ms. Stout."
After that, Ariana only checked in with the lawyer daily and didn't go back to the police station.
Meanwhile, at Jesse's estate abroad.
After waiting for over half a month with no progress from Daniel, Jesse was getting more and more impatient.
"Daniel, what are you doing? You can't even handle the Smith Group, let alone Silvercrest Group. Are you sure you're taking action?" Jesse's tone was harsh and full of anger.
Daniel replied, "Mr. Scott, do you think the Silvercrest Group and the Smith Group are easy targets? I need time. If you think I'm too slow, you can deal with Seb yourself."
Jesse's face darkened, and he spoke seriously, "I hope the next time I call you, you'll have progress to report, not excuses."After that, Jesse hung up the phone abruptly.
At the Thomas Villa, Daniel sneered and tossed his phone onto the table.
Lately, he had been trying to mess with the Smith Group and Silvercrest Group, even secretly negotiating with the subsidiaries of Silvercrest's major partners. But Seb had caught wind of it, causing most of those deals to fall apart.
Silvercrest Group had deep roots in Metropolis, and they weren't easy to budge.
One wrong move could drag the Thomas Group down, and Daniel wasn't about to risk it all. Now that he was back in the country, Jesse couldn't touch him, but he still had to keep up appearances.
Thinking this over, he dialed Leo's number. "How's it going on your end?"
Leo replied, "About another half month."
Daniel frowned. "That slow? Can you speed it up?"
Leo shot back, "Mr. Thomas, we're partners, not subordinates. You don't get to order me around. How I handle things is my business. Don't meddle next time."
The line went dead, leaving an icy silence in its wake. If he didn't still need Leo, he wouldn't let him off so easily for that attitude. Taking a deep breath to calm his anger, Daniel told his secretary to set up a meeting with the Smith Group's biggest supplier.
With continuous refusals from McCaffrey for half a month, Daniel's patience was near its limit.
Sure enough, the secretary called back soon, "Mr. Thomas, Mr. Perry McCaffrey still refuses to meet."
Daniel sneered, "Then send him those photos of him and his lover."
The secretary hesitated, "Mr. Thomas, if we do that, it'll mean a complete break with Mr. McCaffrey."
Daniel snapped, "I've respected him, but he didn't respect me. So what's the harm in a break?"
The secretary replied, "Understood."
After the photos were sent, Perry stormed into Daniel's office within half a day, slamming the printed photos on Daniel's desk. "Mr. Thomas, what is this? Are you threatening me?"
Daniel signaled the secretary to leave and close the door, then stood up with a smile, "Mr. McCaffrey, don't be angry. I just wanted to see you, so I had to resort to this."
"And these photos shouldn't be shown to others. Only I would help you cover them up. If it were someone else, they might send the photos to Mrs. McCaffrey. What do you think?"
Perry had climbed the ladder thanks to his wife. But like many men, once he hit it big, he started looking down on her and secretly kept a mistress.
This wasn't his first affair. Every time his wife found out, he'd send the woman packing and beg for forgiveness.
This time, if it weren't for the mistress being pregnant and Perry actually having some feelings for her, Daniel wouldn't have sent the photos.
Perry's expression turned icy. "Do you think you can threaten me?"
Daniel stayed calm. "Mr. McCaffrey, I heard your mistress is pregnant. If Mrs. McCaffrey finds out, she and..."
"Shut up!" Perry cut him off angrily and sat down across from him, "What do you want?"
Seeing he was ready to talk, Daniel smiled and sat down. "Mr. McCaffrey, isn't it obvious?"
Perry had refused to see him because he knew Daniel wanted to go after the Smith Group and didn't want to get involved.
Perry said, "I can't help you against the Smith Group."
Daniel grinned, "Mr. McCaffrey, I heard the Smith Group needs a batch of building materials soon. You just need to switch the materials they ordered with another kind."
Perry scoffed, "Mr. Thomas, do you think I'm stupid? If I switch the materials, the Smith Group will come after me first when something goes wrong."
He did have some genuine feelings for his mistress and wanted her to have the baby. But for him, he was the most important. Mistresses and kids could come later, but crossing the Smith Group was a risk he couldn't take. After all, the Silvercrest Group backed the Smith Group.
Daniel said, "Mr. McCaffrey, I have not only photos of you and your mistress but also evidence of you transferring company shares behind Mrs. McCaffrey's back. Given her personality, she probably won't forgive you for transferring marital assets."
Perry's face turned dark. He didn't expect Daniel to know even that. He took a deep breath and said coldly, "Why are you targeting the Smith Group?"
Daniel replied, "Because I don't want to be second to anyone."
Perry fell silent, his face cold and expressionless.
Daniel smiled, "Mr. McCaffrey, you probably don't want to be controlled by your wife forever, right? If you help me, I can help you come to power."
Although Perry was the president of the McCaffrey Group, most of the shares were in his wife's hands. So, despite his affairs, he always dealt with them when his wife found out and begged for her forgiveness. Now that his mistress was pregnant and he wanted her to have the baby, it showed he had thoughts of seizing the shares.
Seeing Perry's expression soften, Daniel wasn't in a rush. He just looked at him, waiting for his answer.
After more than a minute, Perry finally spoke, "Fine, I agree. But if you dare deceive me, you'll regret today's decision."
Daniel smiled, "Mr. McCaffrey, I look forward to our cooperation."
Not long after Perry left, he called Seb. "Mr. Smith, Daniel Thomas approached me today."
Seb said, "I know."
Perry said, "He wants me to switch the building materials the Smith Group ordered, probably to sabotage the project."
Seb's eyes turned cold. "Understood. Do as he says."
Perry replied, "Okay, Mr. Smith."
After hanging up, Perry wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Fortunately, he hadn't been swayed by Daniel. He did want to come to power, and he was momentarily tempted by Daniel's offer, but he ultimately remained calm.
Seb, with his dark undercurrent of power and influence, loomed larger and more menacing than Daniel ever could. Even the very mistress had been orchestrated by him.
After convincing Perry, Daniel's mood improved significantly, and he called some friends to go drinking that night.
As soon as he arrived at the club, he ran into Randy and Sophie, who were arguing at that time.
Daniel raised an eyebrow and walked over slowly. "Mr. Smith, Sophie, what's going on? Why are you two arguing so fiercely?"
They both looked at him.
Randy's expression was cold. "It's none of your business."
Sophie looked indifferent and quickly turned her gaze back to Randy. "I don't want to argue with you."
After saying that, she turned to leave. Randy tried to grab her, but she shook him off.
"Randy, I need some time alone. Can you stop bothering me?" Sophie almost shouted the words. As her voice fell, the hallway fell silent.
Randy's face darkened. "Sophie, you really misunderstood. Nothing happened between us."
Sophie nodded. "You're right, nothing happened. What I saw was all fake. Are you satisfied now?"
If she hadn't happened to pass by, she wouldn't have seen Randy's friends egging him on to kiss Electra. Thinking of that scene, Sophie felt her blood boil with anger.
Randy said, "Sophie, we were playing a game. Even if you hadn't shown up, I would have refused. I only like you. If I really had something with her, we wouldn't still be just friends. This time, they went too far with their joke. I promise it won't happen again. Please don't be mad, okay?"
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