Chapter 447 He Should Grow Up
Stepping out of Thomas Villa, Perry pulled out his phone and called Seb. "Hey, Mr. Smith, Daniel's been jerking me around. I don't think he's planning to deal with the Smith Group anytime soon."
Seb's face stayed calm. "Yeah, I know. Just keep visiting him and put some pressure."
Perry hesitated. "Alright, but what about my 'girlfriend'? If I keep seeing her so much, my wife might catch on, and I won't be able to explain it."
After a pause, Seb replied, "Haven't you been wanting that project with the Reyes Group? I'll set up a meeting with Mr. Reyes for you tomorrow. Whether you land it or not is up to you."
Hearing this, Perry got excited right away and wasn't worried about his wife finding out. After all, he already had so many lovers before, and one more wouldn't make a difference. "Awesome! Thanks, Mr. Smith. You're the best!"
Seb didn't respond and just hung up. But Perry didn't care; as long as he got what he needed from Seb, that was all that mattered.
Meanwhile, over in Bernice's living room...
Randy sat across from her, looking stern. "Bernice, you've lost it. Do you know Daniel's gunning for the Smith Group and Silvercrest Group? If you team up with him, Uncle Seb won't let you off easy."
Bernice scoffed, "Didn't Uncle Seb push me to this? If he'd helped me, I wouldn't need to team up with the Thomas Group. I can't just let my company die for family loyalty, can I?"
Randy shot back, "But your company can't handle that project right now. One slip-up and you're bankrupt."
Bernice's company was originally a Smith Group subsidiary, which Tyler later handed to her.
Through her hard work, the company went from losing money to turning a profit. If she kept at it, it would only get better.
Randy continued, "I don't get why you're in such a rush. Your company will grow in a couple of years. Why risk it all on this project? If you fail, all your hard work goes down the drain."
Bernice smirked, her eyes mocking. "Randy, I'm not like you. You had Grandpa's support, and after he passed, you had Uncle Seb. My skills are just as good as yours, but why won't Uncle Seb help me? Besides, with risk comes reward. I might not get another shot like this for years. If I don't grab it, who knows when the next chance will come."
She knew teaming up with Daniel was like dancing with the devil, and one wrong move could ruin her. But did she have a choice?
Just because she was a woman, Tyler gave her a failing company while giving the profitable ones to Alex and Randy. Even Seb only helped Randy and refused to help her.
Now she was done with the Smith family. She wouldn't beg Seb anymore. She'd make her own way and show them she could succeed on her own.
Seeing Bernice wouldn't budge, Randy knew his words were futile, rising from his chair and, in a resigned tone, saying, "Do what you want, but think hard about whether you can handle the fallout."
Tyler only gave Bernice this one subsidiary. If it went under, she'd have nothing.
Bernice replied, "If you're not going to help me, then stay out of my business."
Randy sighed and left, recognizing the futility of further discussion. Maybe he could talk to Seb. After all, Bernice was his cousin, and he didn't want her to make a huge mistake.
The next morning, as soon as Seb walked into the office, Randy was already there waiting. "Uncle Seb, we need to talk about Bernice."
Seb's eyes turned icy. "What about her?"
Seb had already told Bernice that her company couldn't handle the project she was chasing. He even suggested several other projects that were more suitable, but she wasn't interested. She was dead set on that one project, so Seb had backed off.
He didn't expect her to come to him yesterday, asking not only for his help but also to involve the Thomas Group. Seb had no interest in getting tangled up in that mess and had flat-out refused.
Randy sighed. "Uncle Seb, even if Bernice has messed up, she's still family. I think you're being too hard on her."
Seb's face remained expressionless. "Randy, you and Bernice are adults running your own companies. Do I really need to spell out what you should and shouldn't do?"
He could lend a hand, but that didn't mean they could act recklessly and expect him to clean up after them.
If Bernice's company took on that project, it would be a disaster. Everyone knew she was betting everything on it. How could they not take advantage of her?
If he agreed to help with the project and something went wrong on her end, he would have to bail her out. Seb admired ambition, but not when it was paired with foolishness.
Thinking about his own clash with Daniel, Randy looked grim. But with Tyler gone, Seb was the family figure they could rely on. He and Bernice naturally wanted to lean on him.
"Uncle Seb, no matter how old Bernice and I get, you'll always be our uncle, the one we can count on. If you don't help us, who will?"
To Randy, family meant sticking together through thick and thin, even if they had disagreements.
Seb replied, "I can help you, but not without principles or limits. If you do something stupid like fighting in public again, I won't step in."
Whether the Smith Group thrived or failed didn't affect him much. He had done what he could, and he wouldn't do more.
Randy lowered his eyes, feeling a pang of sadness. He realized Seb wasn't the rock he could lean on. Maybe from the day he became the general manager of the Smith Group, he should have started working hard to become someone others could rely on, instead of relying on others.
Whether it was the Lee Group before or Bernice now, he couldn't help them and had to turn to Seb.
Now... it was time for him to grow up. Thinking of this, Randy said, "Uncle Seb, I get it. I'll work harder from now on, and unless it's absolutely necessary, I won't bother you again."
With that, he turned and left. Seb watched him go, his eyes deep, but he didn't call him back.
Randy was still too green to shoulder the burdens of the Smith Group. His public fight with Daniel showed he was still a kid at heart, always thinking someone would clean up his messes.
Bernice, on the other hand, had ambition that outstripped her abilities. Recent successes had inflated her confidence, making her think she was exceptionally talented and could succeed at anything she wanted.
They both needed to take a hard fall to understand what it meant to grow up.
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