Chapter 456 This Is Goodbye
Marigold and Coralie stared at James on the stage, their minds blown.
James? President Williams? They couldn't wrap their heads around it.
James was just a nobody, broke and without connections, who had to rely on Coralie to get a job at Glowing Oasis.
But President Williams was a powerful and revered figure, someone they admired and aspired to befriend.
Now, reality had played a cruel joke on them. The James they looked down on was actually the President Williams everyone revered.
The impact was overwhelming.
Sidney's wine glass tipped over, and he fumbled to pick it up but couldn't manage.
Vance and Francis stood frozen, a chill running down their spines.
"Does that mean he's the actual head of Wish Group?" Vance's mouth went dry as he recalled how he had repeatedly suppressed the chairman and even thought he could fire him. He knew he was done for.
Francis didn't speak, but his hands trembled uncontrollably. After years of being a bully, he feared he wouldn't be able to save his hands this time. He wished he could strangle Vance for goading him into provoking James.
"How is this possible? How?" Coralie finally reacted, her lips trembling. "Wasn't James just a kept man? Didn't he rely on Kaida to throw his weight around? How could he be President Williams?"
Marigold's eyelids twitched. "He must have had a lot of help from Kaida."
Sidney and the others scoffed at this. Kaida supporting a lover to become chairman? Not even in her wildest dreams.
Coralie downed a glass of wine, feeling miserable. She had always thought James knew Clarence and the others because of Kaida. Compared to her, he was still far behind.
But now, it turned out James's backer wasn't Kaida. Instead, Kaida had to curry favor with James. This was hard for her to accept.
James was supposed to be a nobody, someone she pitied, someone who lived in her shadow, not someone who stood above her.
"Coralie, it's okay, it's okay." Marigold tried to comfort Coralie, patting her back. "Even though James is more successful than we thought, being president is dangerous. He could be killed any day."
"Look at the previous president, Larry. He was powerful a few months ago, and now he's dead."
"Besides, just because we can't surpass James now doesn't mean we can't in the future. Your dad's assets and Sidney's connections make us part of the Glowing Oasis elite."
"And don't forget, you're a rising star with Cloud Sound. In three years, you could be a top celebrity, admired by all. You'll be way better than him."
She grew more excited, as if Coralie had already become a top star.
Sidney also turned his gaze from the stage to Coralie's alluring figure and smiled. "Don't worry, you'll reach greater heights than James. I'll use all my connections and work with Cloud Sound to make you the biggest star."
He patted Coralie's hand. "In three years, you'll be just as dazzling."
Francis and Vance didn't chime in, knowing the power of the Mystic Alliance. They knew Coralie could never reach such heights.
With Sidney and Marigold's comfort, Coralie felt better and looked at James with renewed arrogance. "James, just wait. I'll catch up to you eventually."
She lifted her chin. "I'll always be the woman you can't have!"
Just then, Sidney's phone vibrated. He answered it, and his face quickly changed.
"What? The jewelry store was raided by the police? Who gave them the guts? Don't they know it's my property?"
"Mr. Rivera ordered it himself?" Sidney's body stiffened, fear in his eyes.
Marigold asked anxiously, "Sidney, what's wrong?"
"He's been arrested." A voice came from behind. James had appeared with Ollie and a few others, along with several uniformed police officers.
Francis and Vance quickly stood up and stepped back in fear.
"Sidney, you're under suspicion of fraud and money laundering." James held a glass of wine and looked at Sidney. "It's time for you to go to jail."
Marigold couldn't hold back. "James, you're just being petty. So what if we looked down on you before? Do you have to retaliate against Sidney like this?"
Coralie's face was cold. "James, this is really low."
"He's not worth my retaliation." James tossed a tablet onto the table, showing Maeve's confession.
"Maeve has confessed. They were Sidney's pawns, used for extortion."
"Dragon & Phoenix Jewelry Store also had fake invoices and records of broken gems."
James smiled at Sidney. "The evidence is clear. Sidney is guilty, and no one's framing him."
Marigold and Coralie didn't believe it, but when they looked at the tablet, their hearts sank. The evidence was irrefutable. Sidney was indeed involved in multiple crimes.
Even Samantha's case was clearly documented.
Marigold glared at Sidney, realizing he had used her as a pawn too.
Sidney's face was grim, but he still tried to argue. "President Williams, you're powerful, but this is a setup."
James gave a faint smile. "You'll find out at the police station."
"Oh, and Aunt Marigold, Coralie's Cloud Sound contract was a gift from me."
James smiled at Coralie. "If you don't like it, I'll take it back."
"What? It was your gift?" Marigold was shocked. "How is that possible? Sidney gave it to her, right Sidney?"
Coralie looked to Sidney for confirmation.
Before Sidney could speak, Coralie's phone vibrated. She answered it, putting on her earpiece.
"Coralie, this is Delphine Waverly, the general manager of Cloud Sound."
A cold voice came through.
"Sorry to inform you that we will terminate your contract. From now on, you have no connection with Cloud Sound."
She added, "We'll transfer a million dollars in compensation within five minutes."
Coralie's body shook.
"What? You're terminating my contract? Why? You were going to invest a hundred million dollars in me!"
"Don't forget, I have the support of the Rosewood City Miracle Doctor." She pleaded, "Terminating my contract will be a huge loss for you."
Delphine didn't respond and hung up.
Coralie's face turned pale.
Marigold asked instinctively, "Coralie, what happened?"
Coralie's voice trembled. "Cloud Sound terminated my contract."
"How could this happen? Why would they terminate it? Don't worry, Sidney knows people at Cloud Sound. He can fix this."
Marigold tried to comfort her, then turned to Sidney. "Call Cloud Sound and find out what's going on."
Sidney avoided her gaze, his eyelids twitching.
Coralie realized the truth and stared at James. "That contract was really from you?"
"And this too." James pressed a button on his phone, and a notification sounded. "Rosewood City Miracle Doctor is now online."
"What?" Marigold screamed. "You're the Rosewood City Miracle Doctor?"
She looked at Sidney again, who avoided her gaze.
Coralie was also stunned. She couldn't believe the person who had given her over twenty million dollars was actually James.
It was too absurd, too unbelievable, and too painful.
"James!" Sidney, humiliated and facing the closure of his store, became furious.
"I know you're President Williams, powerful and influential in Glowing Oasis, but that doesn't mean I'm weak."
"I have powerful backers too. If you close my store, there will be serious consequences."
"I'm calling my boss now. You'll face her wrath."
He dialed a number and put it on speaker. A woman's voice soon answered.
"Sidney, what's up?"
Sidney spoke respectfully. "Ms. Fairchild, Dragon & Phoenix Jewelry Store was raided, and they're arresting me. They said they're targeting me."
"Outrageous!" The woman shouted. "Who dares to mess with you? Don't they know you're with me, Ellie? Don't they know we have Mr. Morris backing us?"
"Tell them to back off, or they'll face Mr. Morris's rage!"
Hearing the title, Francis and Vance shuddered, knowing his power.
"Ellie, Sidney is your man?" As Sidney gloated, James spoke calmly.
"Good. He extorted my parents. You owe me an explanation."
The other end of the line went silent.
Sidney and Marigold were shocked that James spoke to Ellie like that.
James smiled. "Ellie, are you going to play dead?"
Sidney was furious. "James, how dare you talk to Ms. Fairchild like that?"
"Shut up! Mr. Williams is not someone you can disrespect!" Ellie scolded Sidney, then said humbly, "Mr. Williams, from now on, Sidney and Dragon & Phoenix Jewelry Store have no connection to me or Mr. Morris."
"Arrest him, kill him if necessary. We have no objections." Ellie was unusually submissive. "I'll personally compensate your parents for their losses."
What? Sidney was stunned, not only shocked that he was abandoned but also that James could overpower Keith.
"Arrest him." James ordered.
The police officers handcuffed Sidney.
"Life is long. This is goodbye. Cheers to you."
James raised his glass to Marigold and Coralie, then drank and walked away.
Their relationship ended with that drink.
Marigold instinctively turned, only to see Coralie already in tears.
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