Chapter 273 Good, You've Become Much More Obedient.
Raymond really didn't want to see Louis.
Sean couldn't defy Raymond's orders, so he quickly went to get the car. Raymond didn't even bother going downstairs; he slipped out the other way.
Louis was hanging out in the living room. Philip was upstairs, watching for a bit, sighed, and figured Raymond must've left by now. Only then did Philip come down.
Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Louis immediately got up and walked over to help Philip.
"Grandpa, where's Uncle Raymond? Did you finish talking with him?"
Philip asked, "How did you know Raymond was back?"
Louis said, "I was planning to come to Carnegie Manor tonight to see you. When I called Sean, I overheard someone asking if Uncle Raymond was staying for dinner. So I came over right after work."
Philip replied, "Raymond's already gone. He was in a rush to pick up Paige from work. Why did you need to see him?"
Louis answered, "He issued two more personnel orders today. Both of them are people I work closely with, and they didn't do anything wrong. Uncle Raymond didn't inform me or consult with me; he just transferred them abroad."
If it weren't for this, Louis would've let it slide after Raymond's lecture yesterday. But seeing the orders today, Louis just couldn't take it.
For senior employees who messed up, it was fine if Raymond transferred them. After all, it was also helping Paige vent her anger.
But his own senior employees, who hadn't done anything wrong, were directly transferred abroad by Raymond.
It appeared to be a promotion and a raise, but in reality, it made him feel like Raymond was effectively sidelining him.
Naturally, Louis couldn't stand it and came over. Before coming, he had called Raymond several times but was ignored.
So, Louis had no choice but to come to Carnegie Manor to confront him. However, Raymond had already left!
Louis didn't even need to think twice to know that Raymond must've heard he was coming and left through the back garden door. Otherwise, they wouldn't have missed each other.
After Louis finished speaking, Philip didn't take his side. Instead, he said, "Maybe Raymond has his own plans."
Louis said, "Grandpa, you can't always favor Uncle Raymond. He's your son, while I'm your grandson. His personnel orders this time are clearly aimed at sidelining my influence in the company. He is now demoting and exiling my people, leaving me without any trusted aides."
Louis rarely spoke to Philip like this.
Philip remained patient. "Louis, Raymond may not have any ill intentions towards you. Who are your trusted aides in the company? As the CEO, you should be well-rounded and consider all aspects. You need a broad perspective in this position. Do you have anyone else on your team besides the ones Raymond moved around? You can't go on like this. As the CEO, you should have everyone under your control. You're the head of the entire company, not someone who forms cliques. How can't you understand this?"
Louis felt ashamed at Philip's words. But it wasn't that he wanted to form cliques! It was just that many people were already on Raymond's side and willing to work for him. And the few who truly supported him were mostly transferred by Raymond this time. This made Louis truly uncomfortable.
Seeing Louis remain silent, Philip said, "Since you're already here, stay and keep me company. Have dinner with me tonight, and we can also talk about your mother."
Louis was still feeling unsettled, but when Philip mentioned Francesca, he immediately understood why Raymond came directly to Carnegie Manor without Paige. It turned out to be about this matter.
Louis asked, "Grandpa, did Uncle Raymond tell you about my mom..."
Louis found it hard to continue. After all, he knew Francesca was in the wrong.
And even now, when Louis asked her why she acted like that, Francesca wouldn't say the reason.
If she hadn't done that, the tragedy wouldn't have happened. As her son, Louis couldn't keep pressing her since she didn't want to say.
Philip said, "Raymond told me everything. Has she said anything about it?"
Louis replied, "No. She just took me to say goodbye to Luna's body and attended her final journey.
And I thought this matter would just pass with time, and Paige would eventually let it go. But it seems Paige really holds a grudge against my mom."
If time could really heal the wound, Raymond wouldn't have come back to talk to Philip about it. The fact that Raymond came back to talk meant Paige was likely planning to do something. Louis had some understanding of Paige.
Philip said, "Francesca should be mentally prepared. Since she made a mistake, she should be ready to compensate or be punished. After all, it was a human life. Luna had a tough time as a Sackler daughter-in-law. She lived to see her daughter return, only to pass away so young. It's really sad. Even though Francesca's mistake was unintentional, she still bears some responsibility. If Paige needs something, you should try to meet them. Don't make the family relations even more strained."
Louis nodded. "Although my mom hasn't shown any reaction for now, I believe it was indeed an unintentional mistake. If Paige has any demands, I'm sure my mom will fulfill them. Whatever she asks, we'll try our best to meet her requirements."
Philip said, "That's more like it."
Raymond hadn't actually told Philip what Paige planned to do or what she wanted as compensation.
But Raymond did say that Paige wouldn't go as far as to take Francesca's life, so Philip felt that they could handle the compensation.
Francesca had a tough time too. After Calum passed away early, Louis was kidnapped, and Francesca suffered for many years.
Philip always felt deeply sorry for Francesca.
Now that Francesca had made a mistake, even if it was unintentional, the consequences were severe. But despite her faults, Philip still wanted to protect her.
Francesca was his daughter-in-law, part of the family. How could Philip bear to see her end up in a miserable state?
After Raymond left, he went to the Universe Group to pick up Paige from work. Paige finished work on time as usual and wasn't too surprised to see Raymond.
However, when Amelia saw Raymond personally picking up Paige and it looked like they had plans for a date afterward, she felt it was inappropriate to continue following them. Feeling a bit down, she realized she would be forced to go on blind dates in the coming days.
Before getting in the car, Paige turned to Amelia. "Pearl will probably be working late tonight. If you have nothing else to do, you could order some food and keep her company."
Amelia's eyes lit up, and she immediately nodded. "Sure, I'll head to Pearl's office."
Seeing her happy expression, Paige smiled and said, "Go ahead."
Paige envied Amelia, who was someone truly cherished and loved by her family.
After getting in the car, Paige said to Raymond, "Let's go to the basement in the suburbs. Oliver still has value to us, so he needs to stay alive. I want Lily to willingly become our pawn and lead the way for us."
Paige had really refocused and started arranging work comprehensively, including searching for secret funds, without missing a beat.
She was still the strong Paige. Luna's death had a significant impact on her, but it didn't completely defeat her.
Raymond said, "Alright. The report today said Oliver has had a fever for two days. He probably can't hold on much longer."
Paige nodded. "This is the moment we've been waiting for."
Raymond smiled as he held Paige's hand. He instructed the driver to head directly to the suburbs. Once there, they both went down to the basement.
The guards had already tidied up the basement, letting Lily and Oliver know that Raymond and Paige were coming to see them, as the windows in the basement were only opened for ventilation when they were coming.
Lily, on the brink of collapse and constantly facing death, was truly desperate this time. She no longer dared to confront Paige as she did last time when she saw Paige walking towards her step by step. Paige was very satisfied with this.
She walked up with a smile and stopped in front of Lily's cage. "Good, you've become much more obedient!"
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