Chapter 1221 Cassie Was Incredibly Smart
"But seriously, is it worth ditching your hard-earned career for some dude?" The reporter was itching to knock some sense into her, trying to keep her from getting all starry-eyed over love.
Cassie threw on her best serious face. "For me, nah, it ain't worth it. But for Madison? Totally. The Peace Group's just another real estate gig, but the Hernandez Group? That's a whole different ball game. A few years back, Joseph dropped billions on a chip project for Madison. Now, he's bringing in top-notch electrical gear. Just recently, the Hernandez Group snagged the Chamberlain Group to start cranking out more advanced stuff on their own. This could seriously boost high-tech development and put Madison on the global tech map. I wanna help Joseph through this mess and make sure a solid company like this doesn't go under."
The reporter was getting all fired up by her words. "Word on the street is, the Hernandez Group's products aren't up to snuff."
"I don't get it," Cassie said, looking kinda helpless. "We tested the products at the press conference, and they were pretty solid. But hey, if there are issues, the Hernandez Group's ready to cooperate fully with any investigations and fix things up. I just hope folks give it a shot so companies doing R&D don't get discouraged."
"You're right. Fingers crossed the Hernandez Group pulls through this rough patch."
Once Cassie's video interview hit the web, it blew up in Madison. Even the folks who were doubting the Hernandez Group started to come around.
[I trust Cassie. She's smart and tough; no way she'd sell out her company for a guy. She's not that dumb.]
[Cassie's got a point. The Hernandez Group has poured a ton of cash into high-tech stuff over the years. It's clear Joseph wants Madison to have its own cutting-edge tech.]
[I don't get why the Hernandez Group's suddenly under the microscope. The Chamberlain Group didn't get this treatment. Did Joseph tick someone off?]
[The Hernandez Group gets investigated right after launching a new product? Smells fishy, like someone doesn't want them to succeed.]
[With Joseph's clout, nobody should be able to mess with him unless it's someone really high up, like the president.]
[Heard the Hernandez family is tight with the Jude family.]
Meanwhile, Joseph was in a meeting at the Hernandez Group.
The shareholders in the conference room were going at it, arguing about the company's future.
"If the stock keeps tanking for another week, we're gonna have to delist. Might as well sell now."
"It's not just about selling; if we don't cough up the insane breach of contract fees, we're looking at getting detained."
"Mr. Hernandez." The conference room door flew open, and Nathaniel rushed in. "The stock price is bouncing back."
The shareholders whipped out their phones, grinning from ear to ear. The Hernandez Group's stock had tanked at the opening this morning, but now it was making a comeback.
"What's happening?" A shareholder was so pumped he looked like he might cry.
"I think it's all thanks to Ms. Brooks," Nathaniel said, grinning. "Check out today's headlines."
Everyone, including Joseph, whipped out their phones. When Joseph saw Cassie's interview, he felt a swell of pride.
Cassie hadn't given him a heads-up about any of this; he was totally in the dark.
But no one got Cassie better than he did.
Cassie was sharp as a tack.
"Mr. Hernandez, did Ms. Brooks really sell the Peace Group to back the Hernandez Group?" Xavier, the oldest shareholder, asked, practically bouncing in his seat.
Joseph chuckled. "Xavier, would you let your wife sell her company to bail out the Hernandez Group?"
Xavier was taken aback.
"You wouldn't, and neither would anyone else," Joseph said, standing up. "We're all looking out for our own because we have families. We can't gamble everything on the Hernandez Group, so don't expect Cassie to hand over the money from selling her company. Even if she wanted to, I wouldn't let her. The company isn't just mine."
The shareholders exchanged glances, nodding in agreement. Joseph's words hit home.
Joseph scanned the room and then switched gears. "But the public thinks Cassie really did give the funds to the Hernandez Group, so now people have more faith in us. That's why the stock market bounced back."
"Ms. Brooks is a genius," Xavier said, impressed. "Mr. Hernandez, you've got a good one."
"Have you seen the online chatter? Cassie has flipped the script on how people see the Hernandez Group. Now, instead of harping on our product issues, they're talking about conspiracy theories and us being targeted," Joseph added.
"You're right," the directors agreed, some even looking a bit ticked off. "Our products were never the issue; someone's just stirring the pot."
"Since the public's got our back, we should use this momentum to put pressure on the government. If we need to, we can let Carl take the reins early," Joseph decided.
Everyone was stunned.
Joseph smirked. "At this point, we have no other options."
Later that night...
Olivia was having dinner with Isabella and Declan when Declan's phone buzzed.
After taking the call, his usually calm face turned icy for a moment before a sly smile crept in.
That smile made Isabella raise an eyebrow. "What's up?"
Declan ruffled her hair but didn't get a chance to answer before the butler announced Dale's arrival.
"Let him in," Declan said coolly.
"What's he doing here?" Olivia muttered under her breath.
Declan gave her a look until Dale walked in.
"Isabella, Declan, sorry to crash your dinner," Dale said with a sheepish grin, knowing their status was no joke.
"What's going on?" Isabella thought he was there to chase after Olivia.
Dale's face tightened, and after a moment, he said quietly, "My grandpa sent me. We've been pushing the Hernandez Group too hard lately. We need to back off a bit."
"What do you mean?" Olivia jumped in, sounding annoyed. "Didn't he promise us he'd take down the Hernandez Group ASAP?"
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