Chapter 942 Departure
"Cassie, Cassie..." he said again, seemingly not hearing her protest, greedily kissing her as if this were their final kiss before a life-and-death separation.
Cassie felt a mix of fear and bewilderment. It wasn't until she was nearly suffocating that he released her, only to pull her tightly into his arms.
"Cassie, I have to leave for a while," Joseph whispered hoarsely in her ear.
Cassie was taken aback, her entire demeanor relaxing as she responded coldly, "Fine, then go quickly. I don't want to see you every day anyway."
"I'll be back as soon as I can." Joseph gently bit her ear.
Cassie's body tingled as if struck by an electric current, but she couldn't push him away.
"Wait for me," he remarked.
Joseph released her, his deep eyes gazing into hers for over ten seconds before he turned and left the bathroom.
Cassie stood under the showerhead, still in a daze.
She couldn't understand what was wrong with Joseph. He was only leaving for a while; did he have to act like it was a final farewell?
Six hours later, Joseph's private jet landed in Whisperlyn City.
He drove through the night to the Hernandez Group office building. Although it was already late, none of the Hernandez family shareholders had left.
The day's events brought about the greatest crisis the Hernandez family had ever faced.
Even Walter, Mabel, Isaac, and Liam were waiting in the conference room.
As the conference room door opened, everyone gathered around him.
"Joseph, you must give us an explanation for this. In one day, the Hernandez family lost over twenty billion dollars. Even the companies we signed contracts with are suing us for breach of contract, demanding astronomical compensation," one shareholder said angrily.
"That's right. When we signed the contracts, our company promised the world's most advanced and unique chip. But right after signing, the Lundrigans Group launched the same chip. The problem is, we wanted to sue the Lundrigans Group for copying our chip, but all the relevant data in our lab was deleted," another shareholder added.
"If this issue isn't resolved, the astronomical breach of contract penalties will halt our operations. Not to mention, most of the company's available funds have been invested in research and development over the years. The Hernandez family could very well go bankrupt," a third shareholder shouted.
The shareholders' voices were filled with pain and anger.
Upon hearing the word "bankrupt," some shareholders began to curse loudly, "The Hernandez family is going through shit right now, and this is all your fault. You insisted on spending so much money to develop the chip, and now you've ruined us all."
"That's right. It would help if you took the greatest responsibility for this. And because you stole David's wife, the company's reputation has been dragged through the mud. You didn't even step up to solve the problem. At such a critical moment for the company, you hid away. As a board member, you should have personally overseen the chip's launch," someone else roared.
"Walter, the Hernandez family must give us shareholders an explanation today," a sixth shareholder demanded.
Walter's face was grim as the shareholders surrounded him. Celeste angrily retorted, "Why are you cornering my dad? He's already old and has been worrying himself sick over this. Besides, you're anxious, and so are we. The Hernandez family is on the verge of losing its top position."
"Stop arguing." Mabel raised her voice coldly to stop them. "The most important thing now is to find the company mole who leaked the lab data."
"And what if we find the mole? At most, we can catch the person, but the Hernandez family's status is already lost," someone said.
A shareholder said painfully, "Tomorrow morning, the bosses of those contracted companies will come with their contracts. We can't refuse to pay. If we don't pay, we'll have to go to court. That will ruin the company's reputation, and no one will dare to cooperate with us in the future. If we pay, what will happen to the company? Go bankrupt?"
"Are you done?" Joseph asked.
He strode to the front, his tall figure illuminated by the bright overhead light, exuding an aura of cold authority befitting his high status.
"The Hernandez family will not go bankrupt. I will thoroughly investigate the data leak. From now on, every senior executive in the company is a potential mole. If I find out who it is, they will wish they were dead," Joseph continued.
Xavier Moore suddenly sneered, "I think the mole is Liam."
Mabel and Liam's faces changed simultaneously. Mabel angrily retorted, "Xavier, don't slander without proof. Liam is my son. He bears the Hernandez name and would never betray the Hernandez family."
"He may bear the Hernandez name, but his father's surname is Chamberlain," Xavier said angrily. "About half a month ago, my wife happened to see Liam with Marcus, Larry, and Felix at a café."
Liam's heart sank, a bad premonition rising within him. He hadn't expected to be seen that time.
"Xavier, having coffee with my father and my uncle Larry is perfectly normal. We often meet when I visit the Chamberlain family," Liam said.
"Enough, Liam, stop lying." Xavier fumed, "Just today, I received news that the mysterious shareholder holding sixty percent of the Chamberlain Group's shares is your father, Marcus. Just an hour ago, the Lundrigans Group announced that all chip rights in Serida had been handed over to the Chamberlain Group. This means that any company in Serida wanting to use the Lundrigans Group's chips must go through the Chamberlain family."
"That can't be true," someone said.
Many shareholders were shocked, and even the Hernandez family members were in despair.
Especially Mabel, who was completely taken aback.
"This is impossible. Marcus can't be the major shareholder of the Chamberlain family," Mabel remarked.
"You are all too naive," Xavier snapped. "Marcus is very ambitious. He hides his intentions better than his brothers Larry and Felix. He has been the mastermind all along, only revealing himself now because the Chamberlain family is about to replace the Hernandez family as the top family in Madison. Marcus has nothing left to hide."
"This Marcus is terrifying," Celeste murmured.
Isaac, equally shocked, muttered, "Over twenty years ago, the Chamberlain family was an obscure small family in Whisperlyn City, insignificant in the eyes of the Hernandez family. Now, they have surpassed us."
Walter closed his eyes deeply, sighing inwardly. He had realized it too late. The Chamberlain family had already risen back then and had been meticulously planning for the past three years.
"So Liam is Marcus's son, and the Chamberlain family shares will eventually be his. Helping Marcus is helping himself." Celeste suddenly glared at Liam with angry eyes. "Liam, you leaked the company's confidential data. Are you trying to destroy the Hernandez family?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
