Chapter 898 One Wrong Step Leads to Another
Edward picked up the decanter and poured a generous amount of red wine into two glasses. He then raised his glass and downed it in one gulp. "Just thinking about getting into the hotel business."
Brian saw right through him. "Edward, I've known you forever. Our family has nothing to do with hotels. Don't try to pull one over on me."
Edward tightened his grip on the wine glass. His sudden acquisition of the Azure Palace Hotel was all part of his plan to control the events from three years ago.
"I know what I'm doing."
Brian stared at him, suddenly realizing Edward had grown up. After a long pause, he reached out and patted Edward's shoulder. "Edward, if you need anything, talk to me. I'm always here for you."
Edward lowered his eyelashes. "Brian, don't you blame me?"
The Vanderbilt Group had been through a lot recently. The tax evasion scandal alone was enough to tarnish their reputation for years.
Yet, at this critical moment, he went ahead and acquired a hotel that brought no benefit to the company. Not only was his father furious, but the board was also hard to appease.
Brian patted his shoulder again. "Blame you for what? You're almost thirty. As long as you know what you're doing, our family isn't short on money."
"Brian..." Edward felt a pang of guilt.
The recent turmoil at the Vanderbilt Group was all because of him. If he hadn't schemed against Donovan back then, Donovan wouldn't have sought revenge.
Brian raised his glass and clinked it with Edward's. "Don't worry, I've got the board covered."
"Brian, Donovan is still alive," Edward suddenly said.
Brian was stunned. "What did you say? I thought he was dead?"
Back then, Donovan had fallen into the sea. The coast guard searched for three days and nights, but all they found was his car. Not a single piece of clothing was recovered.
They had lamented that Donovan had followed in his father's footsteps, buried at sea with no remains. They wondered what kind of curse had befallen him.
"He didn't die. He's back," Edward said.
Brian was shaken. "How do you know? Have you seen him? That's great news! If he's alive, then Evelyn..."
"Evelyn probably doesn't know he's alive," Edward interrupted.
Brian stared blankly at Edward. "But if he's alive, why hasn't he returned? Phoebe is doing so well now; he wouldn't lack anything."
"He probably doesn't need to rely on Phoebe. He's very powerful now. Brian, do you know about the Adams Group? I heard they're about to go bankrupt," Edward said.
"What do you mean by 'about to go bankrupt'? They're already in liquidation. Mr. Adams has mortgaged his house, but it couldn't save the company," Brian said, feeling a bit nostalgic about the Adams Group.
Edward sneered. "Yes, but do you know who pushed the Adams Group to the brink?"
"Who?" Brian was intrigued. He had thought the Adams Group fell to Nova, but Edward's attitude suggested there was more to the story.
Edward took another sip of wine before speaking. "It was Donovan."
"Him?" Brian was more shocked than when he learned Donovan was alive. "How is that possible? He was mediocre at best. If it weren't for the Adams family, he would have died in Starfall City."
Edward glanced at Brian, thinking he was naive. "Brian, the rumor about Donovan being mediocre started within the Adams Group, from Nova's mouth. A lot of people bought into it, including us."
"So the truth isn't what we thought?" Brian swirled his wine glass, still skeptical.
"Not," Edward said. "I heard a different story from Nova when he was drunk. I happened to be there."
"What story?"
"Nova was jealous of Donovan's business skills. He took credit for Donovan's successes and blamed him for failures. Later, worried Donovan would outshine him with the board, he sent him to Starfall City to handle overseas markets," Edward explained.
Brian frowned. "Sending him to develop overseas markets shows Nova trusted him."
"Brian, the Adams Group only had a tiny office in Starfall City back then. Nova sent Donovan there to keep him from stealing his spotlight in Kedora."
If Edward hadn't been blinded by jealousy and targeted Donovan, things might not have escalated to this point.
Brian nodded thoughtfully. "So Donovan does have some talent. Nova was foolish. The Adams Group was his family's. No matter how capable Donovan was, he wouldn't overshadow him. What was there to be jealous of?"
Edward glanced at Brian, grateful to have a brother like him.
"If Nova thought like you, the Adams Group wouldn't be in this mess."
Brian nodded. "You're right. But the Adams Group isn't a small company. No matter how capable Donovan is, he can't bring them down, can he?"
Edward shook his head. "Brian, the Adams Group has been declining for years. Recently, they received a rush order and invested all their remaining funds into production. But the factory had an accident, and a fire destroyed all the products. With the delivery date approaching and no goods, the client sued them for a huge breach of contract."
Brian had heard about it before, but hearing Edward's explanation gave him new insights. "So you're saying Donovan orchestrated everything?"
"Yes."
Brian's pupils contracted, almost questioning reality. "But where did he get the resources? That batch of goods was worth millions. Where did he find millions?"
"I don't know where he got the money, but he did bring down the Adams Group. And his next target is us," Edward said gravely.
"What?" Brian looked at Edward in shock.
Edward closed his eyes briefly. "Brian, I'm telling you this so you can be cautious. Most of our recent troubles are likely his doing."
"But why would he do this to us? Our family hasn't wronged him. We've even helped them," Brian said, unable to understand why Donovan would turn against them.
Edward licked his lips. "Brian, don't ask why. Just be careful. Donovan is not to be underestimated."
Brian's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, unable to make sense of it all. He was silent for a moment. "No, I need to talk to him. Ask him why he's doing this. What did we ever do to him?"
With that, Brian stood up and left.
Edward watched his brother's back for a long time before sighing. The Vanderbilt family hadn't wronged Donovan, but he had schemed against them.
But that was something he could never tell Brian.
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