Chapter 444
Linda didn't even flinch. She just led us straight to this garden villa like it was no big deal. It turned out that it was Ruby's neighborhood, where each villa started at a cool twenty million bucks.
As we drove in, the place was spotless. It wasn't as flashy as Golden Sunset Estates, but it had a cozy vibe. "I've been planning this for years. I bought this villa two years ago and put it under Stella's name, so they can't touch it."
No one here was dumb. They all knew what they were doing. "John, now that Skyliho Group's been seized and might get auctioned off, what if I told you I want to get it back?" She sat there, calm as ever.
I took a deep breath and said, "I'll figure out a way to help you buy back Skyliho Group."
Linda laughed sharply. "You're not fooling anyone. Why say that if you don't mean it?"
"Because you want it." Skyliho Group was worth two billion, but with Linda's shares, we might get it for a few hundred million. With some clever moves, we could snag it for a bargain. But honestly, Skyliho Group didn't have much left besides its fixed assets.
"Forget it, buying Skyliho Group is a waste. Don't blow your money." Linda rubbed her sore feet. "Aren't you gonna come over and give me a massage?"
I quickly went over and started massaging her feet. "Why don't you want it anymore?"
"Why so many questions?" She shot me a look. "I want the Greenvale City branch. Will you give it to me?"
Without missing a beat, I said, "Yes!"
She laughed, her whole body shaking with joy. "Once the verdict's out, I'm going to court for a divorce. Will you marry me then?"
That question threw me off. I glanced at Stella, who was smiling but giving nothing away.
"Ms. Foster, it's not that I don't want to marry you, but it's not fair!" After a long pause, I finally blurted out.
"It's not about fairness; you just don't want to marry me, right?" Linda kicked me. "You think you can hide your thoughts from me?"
I quickly said, "Of course not. But in our situation, I can't treat Stella unfairly!"
Stella chimed in, "That's easy. Just move to a country where polygamy is legal, right?"
I shook my head. "No way, I'm from Simbara. I can't just up and leave! If it really doesn't work, how about we take turns getting married?"
"Impossible, you want all the perks." Linda spat, "You don't want to marry me, and I don't want to marry you either!"
I grabbed her foot and started tickling her. Soon, she was laughing uncontrollably on the sofa. "John, stop tickling my feet!" Her laughter was so infectious that I got all excited and took Linda and Stella upstairs.
That afternoon, Lily called, "John, where are you?"
I replied, "I'm at the office, what's up?"
"Skyliho Group's been seized, did you know?"
I said, "Yeah, Steven killed Ms. Wilson and is suspected of money laundering. The trial's in a few days."
It was pretty tragic. Linda didn't even spend money on a defense lawyer for Steven; the court gave him a free one. No matter how bad Steven's crime was, he had the right to defend himself.
She said, "I'm coming to see you!"
I thought for a moment and told her to come straight to WY Media Company to find me.
Half an hour later, Lily showed up. She looked way better than a few days ago, with more smiles on her face. I locked the door and pulled her into my arms. "How's Elijah's company doing?"
I replied, "With your twenty million dollars, it should be able to pull through!" Sometimes, all a company needed was a little cash to get through tough times and then they could really take off.
"That's good to hear." I nodded.
Lily looked worried. "Skyliho Group's been seized, and I lost my job!"
I tapped her nose. "Don't sweat it. You still have me, right? Come work at my company."
"Is that really okay?" She looked a bit embarrassed.
"What's not okay about it?" I kissed her and said, "My company's growing fast, we need people everywhere."
"By the way, didn't you say your company is in Greenvale City? How come it's right across from Skyliho Group?"
I didn't hide anything and told her about my entrepreneurial journey. Lily was stunned, her eyes full of mixed emotions. "No wonder you weren't at the company all the time back then. You were starting your own business."
I nodded. "Come on, let me show you around and introduce you to everyone."
We kept a bit of distance as we walked out, since we were at the office. "This is the media department. Even though it's called that, WY Media Company is actually a subsidiary of the group! It's also the core subsidiary, with over 130 employees."
"This is the new media department. And over here is the e-commerce department."
After showing her around the various departments, Lily was dumbfounded. "It's even bigger than Skyliho Group. Did you really build this company in just over two months?"
"Yep, right now we've got over 800 delivery specialists, and the Greenvale City branch is nearing 100 employees."
"John, I never thought you could pull this off."
Just as I was about to say something, a voice interrupted, "Ms. Wilson, what are you doing here?"
I turned to see Mia. "Mia, is that you?" Lily was surprised and said.
I quickly said, "Let me explain. Mia is now the head of the new media department. She joined me early on in my entrepreneurial journey."
"Ms. Wilson, why are you here? Oh, I remember, Skyliho Group went bankrupt, so you must be unemployed, right?" Mia said sarcastically.
I pulled her aside. "Mia, I asked Ms. Wilson to come."
"You asked her? Have you forgotten how she treated you before?" Mia frowned.
I knew Mia cared about me, but this was a bit much. I felt pretty helpless. "That's all in the past. We were colleagues after all."
"I just came to take a look." Lily forced a smile.
"Take a look? Do you want me to show you around WY Media Company? Our company is doing much better now, even better than Skyliho Group." Mia crossed her arms. "And Ms. Smith, who used to be so harsh on Mr. Cena, she's probably unemployed too. Ms. Wilson, you should go join her!"
I didn't expect her to hold such a grudge. I pulled her aside. "Alright, Mia, that's enough."
"Of course not!" Mia snorted, "Have you forgotten how they treated you? I haven't. This is nothing compared to the humiliation you suffered. Why should she be allowed to bully others but not be bullied herself?"
I didn't know how to respond. Lily's eyes reddened, and she took a deep breath, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry, I was wrong before. Now that I think about it, I was indeed too much!"
She was always been a proud woman. If it weren't for her family's bankruptcy, even if Skyliho Group went under, she wouldn't be so humble. Forcing a proud person to bow their head was a very cruel thing.
"Enough, everyone stop." I looked at Mia. "I've decided to let Ms. Wilson work at our company!"
"John, I've been defending you, and now you're scolding me." Mia's eyes reddened too. "Anyway, I won't let her join my department."
With that, she stomped off in her high heels. I wanted to chase after her, but Lily was still there, so I held back.
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