Chapter 121 Truly Spineless
Maria jumped up and yelled, "Benjamin, tell the truth!"
"Chloe made me do it. Then she threatened Larry and forced him to make me frame Harry," Benjamin insisted.
Maria's face turned red with anger. Chloe felt wronged. She'd given everything to the family, and this was what she got.
Larry took a deep breath, trying to keep his cool. This was Sunset City, not some lawless border town.
"Enough," Victor snapped. "Chloe, you messed up, and I didn't blame you. You're young and easily swayed. But this has gone too far. Are you trying to commit murder?"
"I didn't!" Chloe shouted.
Victor slammed the table and stood up. "Still not admitting your mistake?"
"Grandpa, I admit Chloe is talented. She's been networking with big companies, which is good for Everjoy. But she made a huge mistake. Instead of owning up, she tried to force Benjamin to frame my dady. Such a behavior will ruin Everjoy."
Oscar stood up. "Even if Chloe has connections and can elevate the Lewis Family, it's pointless. Grandpa, you always said we must act with integrity. She has just taken the office, and now this happened?"
Julia nodded. "Yes, Grandpa. Chloe is this bold now and could be worse in the future What happens when you're gone? She'll lead the family into ruin."
"Grandpa, Chloe shouldn't work at Everjoy. She'll corrupt the company."
Oscar and Julia teamed up against Chloe.
"Chloe, go home and think about what you've done. When you realize your mistake, you can come back," Victor said coldly.
Victor had thought long and hard about this. He wanted the Lewis Family to be prestigious, but not through shady means. Chloe's actions were criminal. If this continued, both she and Everjoy would be doomed. He couldn't let that happen.
"Okay," Chloe said, unable to argue.
Maria and Sam were furious. "Let's go home," Maria said.
Larry stayed quiet. Maria and her family left the mansion in disgrace.
Oscar exchanged a triumphant look with Julia. They hadn't expected Larry to pressure Benjamin, who ended up helping them instead of exposing Harry. They'd managed to push Chloe out easily. Even though Victor hadn't reclaimed Scott's shares yet, it was only a matter of time.
Back at the Lewis house, Maria fumed. "Victor is so stubborn. He believes an outsider over his own granddaughter."
Scott whispered, "Maybe it really was Chloe. Yesterday's incident could've been Larry and Chloe working together. Larry didn't attend the family gathering; maybe he was setting this up."
"That's bullshit," Maria snapped, but her voice softened. Maybe Scott was right. "Chloe, was it really you and Larry?"
"Mom, no way! It wasn't me," Chloe cried. Her own parents didn't believe her now.
"Mom, I believe Chloe. It's Harry's family causing trouble," Sam said.
Mindy nodded. "Yeah, our family got 50% of the shares, and Chloe became chairwoman. Harry, who always controls the family, wouldn't tolerate that."
Maria sighed, thinking she was finally going to live the high life, but now everything was falling apart.
She wondered, 'Am I ever going to get my chance to be rich?'
Larry suggested, "Why don't we start our own business? With Chloe's skills, she could really make something happen in Sunset City."
"You make it sound so easy," Maria snapped. "Do you know how much money it takes to start a company? Do you know how hard it is to run one?"
Larry replied, "We can take out a loan. We can start small. With Chloe's connections, we won't lack orders. Eventually, we could even produce our own medicine."
"Forget it," Sam said. "Starting a company is too tough. The pharmaceutical market in Sunset City is already crowded. A new company wouldn't stand a chance."
Scott nodded. "He's right. According to the latest stats, over three thousand new pharmaceutical companies started this year in Pharma City, but more than five thousand went bankrupt."
Maria scolded, "Larry, stop with the crazy ideas. Let's just wait until Victor cools down. Chloe can go back to work at Everjoy."
The family had no confidence at all.
'Spineless,' Larry thought. 'Maria and her family are all useless, still hoping to rely on the Lewis Family.'
He wondered, 'Should I really tell them I own all of NextGen City and that starting a pharmaceutical company is a breeze?'
However, Larry decided to keep quiet. It would be too shocking. Maria and her family might have a few billion, but if he told them he had hundreds of billions dollars, they wouldn't believe it.
Larry looked at Chloe. "Chloe, it's your call. If you want to do it, we'll start our own company. You know so many important people. With their help, we won't lack orders. As long as we can get a loan, we can start."
Larry wanted to say he'd put up a hundred million dollars as startup capital, but Chloe had warned him not to talk about money in front of the family.
Chloe was torn. Larry got a point. She'd met Leo, the chairman of Legion Lord, several times, and he respected her. She was also friends with Kelly from Everlife Pharmaceuticals. If they started a company, they wouldn't lack orders.
"Do we really need a loan to start a company?" Chloe asked. Larry held her hand. "I told you, I'm with you no matter what. It's just money... a loan is nothing. We can go to Legion Lord and Everlife Group now, get a few billion in order contracts, and take those to the bank for a loan. The bank will lend us the money."
"Forget it. Don't do it," Maria said. "In a few days, it's your grandmother's birthday. Let's go to Neon City and stay at her place for a while, just to relax."
Maria didn't want Larry and Chloe to take risks. "Starting a company could leave us with huge debts. Right now, we might not have money, but at least we don't have debt."
"Yeah," Sam added. "Didn't you see the news? A company started a few months ago and went bankrupt in less than three. The owner owed a billion and jumped from the eighteenth floor."
Scott nodded. "It's better to just do our jobs and not mess around."
"Larry, maybe we should forget it," Chloe said.
Larry was speechless. Chloe had almost been convinced, but her family had made her scared again.
"Alright, let's rest for a while and talk about it later," Larry said, dropping the subject.
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