Chapter 117 Mr. McKellen

People from the Aim Group arrived, with the Deputy Director of the Project Department, Carlos, leading the way. As soon as Carlos walked in, he was all smiles, greeting Grandpa Smith with a respectful nod.

"Mr. Carlos, I am terribly sorry, we..." Grandpa Smith began, ready to confess that Ethan had fraudulently used the Aim Group's name.

Carlos cut him off with a smile, saying, "Grandpa Smith, on behalf of all the staff at the Aim Group Project Department, I wish you a very happy birthday!"

The Smith family members thought Carlos was being diplomatic before delivering any kind of reprimand, not giving Grandpa Smith a chance to finish speaking.

"Ha ha ha, thank you so much..." Grandpa Smith laughed awkwardly, growing more and more anxious.

Carlos casually took out a gift box and handed it to Grandpa Smith, saying, "This is a token of appreciation from all of us in the Project Department. And equally, it represents the good wishes of our director!"

"Ah? I really can't thank Mr. Mario enough..." Grandpa Smith said as he accepted the gift, continuing to be overly polite.

"What Mr. Mario?" Carlos looked slightly puzzled. "Mr. Mario has been dismissed by Miss Anderson."

"What? Then who is the director of the Project Department..." Grandpa Smith was shocked; he had no idea that Mario had been dismissed.

Carlos explained, "Well, the director of our Project Department is none other than your son-in-law, Mr. McKellen."

As soon as these words were uttered, the room burst into an uproar, with all the Smith family relatives utterly dumbfounded. Even Bernice turned her head, looking at Ethan with immense shock... This guy had quietly ousted Mario and then took over as the head of the Project Department?

Carlos's visit was also motivated by the opportunity to curry favor with the new boss. There were strong rumors in the company that Mr. McKellen had helped Miss Anderson secure the New Age Mansion property, so Miss Anderson held him in high regard.

Otherwise, Carlos, a long-time employee of the Aim Group, would definitely not be so attentive to a newcomer.

"Mr. McKellen, I didn't see you there, hahaha..." Carlos said as he spotted Ethan and quickly walked over to shake his hand.

"Mr. Carlos," Ethan said coolly, "What brings you here?"

"Grandpa Smith is celebrating his birthday, and the staff from our project department insisted I represent them and deliver a birthday gift!" Carlos replied with a smile.

Ethan responded calmly, "Work has been hectic lately at the Aim Group. I haven't been much of a help, so we're really counting on your team."

"I appreciate the sentiment," Ethan acknowledged.

"Still, Mr. Carlos, you really should focus more on work rather than gift-giving," Ethan advised.

"Thank you, I should head back," said Carlos, nodding in agreement. "You're absolutely right, Mr. McKellen! I'll make sure everyone is working hard. I'll take my leave now."

"Wait, Ethan, you're not going to invite Mr. Carlos to stay for dinner?!" Grandpa Smith coughed and said sternly.

"No need, I just stepped out for a moment. The company really is quite busy," said Carlos hastily, waving his hand before making his exit.

After Carlos had left, a hush fell over the Smith family gathering, with everyone's eyes on Ethan.

Robert burst into proud laughter and said, "Like father, like son! How could my judgment be wrong?"

"Ethan, you're doing us proud!"

"You've only been in Boston for a short while, and without making a sound, you're now the acting head of the Aim Group's project department."

"You should have told me sooner so we could have arranged a little celebration for you," he added.

Ethan said, "I'm only filling in temporarily, and I don't really understand business operations. The main responsibilities still fall on Mr. Carlos."

"What's the big deal about being the department head at the Aim Group? It's still working for Ella, isn't it?"

"That's right, it's just a fancier job. A department head's salary probably caps at a million dollars, maybe two with commission."

"How can a department head compare to someone like Henry, who's going to take over the family business someday? Still just an employee. Ella could dismiss him with a snap of her fingers!"

These jealous notes echoed among the crowd but were met with a wave of agreement.

It seemed the old saying, "the nail that stands out gets hammered down," rang true, especially as Ethan, whom they had always looked down on, had suddenly gained such authority, turning them all a shade greener with envy.

Grandpa Smith started coughing repeatedly and his face turned a shade of embarrassment. He hadn't expected such a dramatic turnaround at the last minute.

Ethan turned out to be the project manager—did that mean the contract he'd just torn up could be legally binding with Ethan's signature on it?

The Smith Group could instantly possess a project worth 120 million dollars?!

"Ethan, I was too impulsive just now, saying all those unpleasant things!" Grandpa Smith said.

"But don't take it to heart... I was just frustrated because I care!" he added.

"If I had known about your accomplishments, I wouldn't have said what I did. Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

Grandpa Smith walked over with a beaming smile, patting Ethan's shoulder.

Ethan just shrugged. Even if he had spoken up, nobody would've believed him. So what was the point?

Henry's expression soured as well. At that moment, his 10 million dollar project seemed quite petty and insignificant.

After all, as the project director for The Aim Group, Ethan had a 120 million dollar deal to offer the Smith family, while Henry couldn't muster anything near that scale.

Ethan, observing Grandpa Smith's sudden change in demeanor, remained silent. He had seen it all during his time in prison—people who'd say one thing to one person and something else to another.

Robert stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "That's right, Ethan. The old man was just a bit hot-headed, but he did mean well."

"Just prepare a new copy of the contract and give it to Bernice. Let her take full charge of the project."

As Robert played peacemaker, he also seized the opportunity to delegate authority to Bernice.

Grandpa Smith was silent, knowing that if Ethan got upset and withdrew the project, it would be the Smith family that would suffer financially.

"Henry, you heard that! I won't agree to your rude demands. Don't try to threaten me with your 10 million dollar deal." Finally emboldened to speak her mind, Bernice raised her voice at Henry.

Henry's face turned even uglier, but he maintained a gentlemanly facade, offering a strained smile before saying, "Well then, I won't overstay my welcome. I've delivered my gift and have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

With those words, Henry turned and left with a dark expression.

This time, he failed to embarrass Ethan; instead, he had received a metaphorical slap across his own face. If the last time on the cruise he was metaphorically slapped on the right cheek, this time it was the left.

'You're just a department head at the Aim Group, the Bush family could take you down in a heartbeat!' Henry thought viciously, his face contorted with rage, determined not to let this go easily.

Ethan replied with an air of ease, "Who was it that just said if I could bring up a hundred million dollar project, they would immediately kneel down and call me 'Daddy'?"