Chapter 461 Tit for Tat
James finally glanced at Wylie, smiling as he said, "You personally promoted him. Does that mean the Serenity Haven Hotel is now under your control?"
Wylie felt a sudden panic when James looked at him, his eyes flickering. Even though James didn't exude any intimidating aura and was just smiling at him, Wylie still felt an inexplicable anxiety. This was a psychological shadow accumulated over the years, and he hated this feeling.
However, Wylie quickly regained his composure in less than a second, throwing that damned anxiety aside. He feigned surprise and said, "Didn't Saxon tell you? I'm indeed managing the Serenity Haven Hotel now. I'm the president of the Serenity Haven Hotel."
James said, "Thank you for managing the Serenity Haven Hotel for so long. Now that I'm back, you can take a break."
Wylie waved his hand and said, "It's not hard at all. During your absence, the Serenity Haven Hotel's performance has soared, with revenues increasing by a full third compared to when you were in charge. Additionally, there is still considerable room for growth. I believe it would be more fitting for you to take a rest."
"Wylie, you are really different as before" James said meaningfully.
"Really? I don't think so; it's that you've regressed. I heard you came back yesterday wearing cheap clothes. Have you been living poorly since you left the Smith family?" Wylie grew more confident, his smile widening. He even reclined on the sofa, crossing his legs, looking very relaxed.
His demeanor unabashedly displayed his confidence and disdain for James, subtly conveying through his actions that times had changed and he, Wylie, no longer feared James.
With this, James felt no waves of emotion in his heart; instead, he found it amusing. Before he went to the Johnson family as a son-in-law, no one in the Smith family, including Wylie and Usher, dared to act presumptuously in front of him. They were all very obedient. Now, five years later, the once timid Wylie had become confident and started to disrespect him, the Smith family's number one genius.
If it had been in James's former nature, Wylie's audacity to speak to him in such a manner would have been met with immediate retribution.
But now, his character had become much more stable and magnanimous. He wasn't very angry; he was more curious about where Wylie's confidence came from.
James nodded, "Indeed, it hasn't been great."
With this, Wylie was stunned, thinking he had misheard. Could it be that the arrogant and domineering James had a day of restraint?
To be honest, after those words, Wylie was already prepared for James to suddenly attack. He had a smile on his face but was very vigilant inside, his body tense and ready to counterattack fiercely if James dared to strike.
But to his surprise, not only did James not make a move, but he also nodded and admitted it?
Was this still the James he knew?
"Did you think I would teach you a lesson?" James saw Wylie's reaction and said with a smile.
Wylie frowned, as his face turning somewhat ugly. He smirked, relaxing his body again, and said mockingly, "I was hoping you'd hit me. Who knows who would teach whom a lesson? Of course, it's best that you didn't make a move. After all, you're the older brother. If you lost, it would be a bit embarrassing."
James smiled and said, "Is that so? It seems you have great confidence in yourself."
At this point, James didn't continue the conversation.
On the surface, it appeared as though James had relented, no longer exhibiting his former domineering demeanor, seemingly apprehensive of him. Logically, this should have made him happy, yet he felt none of that. Instead, he felt an increased sense of unease, as the image of James grew even more enigmatic and inscrutable to him.
If Wylie could, Wylie really wanted to challenge James right now and legitimately defeat him! He originally wanted to follow James's words and directly challenge him to prove himself. But the words stuck in his throat because he still didn't have absolute confidence.
He realized he still didn't clear the strength of James. If he lost to James at this point, it would be a huge loss.
At this moment, an excited voice came from upstairs, "Wylie, you're back! I've been waiting for you for so long!"
As soon as the words fell, Caroline swiftly descended from the second floor, her face alight with excitement and animosity. She had been eagerly awaiting Wylie's return all day, dreaming of seeing James receive a harsh reprimand from Wylie.
Normally, she would take a nap every afternoon, but the events of today had rendered her unable to sleep.
Soon, Caroline stepped up to Wylie, pointed at James, and cursed, "Wylie, he hit me today and said he'd deal with you when you got back!"
Then she turned to James and said, "James, now that Wylie's back, if you have the guts, hit me again!"
Her eyes were red, her expression twisted, and her gaze at James was full of anger.
When it came to James, her feelings were completely different from Wylie's. Wylie found James even more inscrutable; though the former domineering aura had transitioned into a calm, and perhaps somewhat meek demeanor, he could no longer discern James's current state. This was what Wylie feared the most.
Caroline, an ordinary person, simply felt that James no longer had that sharp oppressive presence. In her viewpoint, this meant James's strength had declined, making it the perfect time to humiliate him.
Wylie frowned again, feeling that Caroline's rash behavior put him at a disadvantage.
Naturally, he was still seething with anger. James had struck his mother, and he was determined to demand an apology from him.
Without a word from Wylie, Caroline's face suddenly changed, realizing something was amiss.
Wylie stared straight at James, expressionless, and said, "James, did you hit Caroline?"
In the past few seconds, he had also figured it out. James's return this time was definitely to seize power, which meant a battle between him and James was inevitable.
Better late than never, but in this case, a timely action would have been more advantageous. Especially since James had already struck his mother, Caroline, if he didn’t take the initiative to confront him, he would already be halfway to defeat.
James didn't respond immediately. He leisurely sipped his coffee.
His demeanor made Wylie even angrier, his brow twitching violently. Just as he was about to start cursing, his mouth half-open, James began to speak, perfectly timing it to make Wylie extremely uncomfortable. James said, "Why don't you ask Caroline what she did to my mom?"
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