Chapter 464 The Challenge from Wylie
The entire family knew that as the head of the family, Alistair was very strict with them. If James had made such a mistake in the past, he would have been severely punished, possibly even expelled from the family.
Over a decade ago, a family member offended an elder and was stubbornly unrepentant when caught. Alistair beat him up and expelled him from the family.
Now, even if James wasn't expelled, he would at least be punished by kneeling for three days and nights. As for managing the Serenity Haven Hotel, that was out of the question.
But now, James wasn't punished at all; only Erin's dividends were docked for half a year. What was that? Everyone knew that the main dividend income for James's family was from James himself. Erin's annual dividends were only about $500,000.
This clearly showed that Alistair was protecting James, completely unreasonably.
This hint was a huge shock to everyone in the Smith family. It meant that James was back, still Alistair's favorite grandson, and the first in line to inherit.
Instantly, Wylie's body shook violently as he immediately lowered his head, his face contorted with more than just displeasure; it was rage.
'Why do you favor James so much? Am I not also your grandson? I concede that James was superior to me in the past! However, over the past five years, I have toiled diligently and made substantial contributions to the Smith family. Without my efforts, the Smith family would have been consumed by the Ward and Stewart families! Now that James has returned, I am being discarded like a piece of used toilet paper. And I am no longer inferior to James!' Wylie thought with anger.
At this moment, Wylie was overwhelmed with grievances, anger, and defiance. Every negative emotion coalesced within him and exploded in his mind, causing him to lose reason in an instant. A maddening voice echoed in his brain. After taking a deep breath, he lifted his head and said to Alistair, "Alistair, you have taught us not to place hope in others and that power is something one must strive for oneself. I have managed Serenity Haven Hotel for five years, increasing its revenue by a full thirty percent. If James wants to take over Serenity Haven Hotel, he must defeat me himself; only then will I willingly submit."
Wylie's words were firm and fearless, staring directly at Alistair to show his determination and dissatisfaction.
His request was reasonable. The Smith family had always valued individual ability; whoever was capable would be the manager.
James's previous high status in the family, second only to Alistair, was due to his outstanding personal abilities.
Now that he had been away for five years and his assets had been divided, if he wanted to come back, the most convincing way was to fight his way back. Otherwise, even if Alistair, as the head of the family, forced the Serenity Haven Hotel into James's hands, it would be hard to convince everyone.
Alistair slightly furrowed his brow, his expression darkening. Wylie's defiance displeased him.
But he didn't scold Wylie because Wylie's request was reasonable.
As the head of the family, Alistair knew that what he was doing was unfair. He was just trying to make up for the grievances James had suffered over the past five years. James was a once-in-a-century genius in the Smith family and his most beloved grandson, in whom he had high hopes. Now that James was finally back, it was only natural for him to be biased.
Besides, Alistair knew that James hitting Caroline must have been Caroline's fault; otherwise, he wouldn't be so blatantly biased towards James.
What Alistair didn't expect was Wylie's intense hostility towards James.
James, the person in question, seemed oblivious to Wylie's challenge. He continued eating with an air of nonchalance, as if Wylie were of no consequence to him.
Everyone could see the obvious disregard on James's face.
It wasn't until Alistair asked him that he reacted, "James, Wylie has challenged you. What do you think?"
James frowned slightly and said, "Let's forget about the challenge. We don't want to hurt our brotherly bond."
When he spoke, everyone felt a sense of disbelief. Could this truly be the same arrogant and overbearing James from before? In the past, if Wylie had dared to challenge him in this manner, he would have surely faced severe repercussions. And now, James appeared to have backed down? Could the rumors be true that James's power had significantly waned?
With this, Wylie's sneer deepened as he said, "It's just a spar, not a life-and-death fight."
James shook his head, "Forget it, I'm not interested."
Even Alistair couldn't quite understand what James was thinking. Had James's character been worn down over the past five years, or could he really not beat Wylie anymore?
Wylie burst into laughter, then stared intently at James, full of provocation and mockery, "James, are you backing down for fear? This doesn't seem like you. But if you're really scared, it's okay. I'll still transfer the Serenity Haven Hotel to you. After all, you're my brother."
His words were nothing short of a declaration of war against James. If James chose not to respond, it would signify his defeat, leading not only to a loss of dignity but also to a rapid decline in the esteem in which he was held by everyone.
It appeared as though Wylie was driving him to the brink.
James stopped, smiling at Wylie, "Wylie, are you so confident you can beat me?"
"Try it," Wylie shrugged, full of provocation.
He felt immense satisfaction. For over twenty years, he had lived in James's shadow. Now, he could finally stand in front of James and challenge him.
Wylie was confident he could defeat James.
Over the years, with most of the family's resources, his abilities had skyrocketed. He would prove to Alistair with his own fists who the real genius of the Smith family was.
James sighed, shaking his head, "Why do you insist?"
Wylie was deeply displeased with his air of unshakable confidence and even used James's past demeanor to undermine him.
Alistair said, "James, are you sure you want to accept the challenge?"
"Yeah, it's his will," James nodded calmly, showing no excitement or nervousness, as if he didn't care about the matter at all.
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