Chapter 419 Fierce Competition at the Charity Gala
Ethan's Residence.
Jasmine was asleep, but tonight, her sleep seemed restless, probably because she was agitated by Annabelle's words at the hospital.
Ethan stayed by the bedside, and only when Jasmine's sleep became more stable did he turn and leave.
Sitting in the living room, Ethan's thoughts were a bit chaotic.
Today at the hospital, Howard's gaze towards him was filled with murderous intent.
"Back then, you married my mom, and with the help of my grandfather and my mom, you built the Douglas Group. It was me who took over the company and led it step by step to its current position. Dad, you use people and then discard them."
Howard sneered. "As my son, you should listen to me. If you obeyed, I wouldn't be like this. Hurry back and help. The Crestwood Development Group has been targeting our relentlessly."
Howard continued to curse, clearly directing his insults at the family behind the rival group.
Ethan sneered; Howard even cursed himself while cursing others.
"That day, I overheard Claire and Daniel talking, saying that you and she conspired to kill my mom. Is that true?" Ethan deliberately asked Howard in the hospital room.
Howard's face changed, and he retorted, "Nonsense!"
"Then it seems Claire is just talking nonsense," Ethan sneered.
But clearly, neither he nor Howard trusted each other anymore.
Howard looked at Ethan with deep meaning, his voice low. "Alright, your mom's death was just an accident. She wasn't in good health. Don't overthink it."
Ethan said nothing.
But the murderous intent between them was already very strong.
"Ethan, Daniel's abilities are indeed limited. I still need you back at the company. You hold a significant amount of shares, and you need to share some with Daniel. I want to treat you both fairly for the sake of family harmony," Howard said.
Ethan found Howard very hypocritical.
"You kicked me out of the company back then with the board's unanimous vote. Now you want me back... That's impossible," Ethan retorted.
"Do you plan to stick with your small startup? You're too naive." Howard's words made Ethan's breath uneven with anger.
"Well, I am just a naive person," Ethan replied.
Leaning back on the sofa, Ethan rubbed his temples. Today, he had completely severed ties with Howard and blocked all of Howard's escape routes.
Howard wanted him back at the company not just to deal with the Crestwood Development Group but also because Howard planned to collaborate with the Sanders Group.
And Arnold, being a peculiar person, stated that to collaborate with the Douglas Group, Ethan must return.
Ethan's flat-out rejection left Howard with no way out, naturally stoking his murderous rage towards him.
In Howard's eyes, a son was just a tool—a tool that should be obedient and not resist. Such a tool like Ethan should be eliminated as soon as possible.
"Mitchell, did you find any information on Arnold?" Ethan asked.
"Funny you ask; I was just about to call you." Mitchell chuckled. "I don't know about Arnold, but I found the psychologist you asked about. Besides Connor, there's another renowned psychologist in Silverlight City named Elbert Perry. He's related to my family, so don't doubt me."
Ethan leaned back on the sofa. "Is this person trustworthy?"
"Pretty much. I've heard he's a genius too. He and Connor were classmates while studying in Country M. Connor was a year ahead of him, and he just returned to the country last year."
Drawing a deep breath, Ethan didn't trust Connor due to his own mental hang-ups.
"Set up a meeting with this Elbert for me. I want to see him first."
"Alright," Mitchell responded, "By the way, Arnold returned to Westing today."
"Okay, keep an eye on him." Ethan was more worried about Arnold than Howard at the moment.
Arnold was indeed capable and difficult to deal with.
At the Charity Gala.
Everyone of status in Silverlight City would attend, and those invited were all billionaires.
It seemed that doing charity had become a mainstream activity for the wealthy.
When someone carried immense wealth, disasters often followed. To offset this, they did charity work, a rule that had always circulated in the circles of the rich.
Even if they spent a lot of money, they could earn it back, thanked to liquidity.
Money, if just stored, would never make one truly rich.
Only by circulating money could one gain more in return.
"I heard that the real heiress of the Cunningham family will be attending this charity gala."
"Ever since Annabelle was exposed for pretending to be the Cunningham family's daughter, the Cunningham family has not announced who their real daughter is. They have protected her very well."
"Since she's coming tonight, we'll finally get to see her."
A group of wealthy girls gathered, gossiping.
Previously, they all fawned over Annabelle, but now they ignored her.
They tread lightly around the Cunninghams because of Annabelle; after all, the family was no pushover.
However, even if Annabelle was not the Cunningham family's daughter, she was still the daughter of the Harper Family, Daniel's wife, and Howard's daughter-in-law.
So, even if they joked about Annabelle behind her back, they still maintained a facade of cordiality.
"I heard that the president of the Sanders Group, Arnold, will be here tonight. This person is very mysterious, a particularly powerful tycoon and very few people have seen him in person. He is extremely low-key."
Just as the girls finished speaking, Sophia walked in, wearing a high-end custom dress and holding Willian's arm.
Sophia paused for a moment and glanced at Annabelle in the front row.
Annabelle also noticed Sophia and nodded.
Her gesture indicated that Arnold would definitely be here tonight.
Sophia flashed a coy smile. She'd dolled herself up on purpose for her rendezvous with Arnold, confident her allure would reel him in, provided he wasn't playing for the other team. Moreover, Sophia hadn't been idle these past few days; she had been inquiring about Arnold's preferences.
It was said that the only time Arnold was photographed by the media escorting a woman to a car was when that woman was wearing a long champagne-colored dress.
Today, Sophia also wore a champagne-colored dress with jewelry that made her look elegant yet luxurious.
One had to admit that Sophia was indeed very beautiful; otherwise, someone like Willian wouldn't have kept her by his side for over twenty years.
"Willian, you go ahead and sit down. I need to use the restroom," Sophia said with a smile.
Sophia turned and was about to head to the restroom when her smile froze.
At the entrance of the gala, Betty walked in holding Richard's arm.
They passed by Sophia without noticing her.
Sophia instinctively turned her head, looking at Richard for a long time, frowning, and then walked forward with her head down.
In a moment of carelessness, Sophia bumped into a man's chest.
It was obvious she did it on purpose.
Someone at the entrance said that the person who had just entered was Arnold.
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