Chapter 457 Howard Was Collaborating with Arnold
Tom stood next to Connor and noticed a broken look in his eyes. He scratched his head, surprised, and squatted down to help Connor up. "Have some water. It's time to eat."
Connor didn't wake up. Instead, he grabbed Tom's collar and muttered, "Owen, you should die."
His voice was filled with such intense hatred and anger. It was like he was ready to drag that demon to hell with him.
Tom looked at Connor. The name Owen wasn't unfamiliar. Owen managed most of the Hawthorne family's business now.
Owen was the eldest son of Mr. Hawthorne, while Connor was the youngest, born much later.
With Mr. Hawthorne's health failing and him relying on expensive meds to stay alive, the Hawthorne family was clearly on the brink of chaos.
Connor's condition was a sign that Mr. Hawthorner's health was deteriorating, and the family was about to implode.
Owen was testing Connor's reaction.
"Ethan asked me to watch over you and protect you, and he'd buy me a Cullinan," Tom muttered, almost like he was talking to himself.
He was taking care of Connor purely for the Cullinan.
At Ethan's company, Richard was there too, looking seriously concerned. The company's current crisis was severe.
"There are breaches in the bodyguard and security personnel; someone is deliberately targeting us," Richard said, sitting on the sofa and looking at Ethan.
Both of them knew the situation well.
The department Richard managed was in chaos, and now clients were not only demanding to terminate contracts but also seeking compensation.
Ethan's eyes darkened. "Howard is hitting back hard."
"What should we do?" Richard asked, looking at Ethan. He trusted Ethan completely; he would do whatever Ethan said to do.
"We're a startup, and the trust we can build is already limited. Plus, we don't have industry elites to stabilize things," Ethan said, knowing it would be tough to keep the company steady under Howard's fierce attack.
At this critical moment, he realized he might have to sacrifice the startup, delivering a heavy blow to Howard, even if it meant bankruptcy, to make the Douglas Group pay a steep price.
After that, he planned to use the Raymond Group to continue the fight against Howard. This way, the chances of winning would be higher.
Richard nodded, his eyes resolute. "I'll follow your lead."
Richard didn't know Ethan had the Raymond Group. He cared deeply about the current company, but since Ethan said to give it up, he could only bear the pain and let it go.
"Richard, do you trust me?" Ethan asked, looking at him. "The company won't fall; I'm just using it as bait to catch a big fish."
Richard nodded. "I trust you."
Ethan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Good. Then before that, we'll fight Howard with everything we've got."
If Howard wanted to counterattack, then let him.
"Mr. Douglas, we've received an overseas email. The renowned director the HR department has been trying to recruit, Marissa, has replied," Derek said excitedly as he ran in, looking at Ethan. "Marissa said she'll be returning to the country soon and join us."
Ethan glanced at Richard and smiled. "Looks like even fate is on our side."
With such an elite joining them, Ethan was confident he could prolong Howard's struggle, causing him greater losses. It felt like divine assistance.
"Good." Richard nodded firmly.
"Has Jasmine gone to school? Is she adapting well?" Richard asked.
Ethan rubbed his temples helplessly. "She ran into trouble on the first day."
Richard frowned. "Jasmine has a soft personality, which makes her easy to bully."
Ethan was about to say more when Liam ran in. "Mr. Douglas."
Liam's face looked grim. He glanced at Richard and then at Ethan, clearly indicating that something had happened.
Ethan put down the documents and looked at Liam. "Speak, Richard is one of us."
"I've already resigned from the Douglas Group. Today, Howard deliberately called me over to witness the signing ceremony between the Douglas Group and the Sanders Group," Liam said, frowning. He clearly hadn't expected the twist with Arnold.
Arnold had reached a comprehensive strategic cooperation with the Douglas Group, which meant Howard now had strong backing.
Ethan definitely wouldn't use his newly founded startup to deal with Howard, but collaborating with the Raymond Group and the Cunningham family to fight against the Sanders family and the Douglas family was also a challenging task.
Arnold was the biggest unexpected variable in his original plan.
"What's more, Claire has made a move. She's forcing Daniel and Annabelle to divorce, clearly aware that Annabelle is no longer of use. But Annabelle is not easy to deal with; she's pregnant," Liam smirked, amused.
These people should be tied together, not divorced, and not cause trouble for others.
Ethan raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected Annabelle to be so scheming. "As long as Annabelle is carrying Daniel's child, Howard won't allow Daniel to divorce her."
"Annabelle has already spread the news that she's pregnant with Daniel's child. The media is all over it," Liam said, rolling his eyes.
Annabelle was a clever person.
"Annabelle wants the shares that Daniel hasn't gotten," Ethan said, his fingers lightly intertwined. "Annabelle can distract Claire and Daniel. At least for now, they're too busy with their own issues."
This meant Howard would have to fight alone in the Douglas Group.
Even with Arnold's strong support, it wouldn't help.
"However, Howard is still capable; the foundation of the Douglas Group was built by him, no doubt about it," Ethan acknowledged. "Especially now with Arnold."
Arnold was even harder to deal with than Howard.
"We're now isolated and without support," Richard said, worried about Ethan's situation.
Ethan shook his head. "We'll fight with all our might."
Richard took a deep breath. "How long does the company need to hold out?"
Ethan was silent for a moment, then said, "Six months."
Since Howard was using every means to destroy Ethan's new startup, he would have to pay a corresponding price. Ethan needed to stall Howard, causing him internal strife. At least for six months.
Richard was stunned for a moment, looking at Ethan. He repeated, "Six months."
Given the current situation, they couldn't hold out for even three months.
"We must hold out," Ethan said in a low voice.
Richard understood and nodded. "Got it. I'll make sure to hold the line on my end."
The situation was already urgent and on the brink of eruption.
"Don't let Jasmine know for now. I'm afraid she'll get distracted. I sent her back to school to focus on her studies," Ethan said, worried Jasmine would be concerned.
Richard nodded. "Understood."
At Ethan's residence, Jasmine sat on the sofa, gripping her phone tightly.
Howard was targeting Ethan, and his small company couldn't possibly compete against such massive capital. Moreover, Howard was now collaborating with Arnold; Ethan couldn't compete with them.
She had to come up with a solution to help Ethan. She needed to tie the Mitchell family to Ethan. Only then would the Mitchell family step in to help Ethan.
During her internship, Jasmine had to find a way to convince Samuel to join Ethan's company, offering some shares as an incentive. Only by binding Samuel to Ethan's company could they truly be united.
When Howard used despicable means for illegal business competition, the Mitchell family could step in to protect Ethan.
At the thought of Deborah, Jasmine frowned, her eyes deeper than ever. She wouldn't let Deborah have her way.
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