Chapter 528 Jasmine Wants to Collaborate with Avery
Claire called Howard, and he quickly realized the info was crucial, so he rushed back.
He dropped the pretense, going all out to get it. It was the only way to regain control in Silverlight City and crush Raymond.
"Ready to talk now?" Howard asked as he walked into the basement.
Annabelle, breathing heavily, looked distressed. "Let me out, and I can help you get that info. I know what's in it. My dad's been skirting the law for years, helping you launder money. My parents hide the info at home, and only I can find it."
Howard eyed her skeptically. "Where's it hidden? Just tell me."
He didn't trust Annabelle to cooperate easily.
"I know it's at home, but I need to go there and look for it," Annabelle said. "Whether you believe me or not, let me go find it. Otherwise, even if you beat me to death, I won't know where it is."
Howard thought for a moment and then looked at his assistant, Mark. "Make arrangements and keep a close eye on her. If she tries to run..."
Mark nodded.
Claire was anxious. "Howard, this bitch has tricks up her sleeve. What if she escapes?"
"She won't," Howard said confidently.
Even if Annabelle ran, she wouldn't get far in Silverlight City, and she knew she couldn't escape Howard's control.
"Go ahead. I'll give you one day. If you can't find it, don't think about leaving this basement ever again," Howard threatened.
Annabelle shivered and took a deep breath. "I understand."
At Deborah's place, she sipped her coffee and smiled at the info on her computer. "Ethan, you're my lucky charm. With this, the Hawthorne family is finished."
With this info, she could control more than half the businesses in Silverlight City. Establishing herself would be easy.
Deborah called her assistant, Laura. "Tell Avery I'm returning to the company tomorrow. If she disagrees, notify the board members I want a meeting to sign a betting agreement with her."
Deborah smirked, determined to reclaim everything from the Hawthorne family.
Avery had forced her out of the country for years, thinking she could defeat everyone forever. She was delusional. This time, Deborah was coming for her.
"Miss, the most important voting rights are still with Connor and Owen. Although Connor doesn't participate in company affairs, his shares are significant."
Deborah tapped her coffee cup. "Owen is profit-driven; I can handle him. But Connor, my uncle, it's uncertain if he'll support me."
With a laugh, Deborah said, "No matter, Owen still holds veto power. Even if Connor disagrees, I have ways to make the other board members agree."
In the Hawthorne family, Owen was getting old and stepping down. His son was useless, and the company relied on Avery. Although Owen intended to pass the company to his son, his son was incompetent.
Avery had bribed many people over the years and was close to gaining control of the company. Deborah's only real enemy was Avery.
She needed to be vigilant against Avery, but the others didn't worry her.
As long as the board members had no objections and let her sign the betting agreement with Avery, the info she had would make Avery lose big time.
Then, according to the agreement, Avery would be kicked out, and the entire Hawthorne Group would gradually fall into Deborah's hands.
"Miss, the betting agreement is risky. You must be absolutely sure, or else..." Laura was worried Deborah might lose.
If she lost, there'd be no coming back. The agreement involved all her shares in the Hawthorne Group. Deborah wanted to wager her shares against Avery's. Whether Avery dared to accept depended on her guts.
"Don't worry, I never do anything I'm not sure about," Deborah smiled. "Regarding LY, after we took those clients, did Jasmine say anything?"
"She said you can take it; she was too busy to waste her time on a scoundrel," Laura stammered.
Deborah laughed. "Only incompetent people get angry. Let's see how arrogant she can be. Does she really think the Raymond Group will kindly take in Ethan? For Raymond to reach its current position so quickly, it must be profit-driven. Since the people behind Raymond are profit-driven, they're not invincible."
"Once I establish myself in the Hawthorne Group, I'll negotiate a partnership with the president of the Raymond Group. Once Ethan is kicked out, Howard will hunt him down. Ethan should know who to choose to succeed again unless he's a fool."
Deborah intended to push Ethan to the brink so he'd understand desperation.
He wouldn't get it unless he experienced it himself.
"As for Jasmine, without Raymond and Ethan, her small company won't go far, even with Samuel's support," Deborah said dismissively, not taking LY seriously.
The small company was too limited.
Jasmine was too self-righteous. Despite having good resources from the Cunningham Group, she didn't affiliate her company with it, opting for independent entrepreneurship instead.
What a joke.
Nowadays, without connections, trying to make a name for oneself solo was wishful thinking.
Such a naive woman, Deborah couldn't understand what Ethan saw in her.
When she eventually stood at the top of Silverlight City's business world, Ethan would realize she was the one worth choosing.
At Ethan's place, Jasmine sat in front of the computer, examining the info Zelda had given her.
"You really can't judge a book by its cover," she remarked.
She and Ethan hadn't handed the info over to the police yet. It was like bait, meant to expose more people.
Once enough people were exposed, Jasmine and Ethan would close the net and catch them all.
"What does Deborah plan to do with this info? Does she want to use it to establish herself in Silverlight City? Is she planning to start her own business?" Jasmine asked Ethan, not knowing much about Deborah.
"Start her own business?" Ethan chuckled. "If she were capable of starting her own business, she wouldn't still be up to no good."
Jasmine suddenly understood and looked at Ethan in surprise. "From the beginning, she was targeting the Hawthorne Group."
What she wanted was the well-established Hawthorne Group.
Ethan nodded. "That woman's ambition is not ordinary."
"Avery currently manages the Hawthorne Group. Can Avery be a match for Deborah?" Jasmine was a bit worried.
After all, the enemy of an enemy is a friend.
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