Chapter 559: Howard Wants to Eliminate Ethan
One minute, they were stabbing one in the back for a buck, and the next, they were teaming up with the one for the same reason.
In the Douglas family, Howard kicked the table hard, looking like he was about to explode.
"Is everyone here useless? Still haven't found it?" Howard roared. "I don't care what it takes, find it!"
He was losing his mind over that missing info.
"What about your so-called skills? Haven't you gotten anything out of her yet?" Howard snapped at Claire.
Claire was too scared to talk, but inside, she was fuming.
Since marrying Howard, she’d been living in constant fear, and she was so over it!
Once she tracked down Zelda and got the info, she’d see how tough Howard really was.
"Annabelle doesn’t know where the info is either, but I’ve told her to think hard about it," Claire reassured him.
Howard snorted. "Think? when’s she gonna come up with it?"
"Soon," Claire said with a nervous smile.
Howard didn’t say anything, just stood there fuming.
Not long after, Mark, the assistant, rushed in. "Mr. Douglas..."
Howard frowned. "What now?"
Mark looked nervous. "Someone from the board has already gone to find Ethan."
Howard’s face darkened even more.
These money-hungry vultures couldn’t wait to see him fall.
"Great, just great!" Howard cursed, slapping the sofa.
"Everyone wants to back someone else!" Howard glared at Mark. "Then make sure Ethan never comes back!"
Howard had murder in his eyes for Ethan.
Claire let out a sigh of relief; Howard’s rage meant he was done with Ethan.
That meant everything would go to Daniel eventually; it was just a matter of time.
"Handle it cleanly," Howard told Mark.
Mark looked uneasy. "Mr. Douglas, the people we’ve got aren’t efficient, and Ethan’s pretty sharp."
Howard’s face twisted in anger, and after a long pause, he waved his hand. "Get out, I’ll handle it myself."
Howard let Mark go and sat on the sofa, stewing in silence.
"You go too and find that info ASAP," Howard told Claire to leave.
Claire didn’t say a word and got up to go.
She really needed to find that info fast.
Holding his phone for a long time, Howard finally called Sophia. "I’m in for the deal you proposed, but your people need to take care of Ethan for good."
"Even the fiercest tiger won’t harm its cubs. Howard, you’re something else," Sophia laughed.
"Hmph, he is nothing but a disobedient son who knows too much," Howard said coldly.
Sophia raised an eyebrow; not many were as ruthless as Howard.
But for this kind of deal, she needed someone that cold.
"You do this for me, and I’ll make sure you get what you want," Howard said in a low voice.
"Alright, alright, I’ll take care of it," Sophia agreed with a laugh.
In the courtyard, Claire looked around to make sure no one was there and made a call.
"Have you found her? That Zelda?"
"Yeah, she’s in a psych hospital in Silverlight City. Security’s tight. Even if we see her, we might not get her out, and even if we do, she might not talk," the other person said worriedly. "Claire, do we really have to keep this from Howard?"
"Are you scared?" Claire snorted. "You coward."
The other person laughed. "I’m not scared. I’m worried we won’t get anything out of her."
"Don't sweat it! Now that we've tracked down that nutcase Zelda, I'll go see her," Claire said with a cold laugh. This time, she had to carve out a future for herself and her son.
Counting on Howard? Yeah, right.
Claire stayed quiet for a bit before speaking again, "Pull some strings, I need to see Zelda."
"I heard she's totally bonkers. You sure you wanna see her?" the other person asked, worried.
"The crazier, the better. The crazier she is, the tighter her lips," Claire laughed.
She was also stressing that Howard might find out she was hunting for Zelda behind his back.
If she snagged the info before he caught on, all good. If not, Howard would definitely know she had her own agenda.
That would be a mess.
"We've only got this one shot; you gotta nail it. If you want future riches, you gotta listen to me," Claire warned in a serious tone.
"Can I win the beauty?" The person on the other end teased with a laugh.
Claire blushed. "Shut up, you."
Hanging up the phone, Claire sat in the garden, feeling pretty good, sipping her coffee.
Once she got that info, she'd make Howard cough up his shares.
If something happened to Howard, she'd be the queen bee of the Douglas family.
Then, she could do whatever the hell she wanted.
In the psych hospital, Zelda sat on the bed, shredding a tissue in her hand.
"Zelda, someone wants to see you," the nurse said gently.
This place was set up by Jasmine and Ethan, so at least they weren't roughing Zelda up like the last private psych ward where they treated people like dirt.
Plus, Zelda was hurt, and the cops were keeping an eye on her, so she was safer here.
Zelda got out of bed and walked out.
In the reception room, she saw Jasmine.
"What are you doing here?" Zelda looked around, curious why Jasmine would visit her.
"I got your stuff," Jasmine said to Zelda. "This time, you really helped me out."
Zelda gave a bitter laugh. "You came just to thank me? That's not like you."
Zelda knew that if Ethan's crew hadn't shown up in time that day, she'd probably be dead.
"You still owe me a favor," Jasmine said bluntly. "I need you to do something for me."
Zelda frowned, knowing Jasmine had a plan.
"Spill it."
"Claire has Annabelle locked up, and Annabelle's probably worse off than you were," Jasmine stated.
Zelda laughed, clutching her stomach, and pounded the table. "So, she's getting her comeuppance!"
"Claire and Howard want the info you have. I bet Claire will come looking for you soon," Jasmine said calmly.
Zelda stopped laughing and looked at Jasmine. "What do you want?"
"I'll stash the processed info in a locker at the train station. When the time comes, you tell Claire to get it," Jasmine said, locking eyes with Zelda. "Claire's got her own agenda and will come to you behind Howard's back. I'll also let Howard's people find you, and then..."
"And then, I'll tell Howard that Claire already came to see me and took the info so they can rip each other apart?" Zelda finished for Jasmine.
Jasmine nodded with a smile.
"Jasmine." Zelda also smiled. "I never realized you could be so ruthless."
"Will you help?" Jasmine asked.
"Yeah," Zelda said, leaning back in her chair with a smile. "I still need you to cover my expenses for the rest of my life over there, so of course I'll help. Don't worry. I'll get it done."
Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll leave it to you."
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