Chapter 567: Ethan and Howard Begin Their Confrontation
Why the heck would she go abroad?
She busted her butt to get all this stuff for Daniel, and now she was jetting off? Was she nuts?
Daniel's jaw dropped, but he couldn't get a word out.
"I'm doing this for you," Claire sighed.
Daniel shot up from his seat, breathing hard like he'd just seen a ghost. "Before you do stuff for me, can you at least ask what I want?"
He didn't want to be outdone by Ethan and was ready to pull some tricks to beat him, but murder? That was a whole different ball game.
"What do you want? To be on top and crush Ethan, isn't that it?" Claire was a bit ticked off. She knew her son better than anyone, so why were they arguing?
Daniel clammed up, not saying a word.
His mind was a total mess.
Outside the conference room, Ben Anderson came out to greet Ethan personally. The second Ethan showed up, all eyes were glued to him.
Daniel was like a forgotten shadow in the corner, watching the dazzling Ethan, who seemed born to steal the spotlight.
He used to feel like a nobody next to Ethan. Then he started to hate and envy him.
He kept telling himself the only reason Ethan had it better was 'cause he was born into the Douglas family, the heir and all that.
What was Daniel missing?
Where was he falling short?
Among his peers, he was always a standout.
His grades were solid, and without Ethan, he wouldn't be seen as second-rate.
But because of Ethan, he was always in the shadows.
Ethan walked past Daniel without even a glance, like he wasn't worth noticing.
Daniel knew Ethan looked down on him.
When he was with Jasmine, he felt on top of the world, thinking Ethan would never find a girl better than his.
Back then, Jasmine was so dazzling that Daniel couldn't tell if he loved her or just the glow around her.
So when Jasmine had her accident, he couldn't handle it.
When the person he loved had flaws, he bailed and even helped push her further down.
But now, Jasmine had clawed her way out of the mud, cleaned herself up, and was shining again.
Jasmine wasn't his anymore.
Now, even Jasmine was with Ethan.
Daniel was burning with jealousy and frustration, but he forgot he only treated Jasmine well when she was shining.
When Jasmine hit rock bottom, he didn't help her; he kicked her while she was down.
But Ethan was different. When Jasmine was at her lowest, he pulled her out of the mud, shielded her, let her heal, and helped her shine again.
He let her stand in the light again.
"According to the late William Douglas's will, as long as Ethan gets married and starts a family, all his shares go to him." Ethan's lawyer laid out the will and the legal stuff.
Howard's legal team was there too, arguing back, and it was like a courtroom drama.
But in the end, Howard lost.
The Douglas Group board members had new evidence.
The will wasn't just handwritten; there was a video recording with a third-party witness.
Ben was the guy William trusted. He didn't want to bring it out unless he had to.
Ben was smart, just playing his cards right.
Ethan knew someone had dirt on him, and before the will came out, his odds were a coin flip. So he played it smart, set the stage, and slowly made Howard and Daniel look like clowns in front of everyone.
Like they said: When you were down, everyone kicked you; when you were up, everyone kissed your ass. That was just how it was.
Ethan never blamed anyone. Everyone was just looking out for themselves.
Howard's face was a mess. He didn't think his old man would still be playing defense.
William was scared Howard would hand over the Douglas family's assets and shares to some randoms, like his illegitimate kid, so he set everything up before he kicked the bucket.
In the end, Howard had to suck it up, sign the papers, and hand the shares to Ethan.
But Ethan's lawyer wasn't done. "We also want Mr. Douglas to transfer your ex-wife's shares to Ethan."
The lawyer knew they couldn't get everything from Howard, just what Ethan deserved.
But that was enough.
With those shares, Ethan would have more than Howard.
Claire had the key docs and would make sure Howard coughed up the shares.
By then, Howard's shares would be watered down, and Ethan's spot in the Douglas Group would be rock solid.
Sure enough, Howard was fuming.
They all wanted his shares.
Glaring at Ethan, Howard said coldly, "Her shares are mine, part of our marital property. When I die, you'll get some."
"Really?" Ethan smirked. "So, when are you planning to die? I can't wait forever."
"You!" Howard slammed the table, fuming.
The lawyer laid out the inheritance order and ratio, demanding Howard give up those shares.
Howard signed, seething, and looked at the board members. "Happy now?"
They could vote on the CEO, but they couldn't fire the chairman.
He still had veto power, and the Douglas Group was still his playground.
Ethan raised an eyebrow and stood up. "Starting tomorrow, I'm officially back at the Douglas Group. I hope you'll all support me, and we'll work hard together."
Ethan had learned to play the game.
He needed some cunning and smarts to handle the messy politics.
The board members sighed in relief. Now, they had to put their faith in Ethan.
Claire sneered, looking at Howard with determination.
"Howard, you said last night you'd transfer the shares to Daniel today," Claire said loudly, making sure everyone heard, so Howard would have to keep his word.
Howard had tried to get Sophia's people to take out Claire last night, but Claire was sharp and had her own protection.
He had seriously underestimated her.
"I'm old. My health isn't what it used to be, so I'll temporarily transfer the shares to Daniel. From now on, this company belongs to their generation," Howard said lightly, but his eyes were full of rage.
Claire, he couldn't let her stick around.
Daniel stayed quiet. He knew these shares were shady, maybe even bloody, but he kept his mouth shut.
He was also fed up and wanted to take a shot. When he had shares to match Ethan's, would Ethan still push him around?
No way.
He wasn't always gonna lose to Ethan.
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