Chapter 594: Brandon's Final Choice is Ethan
Brandon grabbed the contract and ripped it up with a grin. "Man, the three heirs of the Douglas Group are all top-notch. Makes it tough to pick just one."
Bradley kept his head down, staying quiet, like he already knew Brandon wasn't gonna pick him.
Howard's arrogance had led to his mom's death.
Daniel didn't look too hot either, probably still messed up over Howard's drama and the whole illegitimate kid thing, lost in his own thoughts.
Daniel was thinking Ethan must have hated him so much as he hated Bradley now.
Ethan was the kid from the first wife, the real heir to the Douglas Group.
Thanks to Claire and Howard, Ethan lost his mom and his home.
Just days after his mom died, Howard couldn't wait to marry Claire, didn't even bother to fake it.
When Howard married Claire, he brought Lisa and Daniel into the Douglas family.
At first, Daniel and Lisa were all cautious and scared around Ethan, not wanting to piss him off. But over time, they got comfy and started acting like it was their own place.
Daniel tried to get along with Ethan, but Ethan just looked down on him. Daniel thought it was 'cause he was an illegitimate kid, but later he realized Ethan was just heartbroken and disappointed.
The dad Daniel had looked up to for years suddenly brought in another illegitimate kid, praising Bradley the way Daniel had never seen before.
That hurt Daniel bad, making him feel like it didn't matter who Brandon picked.
But Claire was different. She looked at Howard with resentment, and they fought in private, hurting each other deeply, while keeping up a fake front in public.
They each had dirt on the other.
"Everyone at the Douglas Group has seen how hard Daniel's worked and how much he's contributed, with achievements and projects just as good as anyone else's," Claire bragged, trying to make her son look even better.
In the past, Daniel might've felt proud hearing Claire praise him, but now, it just felt like a knife in his back.
He started to get that Claire wasn't praising him; she was praising herself.
As a mom, she wanted a certain kind of son and forced him to be that way.
Daniel's life had been shaped by Claire from the start.
He was like a statue, lifeless and soulless.
Just like when the news broke that Jasmine wasn't the real heiress of the Wilson family, his first reaction was indifference. He even told Claire, "Mom, I don't care if Jasmine is the real heiress of the Wilson family. She's just Jasmine, and I like her for who she is."
But Claire called him an idiot, saying that Jasmine, no longer the heiress, was worthless and meaningless.
Both Claire and Evan told him to break off his engagement with Jasmine, but he refused.
Because he refused, Evan, Serena, and Claire set Jasmine up, sending her to Ethan's bed and accusing her of extortion.
At that time, he was so angry, he lost all sense of reason and judgment.
Now he deeply regretted it.
But it was too late.
Jasmine had found her light, her savior.
Too bad it wasn't him, Daniel.
"I’m out," Daniel finally spoke up after a long, awkward silence.
He was freaked out. After hearing about the woman who died by Howard's side, he was scared stiff.
He was terrified that if Claire kept going, she'd be beyond saving, and he was scared she'd go completely nuts.
When Daniel spoke, everyone turned to look at him, and Claire was the most shocked of all.
She stared at Daniel, totally stunned. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Then she forced a smile and explained to Brandon, "Don't mind him. He got attacked last night and might be a bit shaken up."
Daniel stayed quiet for a bit before speaking again, "I’m out."
Claire suddenly stood up and slapped him, not caring that he had shielded her from a blow the day before, breaking his collarbone.
Daniel winced in pain but kept his mouth shut.
Claire turned back to Brandon. "Daniel's just scared and doesn't know what he's saying. Please, go on."
Brandon glanced at Daniel and put the torn contract on the table. "I come here for Ethan. The Raymond Group is showing real support for Ethan. Everyone knows he's got the skills."
Brandon's words left everyone even more stunned.
A bunch of people, led by the vice president of the Douglas Group, breathed a sigh of relief. Under Ethan's leadership, the Douglas Group could really look out for everyone's interests and the company's benefits.
Claire stood there, stiff as a board, staring at Brandon, unable to snap out of it.
"Mr. Russell." Claire looked at Brandon, totally confused and in disbelief.
Daniel suddenly laughed, like he finally found some relief.
Claire turned to look at Daniel, trembling as she spoke again, "You must have misspoken. We had a deal."
On the other side, Howard's face changed. He glanced at Ethan, clenched his fists, and snorted.
Sure enough, Ethan still had his tricks.
Who knew what he did to get Brandon on his side.
"Ethan, don't get too cocky. This ain't over yet." Howard snorted.
"Yeah, sure." Ethan smiled and pulled out the contract Howard had signed. "I only want the shares that belong to my mom. As for your shares, you got two other sons. How you split them up is your problem."
Ethan knew exactly how to hit where it hurt.
He thought, 'Surprised by this? Just wait, there's more.'
Howard's shares were too tainted for him to take, and there weren't many to begin with.
Using a small number of shares to stir up internal conflict, Ethan was more than happy to do so.
Howard was left with just his own shares, barely holding onto the title of chairman.
Ethan not taking Howard's shares was seen as a good move by the board members.
Howard's face twisted, and he snorted.
"Howard, you promised to give your shares to Daniel!" Claire didn't have time to argue with Brandon anymore.
She needed to secure Howard's shares, at least to stop him from giving them to the illegitimate kid.
Howard snorted, looked at Claire, and said, "All my shares are going to Bradley. Starting tomorrow, Bradley's joining the Douglas Group!"
Howard was using all his power and connections to bring Bradley into the company, planning to slowly guide him to take the company back from Ethan.
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