Chapter 602: Claire Kidnapped Bradley
Ethan rolled back into the Douglas Group, and the first thing he did was clean house.
Over the years, Claire and Howard had stuffed the place with their cronies. After Ethan got booted, they kicked out all his loyal folks, which messed up the company big time.
"Ethan, you sure about axing so many people at once? Howard's probably laughing his ass off right now," the VP said, sweating bullets, thinking Ethan was going too hard, too fast.
Even though they had solid reasons to fire those people, losing so many experienced hands at once was a nightmare for day-to-day operations.
"Michael, chill. I got this," Ethan said, trying to calm him down.
The VP wiped his forehead. How could he not freak out? By backing Ethan, he’d totally pissed off Howard. If Howard and his bastard son Bradley made a comeback, he’d be out on his ass along with Ethan.
They were all in this mess together now.
"The charity fundraiser's coming up. If things go south, Howard might stir the pot. Lots of big shots will be there," he reminded Ethan, though he knew Ethan was already on it.
Ethan nodded and grinned. "Oh, Howard’s definitely gonna try something. He’s running out of moves. But don’t sweat it. I’ve got a big surprise for him."
Meanwhile, Howard was lounging on his office sofa, chatting happily on the phone.
"Awesome, with your help, I feel way better," Howard said, clearly having found a way to mess with Ethan.
After hanging up, Howard looked at Bradley. "Relax, Ethan’s been smart for too long, but now he’s screwed up. By firing all these people, the company’s gonna take a hit. Keep repeating the same lies, and people will start believing them. It won’t be easy for him to stabilize things."
All he needed to do was stir the pot a bit, and Ethan’s position would be shaky.
The same way he climbed up, he’d fall.
Bradley sat quietly next to him.
"Bradley, when Ethan’s position gets shaky, that’s your chance," Howard said with a grin. He’d also talked with Ian, who’d keep Jasmine’s LY busy while he and Bradley dealt with Ethan.
Ethan would be too distracted to worry about Jasmine.
Bradley glanced at Howard and spoke softly, "Dad, will having all this really make you happy?"
Howard gave Bradley a stern look. "You’re still young, fresh out of school. There’s a lot you don’t get. I’m setting things up so you can climb to the top, step by step."
To heights even Ethan couldn’t reach.
Bradley stayed silent.
'Standing at the so-called top, would it bring my mom back? No, she is not coming back.'
"Bradley, you’re a good kid—obedient, smart, and sensible. You should know what power and money can get you," Howard said, looking at Bradley again. "This time, Ethan fired a ton of employees. If the company can’t fill those spots fast or stabilize in time, it’ll take a huge hit. If he can’t fix it, he’ll be the fall guy."
Just like that bogus deal he signed with the Raymond Group, which pissed everyone off inside the company.
At that point, the same folks who lifted him up would shove him down into the abyss.
"Dad, do you really think Ethan's that dumb? He wouldn't can so many people without a backup plan," Bradley said, feeling helpless.
"Hmph, he's drunk on his own success. He axed all my and Claire's people, and he doesn't have enough replacements," Howard sneered, convinced Ethan didn't have the talent pool to fill the gaps. "And those positions aren't just any old jobs."
Bradley looked at Howard, clenching his fists. He wished Howard would snap out of it. "Dad, I heard there were some old-timers in the company. You and Claire fired them after Ethan left and replaced them with your people. Now that Ethan's fired your folks, those old-timers will probably step back in."
Bradley tried to get Howard to see reason, but it was like talking to a wall.
Ethan wasn't the type to get cocky over a win.
"Those old-timers are all talk. They’ve already jumped ship to the Raymond Group and messed up the Douglas Group. You think Ethan can bring them back? Dream on. Even if they wanted to come back, it’d take a lot of guts," Howard said confidently.
He was sure Ethan was cornered now.
Using resources from one area to cover losses in another was just a recipe for disaster.
Bradley sighed and kept quiet.
He also wanted to see how Ethan would handle this mess.
"Sir." Mark, the assistant, burst in, looking freaked out. "Your place caught fire."
Howard's face turned dark. Who else could it be but Claire?
He had left home today to dodge her, and her people must have thought he was still there, which was why the fire started.
Claire had totally lost it, going as far as arson and murder.
"Watch your back when you go out. The house caught fire; I need to check it out," Howard said sternly. There were still some things left by Leah at home that he needed to look after.
Not far from the Douglas Group, Claire sat in her car, watching Howard's car drive off.
"Hmph, he couldn't wait to leave," she said. Setting the fire was just a distraction to get Howard out of the way. Her real target was Bradley.
Bradley was now Howard's golden boy, and she wanted Howard to feel the pain.
Her eyes darkened as she looked at the bodyguard. "Keep an eye on him. Bring me that Bradley alive."
"Yes, ma'am."
Claire glanced at the Douglas Group, her eyes full of malice.
Pushed to this point, she had no way out.
Bradley, Howard, and Ethan had to go.
Once they were all out of the picture, the Douglas family would be all Daniel's.
As a mom, she had nothing to leave her kid. Even if it meant walking down a dark path, she had to clear the way for Daniel.
"Daniel still refuses to eat. I think something's off with him. Should we stop locking him up?" Wendy, the assistant, asked softly, worried about Daniel, who was being confined.
"Don't worry about him. He can't see my good intentions right now," Claire said, knowing Daniel's heart was too soft. But to achieve big things, he couldn't be so wishy-washy.
Once she had cleared all the obstacles for Daniel, it wouldn't be too late to let him out.
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