Chapter 603: Who Wants to Take Justin Away?
In the Douglas Group's underground parking lot, Bradley was walking to his car. As a workaholic, he burnt the midnight oil again.
Worn out and haunted by nightmares since Leah's death, he rubbed his temples as he made his way to his car.
Out of nowhere, blinding headlights and screeching brakes jolted him. Before he could even process what was happening, he got yanked into a car, his mouth and nose covered, and a hard kick to the gut.
As he blacked out from the pain, he managed to hit redial on his phone, praying someone would figure out he was being snatched.
"Don't kill him. Claire wants him breathing."
"Man, he's got such a baby face. Softer than a girl's."
"Dudes like him can't handle much. Ease up on the kicks."
"Claire wants pics sent to Howard to freak him out."
Ben trailed Jasmine back to the office, juggling the new energy project details.
"Ian's a tough cookie. He won't play dirty like Daniel and Annabelle, but even playing fair, we might not stand a chance," Ben quietly warned.
Even though Ian was the competition, he played by the rules, and this new energy gig was his first big shot at SHC Group, so he was gonna give it everything.
Jasmine nodded. "Got it. He's in survival mode at SHC Group, needing results to keep the bigwigs who backed Henry in check."
So yeah, Ian was no pushover.
"Ian's slick. He's a pro at playing innocent. Tomorrow's the first bid for the Everhart Group. Whatever Ian pitches, don't buy it as his final move," Ben seriously reminded Jasmine.
Jasmine nodded, finally getting why Ethan had hired Ben. The guy really had Ian pegged.
"Ben, can I ask, you used to work with Henry. How come you know Ian so well?" Jasmine asked quietly.
Ben grinned. "No big secret. Mr. Patrick had me tail Henry. He was worried Ian might go for the inheritance, so he had me dig into Ian. Ian's been playing the long game, lying low, waiting for his shot."
Jasmine nodded. "But Henry wouldn't just up and move to Muskow, right?"
He gave up such a prime market. It was like handing it over to Ian; such a waste.
Ben paused, looking at Jasmine. "Ma'am, even though Henry messed up a lot, he genuinely wanted the best for you."
Jasmine lowered her eyes, staring at the documents in her hand. She knew Ben couldn't spill the beans on Henry's struggles.
"These are my findings and data on Muskow's renewable energy R&D over the past few years, and these are my research on Ian's previous companies, and these..."
Ben dumped a huge stack of papers on Jasmine's desk.
Samuel, still hunting for info, gave Ben a thumbs-up. "Jasmine, this guy's way better than your assistant Rivera, who just yells at people. Let him work with me."
Jasmine proudly lifted her chin. "He's my guy."
Ben glanced at Jasmine, ducked his head, and smiled, his ears turning red.
Samuel shot her a look. "Everything's yours. I'm yours too."
Jasmine burst out laughing and got down to business.
The office was buzzing with serious work vibes, except for Tom, the bodyguard, who was bored out of his mind outside the door.
He felt kinda guilty for getting paid to just sit around.
Jasmine's phone rang. It was an unknown number from Boston.
She glanced at it and answered, "Hello?"
"Ms. Cunningham, sorry for the unexpected call. I'm Ian from SHC Group. Just got to San Francisco and have a project to discuss. Are you free?"
Jasmine was taken aback and checked the number again. Was this a prank? Ian actually reached out first?
"Mr. Patrick, are you serious?" Jasmine had no clue what Ian was up to.
"I've heard a lot about you and look forward to working closely in the future. Wanted to meet and get to know you," Ian said, all polite.
But Jasmine smelled something fishy.
"Since you're in San Francisco, my husband and I must host you properly. How about tonight at 6:30 PM at the Bellagio Hotel?" Jasmine replied, keeping it formal.
"Ms. Cunningham, you're too kind," Ian said with a smile, agreeing to the dinner.
He originally just wanted to meet Jasmine, but she insisted on bringing Ethan. Clearly, she didn't trust him.
But that was cool. Ian hadn't seen Ethan in ages, and it was about time they met.
After hanging up, Jasmine looked at Ben and Samuel, surprised. "Ian called me."
Ben and Samuel exchanged wary glances.
"Ian wants to see you now?" Samuel frowned. "Something's off."
"He's sharp and a natural businessman. In competition, he uses all sorts of strategies. We gotta be careful. Bringing Mr. Douglas along was a smart move," Ben nodded. "With the Cunningham family backing you, he wouldn't dare try anything."
Jasmine nodded. She was curious to see what Ian was really like.
Ethan was all business. On his first day taking over, he axed all of Howard and Claire's people. The ones still hiding would be dealt with later. For now, the Douglas Group was in chaos.
"Mr. Douglas, this can't go on. If we get targeted..."
Some long-time employees were starting to freak out.
"Mr. Douglas, such a big personnel gap will cause problems if not filled soon."
The execs couldn't wrap their heads around Ethan's drastic moves.
"Small issues can lead to big disasters. If we don't get rid of these people, our company will never truly move forward together." Ethan was firm.
"Mr. Douglas."
The VP and some senior execs wanted to argue, but Ethan's phone rang.
"Hello?" Ethan answered.
"Is this Mr. Douglas? Someone claiming to be Justin's uncle came to the school to see Justin. We need your consent. He said he wants to take Justin away." The teacher sounded anxious.
Ethan's face darkened instantly. "Protect him, I'll be there right away."
Who the hell dared to go to the school and try to snatch Justin?
Uncle?
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