Chapter 609: Howard Made a Move on Ethan
"As a dad, I'm testing him. Firing a bunch of people on a whim? That's just too emotional. Without replacements, how's he gonna compete with the Raymond Group for projects? The Douglas Group's already lost a ton of veterans to them and is on the brink of losing. If these projects tank, he won't dodge the blame.
Howard started aiming the beef at the Raymond Group.
Now, the only way Howard could make the Douglas Group lose faith in Ethan was by bringing up the Raymond Group.
Ethan sneered. "You really got nothing left to say, huh?"
"Ethan, you're still too young and not mature enough. You gotta get that the Raymond Group can never be our forever friend; only forever interests exist. If the interests don't line up, they'll switch sides sooner or later. Unless you can buy them out." Howard smirked, hinting at something Ethan couldn't possibly pull off.
At least with the Raymond Group's current growth, Ethan definitely couldn't do it.
The board members exchanged looks; Howard's demands on Ethan were way too harsh.
Buying out the Raymond Group?
The Raymond Group's growth in recent years has outpaced the Douglas Group.
"That's quite a statement." Ethan smirked. "If I can't do it, it seems like I don't respect you."
Howard frowned. "Arrogant."
"Those shares you hold? I don't even care about them. You don't need to keep embarrassing yourself here. The Douglas Group will be better off without you," Ethan told Howard to bounce from the Douglas Group.
"I'll give you a big gift at the charity donation event," Ethan added.
By then, the Douglas Group's top brass and Howard's crew would be completely silenced.
He could truly take control of the Douglas Group, completely kicking Howard out with no chance to bounce back.
"Dream on." Howard sneered and stormed off.
In the underground parking lot, Howard, fuming, got into the car and looked at the driver. "Call Sophia and tell her it's time to act. The sooner we get rid of Ethan, the better."
"Yes, sir."
"I think Howard's getting desperate." Liam was a bit worried. "Even if he's not desperate now, once the charity donation event happens and you announce the identity of the Raymond Group's president as planned, he will be."
So, during this period, safety would be a priority.
Ethan nodded. He'd already set things up on Jasmine's side; with Ben and Tom there, he could chill.
Now, he needed to focus all his energy on the tug-of-war with Howard.
"Have you found out anything about Mark?" Ethan leaned back in his chair and asked quietly.
Right now, he needed to send Howard to prison first.
"Mark and Claire are from the same hometown, so they probably planned this ages ago. Claire marrying Howard was likely part of their scheme. Mark's been with Howard for years, earning his trust. Howard met Claire through Mark and then they had kids."
Mark wasn't simple; he'd planned a lot.
"To gain Howard's trust, Mark is indeed not simple." Ethan squinted his eyes. "Find a way to get the evidence from him."
"Got it, sir," Liam said with a grin.
Ethan glanced at the time. After the meeting, he'd go pick up the kids from school and head back to the Cunningham family.
At LY, Jasmine finished her work and stretched.
"Don't overwork yourself. Our progress at LY has been rapid, and the results are very good." Samuel was stoked with this venture; at least Jasmine hadn't let him down.
"This is the result of our joint efforts." Jasmine was super happy that everyone could work hard together, move forward together, and support each other instead of holding each other back.
"Jasmine, who sent this postcard?" Emily asked, now helping Jasmine with external affairs and reception at the company.
"Postcard?" Jasmine was a bit surprised. These days, everyone used Facebook and phone calls to stay in touch. Who would send a postcard?
Jasmine took the envelope, opened it, and saw that it was an invitation.
"A class reunion." Jasmine glanced at Samuel.
Samuel raised an eyebrow. "That's weird. I didn't get an invite."
Jasmine looked closely and realized it was a high school reunion with Daniel, Lisa, and Tom.
"A high school reunion? Why now?" Samuel asked, puzzled.
Jasmine shook her head. She didn't get why a high school reunion would pop up out of nowhere.
She tossed the postcard aside, not planning to pay attention to it and definitely not planning to attend.
Back in the day, when she was at her lowest, these people stomped on her the hardest.
She wasn't one to forget grudges.
So, she definitely wasn't going.
Her phone rang; it was Lisa calling.
"Jasmine, did you get the postcard?" Lisa was now super polite to Jasmine.
Jasmine felt a bit awkward but still spoke softly. "Yeah, I got it."
"And did you get the invite to the class reunion?" Lisa asked again.
Jasmine responded with a hum. "It's kinda strange. I don't know who organized it."
"I asked our class president right away, and he said it wasn't him. I also asked our homeroom teacher, and he said he also got a notification. The principal organized it." Lisa shared what she had found out.
Jasmine was surprised. "The principal has time to organize a reunion just for our class? Feels a bit fishy."
Lisa thought for a moment. "Yeah, I also find it weird. No worries, I'll dig around more."
"Okay, thanks." Jasmine tried to interact normally with Lisa, but it felt a bit forced.
But luckily, Lisa seemed determined to get along well with her.
After hanging up, Jasmine took a deep breath.
A high school reunion, something felt off.
"If you don't wanna go, then don't go." Samuel knew what Jasmine had been through and looked at her seriously. "You don't need those irrelevant friends and old classmates now because you already have great friends, classmates, partners, and comrades."
Samuel was hyping her up.
Jasmine laughed and nodded at Samuel. "You're right."
"If anything happens, call me. We're pretty powerful in San Francisco," Samuel said proudly.
"Don't talk nonsense, be careful, or someone might come to beat you up." Emily joked, taking a sip of coffee. "By the way, I haven't seen Lily around lately."
Sophia had arranged for Lily to get close to the Cunningham family brothers. Later, Lily found an excuse to join LY, saying she was there to keep an eye on Jasmine.
It had been three days since she last came to the company.
Jasmine was taken aback. "Lily hasn't been to the company?"
"Three days, she hasn't shown up." Emily nodded.
Jasmine felt a sudden sense of unease. "Could something have happened?"
"Probably not, she still has value. Three days ago, she secretly told me she was going back to her hometown, and then there was no news."
Jasmine nodded, planning to contact Lily to make sure everything was okay on the down-low.
At the door, Tom answered a call. His face darkened as he walked into the office and looked at Jasmine.
Jasmine's left eye twitched uncontrollably. "Did something happen?"
"Ethan had a car accident."
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