Chapter 613: Ethan's True Identity
Brandon gave a nod. "Maybe Mark ain't as slick as we thought. Dude's just a chicken. We spooked him, and he sang like a canary to save his own skin."
Ethan looked deep in thought, keeping his mouth shut.
He always had this gut feeling that things weren't as cut and dry as they seemed.
If Mark was just some regular guy, he wouldn't have stuck around someone like Howard for so long without getting caught, and he sure wouldn't have earned Howard's trust.
Not just Howard, even Claire trusted him enough to hand over some serious evidence.
Calling Mark a coward? Ethan wasn't buying it.
But whatever Mark's game was or who might be pulling his strings, it didn't matter right now. The priority was dealing with Howard.
"Donations are rolling in, but where's the Raymond Group's big boss?" someone piped up.
Others started chiming in. "Is he showing up or what?"
"Who knows."
Claire scanned the room and then looked at Brandon. "Mr. Russell, we're not exactly strangers anymore, right?"
She'd pulled out all the stops to get Brandon on her side.
"Of course not." Brandon nodded, flashing a smile.
"Why didn't you tell me someone’s pulling the strings at the Raymond Group?" Claire hissed through clenched teeth.
She was fuming, blaming Brandon for keeping her in the dark.
"Don't take it personal. We're just doing our jobs. If the boss says zip it, we zip it," Brandon said with a grin.
Claire's face turned beet red, and she let out an angry huff.
She didn't care anymore who the real boss of the Raymond Group was; she just wanted to take down Howard.
Howard sat there quietly, watching folks line up to donate.
"Good evening, ladis and gentlemen, I'm Ethan, president of the Douglas Group, and today I'm here to make a donation on behalf of the Douglas Group." Ethan dropped the donation check into the box.
"Douglas Group's up. Next is the Raymond Group. Is their boss gonna show or what? Or is Brandon stepping in?"
"Maybe the guy behind the Raymond Group's got some issues? Why else would he be a no-show?"
The crowd started buzzing.
Ethan stood on stage, done with his donation, but didn't look like he was leaving.
Everyone stared at Ethan, clueless about what he was up to.
Even the host was caught off guard. "Mr. Douglas, got something to say?"
"I'll just hang out up here; it's easier," Ethan said, all casual.
The host was slow to catch on, and so was the crowd.
"What's Ethan up to?"
"Next." The host finally moved on. "We invite the president of the Raymond Group to come up and donate."Previous donations were from companies, and the Raymond Group, a big player in San Francisco, had been growing like crazy in recent years.
Everyone was waiting for their boss to show up.
But when the host called, no one stepped up—only Ethan stayed put on stage.
Howard's face darkened, and he shot a look at Brandon. "What's going on?"
"Ethan, why are you still up there?" someone shouted on purpose.
Ethan pulled out another check. "I'm here to make a donation on behalf of the Raymond Group."
As soon as Ethan said that, the place went dead silent.
Howard's face went ghostly pale, his fingers shaking as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
Ethan, what was this all about?
Claire's jaw dropped, trying hard to hide her anger and fear.
Ethan was the president of the Raymond Group?
"No way, it can't be."
"Mr. Douglas." The host was floored and asked, "Are you with the Raymond Group?"
"Most of you know me. I kicked off the Raymond Group back in college and built it up to what it is now. Brandon here is my ride-or-die, my partner. Without him, the Raymond Group wouldn't be where it is. Sure, I founded it, but all the props go to Brandon," Ethan said, flashing a grin at Brandon.
Brandon raised an eyebrow. Ethan, that sneaky devil, did it on purpose.
Sure enough, Howard and Claire's eyes turned into daggers aimed right at Brandon.
Brandon smirked; Howard probably wanted to strangle him right then and there.
After a moment of stunned silence, the place exploded with chatter.
Everyone was floored that Ethan was actually the big boss of the Raymond Group.
"Ethan's a genius; he kept it under wraps so well."
"Is it for real? He's really the president of the Raymond Group?"
"Those who trashed Ethan when he got booted from the Douglas Group must be shaking in their boots now. This is Ethan!"
"Yeah, I always knew someone as sharp as Ethan couldn't stay down for long."
"Right, this is Ethan."
The room buzzed with gossip. Those who hadn't kicked him when he was down felt relieved, while those who had were now sweating bullets.
Ethan stepped off the stage, with Claire and Howard's eyes glued to him the whole time.
Not just them, but all the partners and folks who'd had beef with Ethan couldn't even look him in the eye.
Those who'd just called Ethan unreliable now kept their mouths shut.
Running both the Douglas Group and the Raymond Group? That kind of talent was rare in the business world.
"Ethan, you having fun messing with me?" Howard asked coldly, his face twisted with rage.
He looked downright nasty, his true colors showing.
Ethan plopped down next to Howard and smiled. "What are you talking about? I'm making you look good."
Howard's face darkened, and he stayed silent.
Someone came over to join the fun. "Mr. Douglas, you must be so proud to have a son like Ethan."
"Yeah, Mr. Douglas. You're incredible. If I had a son like that, I'd be grinning ear to ear every day."
These compliments only made Howard angrier.
He couldn't stand having a son like Ethan, who treated him like an enemy and played him like a fiddle.
Unable to keep his cool, Howard abruptly stood up and stormed off.
His assistant scrambled to keep up but couldn't.
Claire shot Ethan a venomous look, her heart a mix of jealousy and hatred.
She'd always hated Ethan for being so damn good at everything since he and Daniel were kids, but she never expected that even the Raymond Group was his.
She and Howard had been played by Ethan for so long.
"Ethan, you're really something," Claire spat, slamming the table as she stood up and stormed off.
Ethan sneered.
Those two were completely losing it tonight.
"Hand over the evidence Mark gave us to the cops," Ethan told Brandon.
Brandon nodded. "On it."
By tomorrow, Howard would be toast.
"Ethan, Howard's fuming. He's definitely gonna make a move tonight. We need to be on guard," Jasmine said, looking around. Once the donations were over and they were on their way back, Howard would surely act.
"Don't sweat it. As long as we get through tonight, we win." Ethan cupped Jasmine's face, pressing his forehead against hers. "Jasmine, I won't let anything happen to me."
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