Even ordinary people would be livid being looked down on by another, let alone gang members like them. In order to make sure that they would not return empty-handed, the next course of action they might take would be to destroy all of Featherstone Corporation’s businesses.
After all, it was the typical act of the petty. If I can’t get it, you can’t too.
Anthony feared threats the least, so I thought he would mercilessly send these people out of the house like he usually would. To my surprise, he calmly looked at Quince with a small smile.
I knew Anthony too well. The more he acted in this way, the more dangerous he was.
Anthony was a man who could kill without leaving any traces behind. However, there were over ten thousand members in Skull. If anything were to happen to their two leaders in Chanaea, those men in M Country might find their way over to Chanaea. If anything were to go wrong, they would hold us accountable.
Nevertheless, Summer was still so young, and it was only her first business. How could we let her live among the vultures?
As of now, there seemed to be no other way than to lure them to ourselves so that Summer would not have to deal with them. However, that would mean that we would involve the company and our family in the mess. It was a very tough decision, so I was stumped.
“Okay,” Anthony suddenly said. “We can work together.”
He had always been a man of plans. Although we were surprised by his abrupt agreement, neither John nor I said anything about it. Even though we argued at home, we would always stand on the same side when outsiders were involved. After all, we were a family.
“Really? That’s the right call you’ve made, Featherstone.”
Lucas’ frown disappeared the moment he heard Anthony relent. He stood up joyously and plopped himself down beside John again. As he was a heavy man, the couch sank, and John was nearly sent flying upward.
Lucas then reached out past John’s head to rest his arm on the latter’s shoulder and merrily said, “Remember what I was saying earlier? We’re the best business partners in the world!”
John had the figure of a model. Among our own people, he towered over them. Yet, he looked like a child beside Lucas.
“Stop it! Stop coming any closer to me. I’m not gay, okay?” John smacked Lucas’ hand away before dusting his shoulder in disgust. As he did that, he said, “He’s him, and I’m me. The old man is watching over the Stanhope family, I’d dare you to do it if you’re trying to end our business right as we start.”
Upon hearing John’s words, I guessed that he must have told them about Louis’ identity before we came home. It was because when “the old man” was mentioned, Lucas flashed him a polite smile before stopping the topic.
Nevertheless, Anthony took it as a sign to say, “That’s what I’m worried about. The Stanhopes are raised in a strict environment, and Uncle Louis is about to leave the political scene. Perhaps you don’t know, but Stanhope Corporation isn’t the only company that has to undergo frequent investigations from the relevant department; our company has to go through those as well. I’d have to ask if you’d be able to take these losses.”
Lucas waved his hand in an arc and dismissed it. “They’re just cops. We can either use money or guns to deal with them.”
Anthony subtly lowered his head as a meaningful grin grew on his lips.
I smiled as well before saying, “Perhaps you don’t know how impressive the Chanaean law is. Not long ago, a politician called Grant had been taken off his position. After his incident, the internal investigations will only be more vigorous and thorough. The law enforcement officers won’t be merciful anymore. Regardless of who you are, no one who breaks the law can escape. So, even after finding out about this, will you two still invest your life’s savings into Chanaea?”
I had to admit that Anthony’s reaction was swift. Once the issue of law was on the table, confidence swelled in my chest.
If they could create a diversion, then I could find a roundabout way to deal with them.
When There Is Nothing Left But Love
It was not that we did not want to work with them, but that the law did not allow us to work with them. No matter how powerful Skull was, they would not dare to go against the law of a country.
For a moment, I wanted to commend myself for the abrupt improvement of my ability to shift the blame onto others.
I let myself be smug for a second as I reached out to grab Anthony’s hand on his knee. It was a gesture of gratitude for the skill he had been teaching me for years.
Finally, I could say that I, too, had a Ph.D. in the blame game.
It was a fine line between calmness and hastiness when personal profit was involved.
Skull was well established in M Country, so every move they made there was watched closely by M Country’s local authorities. Why they had tried to enter the Chanaean market without hesitation was because they realized that Chanaea did not know them well enough to be wary of them. That way, they would be able to get rich quickly.
Therefore, Anthony’s talk about the legal matters had poured cold water on their idea. The money they had envisioned to be in their hands had grown wings and flown off, so neither Quince nor Lucas had a smile on their faces. Yet, they could not lose their tempers with us, so they had to suppress their anger until their faces turned bright red and the look in their eyes turned murderous.
Most of the time, being on the winning side in a situation like that would not be any good news, for we did not know how powerful they were. We certainly do not want things to spiral out of control.
The tension in the room was palpable, almost unbearable. It felt like a war between us was going to break out at any time.
Right then, footsteps came from the outside. It was Summer and Jared coming back with Joseph trailing behind them. He shot me an apologetic look for not having been able to stop them.
“We can work together,” Summer said in a raised voice as she strode toward the center of the living room. After giving us a reassuring glance, she turned to Lucas and Quince. “Misters, we meet again.”
It seemed like the two of them had already gone to look for Summer at the club.
Lucas’ lips curled, and he lifted his head to look into her eyes. In a cold tone, he said, “It’s been a day, Ms. Summer. Have you come to a decision? Shall we do business together?”
A composed smile on Summer’s face, she answered, “I’ve heard everything you’ve said earlier. What Mom and Dad have said is what I think as well. Niche businesses like the ones you want will not work in broad daylight here. The club is under Featherstone Corporation, so it has the same business goals as Featherstone Corporation. Naturally, we’ll be doing legitimate business. There will be no exceptions to that.”
“Then, what did you mean by we can work together earlier?” Quince cut in.
Summer turned around to look into his eyes, unafraid. “It’s simple. As long as the businesses you do are legal and meets Featherstone Corporation’s industrial needs, then both the club and other businesses of Featherstone Corporation will be more than happy to cooperate with you.”
“You’re just messing with us!” Lucas bellowed as he leaped to his feet. “You know what kind of business we’re in!”
“What are you trying to do?” John jumped off the couch and shoved Lucas in the chest.
Caught off guard, Lucas took a few steps back before he found his balance again. When he realized that John was the one who had pushed him, a look of disbelief appeared on his face. “Are you serious?”
“Am I serious? I’m always serious with whoever lays a finger on my precious niece!” John then undid his jacket and stuffed his hands into his pants pocket. It had been a while since he looked as arrogant as that.
The tension in the room was like a taut bowstring, both parties ready to strike.
“You—”
“Ha!”
“Summer,” Anthony suddenly called out before Lucas could say anything else. “Come over and sit beside your mother.”
Hearing that, I quickly motioned her to come to me. Summer was always an obedient girl, so she wasted no time before turning around.
Just as she sat down, Anthony parted his lips.
“My daughter has told you what the Featherstone family’s stand. We’ve shown you our sincerity, but it’s up to you if you want to work with us.”
“Sincerity?” Lucas sneered. “What kind of sincerity is this? You’re clearly asking us to leave!”
Anthony ignored him and turned to Quince instead. “Mr. Quince, is this what you think as well?”
“I don’t think you fully understand what kind of situation you’re in!” Livid, Lucas moved his hand toward his waist. From my angle, I could catch a glimpse of the gun there.
When There Is Nothing Left But Love
“Hold on.” Just as things were going to go south, Quince raised his hand to gesture for him to halt.
“Why?” Lucas evidently could not read Quince’s mind. “Can’t you see that these people are toying with us?”
However, Quince grinned. His eyes were glued on Anthony as he enunciated, “As expected of the richest man in Chanaea. You’re a good judge in both things and people. I will thank you on behalf of the organization for your goodwill, and we’ll consider your offer.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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