Chapter 357

Sophia twisted her body uncomfortably as she felt the heat radiating from his body through his pants. “It’s just Leah pretending to be pitiful in front of him.”

“Are you defending him?” Charles straightened his back and turned her face so that she was looking at him.

Sophia almost smiled at his deep frown. “I’m just telling you the truth, how is this defending William?”

“You don’t have to purposely make him feel guilty. Even if he’s on Leah’s side, I will never allow you to be wronged,” Charles said coldly.

Slightly taken aback, Sophia’s heart ached when she heard his reply.

She had a feeling that Charles genuinely cared about her, so how could he possibly be involved with her mother’s death?

“Something on your mind?” Charles gently tugged on her jaw, forcing her eyes on him.

Sophia licked her lower lip and hesitated for a moment. Her arms went around his neck as she said, “Charles, I...”

Suddenly, the door opened as Sterling barged into the room.

He was about to speak, but the moment he saw Sophia sitting on Charles’ lap with her arms around his neck, he was completely stunned. His mind went blank.

Noticing the expression on his face, Sophia only then realized that she was still sitting on Charles’ lap. She immediately hurried to get up.

However, Charles kept his grip around her waist and pressed her back down. “What’s the matter, Brother?”

“When did I become your brother? Did I say you can call me Brother? How can you be so shameless!” Seeing the younger sister he had doted on for so many years get snatched away by this pig annoyed Sterling.

Charles continued playing with Sophia’s hair as he replied, “Funny of you to say that, Brother. Though, Sophia’s already pregnant with my baby and she’ll become my wife sooner or later. How else would you like me to address you, then?”

“Has Soph married you already? No, I don’t think so, so what nonsense are you spouting now!”

“She’ll be married to me very soon, so what’s the difference if I change the way I address you now?”

The two grown men were actually fighting about such a childish question, and they seemed extremely invested too.

Sophia figured that the argument would continue for a while if nobody interrupted them, so she coughed out loudly. “Ster, what’s the matter?”

“Oh, right!” Sterling smacked his head when he finally remembered the reason he had come. “Dad was just pushed into the operating room for a heart bypass operation. The company’s board of directors is already stirring up trouble!”

“Stirring up trouble?” Sophia instantly frowned.

“Yeah! They’re asking how long more does the White family intend to mess around in the company. They’ve all ganged up together. They’re insisting on electing a new chairman and are threatening to sell all their shares!”

The White Industries had gone through a business crisis about seven to eight years ago. At that time, James was forced to make the decision of selling all their shares to obtain the sufficient funds required for the company to get through the crisis.

This decision did indeed help White Industries survive, but the sacrifice James made was also incredibly drastic.

The White family had to let go of their stocks and lost their advantage of having absolute control.

James currently held 35 percent of the company shares, various companies took up 40 percent, and retail investors held 5 percent.

What the other shareholders did not know was that Jenny had the remaining 20 percent, so they thought that the 40 percent they had was superior over James’ 35 percent.

Therefore, the moment something happened within the White family, they immediately ganged up together to stir up trouble so that they could try to gain more personal benefits.

“When will the shares under Mom’s name be transferred to us?” Sophia asked.

Sterling could not remember exactly, so he took out his phone and checked his chat records with his lawyer. “Two-thirty in the afternoon tomorrow.”

He suddenly came to a realization and asked, “If we add up ours and Dad’s shares altogether, we have 55 percent. Why should we be afraid of them?”

“That’s right, just ignore them and let them be,” Sophia responded.

Sterling’s expression changed. “With them causing trouble and the negative press we have now, White Industries’ stock value will drop tremendously.

That’ll result in a chain reaction of stockholders selling...

“If someone who doesn’t like the White family or a rival company of White Industries seizes this chance to acquire our shares, they might earn a seat at the table in White Industries and have a say in the company’s further development. That won’t be good for us.”

He continued muttering to himself as his expression darkened by the second.

Sophia had only just started learning the ropes at the company, so it was only natural that she did not think as meticulously as her brother. After listening to his analysis, she suddenly realized that the situation was indeed unfavorable for them.

Noticing the look in her eyes, Charles said, “Don’t worry, Brother. I can take over those shares.”

Right then, Sterling could not be bothered by how Charles had addressed him. He merely glared at Charles and said, “I know that you’re good to Soph, but can you guarantee that your grandfather or any of your family members will be good to Soph as well?

“Seeing how your grandfather thinks of you at the moment, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides to take away your position and all your shares! By then, Harris Corporation won’t have anything to do with you anymore, yet our White Industries shares will be left in their hands. Wouldn’t that be an even more dangerous situation for us?”

Charles gave him a quick, cool glance and withdrew his gaze. “Well, you do have your clever moments.”

“...” Sterling had no comeback to his statement. His handsome face flared up red with anger. “Soph, don’t worry about this. I’ll go talk to that old man from Lenyess Corporation!”

Before Sophia could respond, he rushed out the door once again.

Sophia stared blankly at the door that was now shut close. It was impossible for her not to worry.

The Lenyess Corporation belonged to the Russell family. They ran their business mainly in Europe before this, so she did not know much about them.

Up until this moment, the only person she had come into contact with from the Russell family was Fredrickson.

He was merely one of the younger members of the Russell family, yet his mind was already elusive enough. This made her even warier of his grandfather and the older generation of the family! She was worried that her brother would be sold out by those people and still be clueless!

“Master Russell has much more recognition in the business circle than my grandfather, but then again, my grandfather was only infamous for his iron fist ruling. He was in the army for a period of time, hence he became fond of ruling with oppression and violence. When he took over the company, he completely militarized the management system.

“Master Russell, on the other hand, has a completely different method of leadership. He’s known for his kindness and righteousness, and Brother did save him once. He’s not the kind to return kindness with ingratitude.” They could only agree that fortune favored the fool, and Sterling was one lucky fool. Amongst all the people he could possibly help in the world, he just happened to encounter a business tycoon!

Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!

Chapter 356 Soph Is Just Exhausted Upon hearing this, Sophia felt slightly relieved.

“What did you want to say before your brother came in?” Charles asked.

Sophia blinked her eyes, and just as she was about to dismiss him, the words that almost reached her mouth were swallowed back down. “Charles, do you think that using someone to kill a person is considered murder?”

She remembered him and Fredrickson discussing to push back the release of the new lung cancer medication during the banquet.

Judging from the way they spoke, it sounded as if Master Harris’ life was nothing more than a business deal.

If Charles treated his own grandfather this way, how would he act toward others? For example... Her mother.

“What do you mean by using someone to kill a person?” Charles stared at her intently, carefully observing the expression on her face to catch her reaction.

Sophia rubbed her sweaty palms on the corner of her sleeves. “Do you think your decision with Mr. Russell to push back the release of the new lung cancer treatment is considered as indirectly killing people?”