Chapter 358

“It’s normal to delay the releases of medication to the market. It’s a sign of responsibility toward the patients, why are you implying that it’s murder?”

Charles asked her rhetorically.

His response was like a basin of cold water that poured over her and drenched her from head to toe. Even her blood turned cold when she heard his words.

He was just like Master Harris, completely disregarding the lives of humans...

“What are you trying to ask me? You can just get straight to the point and stop beating around the bush.” Charles frowned slightly as he stretched his hand out to dab the sweat on her forehead.

However, just as his fingers touched her forehead, she moved away.

Charles withdrew his hand and looked at her quietly.

Sophia turned her gaze away as her heart began racing in her chest. “It’s nothing, I just feel a bit scared... If Master Harris just passes away like this...”

He remained silent.

She looked up and sneaked a glance at him, just in time to meet his gaze. The look in his eyes was deep like a whirlpool, seemingly trying to suck her soul in.

It also seemed like... He could read her mind and see through all her thoughts.

All of a sudden, Sophia felt that she could almost see Master Harris’ shadow over him. She felt her limbs turn weak as her palms became sweatier, even her lips quivered uncontrollably.

Just as she thought Charles was about to ask her what was wrong, he retracted his gaze. “You’re probably nervous because Madam White just passed away.”

“... Yeah.” Sophia wiped her sweaty palms on the blanket, unsure of what to say to him anymore.

When Sophia did not say anything more, Charles’ eyes dimmed. He stood up and tidied himself up, refastening the buttons he had unbuttoned earlier when he ran over. “Have a good rest, I have to head back to the office now.”

If she did not want to tell him what was on her mind, there was no point for him to press on further either.

This only proved that he was still not good enough and she still did not trust him completely.

Sophia mumbled an incoherent response, wondering if he had seen through her thoughts. By the time she came around, he had already left the room. She was now alone in the room.

Not knowing why, her chest suddenly felt empty. There was an indescribable sense of unhappiness.

-

Once Leah returned to her room, she received a call from the newly appointed chief financial officer at Jones Group.

This newly appointed chief was once her mentor, so they had quite a good relationship.

“Leah, I have great news! I heard there were talks of Mr. Long and the rest of the board suggesting to the White family that Mr. Long be appointed as the new chairman, but I’m not sure why the discussion fell through!

“So now Mr. Long has revealed that he wants to sell all the shares he has of White Industries. As long as anyone offers him a good price, he’ll take it!

“Mind you, he has 25 percent of the shares, so if we manage to acquire that and form an alliance with Director Lee and Mr. Cullen, we’ll have control of White Industries! What do you think, should we do it?”

Since the White family only had the 35 percent that James still held, it was impossible for them to maintain themselves as the main stockholder.

If Jones Group acquired Mr. Long’s part of shares and ganged up with the rest, they would have a stronger control than James over White Industries.

Although Leah was quite tempted, she did not decide right away.

Even if Mr. Long agreed to sell at a low price, 25 percent of White Industries’ shares would not be a small figure. There was no way Jones Group would be able to bring out that huge amount of money right away.

“Leah, just think about it. The Jones and Lewis families are targeting you right now because your bad reputation has caused a drop in their companies’ stock price. Do you remember how many billion dollars evaporated into thin air from Jones Group because of you?

“But if you purchase White Industries’ shares at a low rate and sell them at a higher price, not only will you be able to earn some money back for Jones Group, you might just be able to win back your elders.

“Moreover, this is an opportunity for you to make a few wrong decisions since you’re a major stockholder and you have a say in the company’s decision-making matters. Think of all the trouble you can cause for White Industries! It’s like killing two birds with one stone, so why not?”

The current situation annoyed Leah, and no matter how she considered the chief financial director’s advice, it made sense. It sounded like a genuinely friendly suggestion.

The idea was indeed tempting, but the rational part of her warned her that she must not make this decision without thinking about it thoroughly first.

“This is a huge decision to make and it can’t just be achieved by talking about it. Give me some time to think about it.”

The chief financial director did not press on either. “That’s right. Though, you should decide as soon as possible. After all, you might not be the only person eyeing Mr. Long’s shares. If we have more competitors later on, we might have to give him a better offer.”

“Yes, I understand.” Leah proceeded to ask about the company’s recent financial situation and some of the recent major policy decisions before hanging up. All the while, she was trying to conceal how distraught she felt.

Ever since the “negative’ news of the White family was revealed to news outlets, Jones Group managed to snatch over several of White Industries’

projects.

Aside from that, ever since her suicide attempt, many people had turned their criticism to Sophia and focused on her lesser. Jones Group’s stock price had risen twice and was now growing steadily.

She vaguely hinted to her father and grandfather that she was the one who arranged for all these to happen, thinking that they would praise her for her effort and let her rejoin the company.

However, they did not even mention the incident. Even after she attempted suicide, her parents only came by once to see her. She had not heard from them since...

If this went on, it would only get more difficult for her to go back to the company.

Leah bit her lip, deep in her thoughts. As she thought of the chief’s suggestion earlier, her heart began racing.

Once again, the rational side of her was telling her that she must not act rashly on such an important matter, but the bigger emotional part of her could not suppress the excitement.

If this plan succeeded, she no longer needed to seek her parents’ approval to return to the company. Instead, she could just talk to the shareholders of Jones Group!

As long as she was capable of providing them the sufficient benefits, she was certain that they would welcome her back to the company with open arms!

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

Chapter 357 Are You Defending Him?

-

Charles remained still after getting into his car, not even bothering to start the engine.

He lowered his eyes and carefully recalled when exactly did Sophia begin acting weird. He tried to remember everything from what she said and did.

Beep.

Beep.

At that moment, his phone began to vibrate.

Charles took his phone and glanced at the caller ID before picking up the call.

“Mr. Harris, I gave Leah a call as you’ve instructed. As far as I know, she’s an incredibly ambitious person, so it’s impossible for her to accept being exiled like this. She’ll do anything to have the chance to go back to the company, and I believe she’ll do everything according to your plan.” A woman’s voice sounded from the other end of the phone.

Charles gently tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “I heard that Mr. Hughes is Leah’s senior and mentor, and the two of you are quite close to each other too. How do I know that you’re not on Leah’s side trying to deceive me?”

“Mr. Harris, you’re joking,” Mr. Hughes said, “I’m a realistic person. It’s only natural for me to side with whoever I think will benefit me the most.”

Charles chuckled softly. “Aren’t you afraid of Leah if she finds out about what you’re doing?”

“She and I are the same kind of people, I’m sure she’ll understand. I have worked so hard for Jones Group for so many years, yet I get nothing except for my ridiculously low pay. I don’t think it’s completely unreasonable for me to do this,” Mr. Hughes said.