Ch. 1191..1200
Chapter 1191 Warning
It was apparent to Nicholas that Oliver wanted to make a scene. Others paid close attention to them as they wanted to find out what was going on. “Tell me about it.” Nicholas parted his lips and glared coldly at him.
Pretending to be cool with it, Oliver said, “I hear that the businesses of some companies have taken a hit recently, as there are some problems with their projects. It’s said that it’s the Sawyer Group that did it. Why don’t you tell me how they’ve offended the Sawyer Group, President Sawyer?”
“There certainly is a reason we’ve made a move. If you’re curious, why don’t you ask them about it and find out for yourself?” As Nicholas spoke, he took a sip of the wine and tried to figure out the man’s intention in saying such a thing.
On the other hand, Oliver didn’t seem perturbed by the answer, for that was not what he was trying to achieve.
He nodded and said with a smile, “You have a point, President Sawyer. I’ll definitely ask them about it. At any rate, I admire the fact that you’re capable of managing the Sawyer Group so well. You’ve dealt with several companies at the same time, but you don’t seem burdened by any consequences.”
Although he seemed to be buttering Nicholas up, he was trying to tell the others that the Sawyer Group was terrifyingly powerful. Before the other man could say anything, he pretended to be joking, saying, “If my company accidentally offends you one day, I hope you’ll forgive us.”
The expressions of the guests around them changed when they heard that. They were all intelligent people, so they understood the insinuation in Oliver’s words.
Moreover, they had never heard of any rumors about those companies offending the Sawyer Group. Could it be that those from the Sawyer Group had grown more aggressive, as they wanted to suppress the smaller companies and expand their businesses?
“Are the Sawyers trying to reshuffle the business circle in Southend?”
“That’s possible. The Sawyer Group is the most powerful company now, and President Sawyer is an ambitious young man.”
“Just now, that guy from the Hadfield Family said the Sawyer Group has dealt with several companies without suffering any consequences. How powerful are they now? Wouldn’t it be easy for them to deal with us as well?”
The guests discussed in small voices as they were worried Nicholas would hear them.
Despite that, Nicholas still sensitively detected their awkward stares. He swept a glance over them as his gaze eventually fell on Oliver. At this point, he finally realized this man’s intention.
This man is trying to incite the business owners to go against the Sawyer Group. That’s very naive of him. A smile appeared on Nicholas’ face as he sneered, “You’re right. Your company has indeed crossed the line, so you’d better be careful.”
Hearing that, Oliver was startled. He never expected this man to be so reckless, so his expression changed. The others soon realized that they were on bad terms.
Wanda arrived at the venue when the atmosphere was at its most awkward. Standing in the doorway, she instantly saw the elegant and well-built man among the crowd. Her gaze was filled with both love and hatred.
The next moment, she realized that Oliver was standing beside Nicholas. Thinking of something, she lifted the hem of her dress and walked over elegantly.
“I’m sorry for making you wait, Oliver. The traffic was bad.” As she spoke, she wrapped her arm around Oliver’s and nodded at Nicholas. “President Sawyer.”
She wanted to know how Nicholas would react when he saw her getting intimate with another man. However, she was soon disappointed.
Nicholas remained expressionless and didn’t even bother to spare her a glance. He announced coldly, “Since you’re here as well, I’ll tell both of you something at the same time.”
Staring at the dispassionate man in front of her, an unresigned Wanda gritted her teeth. Despite that, she kept a polite smile on her face. “What do you want to tell us, President Sawyer?”
“I hope that both of you will behave yourselves. If you dare to do anything behind my back again, be prepared to bear the consequences. See this as a warning.” Upon finishing his words, Nicholas gave them a dismissive and stern look. Then, he turned around and left.
On the other hand, Wanda was rooted to the spot, her face pale.
Chapter 1192 Loving Couple
When Wanda came to her senses, she let go of Oliver abruptly. Her gaze appeared grim as she was incensed. Oliver sported an equally dark expression. “What an arrogant man. Does he really think he can do whatever he wants?”
As he spoke, he turned to look at Wanda, hoping to get her response. To his disappointment, he saw her looking dazedly at Nicholas. She really needs to stop.
Abruptly, she walked over and blocked her sight. “Stop looking. There’s no place for you in that man’s heart. Regardless of how long you look at him, he won’t turn around and spare you a glance. Only I’m sincere about loving you and treating you well.”
When Wanda saw the man with a loving expression coming toward her, she felt disgusted. She didn’t love him at all. If not for the fact that she needed his help, she would’ve dismissed him long ago. It was also for this reason that she suppressed her disgust and said, “I know you’re the only one who treats me well.”
Hearing that, Oliver felt relieved. He took her hand and flashed a gentle smile at her. “Let’s go. I’ll introduce you to some senior businessmen. If they’re willing to invest in the Muller Group, the crisis your company is facing will be resolved.”
“Thanks, Oliver.” Wanda smiled insincerely and left with him.
On the other hand, after Nicholas went away, he talked with his clients. Some people took the initiative to approach him and discuss future prospects with him. Certainly, they were doing that to find out about the Sawyer Group’s plans and whether Nicholas was as aggressive as Oliver had described him to be.
Nicholas sensitively realized that, so he told them about the Sawyer Group’s general plan for the next six months. “The market in the country is saturated for the Sawyer Group, so we’ll emphasize foreign expansion.”
All of them were relieved as they became even more hospitable to Nicholas. Regardless, they wouldn’t want to leave a bad impression in front of Nicholas.
At a later time, Nicholas decided to leave before the gala ended, worried that Tessa would be waiting for him at home. In fact, that was indeed the case. When he entered the living room and saw his wife waiting for him on the couch, his heart melted. “Didn’t I tell you to get some rest early? Why are you still here?” He walked over with a loving smile.
When Tessa saw him, she put down her book and rose from the couch with a bright smile. “You’re finally back. How are you feeling? Do you need something to sober you up? There’s some food in the kitchen. Why don’t I get it for you?”
As she spoke, she stood in front of Nicholas. The reason she hadn’t gone to bed was that she was worried the intoxicated man would come home and find there was no one to take care of him.
Seeing that his wife was so concerned about him, Nicholas felt warmth in his heart. A sense of sweetness rose within him as though he was having some candy floss. “There’s no need for that. I’m not drunk.” He stopped Tessa from entering the kitchen.
When Tessa saw that the man didn’t seem inebriated, she became at ease. Then, they went upstairs hand in hand. Upon entering the bedroom, Tessa let go of him and said with a smile, “Take off your clothes. I’ll prepare a tub of warm water for you.”
Before she could do that, Nicholas stopped her by taking her hand. Then, he brought her to the bed and settled her down. “Just get some rest. I can do that myself.”
Tessa put on a brighter smile when she realized that the man wouldn’t want her to exert herself. “But I think that taking care of you is part of my life, and I love doing that.”
She looked up at him with a beam. With a pair of dark and clear eyes, she looked attentively at him, her expression loving.
As their eyes met, Nicholas realized that his wife loved him with all her heart. He was moved by that realization. “How lucky am I to have you?” With a smile, he pulled her into his embrace.
Tessa draped her arms around the man and rubbed her face against the man’s chest. Feeling loved, she said, “I should be the one saying that.”
Chapter 1193 Capable of Handling His Own Problems
Hearing that, Nicholas felt his heart throbbing in his chest. “I’m lucky to have you as my wife.” He lowered his head and looked lovingly at Tessa. The gentleness behind his gaze was intoxicating.
Tessa blushed and put on a coy smile. “I’m lucky to have you as my husband as well. Getting to know you is the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Under the lamplight, they gazed at each other affectionately. They were so deeply in love that even the air tasted sweet. No longer able to contain his urge, Nicholas locked his lips with her. Tessa closed her eyes and responded to him.
While they were deep in the moment, someone disturbed them. Tessa suddenly grunted as her facial features contorted, for she seemed to be in pain.
Noticing her discomfort, Nicholas released her and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong? Are you suffering from a cramp in your leg again?”
Tessa had been pregnant for several months, and she was always exhausted after practice during the day, so she had been suffering from cramps in her leg recently.
However, she shook her head and stroked her belly gently. “No, it’s the little one kicking me. It’s still moving. Feel it.” As she spoke, she took the man’s hand and placed it on her belly.
As though detecting the father’s presence, the little one started kicking with more vigor. Feeling that, Tessa smiled dotingly.
A smile played on Nicholas’ lips, but he soon pretended to be stern and said to the little one, “Stop kicking your mom. Otherwise, I’ll teach you a lesson after you’re born.”
“What kind of father are you? You already want to teach the little one a lesson when it’s not even born yet.” Tessa was torn between tears and laughter. In her heart, she felt she was the happiest woman in the world. She gave the man a gentle push and urged, “Take a bath now.”
Nicholas nodded and entered the bathroom. When he was done taking a bath, he got into bed and hugged Tessa before falling asleep.
After they were done having breakfast the next morning, Tessa headed to the training place while Nicholas went to work.
At a later time, Edward entered the room and reported, “President Reinhart is here, but he’s heading to the technical department to run a check on the intranet. He told me that he’d look for you a while later.”
“Got it. Tell those from the technical department to cooperate with him,” answered Nicholas with a nod.
Upon receiving the order, Edward turned around and left.
When Timothy was done with work later, he arrived at the President’s office to meet up with Nicholas. Besides running an examination on the intranet, he was also here to thank the man. After he was seated, he looked gratefully at Nicholas. “Thanks, Nicholas. If not for you, we couldn’t have resolved the Reinhart Group’s crisis.”
“That was the least I could do.” Nicholas smiled nonchalantly.
Timothy dipped his head, but he felt dejected and embarrassed in his heart. “I’d always thought that I was strong enough to protect myself, but in the end, I needed your help to get me out of trouble.” He sighed.
Nicholas knew that this man’s confidence had been shattered, so he consoled him by saying, “Don’t underestimate yourself. The reason I even helped you was that I was worried your sister would be distressed. After you left the company the other day, your sister was concerned about you.”
Hearing that, Timothy was moved. He glanced at Nicholas and remarked with a smile, “You treat my sister truly well.”
“That’s for sure. I just want her to be happy and do whatever she loves.” Nicholas subconsciously expressed his love for the woman.
Timothy smiled helplessly, then spoke in a serious tone. “Anyway, if such a thing happens again, I hope you’ll let me handle it myself. I’m capable of solving my own problems.”
Gazing at the young man who acted tough, Nicholas smiled. “Alright, I’ll let you handle your own problems. However, you must not make your sister worried.”
“Got it.” Timothy nodded.
Then, Nicholas asked, “I was told that you were running a check on the intranet. How was it?”
“I upgraded the system and strengthened its defense. You should see fewer attacks on the system from now on. I’ve also added a new design.” Timothy walked him through what he had done.
Nicholas’ interest was piqued when he heard that. “What kind of design is that?”
Chapter 1194 Accident
“I’ll show you on a laptop.” Seeing that Nicholas was interested, Timothy fished out his laptop and showed him the program.
As his hands flew over the keyboard, he explained, “I let the programmers in your company give it a test earlier, and the outcome was amazing. If someone attacks the intranet in the future, the system will issue a warning and automatically produce some viruses to counterattack.”
As he spoke, a red warning sign appeared on the screen. He had tried attacking the Sawyer Group’s intranet, and the system counterattacked with a virus. However, the virus didn’t bother him one bit.
He just had to tap some buttons on the keyboard to resolve the virus. After all, he was the one who had developed the virus for the system. Seeing that, Nicholas nodded with satisfaction and praised him, saying, “You’ve done a great job. That’s a really good design.”
If not for the fact that Timothy was gifted when it came to information technology, Nicholas wouldn’t have lent him some monetary support back then. Fortunately, Timothy did not disappoint him.
Then, they sat down on a couch and had a chat. Nicholas recalled that Timothy was about to head overseas to further his studies, so he asked caringly, “How’s the application coming along? Have you prepared enough? Do you need my help?”
“Thanks for the kind offer, but I’m in the midst of doing all that. Everything is going well.” Timothy turned him down politely.
Hearing that, Nicholas nodded. At noon, they went to a restaurant and had their lunch. After that, Timothy returned to his company. On the other hand, Nicholas stepped into his office and continued working.
Later that day, Edward entered the room with a dark expression. “I’ve just received some news, President Sawyer. There have been some rumors surrounding our company in the business world recently.”
“What kind of rumors?” Nicholas looked up from the documents. Edward promptly reported, “Apparently, we’ve acquired a lot of businesses in secret, and our company is being accused of being ruthless. From what I’ve gathered, many businesses have decided to join forces to prevent us from harming them.”
Hearing that, Nicholas instantly recalled what Oliver had told him during the business gala that evening. He squinted and asked coldly, “Are those from the Hadfield Group the ones spreading such rumors?”
“How did you know, President Sawyer?” Edward was surprised. Nicholas snorted with displeasure. “When I attended the gala last night, Oliver told me something that sounded suspicious. Now that you’ve heard about such rumors, it’s not hard to figure out who’s behind it.”
“What should we do now, then?” Edward looked at him, waiting to receive a command.
After putting down the document in his hand, Nicholas leaned against his chair and sneered. “Since Oliver has decided to invite trouble to himself, I’m worried he’ll be disappointed if we don’t make a move.”
Then, he tapped on the table rhythmically and fell into his thoughts. Seeing that, Edward waited patiently, not daring to disturb him.
A moment later, a glint flashed across Nicholas’ eyes as he parted his lips. “Isn’t the Golden Estate developed by the Hadfield Group on sale recently?” he asked.
“Yes, they’ve been promoting this project aggressively, and there are many potential buyers.” Edward nodded, but he didn’t understand why Nicholas was bringing it up right now.
Noticing his doubt, Nicholas said impassively, “If I’m not mistaken, there was an accident during its construction back then.”
“An accident?” Edward looked at him with surprise, then tried to recollect the matter as he frowned. Soon, he lifted his head and replied, “You’re right. There was indeed an accident during construction at that time, and the Hadfield Group suppressed all the news about it.”
The next instant, he realized Nicholas’ intention. “I know what I have to do, President Sawyer.” Seeing that Edward had figured out his plan, Nicholas nodded in satisfaction. “Make sure to leave no traces behind.”
“Got it,” Edward replied and turned around to leave. That same afternoon, a piece of news that went viral online cast a limelight on the Golden Estate developed by the Hadfield Group.
Chapter 1195 Scandal
‘The Hadfield Group has been lying to its customers. The Golden Estate is said to have wonderful future prospects, but it’s just a gimmick, and it’s a place where a person’s future was destroyed!’ ‘No one can buy these houses and live in such a place with peace of mind!’
When the netizens saw such titles, they grew curious and clicked on them. The news articles revealed that the Golden Estate developed by the Hadfield Group was a substandard project.
During its construction, a worker fell and became paralyzed because of faulty equipment. However, the Hadfield Group never admitted it was their fault, nor did they bother to offer some form of compensation.
Not only that, they even accused the worker of improper behavior and of evading his responsibilities during the construction. Now, the worker’s family fell apart due to the exorbitant medical costs, and he had fallen into poverty.
‘The Hadfield Group has committed a serious crime.’
‘Can we even live in the houses that were built with faulty equipment without having to worry?’
‘Thank goodness I haven’t made up my mind to buy it yet. Otherwise, I’d have to constantly worry about the house collapsing.’
The netizens were enraged, and all of them were glad that they hadn’t decided to buy those houses.
At this point, the other media companies realized that something fishy was going on, so they started looking into the incident. Soon, more news reports about the accident appeared on the Internet. There was even a video.
One of the media companies found the injured worker and interviewed him. In the video, the worker was seen living in a dilapidated house, and he didn’t have any proper furniture.
As for the worker himself, he was paralyzed on the bed with only a moldy quilt covering his body. He looked truly miserable.
When the reporter realized the worker was the only one there, he asked, “Do you live here alone? How do you get by?”
“I have a kid who takes care of me,” the worker replied weakly.
The reporter then asked, “Where’s your wife?”
“She left me after the accident.” As he spoke, tears seemed to be welling up in his eyes.
Just then, a young boy that looked like he was in his teens dragged a large bag into the house, his back toward the reporter and the photographer.
He didn’t realize there were other people in the room as he said joyfully, “Dad, I picked up quite a lot of scrapped metals from the construction site today. They should be worth some money. I’ll be able to buy your medicine.”
The netizens started crying at the young boy’s appearance. The young boy was frail, and his shabby clothes no longer fitted him.
Given his age, he shouldn’t be burdened with the responsibility of having to put food on the table. Instead, he should have been studying at school just like other kids. However, he was forced to become mature because of the unconscientious people from the Hadfield Group.
Therefore, the angry netizens started reprimanding the company. Once again, the Hadfield Group was in the limelight for the wrong reasons.
‘You’re a bunch of evil people. Although you’re wealthy, you do not have any conscience.’
‘A person’s future was destroyed because of you. Aren’t you worried about getting retribution?’
‘We demand justice for the father and son.’
Those from the Hadfield Group noticed the news articles, and they were flustered.
Oliver’s assistant immediately rushed into the President’s office and reported, “Something terrible has happened, President Hadfield. The accident at the construction site has been exposed, and all the netizens are threatening to boycott our project!”
Hearing that, Oliver promptly took a look at the latest news online and saw that his company was indeed in hot water. Instantly, his expression darkened.
Before he could question what was going on, a manager bolted into the office. “President Hadfield, many homebuyers have gathered in front of the estate and are demanding a refund.”
Oliver’s expression turned gloomy when he heard that. In a grim voice, he demanded, “We won’t offer a refund. Try to appease those homebuyers.”
The manager was put in a tight spot.
However, Oliver wouldn’t give him a chance to speak. He then said to his assistant, “Go to the Public Relations Department now and tell them to make a public announcement in the company’s name.”
Chapter 1196 Criticisms
Soon, the Hadfield Group made a public announcement on the Internet, stating that the company had immediately offered some compensation to the worker after the accident, but for some reason, the victim failed to receive the money. They also stressed that the Hadfield Group was a company with a conscience, so there was no way they would do anything immoral. Something must have gone wrong during the process.
After reading the Hadfield Group’s clarification, some netizens believed them. ‘The Hadfield Group has been around for a long time, and they’re worth over a billion on the stock market. I don’t think they were so stingy as to not offer some compensation.’
‘I believe they must have made it up to the worker. As for why the money didn’t reach him, even though it’s not stated in the clarification, we all know that there are corrupt people in every organization.’
‘So, has the Hadfield Group been wrongly accused? Could the culprit be someone else?’ The tide changed over the Internet as the netizens discussed who had swallowed the money.
Just then, a turn of events took place. A media company found the worker’s colleagues to give some testaments. In the interview, the reporter asked, “Many netizens are curious about the accident in the past. Did the Hadfield Group offer compensation?”
“They never gave him any money. Besides that, they were arrogant.” The colleagues reprimanded the company agitatedly, and all of them were equally vexed.
One of them even revealed what they had gone through back then. “When we learned that the Hadfield Group wouldn’t offer any compensation, we headed to the headquarters and demanded an explanation. We had been there for three months, but the security guards always chased us away.”
At this point, the netizens who originally believed the Hadfield Group were infuriated. They felt that they had been fooled by the company.
‘Those from the Hadfield Group are shameless. They never provided any compensation, but they still have the nerve to lie to us. They’ve even tried to shove the responsibilities onto a non-existent person.’
‘I’ve never seen such disgusting people. Where’s their conscience?’
‘Such a company that doesn’t care about people’s lives shouldn’t exist. We should boycott the company.”
‘It has come to a point where the authorities should look into this matter. I believe it’s a criminal case.’
‘I believe what the workers said. If the Hadfield Group had compensated the victim, he wouldn’t be living such a miserable life.’
Because of the workers’ accusations, the Hadfield Group’s public image took a plunge again. Everyone started criticizing the company.
Several netizens even started posting pictures of the Hadfield Group’s president online.
‘My gosh! This guy named Oliver has purchased dozens of luxury cars in just three years. It sure is a profitable company, isn’t it?’
‘He has also bought several manors, and he’s willing to spend millions on women. Why can’t he even offer some compensation to a worker?’
‘What a douchebag. He’s disgusting!’
The netizens abhorred Oliver and the Hadfield Group. As such, the Hadfield Group’s share price took a deep dive, and the company was almost delisted from the stock market.
Upon learning the news, the assistant hurriedly reported it to Oliver. The board of directors mounted pressure on Oliver, demanding that he settle the issue immediately.
To stop the company from going downhill, Oliver was overwhelmed with worries. At the same time, he realized someone must have targeted the Hadfield Group behind the scenes—that was why an incident that happened several years ago was suddenly exposed.
“Look into the matter now! I want to know who’s behind all this!” Oliver gritted his teeth and shouted the order at his assistant.
Knowing the severity of the matter, the assistant hurriedly launched an investigation.
The criticisms against the Hadfield Group over the Internet never stopped. Instead, they intensified.
In the evening, another piece of shocking news appeared on the Internet. A media company revealed that there was a potential political marriage between the Hadfields and the Mullers.
When the netizens saw the news, they instantly recognized that the Muller Group had fallen out with the Sawyer Group a while back.
Chapter 1197 Mask Pack
‘It turns out birds of the same feather do flock together. The evil duo ended up being together.’ ‘We’ll have to be careful when we buy things in the future. Don’t buy products under Muller Inc. or Hadfield Group. They might sell us counterfeit products!’
‘Oliver Hadfield sure is a gutsy one for marrying her. There are tons of rich daughters in Southend, and yet he chose to marry a vicious woman who is inspiring to be a mistress. I’ll never, ever not believe that the two families aren’t scheming something.’
Some netizens even pointed their finger at Wanda. ‘You’re seriously everywhere, man… What’s a witch like you still doing in the public eye? You gross me out.”
‘Hey, skank! Get lost!’ ‘Take your sh*tty company back to your country with you.’ Wanda, who was home, almost went crazy from anger when she saw the news on the Internet.
“What is Oliver doing? How am I involved in this?!” she growled through clenched teeth. Right then, she received a call from him Her face was cold when she accepted the call and demanded, “What the hell, Oliver?! Why am I being involved in your company’s affairs?”
“Don’t mind what you see online, I’m already dealing with them here. I won’t let any of these get to you again,” he coaxed her calmly. She only scoffed upon hearing his words. “That’s what you say, but this already involves me. Explain yourself. What the hell is going on?!”
“Sawyer Group is the one behind all this.” Instead of hiding the truth, he truthfully told her the information he found.
“Sawyer Group?” Wanda was a little surprised when she heard this. “When did you step on their toes?”
Oliver began to tell her everything that happened. “Remember what you had me do before? Sawyer Group found out about it. They quietly took care of the few companies. Those companies came to me because they couldn’t stand the coercion. I wanted to take advantage of this incident to embarrass him at the banquet last night, but I failed. I had someone spread rumors around today as well, but I didn’t expect Sawyer Group would react so quickly.”
Wanda was itching to call Oliver stupid when she heard that. She couldn’t understand why he thought he could shake up the prominent Sawyer Group with just a few rumors.
At this exact moment, she had doubts about whether she had gotten the wrong teammate on board.
Even so, she bit back the disdain bubbling in her and comforted him, “It’s okay. Netizens are a forgetful bunch. As long as you stabilize the company and clarify the claims on the Internet, things will pass quickly.”
“Great minds think alike, huh? We’ve got chemistry,” Oliver chuckled as he flirted with Wanda.
Wanda, on the other hand, was thoroughly disgusted upon hearing that, but she didn’t let her true feelings show. She toughened herself up and continued cajoling him before she finally hung up the phone.
After the call ended, she went to put a mask pack on her face. This incident didn’t bother her much after all.
As for Oliver, he was barely holding in his anger. The thought of Nicholas being on his high horse last night especially irked him.
Just who does he think he’s looking down on?! He fumed before calling his assistant into his office.
“Go and find out whether there have been any hidden scandals or unclean competition in Sawyer Group in the past few years.”
He refused to believe that the Sawyer Group didn’t have any scandals after growing to its current size.
In the next two days, the news about the Sawyer Group was still buzzing on the Internet.
After all, the victims of the incident were innocent in all this.
The people of the Internet were filled with righteous indignation as they insisted on seeking justice on behalf of the victims.
Other businesses only quietly watched everything unfold from the sidelines.
The main reason they stayed uninvolved was that they had already found out that the Sawyer Group was the perpetrator.
None of them dared to challenge the company’s authority. However, these people still felt a sense of crisis, and gradually, some people began to believe the rumors about the Sawyer Group ‘swallowing’ other companies.
Early this morning, Edward reported for work as usual.
In the end, he looked at Nicholas hesitantly. “President Sawyer, there have been rumors about our company swallowing up other companies in the past two days. People believe those rumors after what happened with Hadfield Group, and many small companies have started to huddle together.”
Chapter 1198 I Want to Be Worthy of You
Nichola was not at all surprised when he heard those words. “It’s fine. They’ll know the truth after some time.” He nonchalantly waved Edward off to continue with his work.
On the other hand, Tessa had been rehearsing intensively every day without allowing anything to distract her. She didn’t pay attention to the rumors on the Internet at first, and neither was she aware that the buzz on the Internet was related to the Sawyer Group.
On the contrary, it was Alice who closely followed the rumors on the Internet because of Wanda. After all, this woman once tried to frame Tessa.
It was also because of this that she found out that the things on the Internet were related to the Sawyer Group. When noon came, she suddenly sighed enviously when Tessa was resting. “Little junior, President Sawyer sure is sweet to you! This is a case of love me, love my dog. He’s even protecting your brother. I bet it won’t be long before the Hadfield Group starts declining.”
“Huh? What are you going on about?” Tessa had a puzzled look on her face.
What has the Hadfield Group got to do with my brother?
Alice was a little surprised to see her confused. “You don’t know? It’s because the Hadfield Group went against your brother’s company that they were punished by President Sawyer and caused a scandal to break out on the Internet.”
Still confused, Tessa froze. “Why did Hadfield Group go against Timothy?” she asked.
“Well… I don’t know.” Alice shrugged. “You should ask your man.”
And that was what Tessa did when she went home that night.
“Nicholas, I heard that what happened before was because the Hadfield Group targeted Timothy. It’s all over the Internet now, isn’t it? Won’t it affect Sawyer Group if he knew you’re the one pulling the strings from behind the scene?”
In fact, she knew more or less that Nicholas was the one who settled the conflict when the Reinhart Group was being targeted.
She was very touched by this.
In return, she had always pretended to not know a thing. She was aware that Timothy and Nicholas hid it from her so that she wouldn’t have one more thing to worry about.
However, she wouldn’t have known that so many things had happened if Alice hadn’t told her about the rumors on the Internet.
Besides, she didn’t want Nicholas to get into any trouble because of this issue.
He didn’t seem surprised when he saw the concern written all over her face.
Even though he didn’t wish to alarm Tessa about this, he knew that no secret could be kept forever.
And so, he gave her a general summary of everything that happened.
He reassured her at the end of his explanation, “Don’t worry. It’s just the Hadfield Group. They can’t do anything to me.”
Seeing how he wasn’t bothered by it, Tessa finally felt at ease.
“That’s good, then.” She nodded.
He smiled and took her hand before he changed the topic and warmly asked, “How was practice today? Tired?”
“The training has gotten a little harder these last two days. It’s tougher work because I have to stand until my back is sore, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Even though Tessa was casually telling him this, Nicholas couldn’t help worrying about her.
He brought a hand up to gently brush through the loose strands of hair on the side of her face, and his voice grew as soft as a marshmallow. “You don’t have to push yourself so hard anymore. The family has accepted you as one of us.”
“But this is different.” She flashed a sweet smile at him, her clear eyes filled with her feelings for him. “It might be tough, but I want to do this. Furthermore, your parents might have acknowledged me, but I want to better myself. I want to be worthy of you.”
Seeing this, Nicholas thought his heart melted as he subconsciously sent a kiss her way.
The next day, the incident with the Hadfield Group continued to worsen.
The Internet had even formed a daily check-in on the company’s official website to ask questions.
‘When are you compensating the victims?’
‘Can the issue be resolved already?’
‘Is Hadfield Group finished?’
The magnitude of this incident finally alarmed the relevant authorities who then announced they would join in on the investigation.
Oliver was left shocked and enraged when he learned of this.
After all, the company would not be able to withstand it once the relevant authorities were involved and an in-depth investigation was carried out.
Chapter 1199 A 50-Thousand Compensation?
In the end, he had no other choice but to make up a person to blame on. In the afternoon of the same day, facing the inspection team sent by the higher-ups, Oliver defended himself calmly.
“After the incident happened, I immediately asked someone to allocate compensation to the project leader and asked him to pass it on to the victims. This is the document I approved at that time. Please, have a look.” While speaking, he handed over a somewhat old document. “Actually, our company has been closely investigating this after this incident came to light.”
“Oh? Did your company get any leads?” the person from the inspection team asked while checking the documents. Good thing Oliver had anticipated such a question.
He took out a yellowed account ledger and spoke outright, “We found that there were major problems with the accounts of the project. The funds in many places were vague and not verified, and the matter this time was not recorded in the ledger. I think that the person in charge took advantage of his position to embezzle public funds.”
Needless to say, his frankness and willingness to cooperate with the investigation convinced the investigation team somehow.
The team leader looked through the ledger, only to find that there were indeed many gaps in the records. Closing the ledger, he asked again, “Where is the person in charge now?”
“They resigned a long time ago. But I have filed a case with the police to hunt down the person. Of course, for the victim, our company is willing to pay another 50 thousand as consolation money,” Oliver told them what he had been planning to do right from the start.
Hearing that, the investigation team no longer said anything else, and they soon left. On the same day, the matter of the compensation was posted on the Internet through the company’s official website.
However, they were immediately bombarded with mocking comments when the sum of the compensation was announced. ’50 thousand? Does Hadfield Group think these are beggars they’re dealing with?’
‘You can’t even get a decent house with so little money. And you’ve ruined a child’s life!’ ‘It’s not just the child. A perfect family had been torn apart because of this incident. Not only that, the employee is paralyzed. He can only stay in bed for the rest of his life, relying on medicine to stay alive. I don’t think even 5 million suffices. Where did you even get the courage to bring up a 50-thousand compensation?’
At the same time, the victim quickly issued a statement on the Internet through the media when he saw the support he received on the Internet.
‘I have hired a lawyer and demanded 5 million in compensation from the Hadfield Group. I don’t want much. I just want my poor child to grow up in a good environment.’
The people on the Internet immediately voiced their support when they saw his statement.
‘You should’ve done this way back. The matter with the child wouldn’t have been delayed until now.’
”Go ahead and sue them. Don’t worry if your lawyer sucks. I’m a lawyer too. I’ll gladly help you.’
‘Michael Carter Law Firm, at your service.’
Within a short time, many outstanding lawyers and law firms had stood up and expressed their willingness to support him.
After all, a company as big as the Hadfield Group must have trained an eloquence of excellent lawyers.
It would be difficult for average lawyers to win against them.
Oliver was furious when he saw the result of the announcement in his office.
“That old f*ck!” He angrily swiped everything on the floor.
His anger was still not quenched despite his doing that.
“5 million!” His chest rose and fell heavily. “How dare he! Is he not afraid that he would lose his life before he gets to spend that money?!”
He pointed at the photo of the victim, a migrant worker, on the computer screen on the ground as he gnashed his teeth and cursed. His eyes were even more sinister and terrifying than his tone.
At this moment, his assistant knocked on the door and came in. He couldn’t help feeling a little afraid when he saw the messy room and the angry man not far away from him.
However, as he reminded himself of the reason he came here, he could only bite the bullet and inform, “President Hadfield, the directors are in the conference room now. They request your presence.”
Oliver immediately knew that the directors were here because of what was on the Internet.
“Get someone to clean up this mess.” After throwing that out, he glumly trudged to the conference room.
Chapter 1200 You Should Be Glad
During the meeting, several directors kept raising difficult questions for Oliver to answer. “Why did you provoke the Sawyer Group for no good reason? Do you have any idea how much the company’s stock has plummeted in just a few days now?”
“Our assets have decreased because of a stupid decision you made. How do you plan to make up for these losses?” “It has been so many days, and yet you’re still not done dealing with it. I have serious doubts about your ability to handle affairs.”
Oliver quietly took it all in despite facing these aggressive questions. His gums were almost crushed from the forceful clenching of his jaw as he stopped himself from losing his temper.
After all, with how things were going, he couldn’t afford to continue offending these directors. Otherwise, it would be a fatal blow to the company if they were angered and chose to divest at this critical moment.
In the end, it took him half an hour to finally let out a breath of relief when he appeased these directors before he sent them off. He had already begun to regret provoking the Sawyer Group now.
Just as he was about to return to the office, this assistant came over and told him, “President Hadfield, Chairman Hadfield arrived earlier. He is waiting for you in your office.”
Worn out, Oliver massaged his forehead. “Alright,” he uttered before he strode into his office. Francis Hadfield’s face was dark as he sat on the couch, his body exuding the natural intimidation of a superior.
As he already knew the whole story, the first thing he did when he saw Oliver coming in was to chew his son’s head off.
“Since when have you become such a blabbermouth? Why did you start talking sh*t out of nowhere? Nicholas Sawyer is not someone you can afford to make an enemy of!”
Oliver didn’t dare make a peep when his father continued to bark at him. “It’s because of that stupid mouth of yours that many of our clients have terminated their collaboration with us. Do you know it’s not just 5 million we’re losing from this?
“Now I see why so many directors are against you. You do things without thinking! You should be glad that I didn’t go to the board meeting just now. Because if I did, you might have been sacked from your position now!”
Oliver’s mood only worsened after he was scolded by his father.
That night, he called Wanda for a drink, in hopes to find some comfort from her.
While he took swigs of alcohol in the dim bar, he complained to Wanda about what made him so disgruntled.
“Bunch of stinking old farts. They always go ‘President Hadfield, President Hadfield’ when I do something that’s to their benefit, but they’re doubting my work just because of such a minor inconvenience?”
“Okay, I admit. Hadfield Group is nowhere near Sawyer Group’s level. But! We’re not bad. Do they really have to be so afraid?
“Hadfield Group has never gone through any big problems all these years. There’s no way it will fall into Sawyer Group’s hands this time.”
Wanda’s eyes were disdainful when she heard those words.
How is he planning to trap Nicholas with this foolish behavior of his? In his dreams, maybe!
Even so, she nodded cooperatively and echoed, “Hadfield Group has been in business for so many years, and its foundation is still stable.”
However, the man only grew upset upon hearing that. He felt as though she was saying these words to brush him off.
“Is that all you have to say, Wanda?”
He suddenly grabbed her wrist and inched toward her; his breath was thick with the smell of alcohol. “I only provoked the Sawyer Group because of you. Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Seeing this, Wanda was so repulsed she abruptly pulled her hand out of his grip.
“What do you want me to say?” she asked in return. “It’s not like I was the one who told you to do that.”
As she spoke, she took a piece of paper napkin from the side and wiped where he touched her.
His face quickly fell when he saw her doing that out of disgust. “What is the meaning of this, Wanda?” he growled.
“That’s what I want to ask you. Why are you blaming me for what happened to your company?” She wasn’t afraid at all as she retorted, “If that’s what you think, we might as well call off our wedding as soon as possible!”
With a livid face, he stared at her. “Call off the wedding, you say? Don’t even think about it! Are you still dreaming of marrying Nicholas? I’m telling you. It will never happen!”