Chapter 1001-1010

Life at the Top Chapter 1001Henry clenched his jaw and spoke, “Fine, we’ll follow your plan. But I want to give this f*cking manager a piece of my mind!”“Don’t worry.”Jasper patted Henry on the shoulder and raised his hand to push open the lounge’s door.His sudden entry interrupted Mr. Kain and Jill’s argument.The two of them looked at him at the same time.Jasper met Jill’s gaze.Jasper was no stranger to Jill, of course.

However, this was the first time Jasper had seen her in person. In comparison to the mature and experienced Jill he had seen in media in his past life, the one before him looked rather refreshing and young.Her features were average, but she exuded an aura not found in ordinary girls.Perhaps Jill’s unique confidence and calmness had something to do with her long-standing relationship with sports, as well as her ability to maintain her title as champion of women’s diving for years.This quality of hers might just be why Henry had fallen for her in the first place.After all, most of Henry’s sex buddies had appearances and figures much better than Jill’s.Even so, Henry married Jill, not those beautiful and alluring women.“Who are you?”Frowning, Mr. Kain interrupted Jasper’s thoughts.“I’m Jill’s friend.”Jasper gave Jill a look to tell her not to expose him before he replied Mr. Kain calmly.Mr. Kain frowned and looked at Jill suspiciously.Jill had been in Swallow Capital with the National Diving Team the entire time. He did not know of any friends she had in Nauritus City.Jill did not know what Jasper’s intentions were, but his presence had at least soothed the tense atmosphere between her and Mr. Kain. Therefore, she told Mr. Kain, “He is my friend.”Mr. Kain harrumphed and replied, “Jill and I are talking about something important here. She doesn’t have time for nonsense with random people like you.”Jasper smiled and replied, “But I’m not someone random. I heard you say you need a sponsor for 2 million Dollars, Mr. Kain.”Mr. Kain laughed and pointed at Jasper, “Look at the way you dress. I’m pretty sure your entire outfit costs less than 200 bucks. How am I supposed to believe that you can sponsor us that much?”“I can.” Jasper gave Mr. Kain confirmation.While Jasper’s wealth could not rival a country’s yet, it could certainly rival a city. The people in Jasper’s network were all extremely formidable, and he himself had grown much more sophisticated than before.Mr. Kain muttered internally when he heard Jasper’s certain reply. ‘No way, unless I somehow met a low-profiled wealthy man with a penchant for acting weak to catch people off-guard…’With that, Mr. Kain’s expression softened slightly. “Oh? If you’re able to sponsor that amount, then my doors will always be open to you.”“Your doors will always be open to me? What for? Am I suppose to pick a few girls from your training team to eat and sleep with, Mr. Kain?“If that’s the case, then 2 million is way too much. I can have a few celebrities for that price,” Jasper spoke calmly.Mr. Kain flushed when he heard this, and the man became enraged.Life at the Top Chapter 1002Mr. Kain looked at Jasper darkly and roared, “What are you implying here?!”“I’m sure you understand what I’m implying, Mr. Kain. As a manager, you’re supposed to be both the elder and shelter for your athletes.“You should be doing everything you can to provide a safe training environment, but what are you doing now, procuring? Should I call you madam or a pimp?”Jasper’s words had Jill suppressing her laughter amidst her shock.However, she immediately realized how inappropriate it was and covered her mouth.Mr. Kain did not have the mind to care about Jill’s reaction as he roared at Jasper in mortification.“I don’t care who you are! You’re not welcome here, so get lost right now! Otherwise, I’ll call security to chase you out!”“Chase me out?” Jasper chuckled and spoke to Mr. Kain calmly, “I’m sure many people will be interested in what I heard just now. Say, Secretary Lee of the Nauritus City Government, for example?”Mr. Kain laughed out loud and pointed at Jasper is disdain, “Who do you think you are? As if someone as important as Secretary Lee will spare you the time of day.”“Whether or not he spares me any time is for me to worry about. But are you willing to take that risk, Mr. Kain?”Jasper’s words caused Mr. Kain’s expression to darken greatly.His eyes flickered as he looked at Jasper. It seemed like he was weighing his options.After all, Jasper’s appearance had been too sudden and strange, while Mr. Kain had no leads as to who Jasper was at all.Should the man genuinely be acquainted with Secretary Lee, then everything he had said and done earlier was enough to keep him behind bars for at least a decade.Mr. Kain hesitated.“What do you want?” Mr. Kain demanded in a low voice.“I already told you. Jill is my friend, and she’s also an athlete on the national team. Keep your disgusting hands to yourself,” Jasper spoke calmly.Mr. Kain scoffed and refuted, “And here I was wondering what you’re going to do. In truth, you’re just here to play the knight in shining armor.“Take a look at yourself before you start trying to win girls over, brat. I might be wary of you if you’re threatening me, but can you even protect Jill? You’ll only get yourself killed!“Jill’s someone Mr. Byron Woolery from the Byron Group requested personally. Go fight him if you think you’re so capable!”Mr. Kain looked at Jasper is disdain and spat impolitely.Jasper arched a brow.He had heard of the Byron Group, which were a large company in Nauritus City.To be considered a group during such times spoke volumes of how strong this company was.Unlike 20 years in the future, where conglomerates and groups could be seen everywhere. By then, anybody could gather a few shell companies to form a hollow group.Jasper had also heard of Byron Woolery. Byron was one of Dawson’s main competitors for the title of richest man in the province before JW Capital was established.However, Byron tended to be rather low-profile, and the man had a mysterious past. Not to mention that he was involved in the high-tech industry.All this made him not an easy person to deal with.Mr. Kain grew more prideful at Jasper’s frown. “Are you afraid now? Do you even know who Mr. Woolery is? He doesn’t even need to do anything to crush you! I’d get lost now if I were you!“Or I’ll call Mr. Woolery and tell him that you’re standing between him and the woman he likes. By then, haha, you’ll be dead before you even know it!”Jill was terrified when she heard Mr. Kain.She did not know who this Mr. Woolery of the Byron Group was, but Mr. Kain’s prideful and fearless behavior told her that Mr. Woolery was someone she could not afford to offend.She looked at Jasper pleadingly, “Please, bring me away. I’ll go back to Swallow Capital right now.”Jasper had yet to say anything when Mr. Kain interrupted him. “As if he’d dare! He has nowhere to run to! Mr. Woolery will be able to dig his entire ancestry up and kill his family the moment he dares bring you out the doors of the Provincial Team!”Jill’s complexion paled further.She and Jasper were strangers. While she had no idea why Jasper had come to help her, the man would surely give her up to save himself in the face of such a strong opponent.‘So I really have to meet with that Mr. Woolery?’Jill bit her lip. Despair washed over her face.“So you’re going to bully someone because you have another party’s support?” Jasper looked at Mr. Kain and asked.Mr. Kain was enraged. “What did you say? Do you want to f*cking die?”Jasper chuckled and turned to Jill. “Come on, I’ll bring you away. I’d like to see if this Mr. Woolery is as powerful as Mr. Kain claims.”Jill looked at Jasper in shock and said instinctively, “But what if they take revenge on you…”“No ‘but’s,” Jasper smiled, “Someone asked me to help, so just follow me.”Jill wracked her brain but could not come up with anyone she knew that could ask for Jasper’s help. Even so, she bit her lip and nodded.Jasper’s presence was mysterious, but Jill would rather trust Jasper than stay and be forced to sleep with someone she did not even know.Mr. Kain was furious when he saw how Jasper still dared to bring Jill away.He was also terrified.Mr. Woolery had asked for Jill, and he had sworn and promised to bring Jill over to Mr. Woolery tonight. He would be screwed if he went back on his words now.“Don’t move!” Mr. Kain shouted.Jasper ignored him and brought Jill downstairs.Once they reached the lobby downstairs, Jasper realized that the lobby doors were closed and a few bodyguards were staring him down.Jasper frowned slightly.At that moment, they heard Mr. Kain’s quick footsteps behind them.He waved his phone pridefully and said, “You two are dead. Mr. Woolery already knows about this and he’s on the way over. Just wait until he comes–you’re as good as dead! Hahaha!”Mr. Kain’s arrogance and glee were interrupted by a black figure that rushed over and kicked him in the small of his back. With a pitiful shout, Mr. Kain flew a few meters away.“Stupid f*cker!”Henry straightened his clothes and scolded harshly.Life at the Top Chapter 1003Henry had almost broken Mr. Kain’s back with the kick.Placing a hand over his lower back, Mr. Kain laid on the floor and moaned in agony.The kick would have almost cost Mr. Kain his life had he not been an athlete in his younger years and trained his body.After catching his breath, Mr. Kain was enraged and he shouted at Henry. “Who the f*ck do you think you are? How dare you hit me! Security! Where’s the security?!”A few security guards quickly ran over but they did not dare to move rashly when they saw the fierce look on Henry’s face.Who were they kidding? The guards here were just normal people earning a monthly salary of a few hundred bucks. They did not need to risk their lives with someone troublesome like Henry.Not to mention, Mr. Kain’s reputation in the Sports Center was horrible and many people had a bone to pick with him. Therefore, not every security guard felt the need to protect him.Playvolume00:00/00:00TruvidfullScreen “The f*ck are you screaming about?” Henry was enraged and about to kick him again when he suddenly remembered that Jill was present. As far as she was concerned, he was supposed to be a middle school teacher!A high school teacher was supposed to be gentlemanly and soft-spoken. They did not hit others so brashly!Henry wracked his brain trying to recall the aura and speech pattern his teachers used to have. Then, he turned his head to smile brightly and harmlessly at Jill, who was extremely shocked.“Hi, hello. We meet again.”Jasper was close to vomiting at Henry’s bashful and childlike behavior.This man could get an Oscar with his performance.“Why, why are you here?” Jill gasped.“I was in the area, so I thought I’d come and look for you,” Henry scratched his head and spoke.Jill smiled wryly and replied, “I’m in quite a bit of trouble now, you should leave–for your sake.”Despite already knowing the answer, Henry feigned ignorance and asked, “What trouble?”A second later, Henry immediately continued in a serious tone, “We’re friends, aren’t we? So how can I just leave when you’re in trouble? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely help you!”“You can’t help me with this.”Jill sighed and spoke. ‘There’s no way you can help me when you’re just a normal high school teacher.’Henry was close to exposing himself and telling Jill that he was the young master of Harbor City’s most formidable family. His dad, her future father-in-law, was Zachary Law, and his grandfather was Tom Law. They did not fear any other family within Somerland.Even so, those thoughts came out as, “But I’m still willing to weather it with you.”“…” Jasper shook his head and sighed. He felt incredibly awkward standing there.While Jill looked at Henry confusedly. At the very least, she did not chase him off anymore.The current situation was extremely complicated.Seeing how Henry and Jill were busy flirting in front of him, Mr. Kain roared once he managed to get to his feet with great difficulty after being helped up by two security guards.“Just you wait! I’ll make sure both of you die a horrible death once Mr. Woolery gets here! You btch and bstard!”Kain then snickered at Henry and taunted, “You f*cking like Jill, don’t you?“I might as well tell you then that Mr. Woolery already has his eyes on Jill! You’ll be dead before you know it for trying to steal his woman!“You’re going to have to watch as Mr. Woolery brings Jill away. I’ll make you suffer slowly when that happens! You’ll pay for kicking me, just you f*cking wait!”Henry Law.There was hardly a day that went by in which he did not offend others.Therefore, when Mr. Kain pointed at Henry and shouted, every word he uttered was a test of the latter’s patience.With his back facing Jill, Henry’s expression was exceptionally sinister.This was an aura he had accumulated from being the most formidable trust-fund child for the past twenty years. It was ruthless and overpowering, but also effective.Mr. Kain’s smile slowly faded. Henry might not have said anything because Jill was present, but his expression was enough to have Mr. Kain suck in a cold breath. Mr. Kain felt an inexplicable sense of danger and instantly stopped provoking Henry.‘Whatever. You trash are going to die once Mr. Woolery comes anyway!”When he thought of this, Mr. Kain suddenly felt much happier and his hip stopped hurting so badly.Jasper took in the scene before him and pulled out his phone to send Secretary Lee a message.Regardless of who Byron was, this Mr. Kain had already broken the law. Dealing with these people personally would only dirty Jasper’s hands. However, Secretary Lee was the perfect person for the job.Secretary Lee was currently reporting his findings in the City Government’s office.“Chief, so these are our work arrangements for the time being. It’s mainly thanks to the development of the Southface River which boosted Nauritus City’s notability within the country.“The bureau’s been receiving countless calls from other sister cities to come and visit,” Secretary Lee spoke with unconcealable glee.The municipal official laughed out loud and spoke. He was in a great mood too. “Very good. Nauritus City has indeed produced a highly promising project. Even the higher-ups have praised it.“They also brought it up during the meeting I attended with the provincial official in Swallow Capital. The provincial official and I were very proud when they called it a positive example worth learning from.”Secretary Lee was about to reply when his phone vibrated.He frowned slightly. As a secretary, he had his phone set to silent when he was reporting to the chief. Only special incoming phone calls and messages would get through.This meant that any notification he received was of great importance.Hence, he did not hesitate to pull his phone out in front of Nauritus City’s Municipal Official.Reading the contents, Secretary Lee’s expression darkened.“What is it?” Nauritus City’s Municipal Official asked.“Look at this, Chief.” Secretary Lee handed his phone over.The Nauritus City municipal official took a glance at the screen and his expression immediately hardened.“This is nonsense!”Nauritus City’s Municipal Official slammed his hand on his desk and roared, “How could such things happen in Nauritus City? Put everything else on hold first, Secretary Lee. See that this matter is resolved!”“These people are getting bolder by the day! I want each and every one of them investigated! Strictly!”“Yes, Chief. I’ll get to it right away,” Secretary Lee quickly acknowledged the order, sensing the chief’s anger.At the same time, Byron was also extremely pissed as he sped toward the Provincial Sports Center.“Fcking hell. I’m going to catch that troublesome bstard and teach him a lesson! Jill’s supposed to be my gift to Mr. Welch! I’m going to kill everyone that gets in my way!”Byron muttered to himself sinisterly in the back seat of the Benz.Life at the Top Chapter 1004Soon after, Byron arrived at the building beside the Provincial Team’s training center. The two parties were still fighting when he arrived.Byron’s arrival was akin to the messiah’s for Mr. Kain.“You’re finally here, Mr. Woolery!”Mr. Kain quickly ran to greet him and pointed at Jasper. “This is the one. I was just discussing with Jill about joining you for dinner tonight when this b*stard interrupted us, Mr. Woolery. She was about to say yes too.”Jill immediately refuted him, “You’re lying! I never agreed to your request at all!”Mr. Kain’s expression darkened and he chided, “Shut up. You are in no position to speak here!”“Haha…”Byron had an arrogant expression on his face. Without sparing Jill a look, he made a beeline to Jasper and spoke sinisterly, “My name’s Byron Woolery. You don’t look familiar, so do remind me how I’ve offended you to the point that you have to meddle in my affairs?”“We’ve never met before. There’s no offense to speak of,” Jasper replied calmly.“Ah, that’s fair. Now that I think about it, we really haven’t met before,” Byron chuckled in enlightenment.His expression was warm and there was no sign of anger or resentment.Yet, the moment he finished speaking, Byron seemed to have changed into a completely different person. The smile on his face vanished, leaving only ruthlessness and a sinister frost. He roared at Jasper, “Then who gave you the right to interrupt my business?!”The roar gave everyone present a shock.Byron drilled his gaze into Jasper as if trying to pierce through the latter with his frigid and fierce eyes.Mr. Kain was absolutely elated by the side. He peered at Jasper pridefully and felt the urge to stomp all over Jasper at that moment.Despite this, Jasper remained unfazed as he looked at Byron indifferently, “This matter involves Jill. Naturally, I’ll have to step in.”“Hahahaha!”Byron laughed out loud and raised his hand to point at Jasper’s nose. “Take a look at yourself first before you talk and act out, young man. There are things beyond your control.“Be careful, or you’ll end up getting yourself in trouble too instead of solving what you set out to do.”“How do you plan to get me in trouble, Mr. Woolery?” Jasper asked Byron with a smile.“You really aren’t afraid of dying, are you?” Byron narrowed his eyes and sneered at Jasper.“Go ahead, then. Tell me your name and what your family does. I’d like to see what family brought up such an insolent child as you.”Jasper was a man in his early twenties. As far as Byron was concerned, this young man was only acting arrogant because his family had power.Not that Byron cared though. Sure, there were certain people this man could not afford to offend in Nauritus City, but this young man could not be one of them.“My family are all normal people. I have no need to hide my name either, I’m Jasper Laine,” He introduced himself.“Jasper Laine?”Byron chuckled. Only to suddenly remember something as his expression instantly froze.He looked Jasper over again.There was a Jasper Laine among the people he could not afford to offend in Nauritus City. That man was young, and also in his early twenties.Jasper was a renowned figure, known for his entrepreneurship and countless companies that were all formidable competitors in their respective industries.Ordinary people might not know of Jasper, but Byron was technically a wealthy businessman and part of Nauritus City’s upper-class. Byron might not have met Jasper before, but he had certainly heard of the young man’s name.Life at the Top Chapter 1005Dawson’s future son-in-law, the owner of JW Company, and the majority shareholder of the Southface River project.Any one of the three identities was enough to terrify Byron.“You said your name was Jasper Laine?” Byron narrowed his eyes and asked.He could not believe that this insolent brat he happened to meet was actually someone so formidable.This was too coincidental.“I’m honored to know that you’ve heard of me, Mr. Woolery,” Jasper said calmly.Jasper’s words confirmed Byron’s guess.The man’s expression turned conflicted.The situation was more complicated now.A flurry of emotions crossed Byron’s mind as he began to come up with a counter-strategy.At that moment, Mr. Kain spoke with little idea of what was going on.“Who cares if your name is Jasper or Jabber? So what if you’re Jasper Laine? I’ve never heard of your name in Nauritus City before!“Don’t waste time talking nonsense to nobodies like him, Mr. Woolery. Just beat them up and throw them out the door.”Mr. Kain pointed at Henry next and spoke resentfully, “And this f*cker too! He kicked me just now! Mr. Woolery, you’ve got to do me justice! This matter can’t just end so simply!”Henry sneered at Mr. Kain. If Jill was not here, Henry would have already slapped Mr. Kain in retaliation considering his temper.“And who are you?” Byron looked at Henry and asked solemnly.“Me? I’m from a family of Laws,” Henry grinned and told Byron.Byron’s expression soured further.Law was an uncommon surname in Nauritus City. Even then, only one Law family had any relations to Jasper—the same Law family that no one in Somerland could afford to offend.Everyone in Nauritus City knew that Jasper was close with the third heir of the Law family, Henry. The two were essentially joined at the hip.Hence, Byron did not even have to ask Henry to confirm his identity.He was truly screwed now.The last thing he expected when he sought out a woman for Mr. Welch was to end up offending Nauritus City’s most talked-about and powerful Jasper Laine, as well as Henry Law, the notorious trust-fund child.Cold sweat beaded over Byron’s forehead as he sucked in a cold breath. Then, he turned around suddenly to slap Mr. Kain while the man continued to shout.“You stupid bstard! Would it kill you to fcking shut up?!”Mr. Kain was stunned by Byron’s slap and the scoldings that followed.He was still dreaming about Mr. Woolery supporting him as he harshly humiliated the two insolent young men mere moments ago. Yet, here he was getting slapped and scolded in the next second.“Mr… Mr. Woolery?” Mr. Kain cupped his burning cheek and shouted in disbelief as his lips quivered.Byron glared at Mr. Kain before he turned around. Mr. Kain then watched in utter disbelief as Byron walked to Jasper with a polite and pleasant smile.“My apologies, Mr. Laine. It didn’t occur to me that I’d meet the president of JW Company here. I’m sorry for my prior offense, please forgive me.”Life at the Top Chapter 1006Glancing at Byron’s outstretched hands, Jasper did not move.“How could a nobody like me be qualified to shake the majestic Mr. Woolery’s hand?”Byron’s smile froze but he forced himself to continue as he spoke, “Mr. Laine, I already told you that it was a misunderstanding earlier. I didn’t know who you were then.”“Mr. Woolery, what do the vile things you’ve done have anything to do with who I am?“Or perhaps you’re telling me, that you’d have someone beat me up and throw me outside if not for my current identity.”Jasper stated.Byron’s smile slowly faded and he looked at Jasper calmly. “We’re all just trying to make money here in Nauritus City, Mr. Laine. A mere woman isn’t worth straining our relationship over.Playvolume00:00/00:00TruvidfullScreen“People say that Mr. Laine is an understanding and attentive young talent. I’m sure he wouldn’t make such a stupid mistake, right?”Jasper chuckled and replied, “This is more like it, Mr. Woolery. I already told you that Jill is my friend. Therefore, I’ll openly interfere in this matter.“What are you going to do about it?”Byron scoffed. If Jasper was unwilling to give in, then he would let go of his inhibitions as well.“Don’t act so arrogant, Jasper. You think you’re the king here in Nauritus City? It’ll be ages until that happens. Do you even know what I’m using Jill for?“She’s my gift to Mr. Welch! Haha, I’m afraid you aren’t even qualified enough to know who Mr. Welch is, right?”Byron’s expression turned haughty, “In that case, let me tell you: Mr. Welch is the President of Softwin’s Somerland brach!“Do you even know what kind of company Softwin is? It’s the biggest investment back in Sunrise Land! The JW Company you’re so proud of means nothing to them! It’s no more than an above-average ant to them!“Offend Mr. Welch and you’ll end up suffering the rest of your career! That’s why I told you that there are things beyond your control!”Jasper frowned slightly at Byron’s words.He had not expected Echo to be involved in this as well.Byron took Jasper’s frown as a show of fear and immediately laughed out loud.“Good, you’re afraid. Word of advice, young man, the world is bigger than you think. Your JW has no more than slight local influence. You’re nothing once you leave this place!“Be smart and I’ll be willing to go easy on you. I can treat you to a meal another day and we can still be friends.“Be stupid and, haha, Mr. Welch’s fury is not something you can afford receive.”Byron looked at Jasper and said casually, “I’ve already given you an option to back away, Jasper, so you better take it. You’re the one that’s going to suffer if you blow this out of proportion and make a fool out of everyone here. Do I make myself clear?”“I’m familiar with Echo, he just left my office this morning,” Jasper replied calmly.Jasper ignored the change in Byron’s expression and narrowed his eyes. He continued to speak, “Let me guess, Mr. Woolery. As the owner of a high-end navigation equipment enterprise, you want to do business in the Sunrise market. Correct?“And Softwin just so happens to be able to help you with this. Hence, you’re willing to do anything to beg them, even if it means being their pimp and serving girls to him on a silver platter, yes?” Jasper questioned calmly.Byron looked ashamed by what Jasper said. However, the latter was an experienced man, so he managed to regain his composure quickly. “Let’s not talk about how your guess is complete bullsh*t yet, Jasper. In the first place, does my private life have anything to do with you?”“You’re right, Mr. Woolery. Your private life is not of my concern at all. Even so, out of everyone you could have targeted, Jill is the last person you should’ve set your eyes!”Jasper’s voice echoed by the staircases.“Do you know who Jill is? She’s a member of the national team! An outstanding athlete in Somerland’s Sports field, a national hero!“How dare you even think of giving her to a Sunriser? Did you forget the painful history our ancestors suffered decades ago?“I wonder if you can afford the public’s anger if word of your actions got out, Mr. Woolery?”Byron was stunned. He could not refute him as he realized that Jasper had perfectly captured the harm of Byron’s actions.“Hmph! Sharp-tongued b*stard. I’ll make you pay for this!”Byron snapped as he turned to leave the scene of the crime.He had just turned around when he saw Secretary Lee’s car pull up at the entrance.As a large entrepreneur in Nauritus City, Byron knew who Secretary Lee was.His expression changed slightly and he looked at Jasper instinctively. He knew that Jasper was the one who had called Secretary Lee over.Jasper looked at him meaningfully, and Byron felt his heart race frantically at the intent gaze.Secretary Lee walked out of the car and swept his eyes over everyone present. His gaze fell on Byron for a short second before the man walked over to shake Jasper’s hand. “We meet again, Mr. Laine.”Jasper smiled. “My apologies for troubling you over such a small issue, Secretary Lee.”Secretary Lee did not smile as he responded, “It pains and embarrasses me to know that something like this is happening.”Jasper pointed at a pale Mr. Kain not too far away and said, “The person in question is over there. You can question him yourself, Secretary Lee.”Secretary Lee walked over to Mr. Kain darkly and spoke, “I’m going to ask you just one question. Did you or did you not force the athletes under your management to do things they didn’t want to?!”Mr. Kain felt his legs go weak as he looked at Byron and pleaded with a wail, “Mr. Woolery, I only did it for you! Please save me!”Byron’s expression changed as his plan to remove himself from the situation was instantly foiled. He roared, “What nonsense are you spouting? I don’t even know you!”Mr. Kain’s paled.He was about to argue when Jill stepped out.“I can testify. Mr. Kain had forced me to go drinking with Byron just now. He told me that if I went, Byron would then sponsor us 500 thousand US Dollars!”Both Mr. Kain and Byron looked devastated.Secretary Lee glared at the two harshly before he smiled and turned to Jill. “Are you someone from their company, Miss?”“No, I’m from the national team. Mr. Kain and I knew each other in the past, so he invited me to instruct in his company.”The national team!The corner of Secretary Lee’s eye twitched. At that moment, he felt the urge to slap Mr. Kain across the face. This b*stard had no limits at all.Life at the Top Chapter 1007“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Jill. It’s my fault, I didn’t mean it. I was forced too!”There was no trace of his former fierceness as Mr. Kain fell to his knees and begged.“I was tempted, Byron promised to sponsor the provincial team 500 thousand and pay me another 200 thousand if I did as he asked. I only did it because I was tempted by money.“Jill, please help me! Seeing as how I brought you to where you are today, help me put in a word! I don’t want to go to prison!”Mr. Kain wailed. He saw how Jill’s expression hardened and she did not say anything, so he kneeled in front of Jasper next.“Mr. Laine, Sir, Daddy, please! Please, I’m begging you! Please! I was blind, I was insolent! I shouldn’t have targeted your friend, but I really didn’t know any better!“Please, please, just forgive me this once! I really don’t want to go to prison! I still have a wife and kids; I still have my parents to take care of! I can’t go to prison!”Playvolume00:00/00:00TruvidfullScreen Mr. Kain sounded pitiful as he begged, but no one sympathized with the man.Sympathizing meant condoning his crimes and God knows how many girls had fallen victim to Mr. Kain before.If Jill was not the first victim, then who would take justice for those girls? He simply could not be forgiven.“Enough!”Secretary Lee shouted and pointed at Mr. Kain, “There’s no point in begging anyone right now. You’ll face legal consequences for your actions!”Secretary Lee then turned to Byron and spoke unkindly, “You’re one of Nauritus City’s celebrity entrepreneurs, Mr. Woolery. How could you do such a thing? Explain yourself!”Byron’s complexion paled and he finally clenched his jaw to speak, “This has nothing to do with me. Don’t listen to Kain lie and frame me, I didn’t promise him anything. Nor did I tell him to bring girls to me.”“Hah.” Henry could not hold back any longer. “I thought that Kain was shameless, but it did not cross my mind that you’d be even worse. That’s alright, though, because I came prepared.”Henry then pulled out his phone and replayed an audio recording.The contents of the recording conveyed exactly what Bryon had said earlier when he threatened Jasper.The recording clearly indicated Byron’s role in the incident.It also shed light on Echo Welch’s involvement.Byron’s expression changed drastically when he heard the contents of the recording.Secretary’s Lee’s gaze instantly darkened as well.“Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Laine,” Secretary Lee spoke grimly.“Quite a few people are involved in this since our victim’s a female athlete that brings pride to our country. This is a matter involving the national team and the Sunrisers.“I just can’t bear to see our country’s future at stake. Sorry to trouble you, Secretary Lee. There’s still something I have to do, so I’ll be leaving first.”Jasper then made a move to leave. Byron took a step forward to stop Jasper but was held back by the two men Secretary Lee had brought with him.“Perhaps you should come back with me first, Mr. Woolery. Please cooperate as we investigate your matter,” Secretary Lee spat distastefully.Byron raged, “What do you mean, ‘my matter? Just because of a recording? What are you doing? Let me go!”Ignoring Byron’s wails of protest, Jasper looked toward the sky and realized that it was getting late. He still had dinner with Wayne and Jose, so Jasper turned to ask Henry, “Where are you two going next?”“Jill’s got to be terrified. I was thinking I’d book her into a hotel so she can get some rest for now,” Henry immediately replied.“No!”Jill seemed wary of Henry, but she also realized how her rejection might hurt Henry’s self-esteem and she quickly explained, “I have an aunt here in Nauritus City, so I’ll stay with her instead. I’m leaving for Swallow Capital tomorrow anyway.”Henry sounded disappointed as he asked, “Tomorrow? Why so soon?”“I only came to Nauritus City to pay back the favor I owed Mr. Kain, but I didn’t expect him to be like this. I should be going back now as I still have training tomorrow. I’ve got to prepare for the next competition,” Jill explained.Henry’s reluctance to let Jill go was written all over his face, but he did not have a good reason to ask her to stay either.“Miss Cobb is going back because she has things to do. Of course, that’ll take precedence. I thought you have training in Swallow Capital next week too, Henry? You’ll get to meet her then.”At this moment, Jasper chimed in and gave Henry the perfect reason to look for Jill in Swallow Capital.Henry’s eyes shone and he nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, I almost forgot! Thanks for reminding me.”“You two know each other?!” Jill asked, looking at the two suspiciously.Henry’s smile froze and frantically started thinking about how he should reply when Jasper smiled and did it for him. “I told you a friend asked me to help, right? That was Henry.”Jill tilted her head suspiciously. She was not a gullible person.“But how did you know I was in trouble?”“We didn’t. Henry said he wanted to introduce a new friend to me, so he brought me over to look for you. We thought we’d invite you for a meal or something, but we didn’t expect something like this to happen.“Thank goodness nothing horrible happened.”There were no loopholes in Jasper’s smile, tone, or statement. So while Jill did feel something was off about the excuse he offered, she could not pinpoint exactly what was wrong with it.“Okay…” Jill nodded hesitantly as she reluctantly accepted the explanation.“I’ll be going, then. You two have fun.” It was getting late and Jasper did not plan to disturb the duo, so he quickly waved and left.Jill watched Jasper leave and turned to ask Henry curiously, “Is this friend of yours really rich and powerful?”“He’s not too bad,” Henry replied casually.“Didn’t you see how cool he was just now? You’re just a high school teacher, so how can you just say he’s ‘not too bad’? Sure, we shouldn’t look down on ourselves, but we have to admit it when other people are outstanding too, okay?” Jill said seriously.Henry was about to reply when he suddenly thought of something. He asked warily, “You didn’t fall for him, did you?”Jill glared at Henry and refuted, “What kind of nonsense is that?”Life at the Top Chapter 1008Jasper agreed to meet Wayne in the Imperial Kitchen.The three were now much closer than when they had met for the first time, but there was still an invisible barrier between Jasper and the other two.Jasper still had a smile on his face when he shook Wayne’s hand. Then, he pulled out a complete set of Grimms’ Fairy Tales.“Both Volume 1 and 2. I know that you’re a fan of fairytales, and that you’ve love Grimms’ work a lot, Mr. Marlon. So I had someone find a complete set in Harbor City. I hope it’s to your liking.”Wayne was surprised to receive such a gift.“Thank you, Mr. Laine. I’ll treasure this gift,” Wayne put away the books happily.The three then slipped into their seats.Both Jasper and Wayne were well aware that this present was merely a conversation starter. No matter how valuable this gift was, it would hold no sway in their negotiation later.Dinner began and instead of jumping straight to business negotiations, Jasper chatted aimlessly with Wayne and Jose.Having lived five to six decades his past life and been through quite a lot in this timeline, Jasper was able to add his own two cents to any given topic. Wayne was also a talkative person, so coupled with Jose occasional comments, the atmosphere was harmonious as the three chatted.After dinner was over, Jasper placed his cutlery down lightly.At that moment, the two men who would one day become Somerland’s most formidable figures in the dot-com industry could not help but place their cutlery down as well.No matter what their future held, Jasper’s current wealth and status were not something Wayne and Jose could compare to. Thus, it would be inappropriate if they continued to eat once Jasper stopped.“Oh, right. Something interesting happened today.”Jasper retold the incident from that afternoon regarding Mr. Kain and Jill. After all, Echo, who was involved in the incident, was closely related to Abbylon.Wayne frowned. The Softwin representative he was in contact with the most was, without a doubt, the President of the Somerland branch, Echo Welch.He understood this man’s character–He was extremely lecherous and had a fetish for Somer beauties.Perhaps it had to do with his stunted height, but Echo loved long-legged beauties the most.Wayne had received countless unreasonable requests from Echo before, and it had given him quite the few headaches. He just did not expect the man to set his eyes on Jill too.Jasper saw Wayne and Jose’s expressions change for the worse and knew that his plan had worked. Still, this story was just a conversation starter.At the same time, it was also a catalyst to have Wayne choose him over Echo.“Having said that, let’s get straight to the main topic!”Jasper smiled and said directly.“I want to be Abbylon’s majority shareholder!”Jasper finally started talking about his true goal. While Wayne and Jose had expected it, they still found it quite unbelievable.Jasper was asking a bit too much.He was taking this opportunity to crush Softwin’s Somerland branch’s influence and power.“Mr. Laine, you know that they hold 41% of Abbylon’s shares. I’m afraid this is going to be very, very difficult.’ Wayne smiled wryly.Life at the Top Chapter 1009“But 59% is still in your hands, no?” Jasper replied, having already expected such a reaction from Wayne.Wayne and Jose exchanged a look as the latter replied, “Mr. Laine, I’m afraid forcefully suppressing Softwin with our shares will only result in an unrepairable discord between both parties. The slightest mistake and Abbylon will be over.”Jasper got up and walked over to stand behind Wayne and Jose. He placed his hands on each of their shoulders and leaned down such that his head was between the two men.“As long as we have the eighteen founders, as long as we have you two, Mr. Marlon and Mr. Salazar, then who cares if Abbylon falls? There can always be another company–another Abbylon. It’s a simple concept and I’m sure the both of you understand this.”Wayne stared deeply at Jasper and asked solemnly, “What do you want, Mr. Laine?”“Me?” Jasper chuckled and straightened himself to reply, “Hudson Moore from Terizone asked me a similar question back then. I told him that I wanted to turn Terizone into a mega-enterprise worth trillions on the market.”“But now.” Jasper looked at Wayne. The man’s eyes shone with certainty and exceptional confidence.“I can tell you that I plan to make Abbylon into the greatest and most respected enterprise out there. Its market value isn’t important because it’s going to be responsible for society in its entirety. It’ll soon change how society lives!”Wayne shot to his feet when he heard Jasper.He felt blood run hotly through his veins as his heart thumped erratically in his chest. Gushes of warm blood rushed to his brain as sweat began to bead on his forehead.No one knew, nor had Wayne ever told anyone, that he had never founded Abbylon for the money. He just wanted to start a great enterprise that would change everyone’s lives.Making money just so happened to be an unavoidable path toward that goal.He knew no one would believe him if he told this. In fact, doing so would only result in them mocking him.Yet, on this day, he had finally felt it with Jasper.The feeling of finding his soulmate who truly understood what he wanted.Jasper looked at Wayne and continued grimly, “Mr. Marlon. Be it Softwin or any other capitalist investor, they’ll only invest in Abbylon because they see your potential to make great profits in the future.“But I’m different from them. What I see is a whole new world, one that we can create together!”Blood rushed to his head and Wayne had almost instantly agreed out of sheer excitement. At that crucial moment, Jose’s words poured over him like a bucket of cold water.“Mr. Laine, Softwin has already invested more than 25 million US Dollars in Abbylon. Moreover, Myles has told us that he’s willing to invest more as long as Abbylon requires it.“If we were to kick Softwin out now, it won’t matter how exciting this future you speak of is. You’re still going to have to face Softwin, a formidable opponent.”Jose’s words reeled Wayne back from his wishful thoughts. The man’s mind immediately steadied and cleared up.Meanwhile, Jasper frowned slightly.In all honesty, Jasper really wanted to have Julian come in and seal Jose’s mouth shut if he could.Jasper’s partnership with Wayne would already have succeeded if not for Jose.However, the man’s behavior showed how uniquely pragmatic he was. It was pointless trying to build a vision with him, for he only believed what he saw.“Is 25 million a lot?”Jasper answered calmly.Life at the Top Chapter 1010Jasper raised a hand to stop Jose as the latter tried to say something, and continued grandly, “In terms of investment, I won’t give you any less than Softwin!“At the same time, all I need is full support from Abbylon’s shareholders to fight against Softwin. I’ll do everything else. I’ll invest in you and I’ll do the legwork, while all you need to do is vote for me when the time comes.”Wayne and Jose exchanged a look before the latter told Jasper, “Mr. Laine, I hope you can give us sufficient reason to trust you by then.“Otherwise, forgive us for choosing Softwin, who helped us in our time of need, instead of you.”Jasper smiled. “It’s good to repay kindness with kindness. But if you know that the other party harbored bad intentions, then why repay evil with kindness?”Jose frowned slightly. He rather disliked Jasper’s forcefulness and had no recollection of Softwin’s so-called bad intentions.“Mr. Laine, please allow us to discuss this for another two days.” Jose then pulled Wayne away.Jasper narrowed his gaze as he watched the duo leave intently…In a hotel in Nauritus City.Echo was currently pacing about in frustration.Beside him, Yona looked pitiful and quite funny with bandages covering his nose.“Is there still no news?” Echo stopped walking about to ask Yona.Yona replied with a heavy grunt, “Not yet.”“B*stard!” Echo cursed and said darkly, “First it was Abbylon Inc, with that Jasper jumping out to cause trouble, now we can’t even contact Byron! What is this Somer dog doing?“Does he not know I like that woman a lot? How dare he vanish on me now?”Just then, Echo’s laptop on the table lit up.Yona immediately went to check it and he told Echo, “Mr. Welch, Mr. Shon’s requesting for a video call.”“Connect it.” Echo sat before the laptop solemnly while straightening his clothes. After this, a skinny and short old man appeared on the laptop’s screen.“Mr. Shon,” Echo greeted Myles courteously.Myles looked at Echo calmly through the laptop and said, “Echo, I heard that something happened to Abbylon? Why didn’t you report it to me?”Echo’s palm shook slightly from where it hid under the camera as he internally cursed this old man for not trusting him; There had to be countless spies hidden by Echo’s side. Even so, the man replied politely.“Mr. Shon, something did happen. Someone wants to invest in Abbylon and they’re asking for a very high percentage of the shares. Their investment will threaten our position in Abbylon.”“Have you dealt with it yet?” Myles asked expressionlessly.“I’m dealing with it now,” Echo replied with his head down.“Incompetent!” Myles shouted and scolded.“Yes, Mr. Shon! I’m sorry! I’m incompetent!” Echo replied frantically, not daring to argue at all.“You know that I have an extremely bullish view on Abbylon’s future. There is no room for mistakes on this. Put every other task aside and focus on dealing with Abbylon.”“Otherwise I’ll transfer you back into the country even if the Trider family begs me not to. Understood?”“I understand, Mr. Shon. I’ll definitely give you satisfactory news as soon as I can.” Echo responded loudly.“Good.” Myles nodded as his expression softened.Then, he spoke in a light tone, “Echo, I know that you have a liking for Somer women. But this is a forgivable issue, so I will not interfere in this.“However, you must understand that Softwin has their own interests to protect. I’m sure you know what will happen if I hear that you’ve interfered with Softwin’s interests because of something like that.”Echo’s pupils contracted slightly as he tilted his head down to reply, “I know my limits, Mr. Shon.”Myles gave Echo one last look before ending the call.Echo let out a deep sigh once the screen turned black. At that moment, he touched his back only to realize that it had become completely drenched without his knowledge.“Idiot!” Echo ground his teeth and scolded, “Myles has to have spies in the company. He knows everything we’ve done.”Yona leaned over to Echo and asked, “Should I investigate, Mr. Welch?”“Yes, but not now.” Echo’s gaze was horrifyingly dark.“First we need to find out what happened with Byron. Then, we need the company to do everything it can to attack Jasper’s businesses. We don’t have time for investigations now.“We can investigate we’re done with those two. I just need to find out who sold me out–getting rid of him will only evoke Myles’ suspicion.”“You’re wise, Mr. Welch,” Yona praised impressively.With a harrumph, Echo walked to the window. Looking down from where he stood, Echo could see the bright and bustling Southface River.“Jasper truly is a talented man. This Southface Project would be an outstanding and advanced city-modernizing project even if it was built in Sunrise Land!“But who cares?“Immediately redirect all of the investment bank’s powers in Somerland to launch a comprehensive attack on Jasper’s properties. Focus on his real estate projects. I want him to learn that he’ll only get one thing out of angering me.“Death!”…Echo’s order was immediately relayed to Softwin Investments’ Somerland branch headquarters in Waterhoof City.