"You—" Jody's face turned livid with anger.Lilian finally reacted and quickly interjected, "Don't get upset, Jody. There must be some misunderstanding.""Did Edward do something to anger you again, Mr. Truman?"Henry's expression remained cold as he replied, "No, I just find him annoying and wanted to teach him a lesson."That left Lilian stunned as she found it impossible to mediate. She knew that Jody was not ordinary—her father was Frankie Townsend, the deputy mayor of Hodbridge, a key figure with significant backing from provincial leaders.With Donald Chapman's retirement and Richard's confirmed promotion, the city's top position would likely go to one of the deputies, with Frankie being the front-runner.In light of Eric's upcoming visit to Hodbridge, Lilian sought Jody's support. She never anticipated a conflict between them and Henry.Lydia quickly stepped in as the situation got tenser. She briefly explained the incident. "Ladies, Edward repeatedly threatened us and ev
Lilian panicked when she heard that. Henry was her ally, and she could not let him get arrested."Please calm down, Jody," Lilian said."Mr. Truman, Jody is not just anybody. Her father is Mr. Townsend, the deputy mayor of Hodbridge and a very influential figure.""So what?" Henry replied.Lilian was stunned. She thought she had made her point clear; she had not expected Henry to remain so defiant.Jody was even more furious and retorted, "You think you're invincible, don't you?"Tell me your name, and I'll deal with you later.""Sure, I'm Henry, and I work at the Miller Group," Henry said calmly."You'll regret this," Jody fumed."Let's go, Lilian!"She stormed off and assumed that Lilian would follow her. However, Lilian hesitated. She was close with Jody, but Jody had admitted she could not help her deal with the Levies. She only met with Jody to maintain their relationship for future support. Yet, Henry had promised to protect her. She was not sure if Henry would be offen
As everyone's eyes were on Edward, he said cautiously, "It's my dad. He must know something's wrong."He implied that Henry should be careful because his father already knew about the situation. Though Edward was intimidated by Henry's earlier actions, he still thought of revenge once he was safe."Is it really your dad?" Henry asked, curious how things had escalated so quickly. It seemed the Yorks had played a significant role since they were well-acquainted with the Neptune Group and could find the quickest way to strike."Yes!" Edward, seeing Henry in thought, assumed he was scared."Henry, let me go right now, or my dad will come after you," Edward said."Go ahead and take the call." Henry was not bothered. He believed that Edward would suffer more once the Warrens' downfall was complete, just like Lewis, who was likely living in misery.Lilian, however, quickly intervened. "Don't let him take the call, Mr. Truman.""Why?" Henry was puzzled."If he doesn't answer, his dad w
"What do you think we should do, Sebastian?" Bowen felt helpless. He began to doubt Henry's trustworthiness after he assigned the Yorks such an impossible task.Sebastian hesitated and said, "Mr. Truman is not an ordinary person. He made Winson follow his orders, and even Mr. Ford would bend over backward for him. He must have a reason for doing this."Bowen was surprised, then nodded. "I think so too, but we—"Before he could finish, his phone rang. It was an unknown number.His heart nearly skipped a beat. He wondered if Henry had arranged some help because only a few people had his number, so he answered tensely. "Hello?""Hello. Is this Bowen, the Yorks' family leader? I'm Dustin," a young voice on the other end said."Who's this?"Bowen initially did not recognize the name, but then he was shocked."Wait—Mr. Hopper from Skyline Corporation?"Dustin was a rising business elite in Hodbridge, respected by everyone. Rumor had it that his power was comparable to that of the fo
"Okay, hold on. I'll make a call right now. If the money hasn't been transferred yet, I'll make sure to stop the loan!" Dustin hung up and contacted Richard.Henry had already established connections with Richard. It was not anything illegal—Dustin just needed to inform Richard that the Neptune Group had various issues, like tax evasion, and was on the brink of bankruptcy. He only requested to pause their loan process.When Richard heard it was Henry's request, he had someone check on the loan status. Learning that the money had yet to be disbursed, he said, "I didn't realize the Neptune Group has such serious problems. For the safety of the bank's funds, I'll stop the loan.""Thank you, Mr. Miles," Dustin said."Don't mention it. This is to protect national assets. If the Neptune Group, with its issues, got the loan, it would be a loss of public funds," Richard responded."I will also lead an investigation with the Industrial and Commercial Bureau to examine the Neptune Group tho
"In fact, the Neptune Group owed their suppliers a lot of money, so we can get them to demand payment right away," Bowen said with growing confidence. What had seemed impossible felt very doable."Good idea," Dustin replied."Besides that, we need to work on public opinion too. Gather any dirt you have on Neptune Group, and give it to me. Whether true or not, we need people to think the Neptune Group is finished."There's no way the Neptune Group can survive this. They will face bankruptcy for sure." Bowen agreed."Exactly. We've already made some preparations for this. With you leading the charge, the impact will be much greater. I'll get my people on it right away," Bowen said.As they acted, they continued to discuss their plan. Soon, alarming news started to pour into the Neptune Group. First, they heard about the loan cancellations, almost immediately followed by news of an investigation by city officials.Even without formal notice, they could quickly confirm it with thei
"It's not just him. Even Winson, the current family leader of the Jones, shows him great respect. The same goes for Mr. Ford and others."Mr. Truman's power is beyond your imagination. Otherwise, who else could mobilize such force in such a short time?" Bowen said, his voice filled with awe.As Bowen spoke, he felt a deep sense of reverence. The more he understood Henry's capabilities, the more hopeful he felt. That meant Henry had a real chance against Eric and might even face him head-on.Stanley sat there in stunned silence, his face filled with despair."All of this is because Edward provoked Mr. Truman?""Yes," Bowen confirmed."And Edward is still in Mr. Truman's hands."Stanley's heart sank. He reached for his phone to make a call, but Bowen shook his head. "Think carefully before you make that call. It could make things worse."There will be no turning back," Bowen said.Stanley's face was grim. "He wants the Neptune Group?""Not exactly. He wants to destroy the Warre
"That can't be true!" Edward said."Why not? We've all suffered because of you. Listen to Mr. Truman and do exactly as he says."Stanley hung up the phone and said bitterly, "Please put in a good word for me with Mr. Truman, Bowen."Bowen patted him on the shoulder with some sympathy. Stanley had worked hard all his life, only to end up in that mess because he raised a troublesome son.Bowen knew about Edward's bad behavior. Edward had done some despicable things, and even Stanley had his share of shady actions. Bowen had warned Lilian to stay away from Edward, but she had not listened."How can this be happening?" Edward was in shock. He was terrified at the thought that Henry might really have the power to ruin the Warrens in a single day.Lydia and Lilian were equally stunned. The Neptune Group was a multi-million dollar company, yet it seemed to be collapsing overnight. It was unbelievable that Henry could make such things happen.Just then, Henry's phone rang. It was Bowen.