James' words were met with discontent from the Callahans.Tommy yelled at him, “Who do you think you are, meddling in the affairs of the Callahans?”Megan recalled how James had humiliated her in front of everyone and how she was forced to kneel at Yuna’s banquet yesterday.Upset, she berated him sarcastically, “The remaining three will fall soon? Who do you think you are? Alex Yates? Do you get to decide their fates?”Gladys, too, reprimanded him, “What an embarrassment. Can’t you just keep your mouth shut?”Thea shot James a disgruntled look, insinuating that he should have kept his thoughts to himself.She did not feel confident in leading the Callahans to glory.Becoming an influential family required not just wealth but also strong connections.Lex completely ignored James and fixed his gaze on Thea. “Thea, Listen. I’ll give you three years. If you can transform us into an influential family and grow our assets tenfold within that time, I’ll give you fifty percent of the G
Lex stood up and invited Thea to sit.The more amicable Lex was toward Thea, the more threatened the rest of the Callahans felt.Lex was old and would probably not live for much longer. They believed this redistribution of shares was equivalent to him dividing up the Callahans’ inheritance.As there were limited seats, the non-core members of the family stood during the discussion.James was standing too, but he could not care less.Lex was seated above. He scanned the group before he spoke, “I’ve summoned all of you here today for two things. First, from today onward, Thea will formally take over the reins of the Callahans and be in charge of every family business as the executive chairman.“Second, we’ll be discussing the redistribution of shares.”Upon hearing this, everyone held their breath. All eyes were fixed on Lex, waiting for his next move.Lex glanced at Benjamin. “All these years, Benjamin has been working diligently. And though he received no shares, he did not com
Slap!Gladys smacked James on the head. “Watch your tongue. What makes you think you have the right to speak at the family meeting?” She reprimanded him.“Alright, that settles it.” Lex laughed heartily.To set the Callahans up at the Trade City Center was something unthinkable to him. That place was the future Global Financial Center. As such, businesses from Cansington were not the only ones seeking to establish themselves there. All large corporations nationwide would eventually make their way there.If the Callahans managed to set up shop there, it would be a symbol of prestige. Lex could not care less about the hundred million entrance fee.“Grandpa, I…” Thea was hesitant.However, seeing Lex’s delighted face, she did not want to disappoint him. She hung her head. “I-I’ll try.”“Chairman, you now carry the hopes and dreams of the Callahans.”“You have to get us the right to set up shop.”“Worry not, chairman. As long as you succeed in your negotiations, we’ll find a way t
James raised his hands. “How am I supposed to know that? I’m not an expert in this field.” Thea sighed. “Alright, stop bickering already. Jamie was just being considerate. I’ll make the relevant preparations. I’ll go to the office tomorrow to prepare the related documents and hand them in for submission. If it doesn’t work, then so be it. Grandpa should know that this is an impossible mission. So, even if I fail, he won’t make life difficult for me.”“Yeah.” Gladys nodded. At this point, that was the only thing they could do.Meanwhile, Benjamin was still in a trance.Fifty percent shares.He never expected in his wildest dreams to be granted fifty percent of the family’s shares.David, too, had forgotten about his earlier dejection. He exclaimed excitedly, “Father, grandpa said you have the right to redistribute your shares. I’m your only son. Quick, give me twenty-five percent of the shares.”Benjamin glanced at Gladys.Even though he had the right to redistribute them, Glad
Xara was daring. She was almost on top of James.James caught a whiff of the alluring fragrance of a young maiden, and he hurriedly turned his body to the side.His actions amused Xara, and she burst out laughing. “James, are you still shy about this? People say you haven’t done it with Thea. Are you still a virgin?”James blushed.Indeed, he was.Ten years ago, he was only seventeen, a teenage boy who had just graduated senior high school.He had been in a relationship with a girl back then.However, holding hands was the furthest they went.He then enlisted into the army and stayed there for ten years. His days were filled with special training, ice-cold weapons, and the remains of his enemies.He did not wish to prolong this conversation. He inhaled the smoke deeply, threw the cigarette bud into the trash can, and made his way back into the house.Thea, who had seen James by the stairs with Xara’s arms wrapped around him, ran away in tears.The moment she entered her room
At that point, she had already fallen in love with James. She had decided that he would be the only man in her life.She never expected him to fool around with another woman so soon, not to mention the woman being her cousin.“W-We should…”She wanted to ask for a divorce, but the words were stuck in her throat.“Darling, what are you trying to say?”“N-Nothing.”Thea could not bring herself to say those words.She was no longer motivated to write the application for setting up a shop, so she got on the bed and slept.The night passed silently. The next day.After changing into professional business attire, Thea set out for Eternality Group early in the morning.James had nothing planned, so he slept in until ten o’clock in the morning.A lot had happened in Cansington lately.Warren Xavier, the late head of the Xaviers and one of The Great Four, died. The downfall of the Xaviers came, and they fell from grace.The heads of the Frasiers, the Wilsons, and the Zimmermans w
David and Alyssa had just returned after taking a drive in their brand-new Maserati.The moment they entered the house, they saw everything—Xara hugging James’ arm as she clung to him intimately.“W-What…?” David exclaimed.He walked toward them and said to James, “How dare you, James? You’ve been leeching off the Callahans for some time now. Now that Thea isn’t home, you’re fooling around with another woman?”“And you, Xara. H-How could you do such a thing? He’s your cousin-in-law!”Xara was just playing around with James.She did not expect David to return so soon.Her cheeks reddened, and she immediately released James and hung her head. “D-David, it’s not what you think it is.”“What is it, then?” David raised his voice. “What were you two doing? If we didn’t come home in time, the two of you would be naked on the sofa by now!”James, too, did not expect things to turn out like this.However, he did not try to offer an explanation.Alyssa sat on the sofa. With a surly ex
With a grim expression, she took a seat.James noticed the displeasure on Thea’s face and hurriedly explained, “Thea, don’t listen to David. Nothing’s going on between us. Yes, she was holding my arm, but she was only asking me to find her a job. We weren’t making out.”“Yes,” Xara hurriedly added. “That’s what really happened, Thea.”David sprang to his feet. “Looking for a job? Who do you think you are, the chairman of the company? Thea is the chairman of Eternality. Xara should be approaching her for help, not you.”Gladys was sullen. “Xara, I won’t be telling your father about this. It’d be bad if rumors were to spread and ruin the good name of the Hills. James, you have to divorce Thea. The Callahans could never accept such a shameless son-in-law like you.”“That’s right. Get a divorce,” Alyssa chimed in.Thea felt her head spin.A divorce?She had wanted to say those words last night.However, she recalled how well James had treated her.She remembered James’ meticulous