Everyone was absolutely gobsmacked.
The two receptionists were startled as well. That was the Ring Avenue in Bayside City; one wouldnât be able to buy even a square meter of property there without spending at least 40,000 or 50,000 on it. Right now, Stanley was planning to give the apartments to them to⦠quease their fears?!
The next day, everyone showed up to work at an abnormally punctual time; the incident last night hadnât scared any of the employees away. As they worked, they kept an eye out for news about last nightâs âcompensationâ for the receptionistsâ fear.
When noon camed, they could see that the two receptionists had posted stories of themselves signing the contracts for those apartments.
Everyone was stunned at this. Why was their boss so rich? Why werenât they the ones who got paint splashed on them last night?
Sophia came to work at noon. It was only then did she find out that Stanley had kept his employeesâ
loyalty by gifting them apartments. Although they had lost a few million, they still managed to keep their employees. Although the landlord had been arrested, the man stubbornly refused to speak. He wouldnât admit who sent him to sabotage the company, getting his lawyer to do everything instead. Sophia knew who was the mastermind behind all of this, but she couldnât scrape up any proof.
When she returned to her office, her lawyerâMr. Fieldsâwas already waiting for her. The two of them talked about last nightâs incident for a while before Sophia sent him off. She then returned to her office, but then a thought suddenly struck her. She proceeded to make a phone call.
âIt looks like Harper is being really active. I see that heâs got a lot of savings on hand!â Her voice was abnormally chilly and filled with contempt when she spoke.
Xyla was in the middle of a manicure when Sophia called. She gave a cold chuckle and said, âDidnât you want to use me in order to take Richard on, Sophia? I told youâthereâs no chance!â
Xyla was now a winner in life, for she was already in control of the Harper Groupâs board of directors.
She had kicked all the Harpers out from the board. That was why Richard had recently invested into other professions, such as the online gaming industry. In addition to that, he had also received a large investment with no clear origins.
Xyla knew why this happened, and she also knew about the crisis that Sophia was currently facing. She couldnât stop herself from mocking the latter as she said, âHehe! Iâm sure you didnât expect this, did you?
You tried to use me as a weapon against Richard, only to have me turn back and bite you. Just sit back and watch your company go bankrupt! I will definitely not help you.â She seemed to be very smug as she added one last bit. âBy the way, donât even think about getting your stocks back,â she said.
Sophia already knew that things would end up like this, but everything was still within her control. âItâs okay. My companyâs woes are not something for you to worry yourself over. I just wanted to remind you âdonât forget where dear old Harperâs money is coming from.â With that, she hung up the call and silently cursed her.
Dumb b*tch.
Xyla was now in charge of the Harper Group after having gained control of the board of directors. She had elected her own supporters into key positions, but she never seemed to have thought about the little things. The Harper Group was a sprawling corporation; would some hack with no experience like her be able to manage it? She wasnât cut out for it at all. With the Harper Group in her hands, it would become a crumbling titan sooner or later.
Xyla also knew that Richard had received an overly large investment. Seeing how Richard was about to use that money to stop Sophiaâs rise, she decided that she absolutely couldnât allow that!
Xyla finished her manicure and delicately blew on her nails before phoning Richard. She immediately cut straight to business the moment the call went through. âI heard that youâve received a sizable amount of investment money. Is that so?â
Richardâs heart leaped into his throat as he denied this. âNo, where did you hear this from?â
Xyla seized on this and said, âLetâs split it 50-50. I want to see you transfer half of it to my account tomorrow. Or elseâwell, you know.â
âYou b*tch, donât you dare!â
Richard hung up the phone viciously. Xyla scoffed on the inside and waited for Richard to transfer the money. This was what the Harpers and Richard owed her! If Richard decided that he wouldnât split that money with her, she would spread the news about the Harper Family. They would see who would get the last laugh then!
Meanwhile, Richard flung his phone away.
âDamn b*tch! Damn!â
He stomped on his phone like mad and tried to break it, looking as though he was stomping on Xyla herself.
The former scion and favored son of the Harper Family had already become a normal man with an easily triggered temper. This explosive temper of his made the woman lying next to him jump in fright. Richard had now left all restraint behind; Xyla had taken control of the Harper Residence, and his parents were so angry that they moved out. He truly didnât want that house anymore, nor did he want to set eyes upon that repulsive woman ever again. Heâd rather treat clubs as his new home, bouncing between different ones every night.
After stomping on the phone for a while, he calmed down at last. He couldnât stay like this forever; he must rise up again. As the saying âthe enemy of my enemy is my friendâ went, he had to work with Natasha right now. She was the only one who could trip Sophia up.
Natasha was attempting to topple Sophia with any means she could. He was very much willing to act as Natashaâs weapon, borrowing her might to kick Sophia down. As long as Sophia fell, Xyla wouldnât be able to exert her power for a few days. By then, Richard could rise up again.
He had taken Natashaâs money to cripple Sophiaâs company. If his attempt succeeded, not only would he be able to receive more funds from Natasha, he would be able to rebuild himself through the online gaming industry and build his own business. Everything would be perfect!
His opportunity would come soon. Sophiaâs company would not be able to weather anything for more than a few days. Perhaps, he would even hear news about her company folding the next day. Soul of Sniper would only be forever remembered as a story of the ages, but his gameâMedal of Sniperâwould be an eternal classic!
He had pulled out everything in his arsenal from his amassed glory and Harper Family connections, garnering the funds to intentionally drag Soul of Sniperâs name down. Once Soul of Sniperâs name was ruined, it wouldnât be as easy for them to rebuild it.
He was looking forward to seeing Sophiaâs company fold and watch their game being taken down.
Attacking her company was just the first step for Natasha; she still had many tricks up her sleeve waiting for Sophia! Of all the people that she could have ticked off, Sophia had to step on Natashaâs toes. She really did have it coming!
Unfortunately, he still hadnât heard any news of Sophiaâs company closing down even after a few days had passed. Not only were they still up and running, they were going strong.
The paint on the floor still hadnât dried even after a few days since the landlord had gone on his rampage at the company, but Sophia couldnât be bothered to get someone to clean it up. After doing a cursory cleanup job, she continued her work. They were going to move once they had this matter settled anyway; she couldnât be bothered to cough up the money for the cleaning fees. Let the landlord figure it out himself!
For the next few days, everyone kept talking about the two apartments. Sophia was still as busy as ever, rushing between departments and scurrying around to meet with reporters, police, and lawyers. She was in a tizzy from how busy she was. But at long last, the tampered game data was restored. The rest was up to the PR crisis team.
Everyone could finally relax a little. They began tidying up their things to prepare for their move to the new workplace. The company had expanded quickly in half a year, having grown their team by several dozen members. The moving company transported their belongings, and everyone soon arrived at the new office.
This new office was even more posh than their previous workplace. It was in a better location with a nicer vicinity; transportation was even more convenient here. This time, they werenât renting this placeâthe company had bought the office instead. They had acquired a whole floor that spanned over 2000 square meters.
Everyone picked their work cubicles and arranged their items. As they tidied up their new space, the employees gossiped.
âI told you that Miss Edwards is married! Not only that, her husband is the famous celebrity named Taylor!â
âNo way! Miss Edwards still looks very young to me! Sheâs still a student! How can she be married?â