Chapter 1061: Headlines

Instead of celebrating, Stephen had to put down his glass of champagne to rectify or reduce their losses. While their stocks continued to drop, their phones rang nonstop. Those who had attended the ceremony also had to leave to meet others for help. But before they left, they never forgot to glare at Stephen. They all made sure he saw the look in their eyes.

In the CEO’s department, papers were flying around amidst the chaos. Some people bumped into each other, causing even more papers to fly through the air and rain down on them. The same was happening across every department in the company, as emergency meetings were being held to address the situation.

It was a disaster—one that never occurred during Atlas’s or even Charles’s tenure.

People at Global Prime Logistics had always claimed they were just as busy as the CEO (Atlas), but only today did they realize they had been slacking off. Even those in the CEO’s department, who had stayed behind, couldn’t believe the amount of work Atlas and Allen had been doing for the company.

This was just the worst.

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Hours later...

Stephen threw himself on the couch, loosening his tie before moving forward to pour himself a glass of whiskey. As he watched the whiskey filling the glass, his face soured, and he kept pouring until it was almost full.

One little sip wasn’t enough. He needed an entire glass—heck, a pint would be better at this point!

"Hah!" he huffed, hissing in satisfaction as the alcohol slid down his throat. "God damn that Charles Bennet!"

Stephen gripped the glass tightly, about to throw it at the wall when he stopped himself. Getting worked up wasn’t worth it...

CLANG!

Before he knew it, the glass in his hand had shattered against the wall and fallen to the floor.

"Damn him..." he breathed, resting his arm on his leg and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why am I getting worked up?"

Wasn’t this part of their plan?

Stephen had to act just as the enemies expected him to. He needed to appear as greedy as possible in their eyes to convince them he was on their side. Otherwise, they would kill him—and worse, his wife and daughter. They had already gotten their son. Sven was already behind bars.

And just like Stephen, Charles and his children had to act in a way that would make their actions believable to the enemies. They had to retaliate to convince the enemies that the family had truly fallen apart.

’This is part of our plan,’ he told himself, still massaging his nose. ’But still, do they have to act like this?!’

With his eyes shut, a bitter hiss escaped his gritted teeth. "How dare they... steal almost half of our clients? That bastard—ah, goodness. I feel like I might have a heart attack at this point."

Good thing he’d been taking his health seriously and had his regular checkup not long ago. Otherwise, the anxiety and stress would’ve sent him to the hospital.

Knock knock.

As Stephen massaged his brows, a knock came from the door. Peeking through one eye, he clicked his tongue when he saw his assistant walking in with an empty glass. Stephen’s assistant was about the same age as he and Charles, and she had been with them since their early days.

"You didn’t have to bring me another glass," he grumbled. "I’m throwing that against the wall, anyway."

The middle-aged woman placed the glass on the short table and straightened her back. "Sir, our stocks are already back up, thanks to your efforts today. You did great, sir."

Stephen didn’t answer, waving his hand dismissively. "Enough with that. Go. Leave me alone."

"If you need more, let me know before I go, sir."

"There’s nothing," he said, pushing himself back against the couch. "Right. Call my wife and tell her I’m coming home late."

"I already did."

"Then go. That damn Charles Bennet..." he hissed again, staring at the wall as if Charles’s face were plastered there. "Before you leave, make a poster of Charles and paste it on the wall. At least there’s someone I can glare at during inconvenient moments."

"Alright." She lowered her head politely. "If that is all, I’ll go home now."

Stephen didn’t bother responding and simply waved dismissively. But before his secretary left, she placed a tablet on the corner of the table.

"What’s this?" he asked, only to see her smile subtly.

"In case you want to read the news, I’ve already saved the article," she replied. "Don’t worry, sir. I’ve changed the device’s cover, so even if you throw it at the wall, it won’t break. Good night, sir."

With that, Stephen’s secretary, who had been with him for decades, bowed and quietly left. She didn’t even look back, knowing that whatever Stephen was about to read wouldn’t be good news for him. She simply didn’t want to be there if things went wrong.

Meanwhile, Stephen clicked his tongue and peeled his eyes away from the door. Just as he heard it click closed, he poured himself another glass of whiskey. Good thing his secretary knew he needed it.

After chugging the drink and resisting the urge to throw the glass, Stephen felt more relaxed.

"It’s still a good thing we managed to get our stocks back up, and we stopped some of our investors from pulling out. We also persuaded some of our big clients to stay. Our efforts aren’t in vain," he told himself, nodding in satisfaction. "That goddamn son of a... wait. Why did Charles sign with the Millers?"

Deep lines appeared between Stephen’s brows as the realization hit him. Since Atlas had been kicked out of Global Prime Logistics, wasn’t it only natural that he would be the one to buy the Miller’s Company? But why did Charles sign and get announced as the new owner of the Miller’s Group?

"This is strange..." he murmured, his eyes falling on the tablet his secretary left behind. "We managed to salvage the situation. Let’s see the news now."

Not expecting much from the business section, Stephen opened the tablet. There were only three things he anticipated: the dip in Global Prime Logistics’ stock, Charles Bennet being named the new CEO of the Miller’s Company, and the Bennet family drama.

But the first article already open was something he didn’t expect.

[Headline: PIERSON CORPORATION WELCOMES ITS NEW CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER]

And the photo was of Atlas.

"Eh?" Stephen blinked. "Ehhhh?!?!"