Chapter 348
My Mute Bride
Chapter 348 Fallen From Grace In an instant, the conference room was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Someone let out a gasp. After all, Justin was Arthurâs only grandson. Even if he had now been removed as the Burton Groupâs president, no one would dare to speak to him like this. Essentially, Robin was testing the manâs limits.
Despite his suggestion that Justin stay in the company as vice president, everyone knew how completely incompatible he and Justin were. If Justin were to stay in the companyâs headquarters, he would definitely have a hard time.
Just when everyone thought Justin would definitely lose his temper, Arthur suddenly spoke. âSounds like a good suggestion to me. Staying at the top for too long would make one forget that one should have their feet on the ground at all times. What do you think, Justin?â
Isnât Old Mr. Burton gonna stick up for him?
âOld Mr.ââ
Justin raised his hand, cutting Frankie short. He stood up and fixed his eyes on Robin across from him, uttering, âI accept it.â
As soon as the meeting ended, Frankie followed Justin out of the conference room. âPresident Burton, how could you agree to stay in the headquarters as vice president? Now that the company has been handed over to Robin, heâll definitely give you a hard time at every turn if you stay here. This isââ
âDo you think Iâm scared of him?â
âThatâs not what I mean. President Burton, Iâm just worried that youâll be humiliated.â In Frankieâs eyes, Justin was a proud and aloof man who had stayed in a high position for many years without ever letting Robin have his way regardless of what the latter did. Now that Robin had triumphed over Justin, what Frankie feared most was that the former would play dirty tricks on Justin. âPresident Burton, why donât you talk to Old Mr. Burton? Itâs okay even if you have to go to the branch office. In any case, itâs better than staying here and running into Robin often.â
âItâs not necessary.â Justinâs brows furrowed, but his tone of voice was peremptory. It was precisely because Robin had become the companyâs president that he had to stay. If the Burton Group were really to be handed over to Robin, no one knew if he would lead the company down a path of self-
destruction.
Seeing that Justin had made up his mind, Frankie had no choice but to hold his tongue.
The pair had reached Justinâs office when they saw Miss Evergreen standing at the door with an uneasy expression. âPresident Burton, Frankie. President Gunson, heâ¦â
Frankieâs face tautened at her words. He pushed the door open, only to see Robin sitting behind the desk with his feet on it. Not only that, but he rested the heels of his leather shoes on a book on the desk that Justin hadnât finished reading, tearing its pages.
Frankie turned red with anger at the sight of the scene. âWhat do you mean by doing this, President Gunson? This is President Burtonâs office!â
âPresident Burton?â Robin smirked. âWatch your language, Assistant Beckham. I am President Gunson, the president of this company. You should be calling him Vice President Burton from now on.
Adding or skipping one particular word makes a huge difference in its meaning.â
âHow dare youââ
âFrankie.â Justin came in while looking indifferently at Robin with a stony face and cold, piercing eyes.
âWhat are you doing here?â
Robin looked around the office with his hands clasped on his stomach. âIâm here to ask you if we should swap offices. After all, Iâm the companyâs president now.â
Frankie got agitated at once. âDonât go too far, President Gunson!â This office had always belonged to Justin ever since he officially took over as the Burton Groupâs president 12 years ago. Without his permission, no one could ever step into his office as they pleased.
âAm I talking to you?â Robin looked incredibly smug. âJustin, tell your lapdog to stop barking!â
âRobin!â Justinâs voice turned chilly all of a sudden.
Seeing the chilling gleam in the manâs stony eyes, Robin shuddered at once. There were certain times when he was still somewhat afraid of Justin. In an instant, he straightened up and stared warily at the man across from him.
Justin regained his composure soon afterward, though. He said nonchalantly, âYou like this office? Iâll give it to you.â
âPresident Burton!â Frankie was in disbelief.
Justin unhurriedly walked up to the desk.
Robin was a little nervous, and he subconsciously pulled his feet off the desk while gulping some saliva. Then, he straightened up, asking, âWhat are you doing?â
Justin picked up the book on the desk and dusted it off with his hand before pointing at the roomâs furnishings. âIf you like these things, you can use them as you please. If you donât like them, you can take them apart and have them reinstalled. As for these books, Iâll be taking them with me.â He waved the French book in his hand. âYou canât read these books anyway, so letâs not keep them here to take up space.â
Robinâs face instantly turned livid one moment and pale the next. Although he had a masterâs degree in finance from abroad, he had only earned it from a diploma mill, so he couldnât speak any foreign language other than very poor Latin. He was able to fool the nonexperts by having his underlings work hard for him all these years, but his academic qualifications were completely worthless in front of Justin.
âFrankie, get someone to pack up my stuff and move them downstairs.â
âYes, President Burton.â
Despite having fallen from grace, Justin maintained his dignity with an innately noble air unmatched by a vile character like Robin.
As soon as the man left, Robin swept everything off the desk in anger.
Startled, Miss Evergreen, who was tidying the office, shuddered with fright before turning to look at him in a panic.
âWhat are you looking at?â Robinâs face was sullen. âStarting from today, Iâll be calling the shots in the Burton Group. Justin, on the other hand, is nothing!â
Meanwhile, Justin left the Burton Group right away.
âPresident Burton, Iâll have your office cleaned up as soon as possible.â
âThereâs no hurry for that. Give me the car keys.â
âAre you gonna drive by yourself?â Frankieâs face showed a look of surprise. Since losing his memory in the car accident five years ago, Justin had been unable to drive by himself. According to the doctorâs diagnosis, this was a result of post-traumatic amnesia.
Justin didnât explain much about it, though. After taking the car keys, he said, âYou donât have to follow me.â With that, he got into the car alone.
Frankie was startled again as he watched the car whizz off. Could President Burton have regained his memories?
Meanwhile, Justin drove to Hudson Pharmaceuticals right away. âIâd like to see Rachel.â
The lady at the front desk was startled for a moment. âPresident Hudson isnât in the office today.â
Thinking that the front desk lady was stalling him off, Justin stressed again, âI have something important to talk to her about.â
âPresident Hudson really isnât in the office, President Burton. If you donât believe me, you can call Miss Carter to ask her about it.â
Had I been able to get through to Jolly on the phone, I wouldnât have made a special trip here, thought Justin.
Just as they were conversing, the front desk lady suddenly pointed behind Justin. âMiss Carterâs here.
You may ask her directly.â
Justin looked back. When he saw Jolly, who had just entered the building with documents in her hands while dressed in a white suit, he immediately strode up to her.
Jolly had just come back with a stack of documents in her arms, only to scowl the instant she saw Justin face to face. âWhy are you here?â
âMiss Carter, Iâm here to talk to Rachel. Where is she?â
âI donât know.â Jolly rolled her eyes crossly before turning around to leave.
Justin strode up to Jolly and blocked her path. âI have something urgent to talk to her about.â
âItâs useless no matter what you want to talk to her about. To tell you the truth, Chris isnât in Riverdale.â
Justinâs pupils shrank at her words. âWhere did she go?â