Chapter 134: You’ve Grown Bold

As Jenny walked through the corridors of her childhood home, she couldn’t stop the smile that was blossoming on her face. So, this is what it feels like when you bully the bully?

Well, she wasn’t exactly going to bully the bully and she hadn’t even done it yet but that didn’t matter. At least not to her. If she could ride this high and use it to get what she wants, that’ll be okay for her.

Just as she’d once heard Nico demonstrate, fake it till you make it.

With her long, eager strides, she quickly reached the door of her mother’s home offic and adjusted the folder in her hand. This would be her biggest chance to finally push everything in her favor and she definitely wasn’t going to fuck it up.

Pushing such thoughts out of her head, she knocked.

"Come in." Her mother’s voice called out.

She walked in to find her mother seated behind her desk, scanning a document. That was when it occured to her. When her mother retired, what would she do with her time? Drink tea alone?

She quickly dismissed the thought. That was unlikely. Her mother had friends in high places. They’d probably go to those high places to have fun.

"Mother." Jenny greeted as she walked into the room but the woman barely acknowledged her presence, nodding absentmindedly as she continued going through the document.@@novelbin@@

"I believe I have something you’d definitely want to see." Jenny said.

That was when her mother finally lookd up, her perfectly sculpted brows arching in annoyance. "This had better be important, Jenny. I have an important meeting to get to in an hour."

"I believe this is more than important." Jenny said, before saying the words she knew would attract her mother’s attention for sure. "It’s about Jasmine."

At the mention of her second daughter’s name, Clarisse dropped her document on the table and leaned back in her chair, a serious expression on her face. "Go on." Explore more adventures at NovelBin.Côm

"Here." Jenny opened the folder and spread its contents across the desk. Handwriting notes, pictures of a briefcase full of money and what looked like a hidden cam capturing Jasmine and Charles Harrington sitting opposite each other.

She singled out one particular document, a handwritten statement of admission by Fiske, detailing Jasmine’s involvement in the scheme.

"This," Jenny gestured grandly at the documents, "is evidence of Jasmine’s sabotage of WireFrame. She was the one behind the man who tampered with the company’s servers, and leaked sensitive data to the public."

"And I’m sure there’s no need to talk about motive. There’s only one reason Jasmine would do this to a company working so closely with Apex." Jenny stared directly at her mother. "Me."

Her mother’s eyes roamed over Jenny’s evidence, taking it in before leaning back in her chair, her face a whole picture of displeasure. "What are you trying to do here, Jenny? Paint your sister in a bad light by sacrificing one of your tools?" She asked.

"There’s nothing to contradict the theory that the man might be working alone or that WireFrame was already unstable. You expect me to believe Jasmine would risk her reputation by actively sabotaging the company just based on some documents and pictures?" She stared at her daughter in disappointment but her daughter didn’t flinch.

Jenny nodded at her mother’s words, as if she had been expecting it. Her mother wasn’t reacting this way because she didn’t believe that Jasmine was capable of this. She already knew she could do this. She was reacting this way because whoever her sources were, they hadn’t given her this information. And that was what Jenny needed.

"I don’t expect you to believe anything without proof, mother." Jenny nodded. "Which is why I brought proof."

She dipped her hand into her pocket and brough out a USB drive. With a pointed look at her mother, she placed it on the table.

After a momentary pause, her mother took the USB drive and plugged it into her own computer.

Jenny stood there waiting, already knowing what her mother would find on it.

A video.

Before long, the video began playing and she watched her mother’s expression carefully. The audio floated to her, providing damning evidence.

"You won’t get caught." She heard Jasmine’s voice, already picturing the scene with Charles watching. "You work in the systems department. You’re the person with the perfect position to do what I need without attracting suspicion."

The video had been secretely taken by Fiske himself as some form of insurance. If this video gets into the hands of the authorities, Jasmine and Charles Harrington would be convicted along with Fiske.

When the video finally finished playing, Clarisse Newton just sat there, staring at the screen with a dark expression on her face.

Time to strike as the fire is hot.

"If I want Jasmine out of this race, I have everything I need. Nico has everything he needs to make this happen on my behalf." Jenny paused. "But I remembered your words. The means must be invisible, for the sake of the company and the family."

She stepped closer to the desk and her mother looked up at her. "Jasmine has always played dirty, but this time, she crossed the line. She has done the opposite of that, flaunting her recklessness for the world to see."

There was silence in the room as mother and daughter stared at each other. Finally, Clarisse narrowed her eyes, staring at Jenny. "You’ve made your point." She said. "But why come to me? You could’ve used this card to turn the board against Jasmine."

"Because I’m not the most important thing here, mother." Jenny answered. "Apex is. And if Jasmine keeps on going like this, she’ll destroy everything you’ve built, and I refuse to let that happen."

"Which is why I’ve come with a threat of my own, mother." Jenny said. "Support me. Install me as chairman and you’ll get the Apex that you want. If you don’t I’ll keep taunting my sister until she uses Apex itself to tear me down and destroy it before you can blink."

Silence covered the room as they stared at each other. Jenny’s heart kept beating in her heart. She’d done it! She’d stood up for herself and threatened her mother.

After a few seconds, Clarisse finally chuckled, pride glowing in her eyes. "You’ve grown bold, Jenny. I didn’t think you had it in you to confront me like this."

"I learned from the best." Jenny said nonchalantly.

With a sigh, Clarisse stood and walked to the window. She clasped her hands behind her back, staring out at the garden. "If I support you in the board vote, do you think Jasmine will take this lying down?"

"Are you telling me you’re afraid of what Jasmine might do?" Jenny chuckled.

"Don’t be silly." Clarisse glanced back at her daughter. "It’s you who should be afraid of what Jasmine might do."

"But that doesn’t matter." She turned back fully to face her daughter. "What matters is you, Jenny. What will you do if I place you on the throne?"

Jenny held her head high, meeting her mother’s gaze. "I’ll hold together what Jasmine is threathening to tear apart and make sure Apex has a future. That’s all I care about."

Clarisse studied her daughter’s face for almost half a minute before nodding. "Very well. You’ll have my support in the boardroom. But do not mistake this for my complete approval. If you show even a hint of weakness, I won’t hesitate to remove you."

Jenny nodded, trying to make sure that the joy flowing through every fiber of her being doesn’t just burst out of her. "I understand, mother."