Chapter 272 Root of the Problem
At this moment, it was very late at night. Due to the spreading news, Justin had been having meetings with the staff of the entire Public Relations department for consecutive nights to come up with solutions to tackle the issue publicly.
Rachel walked out of the office and coincidentally bumped into Frankie, who had just returned from the hospital. “President Hudson.”
She nodded in response. “President Burton and the rest are inside. I’m going out to get some food for everyone.”
“I’ll go. Please rest, President Hudson.”
“No. Go join them. He’s waiting for you.”
Unable to counter Rachel, Frankie hastily went into the meeting room.
With that, Rachel turned around and took a glimpse, only to find out the window blinds behind the meeting room’s glass walls weren’t closed, allowing her to vividly witness the meeting from outside, as well as Justin’s tensed brows that loosened at Frankie’s arrival. In the last few years, Burton Group had undergone major staff reshuffles. Everyone who was once close to Justin had left except Frankie, and that was why Justin had utmost trust in this assistant of his. Rachel figured the reason Frankie was able to remain wasn’t because of his work capabilities, but because of his obedience—his obedience to Arthur.
As Rachel was heading to the twenty-four seven convenience store on the other side of the road, she dialed a number. “I’m getting some food right now. It’s about time we put an end to the news.”
“That’s it?” In the phone was Jolly’s voice, along with the rhythmic clicks of a keyboard. “I was just getting started on these comments, though…”
“We’ve achieved our goal. There’s no need to overdo it.”
“Why? Is the old man having a huge quarrel?”
“Yeah.”
“How did you know that?”
“The Burtons’ butler gave Justin a call during the meeting, and I overheard some things when I was sitting next to him.”
“That’s pretty fast. Old Mr. Burton isn’t even in Riverdale right now. How did the news get to him so quickly? He must have ears everywhere!”
Rachel replied, “A sly old fox like him wouldn’t fully surrender Burton Group to anyone else. Justin or Jason, the old man surely has men watching them in the dark and feeding him reports at all times. That’s all I have to say. I can’t be out here for too long. It’s up to you how you handle the news as long as you get the mass under control by tomorrow afternoon. And stop stirring up more troubles, or we’re gonna get caught red-handed.”
“Okay, okay. Don’t worry. I know my limits.” Jolly stopped tapping on the keyboard and asked, “Right, what do you plan to do with Jason next?”
Rachel pondered. “He’ll come to me.”
The call ended in silence. Rachel grabbed a few pieces of bread and drinks to the counter and paid for them before leaving. Earlier, the incident at Phase Three Land between the demolition team and the holdout property owner was all rooted from the instructions she gave Jolly, which was to stir up some drama along with some hired recruits. From the holdout property owner’s refusal to relocate and his conceited demand to sell the property at an exorbitant price, to the angering of the demolition team that resulted in a physical brawl—they were all set up by Rachel and Jolly.
Although Rachel hadn’t been in Burton Group for long, she had read through all of the agreements, and that was how she retrieved information about the holdout situation in Phase Three Land. Burton Group had offered to acquire every property in Phase Three Land with a tremendous sum—one that exceeded their capital—no ordinary person could resist, but among all the houses in Phase Three Land, one remained unobtainable, thanks to Jolly’s anonymous bribery. No matter how much Burton Group offered the owner, Jolly promised to pay double. Given how unwavering the holdout property owner was, Burton Group decided to take things up a notch and sent a team of demolition laborers to intimidate the owner.
Nonetheless, Rachel knew that Jason was in charge of Burton Group’s demolition team. After the incident that took place five years ago, Jason was assigned by Arthur to take on such ignoble responsibilities. He didn’t care when the citizens fought each other. Even if Justin managed to hurry over, there was no telling if he could get the situation under control. And even if he could, Jolly still had men hiding among the quarelers. Hence, that flying “piece of wood” that was accidentally thrown toward Rachel wasn’t the only card up their sleeves.
Therefore, Justin getting hurt was within her expectations. In other words, it was merely a milestone in her grand scheme. Only with Justin truly hurt could the damage be pinned on Jason or his men. As such, Arthur would intercept their feud. Sadly, the more the old man wanted to resolve the issue, the more trouble he would find himself in.
When Rachel got back to the company, Justin was the only person left in the office. “Where are the others?” She placed down the bag of snacks.
Justin replied, “The meeting’s over. They’ve all returned to their own offices. Where did you go?”
Rachel pointed her chin at the bag of snacks. “There, I went and bought some snacks for everyone. Should have gotten off the elevator at the twelfth floor. Man, I gotta go down again now?”
“Thanks a lot.”
“No need. It’s the least I can do.”
“I’ll send these over, I guess.” As she was seemingly reaching for the bag, Justin suddenly grasped her hand.
“Rachel.”
Stunned, Rachel turned to the man. “What is it?”
“Please reconsider the remarriage. I’m serious about it.”
Dazed by his words, she subconsciously withdrew her hand, leaving his hand hanging in the air as she attempted to avoid eye contact with the man. It was extremely awkward.
After a while, Justin added, “It’s okay. I have all the time in the world. So take your time, and don’t rush it. As long as you don’t fall for others, I can wait.”
She couldn’t feel any intimacy or even emotions in his words, knowing he was still the same as before, and the reason he wanted her to stay was to fulfill his obsessions. If it weren’t for the other men that were pursuing her, bringing competition to the table, he wouldn’t even care to look at her. He was so possessive that he would never surrender things that were, although no longer, once possessed by him. That was just his true color.
The news about the holdout incident was growing more intense, and even by the next morning, the issue didn’t seem like it would be resolved any time soon.
“What’s so difficult about such a trivial matter? Are you tired of your job?”
As Rachel was carrying breakfast into the office, she could hear Justin reprimanding the head of the Public Relations Department.
“Don’t be so upset, President Burton. The demolition team was the one that caused the drama, but they…”
“What about them?”
After hesitating for some time, Luther White, the head of the Public Relations Department, answered, “They’re all Master Jason’s men.” Precisely, he laid out the root of the problem.
Yet, only the causer could be the solver. Since the demolition team was the source of the problem, they had to take out the parasites that whipped up the feud, but each of these parasites were closely backed up by Jason himself. Although Jason was officially out of Burton Group, his influence still remained.
Having been offended by how Jason recently tried to assassinate Rachel, Justin felt even more disgruntled finding his own man terrified of his uncle.
“What do you mean ‘his’ men? This is Burton Group, and everyone who got to work here by procedure are all Burton Group’s employees! Since when have they become ‘his’ men?”
Intimidated by his coldness, Luther started breaking out in cold sweat. Nevertheless, the poor man was put on a spot and dared not go against either of them. But who could blame him?
“President Burton.” Suddenly, Rachel knocked on the door and put an end to the freezing atmosphere in the office.
