Chapter 105 The General Manager
Ahem!
Miguel stood there with embarrassment etched on his face, torn between staying and leaving.
He felt that he had come at a highly inopportune time.
“Is something the matter?” Jonathan’s expression went as black as thunder upon seeing Miguel, who had interrupted him out of the blue.
It had been four years since he and Josephine were married to each other, yet they had never even kissed.
Having gotten an opportunity to be intimate with her finally, he could not possibly show Miguel any courtesy for spoiling the mood.
“Mr. Goldstein, Dad would like to see you…” Miguel hung his head, not daring to look him in the eye.
Recalling his attitude toward the man in the past, he even found his palms a touch sweaty.
What if he’s a vindictive person? How am I going to survive in Jadeborough in the future then?
“I’m not free!” Jonathan declined right away.
If Hugo weren’t Josephine’s grandfather, I wouldn’t even bother saying anything to him! The Smith family and Hugo Smith are just ants!
“Mr. Goldstein…” When Jonathan turned him down without the slightest hesitation, Miguel instantly panicked.
Having no other recourse, he could only throw Josephine a pleading glance in hopes that she would lend him a hand.
Oh, well…
Josephine sighed when she saw the man’s beseeching look. She then turned to Jonathan and coaxed, “Maybe you should go and see Grandpa in case he has something urgent to say to you.”
“All right, then.”
Jonathan naturally would not refuse her since he owed her too much in the past three years.
Hearing his acquiescence, Miguel breathed a sigh of relief.
He was most afraid that the man would repudiate him and hold a grudge against the Smith family. Considering the influence he presently wielded, the Smith family would never be able to make a comeback anymore if that were to happen.
Shortly after, they arrived at the living room in the Smith mansion.
Hugo sat in the middle of the room with a glass of ginger tea in his hand.
Compared to his intoxicated state earlier, he seemed much soberer right then.
Beside him stood every single member of the Smith family with apprehension written all over their faces. When Jonathan came in, they lowered their heads to avoid his gaze.
“Mr. Goldstein!”
The moment Hugo glimpsed Jonathan’s approach, he hastily stood up to greet him.
“Why do you want to see me?” Jonathan went straight to the point, not in the mood to yak with them.
“Please have a seat, Mr. Goldstein!” Hugo waved a hand, signaling Seraphina to serve the man some tea.
After taking a seat, Jonathan sipped at his cup of tea before shifting his gaze to Hugo, demanding, “Whatever it is, just cut to the chase. I don’t like people beating around the bush with me.”
“Of course!” An awkward expression crept up Hugo’s features. Nonetheless, someone like him had long since trained himself into putting on a facade. For him, concealing one’s emotions was the most fundamental skill, so he merely gave a strained chuckle despite his burning dissatisfaction toward the man’s attitude. “You left for three years back then, so I just want to have a talk with you, having not seen you for years on end.”
“There’s nothing to talk about between us.” Not interested in wasting time with him there, Jonathan stated, “I’m only giving you ten minutes. Whatever it is, you’ve got to finish within ten minutes!”
Hugo’s face flamed in mortification, yet he dared not unleash his anger.
If he had dared to speak to me in such a manner back then, I would’ve long since slapped him across the face!
“I’ll be frank, then.” After studying him intently for a moment, Hugo finally gave voice to his ultimate purpose. “I sought you out today because I’ve got something to ask you.”
“Spit it out.”
“You’re acquainted with the King of War, Mr. Goldstein?” That was the real question Hugo wanted to ask. In fact, it was not just him. Every single member of the Smith family there wanted to know the answer too.
How could the worthless live-in son-in-law back then possess the capability to have someone from the King of War Division personally come over to send his blessings?
They simply could not make any sense of it.
“Yes,” Jonathan answered placidly.
“How did you make his acquaintance?”
“By coincidence.” Glancing at him blithely, Jonathan questioned, “Is that all you wanted to ask me?”
“Of course not!” Hugo hurriedly shook his head. “I’m just sort of curious about the experiences you’ve had in the past three years since not only the three prominent families of Jadeborough personally came to seek you out, but even someone from the King of War Division came personally to offer his regards. It seems that the King of War regards you highly, Mr. Goldstein!”
Regards me highly? If Zachary were to stand before me, would he dare say such a thing to me?
Nevertheless, Jonathan was not in the mood to explain anything to them. He merely threw the older man an indifferent glance and warned, “You’ve still got five minutes. If you wanted to see me just to ask me these absurd questions, you’d best not waste my time!”
Explain? What’s to explain to the lot of them? If it weren’t for Josephine, I couldn’t even be bothered to spare them a single glance!
“I might have drunk a little too much alcohol! Please don’t take offense at me, Mr. Goldstein!” Hugo quickly apologized before he went to the heart of the matter. “I sought you out today because I’ve got something to discuss with you, Mr. Goldstein. I heard that the Blackwood family’s ecological park project had been abandoned ever since you banished the Blackwood family from Jadeborough, with no one to clean up the mess. In that case, why don’t you hand the project over to our family?”
Back then, the feud between the Smith family and the Blackwood family began precisely because of the ecological park project.
They initially wanted to take advantage of the Blackwood family. Unfortunately, they failed to do so and almost got crushed instead.
Since the Blackwood family had been booted out of Jadeborough, the Smith family need not be afraid anymore. Therefore, Hugo had his sights set on the ecological park project.
After all, the informal income would be several hundred million at the very least once the project was completed.
“Harrison has taken over all the businesses of the Blackwood family. If your family wants to handle that project, go and talk to him instead. Talking to me is of no use.”
In other words, Jonathan rejected him outright.
This is what I’d expected. Once the Smith family learns that I was the one who banished the Blackwood family from Jadeborough back then, they would definitely set their sights on that pie of the Blackwood family. Indeed, they did just that! It has only been a few hours, but Hugo has already come looking for me.
“Doesn’t he have to obey you as well, Mr. Goldstein?” Hugo insisted, not at all embarrassed despite having been spurned. “Instead of handing a collosal project to an outsider, it’s better to hand it to us since we’re a family at least. Is that not so?”
A family?
Upon hearing those two words, Jonathan could not help sneering.
When has the Smith family ever considered me, the live-in son-in-law, as a family? If today’s events never happened, would they still consider me family? Before Randall arrived, they almost threw me out of the mansion!
“As I said, it’s of no use to come to me.” Too unbothered to entertain him further, Jonathan got up to leave.
However, just when he was about to walk out of the door, Hugo suddenly remarked, “Mr. Goldstein, even if you don’t consider our family, you should consider Josephine, no? She’s now the general manager of Smith Group. You wouldn’t rather benefit an outsider with the profit of a few hundred million instead of her, would you?”
