Chapter 136  

She reached out and poked his forehead.

"Thanks to Zeng Shao's big mouth, Old Jian and the Wangs are meeting this Saturday to discuss Leopold and Wang Nian Nian's marriage. If I found out a few days later, they might actually have gotten married. You'd be regretting it then."

Franklin let her poke him, staying silent and taking the scolding obediently.

Lily's temper flared up quickly but subsided just as fast.

She said, "Franklin, this Saturday, I'll disrupt the marriage alliance between the Jian and Wang families. As for you and Wang Nian Nian, you'll have to work hard for that yourself. If you can get her to agree to marry you, I'll have Uncle Edmond back you up."

She added, "Franklin, I want you to be happy."

After Lily left, Franklin remained motionless for a while, his gaze eventually landing on the pomegranate with soft seeds. He picked it up, looked at it for a bit, then carefully placed it in his drawer.

Uncle Edmond had no idea he liked pomegranates.

Lily returned to Edmond's office, coincidentally meeting Brooks and Leopold coming out.

Leopold's face was unpleasant, and upon seeing Lily, his expression darkened further. He gave her a thumbs-up without saying a word before turning to leave.

Lily: "..."

What a weirdo. Must be mad cow disease.

Brooks lagged a step behind, looking at her with a complex expression.

Seeing Leopold in such a foul mood, Lily knew Edmond had helped her negotiate some shares, which made her feel quite pleased, even improving her attitude towards Brooks.

"Old Jian, don't worry. When you have dinner with the Wang family this Saturday, I'll bring Edmond to support you."

The car was parked in Zone A of Jingxiu Group's ground-level parking lot.

What should have been a ten-minute walk took Brooks twenty minutes.

Just as he stepped off the stairs, he saw his son squatting and smoking, frustration evident even from several rows of cars away.

Brooks walked over and kicked him lightly. "Why are you squatting? It's undignified if someone sees you. Get up."

Leopold didn't move. "I can't get up. I'm starving and dizzy."

Talking about this made Leopold even more irritated. For the first time in his life, he complained to his father.

"Dad, stop with your nonsense. I told you your plans are useless. Don't draft them in advance anymore!"

What kind of situation was this? They had discussed everything last night, he hadn't gone to bed until 2 a.m., and early this morning, just out of bed, his father had called him to the study to review last night's thoughts.

He didn't even have time for breakfast.

They had rehearsed countless times how to get Edmond to agree and how to use Lily to get Edmond's help.

But what happened? His father had hidden other intentions from him, making him look like a fool as Edmond rebuked him.

Hiding something is one thing, but it better work.

Instead, Edmond had dodged every trap they set.

"Dad, I don't understand. Lily is still your biological daughter, a member of the Jian family, even after marrying Edmond. Why do you always act so timid around her?"

Brooks defended himself. "That's not timidity. That's..."

What was it? Brooks himself couldn't say.

Previously, it was definitely to curry favor, to ease the father-daughter relationship. He could use Lily to connect with Edmond, to connect with Jingxiu, and to make L&S better.

At the beginning of the month, Lily had rattled off his ten crimes in one breath in his office, leaving him feeling uncomfortable.

He wasn't stupid; Lily's tone was unusually calm, but every word carried resentment.

He felt inexplicably guilty and awkward, unable to put aside his pride to ask her for help again.

If it weren't for the incompetence of his family members, he wouldn't have had to step in personally.

Leopold didn't look up, couldn't see his expression, and took a deep drag on his cigarette. He didn't know what to complain about, only that he felt blocked and needed to say something to ease his mood.

"Skipped breakfast. My stomach hurts. Watching her eat a pomegranate while starving and getting scolded, then listening to Edmond's reproach."

Hearing this, Brooks squatted down beside him.

He hadn't eaten breakfast either, and he hadn't eaten much last night. He hadn't felt it before, but now, hearing his son, the hunger pangs hit him.

He held out his hand to his son. "Give me a cigarette."

Father and son sat side by side, Brooks first explaining his secrecy.

"I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's just that Edmond is too sharp. Sometimes you're impulsive, and I was afraid you'd give us away."

But he hadn't even had a chance to perform; Edmond had seen through him.

With one cigarette, Leopold said, "Dad, stop trying to be clever."

Brooks, already irked, slapped his son on the head.

"You've got the nerve to blame me? This whole mess is your doing! Who told you to bully your sister? Now Edmond is retaliating, and this crisis with L&S is your fault!"

...Brooks had never expected things to turn out this way.

How had Edmond managed to lead him by the nose? An hour ago, he'd asked Edmond if he could help.

Edmond had said he could help bear the risk but wanted to know what Brooks could offer in return.

Brooks had said he'd give up three percent of all future L&S projects in collaboration with Jingxiu.

Edmond had laughed. "Chairman Jian, trying to set another trap for me? Jingxiu probably won't collaborate with L&S in the future, so there's no question of L&S giving up profits. I don't care about L&S's profit margins."

Brooks realized he couldn't outmaneuver Edmond in subtleties or traps.

So he played his trump card.

"What does Mr. Zhou want? Whatever I have, I'll give it."

Edmond, with his deep, dark eyes fixed on him, laughed deeply and asked a question.

"Chairman Jian, I've always wondered, why would you think I'd help L&S?"

"L&S has shares that belong to Lily."

Edmond, while feeding Lily a whole pomegranate, had shifted every topic to her. Brooks had thought it would make the conversation smoother.

But then Edmond laughed again, a laugh that sent shivers down Brooks's spine.

"Chairman Jian, everyone knows you favor your adopted daughter more, giving her more shares. Maybe you'll give some of L&S to Lily in the future, but Zoya also has a share."

"Lily and she have deep conflicts; they can't coexist in the group. In the future, when you're old, Zoya and Leopold will team up to kick Lily out."

"If I help you now, I'm just helping Leopold and Zoya build up strength to deal with my wife later. I married her to cherish her, not to help others bully her."

Brooks felt bewildered and lost by Edmond's words.

"Leopold and Zoya teaming up to kick Lily out? Mr. Zhou, how could that be?"

Leopold had also looked bewildered. "No matter what, Lily is my sister. I wouldn't kick her out of L&S."

Edmond peeled the largest pomegranate Lily had left, placing the seeds on a clean porcelain plate without eating any himself.

In a lazy, indifferent tone, he dropped a bombshell on the father and son.

"Chairman Jian, there's nothing to hide now. When Reporter Sun got the evidence, he contacted me first. We're quite close; he knows L&S is my wife's family, so he gave me a heads-up."

"He showed me respect and wanted to give you a chance. If you reworked all the faulty underfloor heating and replaced the phase one flooring with compliant materials, he'd monitor the process. If you followed the rules and ensured homeowners' rights were protected, he wouldn't report it."

"But before the call ended, Reporter Sun was taken away, given a feast, and beaten up."

"Even after the beating, he asked my opinion. I told him not to back down and to fight you to the end."

Boom! Brooks had almost flipped the table, his anger choking him. Edmond had then explained himself.

"Why did I do that?"

"On September 1st, my wife went to L&S to see you. What did you say to her? She was so drunk that night, crying her heart out. I carried her home and spent half the night consoling her." He pointed at Leopold.