Although the old Mrs. Henley had a deep-seated disdain for Leo, he was, after all, Sophia’s husband. Driven by this connection, she had tried to brazenly move into Cloud Dream Mountain Villa. But Leo not only gave her a cold shoulder but also kicked her out of the villa.
A freeloader like Leo, who dared not to acknowledge her authority, had truly infuriated the old Mrs. Henley that day. However, she was a person who had weathered many storms in her life, and her vision and perspective were naturally broader than this.
Although she despised Leo and Sophia from the bottom of her heart, she understood that if this cosmetics scandal led to the downfall of Sophia Cosmetics, it would also spell disaster for the entire Henley Group. To put it more bluntly, significant losses were inevitable.
Therefore, for the sake of the family’s greater good, Teresa did not want anything to happen to Sophia Cosmetics or Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company.
Bruno’s response left the old Mrs. Henley dissatisfied. It indicated that after all these years, Bruno had not made any progress. Entrusting the helm of the Henley family’s ship to him was still not something Teresa felt comfortable with. Bruno needed more time for growth and maturation. Only when he truly matured could he lead the Henley family steadily forward. If he continued to lack foresight like this, the future of the Henley family would be bleak.
“Bruno, Fanny, when it comes to family interests, personal grievances should be temporarily set aside. Sophia Cosmetics is a subsidiary of the group, and if something goes wrong, the entire group will be severely affected. So what we need to do now is find a way to resolve this matter,” the old Mrs. Henley admonished.
Bruno didn’t understand the old Mrs. Henley’s concerns and argued, “Grandma, this is Sophia’s mess. She let greed blind her conscience! If she’s made a mistake, she should pay the price for her actions. Why should we clean up after her?”
“Bruno is absolutely right. Sophia has enjoyed all the benefits herself lately. We’ve all witnessed her buying luxury cars and mansions. Now that she’s in trouble, she should face the consequences. We don’t need to help her!” Fanny chimed in angrily.
The old Mrs. Henley sighed inwardly. Why did her grandchildren always focus on trivial personal gains and let their personal grudges take precedence? When would they truly mature?
It wasn’t just Bruno and Fanny; other members of the Henley family shared similar sentiments.
“Grandma, we can’t take the blame for Sophia’s mistakes!”
“Mom, even though Sophia Cosmetics is a subsidiary of the group, it operates independently and has separate financial accounting. Besides contributing profits to the family fund each year in proportion, it has little to do with the group!”
“Mom, everyone is right. Sophia never thought of us when she was reaping the benefits. Now that she’s in trouble, it’s her own karma. We don’t need to help her!”
No one could comprehend the old Mrs. Henley’s dilemma. They all wanted to distance themselves from Sophia in this matter and had no qualms about kicking her while she was down.
Cloud Dream Mountain Villa, Browne Villa.
Mr. Bill rushed into August’s study, looking frantic.
August set down his book and asked, “Mr. Bill, what’s going on?”
“Master, Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company is in trouble,” Mr. Bill said with a grave tone.
August’s calm expression changed slightly, and he asked, “What happened?”
Mr. Bill replied, “Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company’s exclusive distributor is Sophia Cosmetics, and Merano Group purchased a batch of cosmetics worth six million dollars from Sophia Cosmetics. After these cosmetics hit the market, many consumers experienced severe allergic reactions.”
“Langstel Media has reported that Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company’s products have serious quality issues, and now Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company is under investigation.”
August didn’t hesitate and said, “It’s absurd. Which media outlet broke the news?”
“Master, this doesn’t seem like a malicious rumor. This incident has made it to the city news, and the online buzz is extremely high, ranking at the top of major search engines.”
Mr. Bill understood August’s concern for Leo, who was now the hidden owner of Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company, and that’s why he urgently reported this matter to August. Since it was Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company’s products with quality issues, Leo, as the owner, would naturally face trouble.
“Someone as shrewd as Leo wouldn’t allow quality issues with the cosmetics. There must be someone behind the scenes causing this,” August concluded.
“Master, what if it’s indeed Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company’s products with quality problems?” Mr. Bill asked.
August shook his head, “It’s impossible. I trust Leo, and besides, that factory was originally established by Alvin. The investment from Azure Financial gave him hope. He wouldn’t do something to ruin his own future.”
“Master, what should we do about this matter?”
August thought for a moment and said, “You arrange for someone to closely monitor this situation. If necessary, have Azure Financial intervene as an investor. Leo is the type who dislikes owing favors to others, so don’t offer him help unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Master, I understand. I’ll proceed according to your instructions,” Mr. Bill replied before leaving the study.
Spring Wind Tower, ground floor lobby.
After parking his car, Leo walked straight into the lobby.
The security guard at the entrance gave him a once-over and then raised his hand to stop him. “Hold on, what are you doing here?”
Leo stopped in his tracks, gave the security guard a sidelong glance, and sneered, “I’m here to deliver takeout!”
“Deliver takeout…” The security guard noticed that Leo wasn’t wearing a delivery uniform and didn’t have any takeout with him. He immediately became suspicious.
He called out on his walkie-talkie, and three security guards came running from the lobby to surround Leo.
“Kid, this isn’t a place for you. Get lost, or we won’t be polite!” The guard at the door threatened, tapping his security baton in his hand.
Leo, as if he hadn’t heard him, took a step forward. The security guard didn’t hold back and swung his baton towards Leo’s shoulder.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Leo reached out and grabbed the security baton, then kicked it back towards the guard.
The security guard let out a cry of pain as Leo’s kick sent him tumbling to the ground.
Seeing this, the other security guards rushed at Leo.
In less than a minute, Leo had knocked all of them down to the ground. He dusted off his hands and walked into the lobby with a sense of pride.