Joaquin crouched among the flowers, tending to them, when Julian’s silhouette caught his eye. “Master, young Master Julian has returned,” the butler reminded him at his side. Joaquin shuddered slightly and turned around quickly to face Julian, who stood against the wind.
“You deadbeat, you finally decide to come back? Weren’t you so defiant last night?” Although his words carried a tone of reproach, his eyes betrayed his delight. It had been many years since Julian had visited, and Joaquin’s previous attempts to bring him back had always been in vain.
Julian’s face, however, lacked any smile as he said sternly, “Does what you said on the phone last time still stand?”
“Go wait for me in the study,” Joaquin replied, handing the scissors to the butler, and Julian, without another word, headed straight there.
As he left, he saw Mary leaning against the glass door, obviously having just eavesdropped, “I didn’t expect you to have this sort of hobby.”
“Ah, I was actually just about to ask if you wanted something to drink. I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation with dad,” she coughed. “Really? Hmm…” Julian scoffed and walked away.
Mary wondered about the conversation she had just overheard. What had Joaquin promised Julian? Was it something to do with shares? They entered the study one after the other, and with the door locked behind them, she could no longer eavesdrop.
Joaquin glanced at the plaster on Julian’s head, “Was she worth risking your life for?” Julian snorted, “You’ve never loved anyone in your life; of course, you wouldn’t understand.”
“Love? How long have you been together, and how deep can your love be? Don’t talk nonsense to me, I don’t buy it,” Joaquin retorted, leaning on his cane.
“Let’s just drop it. Let’s talk about you wanting to take over the company,” Julian said, slouching in the chair. “You scoffed at working in the company before, and now you want the inheritance? I might consider it, but I have one condition.”
“What condition?”
“That you marry Miss Gilpin,” Joaquin said, revisiting old matters, causing Julian’s face to darken immediately.
“Why should I marry someone I don’t love?” Julian thought the old man had lost his mind. Joaquin tried to lighten the mood, “Julian, it’s for your own good. The Gilpin family is currently thriving. If you marry into the Gilpin family, it will greatly benefit you in the future. You like that little girl from the Montgomery family, but I’ve heard she holds no standing in her family; Magnus prefers the twins.
Marrying her would only bring you a burden, as she could offer nothing for your career. Look how smart Hayden is. The Simmons family has only one daughter, and all of their assets will belong to Susan, which will greatly aid his future. If you agree to marry Lindsay, you will become the president of our company, and I will transfer the majority of my shares to you.”
It sounded like he had planned well for himself, but was he really sure that such a decision would make Julian happy? “Do you think I came here today to negotiate terms with you?” Julian said coldly. “It’s for your own good,” his father repeated. “For my own good? Ha, if you really cared for me, you wouldn’t be doing this to me, making me marry a woman I don’t love.”
“Is love really that important? A man should prioritize his career. With a successful career, what type of woman can’t you have?” Joaquin, having spent many years in America, was unaware of how powerful Julian had become.
“So you mean you’re not giving it to me?” Julian asked coldly.
“I would give it to you, but only if you marry Lindsay,” Joaquin retorted, his temper flaring.
“Fine, if you won’t give it to me, I’ll take it my own way. And when I rename Alvarez Enterprise to Barnet Enterprise, you’ll regret it. I gave you a chance,” Julian said coldly as he stood up and walked towards the door.
Joaquin was furious. “Were you born just to infuriate me?”
“There were many times I thought it would be better not to exist in this world, but now that I’ve met her, I’m glad I’m still alive. Since you’re so stubborn, our ties are over. What I’m going to do next might upset you, take care of yourself.”
After saying this, Julian turned and left. He still harbored some hope that if Joaquin could understand him today, reconciliation wouldn’t be out of the question.
But it was proven once again that Joaquin had always been single-minded, never considering others’ feelings or thoughts.
This was for the best, Julian thought, as he wouldn’t have to be sentimental when taking action. He walked downstairs and saw Mary, visibly uneasy.
“Julian, are you leaving just like that? Won’t you stay for lunch?” she asked with a forced smile.
“If I stayed for lunch, you probably wouldn’t be able to enjoy it,” Julian sneered, aware of the schemes they were plotting.
“Heh, just joking. We haven’t seen each other in so many years, of course, I’d hope you’d stay and catch up.”
“Catch up? What exactly do you want to reminisce about, Mary? Is it about how you left me in the snow to freeze when I was seven, or how you pushed me down the stairs when I was five?”
Julian’s words were sharp, his life no better than Aurora’s.
Mary thought those were long-past incidents, assuming he was too young then to remember, but he knew everything.
“Julian, what are you talking about? I don’t know anything about that.”
“Heh…” Julian gave her a cold look and left.
Once he got into his car, he immediately dialed a number. “Rocky, I need you to do something.”
“Of course, President.”
“Take all of Alvarez Enterprise’s orders. Tell their partners that continuing with Alvarez Enterprise means going against me. Within three months, I want Alvarez Enterprise to collapse!”
Julian’s hidden assets were far greater than anyone knew; toppling Alvarez Enterprise wouldn’t require much effort.
Joaquin had asked him to come back and work for him, an idea Julian had scoffed at, for he didn’t value it at all.
He had already surpassed Alvarez Enterprise; why would he care?
But for Hayden, Alvarez Enterprise was everything. Without it, he would have nothing.
“Yes, President, but it will cost a premium to take these orders.”
“No matter the cost, I want Alvarez Enterprise to not secure a single deal, then cut off their supplies.”
“Understood,” Rocky said efficiently and hung up.
Just after Julian ended the call, Joaquin’s call came through. “I’ll give you three days to think about it. Agree to marry Lindsay, and Alvarez Enterprise is yours. Otherwise, in three days, I’ll officially announce Hayden as my successor and transfer all my shares to him, leaving you with nothing.”
“Suit yourself.” Julian hung up sharply.