If Alice, with her status, told Daisy that she knew the truth, Daisy would go crazy and eventually show her true colors. Once that happened, things with Conrad would escalate, and the person Daisy would want to get rid of the most would still be Lillian.
As for what they planned to do next-that wasn’t Evelyn’s problem.
She was nothing more than an insignificant ant in their eyes. Who would bother taking her seriously?
After leaving the cafe, Evelyn glanced back at Alice, still sitting there, lost in thought, trying to figure out what to do next. A mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips.
She was going to put an end to all of them. She would take her money and go abroad to live it up. As for the rest of them? They could all go to hell!
“Conrad, you’ll regret underestimating a woman like me.”
Before she left, she would personally kill Lillian and lay her body in front of him.
That way, he would lose his mind completely.
*******
At the headquarters of Brown Family Group, Hogan rushed through the door. “The White family has quietly pulled off something huge!”
Earlier in the year, Conrad had successfully acquired the BFG shipping business from another country. On top of that, Brown Family Group had secured a full shipping route from Naila, with strong support from King Family Group.
BFG shipping, which had been slightly inferior to international counterparts, had suddenly skyrocketed, and Brown Family Group officially declared this major direction. They bypassed the conservative opinions of Kenneth and his old guard, making an aggressive move to take over the industry.
Thanks to this bold move, City N gained recognition from higher-ups, and the big orders were already secured. Customs had been fully cleared, the Naila route was now open, and a strategic partnership with Steward was in place. Brown Family Group handled shipbuilding, while King Family Group took care of supplier management. Major companies in the country had successfully secured financing, and the vast financial chain was now circulating through Brown Family Group.
When this news was announced, it sent shockwaves both domestically and internationally.
Conrad’s net worth surged by dozens of times, and he had become one of the most eligible bachelors in the world.
As for the small rumors surrounding him and Lillian, as long as he hadn’t officially announced his marriage, they didn’t matter.
However, the biggest blow came when the White family secretly acquired the core technology behind BFG’s shipbuilding-invar forging. This effectively gave the White family leverage over Conrad’s business!
Hogan rushed to Brown Family Group to inform them of this development.
Conrad had already been briefed about it during his morning meeting.
“The White family has secured this forging technology. What are you going to do about it? I can see the White family has made their move today, signaling that they want you to make a statement.”
Otherwise, why wait until the announcement from Brown Family Group?
Now, rumors were circulating that it was a joint partnership between two powerful families. But the outside world didn’t know the full story-not even Brown Family Group’s major shareholders. A few weeks ago, Conrad had already been quietly cornering the White family.
The White family had kept quiet, revealing their hand only now. They were waiting for Conrad to approach them for cooperation, or else this massive investment would collapse on him.
“Nelson, that old fox. I’ve been wondering why he’s been so calm lately. What are you planning to do?”
Nelson was clearly pushing for Brown Family Group to show their sincerity.
And the best form of sincerity? A marriage alliance.
Only by connecting their interests through marriage could they secure this once-in-a-lifetime, fail-safe shipping business. Otherwise, Conrad would have to look elsewhere, pay massive import taxes, and buy from France.
On a global scale, the White family was the second-largest player in this field.
Such core technology wasn’t something the White family would just hand over to outsiders. Only once Conrad became their “insider” would they trust him with it.
Now, it seemed likely that both the board of directors and the elders would apply pressure.
But at this crucial juncture, how would Conrad choose between Lillian and the Brown Family Group?
“My choice has never changed.” Conrad swiveled his chair, as though Hogan’s urgency was irrelevant to him.
“But the White family doesn’t have time to wait. A lot of people are interested in cooperating with them now. I’ve heard that several groups from A City have already arrived. The White family is quite hot right now. Daisy is of marriageable age, and Martin is still single. You’re not the only one they’re considering.”
“What? That family, with all their filth, is still trying to make a choice?” Conrad sneered. “It’s all just a smokescreen. Who can snatch this deal from me? The White family can afford the technology, but they need someone capable of taking it on. Without the financial backing, manpower, and resources, they can’t play the big player. As it stands, only I, Conrad, can secure it. The White family has been biding their time, and they know this.”
They were just waiting for him to make the first move.
“Nelson is holding a celebration dinner tonight, and he sent you an invitation. Are you going?”
Logically speaking, this was a signal to Conrad. It suggested he should show up, make a statement, and put the past behind them. They could continue moving forward with their plan to cooperate between the two families-if Conrad was willing to go along with it.
Just as Conrad was about to respond, his phone rang.
Hogan glanced at the screen and raised an eyebrow.
He hadn’t expected that Conrad had saved Lillian’s number with such a cheesy note: My Rose.
“Hello?”
Lillian’s voice was faint on the other end. “I want to make some soup tonight, do you want some?”
Conrad was a bit surprised. His hand, which had been casually twirling a pen, paused for a moment. “You’re making soup for me?”
“Yeah. If you don’t want any, then never mind.”
“No, I’ll be there on time.”
She hung up right after.
Conrad wasn’t angry at all. In fact, he seemed in a great mood as he said, “He wants to act like an elder, doesn’t he? If Brown Family Group can’t get this technology, then they’ll just have to give it to someone else. We can try to ruin it all they want, but in the end, I’ll make them hand it over personally.”
“I’m not going tonight,” he added.
In truth, as soon as he saw the phone ring, he already had his answer.
“Gordon was right,” Hogan said, sitting down and sighing.
Conrad looked up. “What did he say?”
“He said you refuse to admit you’ve fallen for Lillian, but you’re fooling yourself, convincing yourself that you’re not interested. It’s foolish. Everything that’s happening with Lillian today, you brought it on yourself.”
Conrad’s brow furrowed involuntarily as he muttered, “I’ve fallen for Lillian?”
He repeated it under his breath.
“Don’t you think so? Or do you think that after all these years of us being friends, we can’t see it? Why do you think Gordon helps Lillian time and time again? Why do we go out of our way to protect her in front of you? Is it because we have too much time on our hands?”
“It’s because we know you can’t let her go, even if you haven’t realized it yet,” Hogan continued, his long legs bent slightly as he leaned forward. “Face your feelings. You’ve fallen for Lillian. It’s her, no one else. You’d rather die than let her go.”