Ch. 541..550

 

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 541

Who told you that I only have this many?" Hesper chuckled and clapped her hands, imitating Carter’s arrogant action from earlier. Then, the door of the conference room opened again. The person standing outside the door was someone that no one present could have guessed.

"…Mom?"

Juniper stood up, but Ariana did not look at her and walked to Hesper’s side with a complicated expression.

"Mom, what do you mean by this? Why did you come here all of a sudden…? And why are you standing beside Hesper?" Juniper clenched her fists and looked at Ariana in disbelief. "Mom, stop this madness."

"Mrs. Wight, please take the stage. The limelights is all on you now."

Ariana nodded, then looked at Juniper and let off a faint sigh. "I once thought about handing all the Wights' shares over to my daughter, Juniper. But after some consideration, I decided not to do so in the end."

Juniper’s eyes widened, and there was an uproar in the conference room.

"What are you talking about, Mom? I have the contract that you handed over to me back then. How could the shares not be in my possession?" Juniper frantically searched through all the contracts laying on the desk and finally found the one that she wanted.

"Look, this is my mother’s signature, so this contract is legitimate…"

Ariana and Hesper exchanged gazes. Hesper pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows.

Ariana closed her eyes. "The shares that I’ve given you through that contract are of a subsidiary company of Duval Group. Look closer, it’s clearly mentioned throughout the contract."

Before Ariana could finish her sentence, Juniper had already seen the sentence that mentioned the details of the shares and instantly froze in place.

"You lied to me?"

Seeing that things had come to a close, Carter and Juniper stared at the stack of papers in front of them, instantly becoming the biggest joke in the conference room.

Excluding the 5% that they thought belonged to Juniper, the shares that they owned were far from enough to compete with Hesper's, which also meant that they were destined to leave the conference empty-handed.

Juniper clutched the contract in her hand in disbelief and shook her head. "This is impossible… The shares should’ve already been transferred to me. Mom, you have to be lying, right? Do you know how important the shares are to me?!"

Listening to Juniper’s hysterical questions, Ariana slightly calmed down a bit. "The shares that I own were originally a gift from Mr. Duval Sr. I’m human; I know what things can be touched and what shouldn't be. I can’t just watch from the side as you sink deeper and deeper down the road. Juni, stop what you’re doing and turn back now. There’s still time."

Hesper sat on the chair, not surprised by everything that just happened.

‘Becoming allies with Mrs. Wight was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. If Mrs. Wight hasn't contacted me out of the blue, I don’t think I could have overcome this situation today. But anyway, Duval Group has been saved.’

Carter looked at Hesper with a pale face. Hesper noticed and stared back at him calmly. The two of them exchanged gazes for quite some time without saying anything.

On the other hand, Benji was still trapped in a trance.

‘Has Duval Group really been saved?’

Juniper seemed to have lost her mind. Her hand holding the contract trembled as she cried and giggled at the same time. Carter stood up and grabbed her by the arm with a dimmed expression.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 542

"We’ve already lost. Do you still plan to stay here and embarrass yourself?"

Juniper seemed to have been dragged back to her senses by Carter’s words. She instantly tore the contract in her hand into pieces and glared at Hesper hatefully. "You must have cast some kind of voodoo or spell on my mom to make her stand by your side."

"Voodoo? Spell?" Hesper scoffed. She stood up and walked up to Juniper. "If you think Mrs. Wight betrayed you for an outsider, then you’re a real imbecile."

Hesper had never had a mother, so she did not know how great a mother’s love could be, but from her point of view, everything that Ariana had done so far was to protect Juniper, a daughter who went on creating more and more trouble.

Juniper sneered, shifting her gaze from Hesper to her mother, who was weeping silently not far away. Then she nodded. "I should’ve known a long time ago that no one in this world loves me, not a lover nor my family."

"Juni…"

Juniper shook her head. Her bloodshot eyes looked as if they belonged to a demon that had just crawled its way out of hell. "Don’t you dare call me that! From now on, I’m no longer your daughter! Since you like standing on Hesper’s side and helping her instead of me, why not make her your daughter?!"

Hesper strode up to Juniper and grasped her by the arm. Juniper struggled subconsciously, wanting to break free of Hesper’s grip.

However, Hesper had completely recovered now. Coupled with the fact that she had learned kickboxing with Seth for such a long time, it was not easy for ordinary people to break free from her at all.

Seeing this, Benji instantly started working with Renee to urge the others to leave the room. After all, the grudges between these few people were extremely messy; it did not seem too appropriate for outsiders to stay back and witness what was about to unfold.

"What do you think you’re doing? Let me go!"

Juniper sounded like a pig awaiting slaughter, but Hesper did not give her a chance to struggle. She slapped Juniper across the face.

"This is for Mrs. Wight. She’s worked so hard to raise you into who you are today. Not only do you not give her any credit, but you also don’t appreciate her effort at all. What makes you think you’re in a position to hate her so much?"

Ariana cried. Seeing Juniper get slapped felt even more painful than being slapped herself, but what Hesper just said hurt as if the words had pierced through her heart.

‘I really did spoil Juniper too much. If it weren't for my doting ways and soft attitude, Juniper wouldn’t have grown into what she is today.’

Before Juniper could react, Hesper slapped her again.

"And this slap is for me. You know better than anyone else just what kind of things you instigated Mrs. Duval and Sophia into doing to me back then. I won't bother listing them out one by one."

"Aaah! Hesper Rivera, I’m going to kill——!"

Another slap followed. At this point, Juniper had already been completely subdued by Hesper. She did not even have the chance to resist and could only scream at the top of her lungs.

"This is for Rickard. He’s never done anything to wrong you, but you actually teamed up with Carter to take over his company? What makes you think that you’re worthy of owning Duval Group?"

After three slaps, the delicate makeup on Juniper’s face had already turned into mush, but immediately after that, another slap landed on her again, leaving her in complete bewilderment.

"And this is for Mr. Duval Sr.. He’s always been kind to others, not to mention that you’re someone who he witnessed growing up. He's never treated you badly even once since you were a kid, yet today, you were only inches away from flushing all his life’s hard work down the drain.”

Hesper withdrew her hand expressionlessly. She had put everything she had into these few slaps, so every single one of them packed punches. As for Juniper, both of her cheeks were swollen from all the slapping; she could not say anything to defend herself anymore. As soon as Hesper let her go, she slumped on the chair powerlessly.

A Spoonful Of Sugar: Don’t Beg For Love Chapter 543

Carter spectated from the side as if he was watching a movie; the only thing missing was a box of popcorn.

Ariana stepped forward in distress, wanting to see how Juniper was doing, but she was pushed away by Juniper.

"What right do you have in teaching me a lesson?! What makes you think you’re better than me?" Juniper laughed hysterically. "You’ll never know just how much you and Rickard missed throughout all those years. You’ll also never get to know how many misunderstandings took place between the two of you. I’ll carry these secrets to my grave. I’ll never tell you anything!"

Hesper frowned, but before Juniper could say anything else, Carter, who was standing by and watching the play, finally stepped forward and covered her chattering mouth. "Alright, today’s farce should end here."

Carter smiled, but there was not even a hint of hilarity in his eyes. "I must admit, Ms. Lane, that you’re a very smart woman. I seem to have underestimated you."

Those few slaps not only hurt Juniper physically, but him too. She was his wife in name after all. Since Hesper had the guts to slap her in front of him, that meant that she couldn't care less about Carter’s identity.

The least she could do was worry slightly that she would have to answer to Carter when she thought about hitting his wife.

"Thank you for the praise."

Hesper had never taken Carter seriously, but now it seemed that Carter was not as useless as the rumors said.

Thinking of Jean who had appeared where she was living now, Hesper’s gaze dimmed.

"Oh right. Mr. Wilson, I’d appreciate it if you didn't treat me like a fool anymore. It’s pointless for you to plant someone by my side in order to spy on me."

Carter frowned. "And may I know who you're talking about?"

"Mr. Jean Yates." Hesper did not have the time to go back and forth with Carter, so she pointed Jean’s actions out directly. "If I see that man appear anywhere near me again, the next thing at stake will be your reputation."

Carter pondered for a moment. The corner of his lips curled upward into a smirk.

"If you hadn't mentioned this fella today, I would’ve forgotten all about his existence… Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that he disappears from your sight from here on out."

After saying so, Carter helped Juniper up, turned around, and supported her as they left the meeting room. Ariana seemed to want to chase after her daughter, but she was stopped by Hesper, who shook her head and signaled her not to go.

Seeing Juniper getting beaten, Ariana felt more saddened than anyone else in the world, but she could not stop Hesper.

She could not watch Juniper as she sank deeper and deeper into an abyss of no return.

"I would like to thank you for today’s matter, Mrs. Wight." Hesper sat down and gave off a sigh. "Since you showed me your sincerity, I, Hesper Rivera, swear on my name that I’ll definitely remember this favor of yours."

She raised her gaze and looked at Ariana. "From the look of it, I don't think she'll be stopping there. Now that you've fallen out with her as a result of today's incident, you won’t have any more insider tips for me from now on."

Ariana looked at Hesper nervously.

Realizing that she had misunderstood, Hesper shook her head. "What I mean to say is, for the time being, you should stop worrying about all these matters. I know how to deal with Juniper from this point. As long as she doesn’t go too overboard, I’ll provide you with a satisfactory outcome."

Hearing this, Ariana finally breathed a sigh of relief and could not help but continue to weep.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 544

After dealing with the affairs that were going on outside the conference room, Benji and Renee returned to the room, only to find Hesper still sitting on the chair, thinking about something.

"Thank God—thank you very much, Ms. Rivera. If it weren’t for you, Duval Group would’ve fallen into someone else’s hands today." Benji was a little incoherent for a while. He had followed Rickard around for so many years; he never thought that there would be another person who could win him over through her competence.

Hesper shook her head. Renee could see that something was bothering her, so she turned to Benji and said, "Ms. Lane and I will take our leave. We’ll leave the rest to you."

"Of course!"

Renee stepped forward and helped Hesper up. However, as soon as she saw her flushed hands, she felt nervous for a split second, and her expression turned solemn. "Ms. Lane! What happened?! Be honest with me. Did someone hit you?"

"…Huh?" Hesper was still deep in thought and had not realized the condition of her hand at the moment. She then glanced in the direction of Renee’s gaze and discovered that she had gone all out when she was slapping Juniper just now that her palms were now extremely flushed and slightly inflamed. She immediately cleared her throat in embarrassment.

Benji seemed to be able to guess how things went from the side, so he could not help but snicker twice.

Renee looked at the two of them in a daze. Hesper tugged at the hem of her clothes and explained, "Don’t worry, from now on, I only instill grievances in others, not the other way around. As for who would dare to hit me, they haven’t been born yet.”

Hearing this, Renee nodded, albeit a little confused. She had always taken whatever Hesper said as the complete truth, so although she did not get it, she agreed with what Hesper said.

Benji, who was standing on the side, realized that he seemed to be a bit of an eyesore at that moment. He was about to leave the room when he received a message from Professor Miles.

"Ms. Rivera! Ernest has woken up!"

Hesper was stunned when she heard the news. She licked her molars with slight annoyance.

‘Rickard Duval, you really don't know when to wake up, do you? If we'd waited for you to wake up, Duval Group would’ve already been wrapped up, garnished with a bowtie, and sent on its merry way into Carter’s possession.

…

The news that Hesper had become the largest shareholder of Duval Group spread like wildfire. Ernest was one of the last people to know about it, and it was only because Wendy accidentally clicked on the article while reading the news.

"This… Hesper is more than just capable now." Ernest put on his presbyopic glasses and read the tiny words on Wendy’s phone.

Wendy felt a little helpless. "Mr. Duval Sr., you’re being too lenient to the youngsters. After all, you spent half your life accumulating that wealth. Now that it’s in Hesper’s possession, she might not return it to the Duvals."

"Sigh, Hesper wouldn't do such a thing." Ernest smiled and shook his head. "Rickard's road growing up was too smooth, so he never encountered any setbacks in his life. That’s why he acts just like a robot that has been programmed with certain codes.”

Wendy was a little surprised. "I thought this is what you wanted him to be like."

Rickard had been an excellent individual since he was a kid. He was the obedient and overachieving boy that everyone envied, and he had never caused Ernest to worry about him. He had also begun to take over the reigns of a company as huge as Duval Group at a very young age. In this regard, Rickard had done an impeccable job.

Ernest took off his glasses and shook his head.

"When I was younger, I really cared about these things. After all, I worked so hard to build the company up to where it was back then, so how could I not care?" Having said this, Ernest sighed. "But deep down, the company is nowhere near as important as having a harmonious household. Perhaps everyone does think that I value Duval Group more. But in my opinion, Duval Group is also a burden to Rickard too."

…

Hesper did not want to see Rickard at first, but now Duval Group was in her possession. She did not care about it, let alone want to take over, so it would be better for her to find a suitable time to hand it back to Rickard.

However, if anyone were to find out that Hesper, who was now the biggest shareholder of Duval Group, wanted to hand it over to someone else, they would all say that she was out of her mind.

Following the address Benji had given her, Hesper arrived at Rickard’s current residence. Professor Miles was the one who opened the door.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 545

"Yo, girl, you’ve come." Seeing that it was Hesper, Professor Miles did not find it particularly novel, so he was direct. "Rickard just fell asleep. He probably won’t be waking up for quite some time."

Hesper remained silent for a moment but then followed Professor Miles through the door.

Professor Miles had obviously gotten very familiar with this place. He poured Hesper a glass of water and sighed. "You should be able to see Rickard’s condition. I've tried every possible means to delay the onset of the poison, but the outcomes have been minimal."

Hesper frowned. "Is there still no news from Julian?"

"Like a cowardly tortoise, he’s shrunk into his shell, waiting for Rickard’s death to appear on the news headlines." Professor Miles sighed again. "If Rickard weren't poisoned by Julian, I would’ve left this place instead of studying the formula of the poison and antidote day in and day out. I feel like vomiting every time I see the names of herbs and drugs."

"If you don't find a way to cure him, how much longer will Rickard have?"

"One month at most."

Although she had imagined the worst-case scenario multiple times, Hesper’s heart still skipped a beat when she heard how pitifully short the time Rickard had left was. "Are your research and studies still going nowhere?"

Professor Miles nodded, shattering Hesper’s wishful thinking. "If I’d discovered something through my studies, I wouldn’t have let him continue to lay on the bed."

Hesper pursed her lips. "I’ll find a way to locate Julian."

After learning about Rickard’s current condition from Professor Miles, Hesper left and went back home, thinking about contacting Myriade.

She had to admit, although Myriade had hurt her and Renfrew very deeply, the girl probably provided them with more information because of guilt.

However, if this was the case, she would definitely have to go through Renfrew in order to get to Myriade.

"Sigh…"

‘If it weren't for these special circumstances, I would rather not have involved Ren.’

…

When she got back to the apartment in the evening, Hesper keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Because the apartment building was very tall, everyone usually took the elevator to go upstairs, so the voice-activated lamps installed on the wall of the stairwell were rarely turned on.

Hesper lived on the third floor, which was neither too high nor too low.

But if there was an elevator, why would any residents take the stairs to the third or fourth floor?

Hesper’s close-quarters kickboxing ability had become quite decent. She was so good at it that even Seth admitted that she had tenacity. She was also very smart and unafraid of pain, which was how she had mastered most of the skills much faster than most people.

Although she was still no match for those who had practiced it for many years, going against two to three ordinary people would not be a problem for her at all.

Thinking of this, Hesper stopped being cautious and walked over directly.

Julie and Sophia were staring at Hesper’s apartment door when they suddenly heard Hesper’s voice come from behind. "How long have you two been waiting at my doorstep?"

Hearing the familiar voice, both the mother and daughter felt a chill shoot up their spine. When they turned around, they saw Hesper gazing at them with a half-smile.

"Julie McCall and Sophia Duval, it’s been a long time."

 

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 546

Hesper had been racking her brain about who would sneak up on her at that time, but when she saw that it was Julie and Sophia, she immediately felt that there was nothing unusual about the situation.

After all, the news that she was in charge of Duval Group had been spreading in Genecity since that morning. As Duvals, Julie and Sophia must be two of the first batches of people who were unable to take this and stand back as if nothing had happened at all.

During this period of time, there were quite a few reporters waiting outside Duval Group, but because Hesper had been busy visiting the potential locations for her studio, all of them waited in vain. Initially, Hesper had thought that the reporters tracked her down and found the apartment she was living in, but she did not expect that it would be Julie and Sophia who found her first.

Julie and Sophia were a little embarrassed for a while, but Julie was quick to come back to her senses. She stepped forward with a sneer, wanting to grab Hesper by her arm. "You little imp, you don’t want us to make a fuss here and let the neighbors know just what kind of person you are either, do you?"

However, Hesper dodged her charge.

Julie almost rammed into the door frame head first. The rage that was only burning at the bottom of her heart skyrocketed in an instant. "How can you be so shameless as to have the guts to lay your hands on your husband’s family’s property? I’m warning you right here, right now. You’d better transfer all the Duval Group shares that you own to me this instant, or I’ll slap you to death, you b*tch!"

"Julie McCall, you can be ignorant of reason or the law, but it's rather embarrassing for you to come to me and create a scene with such a level of ignorance." Hesper lowered her gaze, and her expression remained unchanged, but it somehow felt a little more oppressive than before. "What’s more, Rickard and I filed for divorce long ago, didn’t we? So how does that make you my husband’s family? Weren't you always looking forward to our divorce while I was living with you as your daughter-in-law?"

Seeing Hesper’s condescending look, Julie could not help but feel a little embarrassed.

Sophia stepped forward and intervened. "Hes, don’t be like that. No matter what, you and Rickard were once married. Oh, and let’s not forget about Ren too. You can’t be such an ungrateful person. The Duvals spent a lot of money on you back then."

"Hes?" Hesper sneered at Sophia. "That’s a complete 180 in attitude, don't you think? Did you start taking acting classes while I was away?"

Hearing the sarcasm in Hesper’s questions, Sophia felt humiliated too, but Hesper was so dominant now that anyone could see that she was not to be trifled with, not to mention that Sophia had gone into jail several times before because of Hesper too.

Sophia murmured, "Anyway, please don’t mess around with the company. Now that Duval Group has fallen into your hands just like that, it's bound to go down in flames. But why would Rickard let you mess around with the company’s future?"

Hesper understood everything at once.

‘The truth is, Sophia and Julie have never taken me seriously, not even for one second. They think I’m holding onto Duval Group’s shares for fun.’

Although Hesper planned to return those shares to Rickard when the time came, if she were to insist on keeping them, what could Rickard do about it?

Rickard had signed the contract himself, and the notarization was also done by Duval Group’s legal department. He had voluntarily and nominally gifted the 43% shares to Hesper.

"If the two of you still don’t understand, I don’t mind giving you a lesson on corporate law." Hesper was only a little impatient at first, but Julie and Sophia’s ignorance and stupidity was leaving her in a rather helpless position. "I’m the biggest shareholder of Duval Group now, while Rickard doesn’t own even 0.1% of Duval Group, so he’s in no position to compete with me. If I wanted, I could even chase you out of the mansion you currently live in and do as I want with it."

The corners of Hesper’s lips curled into a smirk as she moved closer to the mother and daughter. "You two should know deep down whether I actually benefited from my days living with you, or if I suffered bullying. If I were to demand that you move out of the mansion, what could you do to stop me?"

Julie and Sophia exchanged gazes. Both saw the panic in each other’s eyes.

Although they did not understand the operation of a company at all, they at least understood the words that came out of Hesper’s mouth.

Rickard no longer owned any shares in Duval Group, so Hesper was the one who possessed the power to decide their fate.

"You can’t do this! What would Grandpa think if he saw you like this?!"

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 547

Letting out a faint sigh, Hesper intentionally gave off a somewhat innocent look. "Since it’s rare for the two of you to be so filial, I’ll make you a promise right here. I’ll take good care of Grandpa Ernest for the rest of his life and not let him suffer any grievances."

Sophia and Julie’s expressions changed. Hesper could not bother to argue with them anymore, so she let her expression slip, turned around, and opened the door.

"I don’t know how you found this place, but I strongly advise you not to provoke me. There’s a limit to my patience." Hesper paused for a bit and then continued. "It just isn't your turn yet. You’d better stay at home and pray every day and night that Juniper lasts a little while longer so that I won’t turn my attention to you so soon."

…

After dinner, Renfrew usually started running his codes and program. He and Hesper always ran their personal errands separately and rarely disturbed each other.

Renfrew stared at his mommy, who entered his room for the third time and even brought over the milk that he would usually drink before going to bed, and jerked the hem of her blouse helplessly.

"Mommy, is there something you want to tell me?"

Hesper was still thinking about how she should talk to Renfrew about her request to contact Myriade, so when she was exposed by Renfrew all of a sudden, she looked a little guilty. She hesitated for a moment then decided to bring it up directly.

"Renfrew, something just came up, and I need you to help me contact Myriade."

Hearing that it had something to do with Myriade, Renfrew remained silent for a short while but still nodded at the end.

His mommy usually would not ask him to do anything. In fact, after all this while, he had already understood that his daddy's condition must be more serious than what his mommy told him back then.

‘If Mommy wants me to contact someone from Daybreak, it must be because of Daddy.’

"I see. I’ll contact her now." Renfrew turned around and sent some unknown messages onto the dark web. A minute later, Hesper received a call on her cell phone.

Hesper lowered her head and picked up the call, rubbing Renfrew on the head. Then she walked out of the room before greeting the person on the other end of the call.

Myriade got straight to the point. "Is this because of Julian?"

Hesper did not hesitate and affirmed her deduction instantly. "Yes. Rickard isn’t doing too well now. I must see Julian, no matter what the price is."

"…It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but Julian has been placed under impenetrable protection. Even I don’t know where he’s being kept." Myriade lowered her head. "Rickard is Daybreak’s number one enemy, so everyone is anticipating removing him from the equation.”

Hesper’s heart skipped a beat. "Is there really nothing you can do?"

"Yeah."

Although she had imagined the worst possibility before this, Hesper still felt a little powerless after hearing Myriade’s answer.

Myriade hung up the call right after responding to Hesper’s question.

Meanwhile, Hesper looked up, only to see that Renfrew had opened the door to her room at some point during the phone call. He had heard what Hesper had just said.

A tear rolled across Renfrew’s eye socket, but he said nothing.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 548

Although Rickard’s matter could not be resolved for the time being, Hesper still had more things to tackle. She could not keep delaying her work just because she could not get in touch with someone.

After arranging for others to continue to search for Julian, Hesper’s new studio's location was also determined.

Jessie sat in her office, suffering from boredom. Although she was really happy when she first saw her enormous office, after a long time, it no longer felt special.

"Ah, have I been assimilated by capitalism too?" Jessie frowned and shook her head, then turned around and saw Hesper and another person walking into the studio.

Seeing the "tiny studio" that Hesper had spoken about, Celine said with a wry smile, "I shouldn’t believe what you say, Ms. Rivera. With a studio of this size, if things work out, it definitely won't be a simple and insignificant company."

"I can’t say that to you, can I? We’re really the only two designers in the studio right now," Hesper said with a smile.

When she first thought of setting up her own studio, it was a suggestion given to her by Roberto. Although working at Eustoma gave her great prospects, she deserved better development, not to mention that she now had the financial power to support this plan. How could working for someone else be as comfortable as being the owner of a company?

"Hesper!" Jessie jumped out of nowhere.

Hesper had long gotten used to how she always made an appearance, so she subconsciously caught her and turned around. She saw Celine standing where she was, looking a little perplexed.

Hesper introduced the two of them to each other. Jessie waved at Celine and greeted her as if they had been friends for ages. "Oh, it's Celine. I know you. I followed you two obsessively through the whole competition."

Jessie could start a conversation with anyone; Hesper had never doubted this ability of hers. Hence, she asked the two of them to familiarize themselves with their new work environment and then walked out of the office before taking out the vibrating phone in her pocket.

"Ms. Rivera, help!"

Hearing Benji’s urgent voice, Hesper’s heart skipped a beat. "Did something happen to Rickard?"

Benji was stunned for a split second. Realizing that Hesper seemed to have misunderstood something, he wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "It’s not about Mr. Duval, but Duval Group."

Originally, Hesper’s heart was racing. When she heard his reply, she subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief then frowned. "What happened to Duval Group?"

Benji continued bitterly. "After Carter and Juniper failed to seize control of the company, they coerced the shareholders into purchasing their shares back at the original price. Now all of the shareholders and executives of the company are gathered in Mr. Duval’s office, demanding that Mr. Duval come forward and give them an explanation."

"They're asking for an explanation?" Hesper scoffed. "If Rickard were awake now, they'd be the ones who would have some explaining to do to him."

"That’s the problem." Benji sighed. "Some of them might’ve guessed that something has gone wrong with Mr. Duval’s health. Although Professor Miles has taken care of Mr. Duval all this while and the family doctors that the Duvals usually call for medical advice are also very trustworthy, some of the medicines that Professor Miles needed had to be imported or bought elsewhere. I’m afraid that someone who’s involved in this part of the logistics leaked the news."

Although Hesper was now the largest shareholder, she had not appeared in the company, and all matters were handled by Benji during this period of time. Anyone with keen observation should be able to see that Hesper only appeared at the shareholder meeting to handle the emergency, and the actual owner of Duval Group was still Rickard.

If the shareholders and high-level executives collectively turned against the company at this moment, no matter how strong Duval Group was, it would crumble in only a few days.

"Okay, I’ll head there right now."

Hesper sent a message to Jessie, saying that she had some things to deal with right now and told her that she should treat Celine well. As for Jessie, she had already gotten used to Hesper being busy all the time, so she agreed without asking any further questions.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 549

Renee was already waiting for Hesper downstairs. Hesper was a little surprised, while Renee looked a little unnatural as she explained, "Benji called me in advance, and I guessed that you’d want to go over."

"I see." Hesper vaguely felt that something was wrong with Renee and only figured things out after getting into the car for some time.

‘Renee always does what I ask of her and never anything unnecessary, not to mention that she used to hate Rickard the most. It wasn't her style to show Benji, who works right next to Rickard, any respect back then either. Something seems fishy.’

However, it was not the right time to gossip.

After an unimpeded journey, they finally arrived at the ground floor of Duval Group, and Hesper realized that what Benji told her over the phone just now was actually a toned-down version of the whole situation.

The entire entrance of Duval Group was surrounded by reporters. Fortunately, the headquarters had direct access for cars. That was how Hesper managed to get into the building without getting stopped by the reporters.

Benji was currently blocked at the door of Rickard’s office, with a polite smile hanging over his face. Inwardly praying that Hesper would come over soon, he could not help but feel as if his face was about to stiffen from all the smiling.

‘If Mr. Duval doesn’t give me a three-fold increment after he wakes up from his coma, I’ll definitely quit this job!’

Just as the thought flashed past Benji’s mind, some people in the outer layer of the crowd became quiet. Renee was seen fighting her way through the crowd, opening a passage for Hesper expressionlessly.

Hesper walked up to Benji. "It’s so boisterous in here today. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that Duval Group has become a wet market."

Hesper’s voice sounded neither too loud nor too soft, just audible enough to bury the noise going around the office. The employees who were watching the bustle outside looked away instantly when Hesper glared at them.

"President Rivera."

Benji lowered his head, while Hesper raised her eyebrows.

‘The lad is a pretty fast learner.’

"I didn't come to the company for a few days, yet everyone is still looking so enthusiastic." Hesper looked at the people around her, who subconsciously avoided her gaze.

"Ms. Rivera, although you’re now the company’s largest shareholder, you don’t actually care about the company’s affairs. You should just stop intervening in this matter," someone in the crowd said bluntly.

Hesper had rushed there in a hurry, not having the time to go back and change into her formal attire, so she looked just like an ordinary young lady.

Seeing that someone had initiated the conversation to suppress Hesper’s existence, others echoed the statement.

Hesper did not say anything and just listened to them blabber. Even when everything finally settled down and there was no more sound to be heard, she still did not speak up.

Benji stood right behind Hesper, looking extremely compliant.

"Has everyone finished voicing their statements?" Hesper finally said with a half-smile after a long bout of silence. "Why do I feel like you people will push Duval Group into a corner for the answer that you want as long as Rickard Duval doesn’t come out and explain himself today? Are you doing this in order to make the company better, or to drag it down into a bottomless abyss?"

The first few people who took the lead had all been paid by Carter to step up and stir up some trouble. Hence, when they heard Hesper’s speculation, a chill shot up their spine.

"Rickard Duval hasn't shown up for only a little while, and already you people are planning to brew up a storm within the company? Since he used to be the only person who made all decisions in the company when he was here, I suppose you people can’t wait to get your hand on a piece of the pie."

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 550

Hesper’s words pierced through everyone’s heart. She did not even give them a chance to speak up. "Perhaps because I haven’t been coming to the company, some people might have misunderstood my intention. Who, may I ask, told you that I plan to return the shares to Rickard?"

Benji looked at Hesper. Her expression was unchanged despite having just dropped a bombshell.

Ignoring the discussion that exploded from within the crowd again, she continued speaking. "The steak has already been served to me on a plate. What kind of relationship do you think I have with Rickard Duval anyway? Did you really think I’d help him manage his company temporarily?"

What Hesper said seemed to be reasonable. If they were not mistaken, Hesper was the daughter-in-law who the Duvals shunned in the past. And a year ago, she single-handedly started a business war with Rickard. Everyone present remembered the crossfire.

"From tomorrow onwards, I’ll officially be taking office at Duval Group. If you have a problem with this, you can come to me at any time. And if you don’t want your shares, don’t bother with Carter Wilson. Just come to me, and I’ll purchase them from you. As for the executives who don’t want to work anymore…" Hesper paused for a split second then smirked. "I’ll tackle all your resignations before I get off work today."

As soon as Hesper finished speaking, everyone became silent.

"Questions?"

There was a moment of dead silence. Not say anything more, Hesper turned around and entered the office.

Benji followed her into the office with a sense of relief then closed the door. "Ms. Rivera, I’ll never forget your saving grace from just now!"

Renee stood on the other side of Hesper with slight distaste, while Hesper pressed her tongue against her cheek in an irritated manner.

Originally, she did not want to get involved in this mess but let Rickard deal with it when he woke up. However, now that she had placed herself in this position, she had no choice but to get involved in the management of the company.

Benji could see that although Hesper had talked very righteously just now, deep down she actually did not want to manage any of Duval Group’s affairs. Hence, he took the initiative to say, "Don’t you worry, Ms. Rivera. You don’t have to manage anything. All you need to do is come into the office every day and let those people see you here.”

Hesper stared at him as if she was looking at a retard.

‘I never intended to manage Duval Group. Not like Rickard is going to even pay me when I hand the position back to him. I only said what I said in front of all those people to contain them.’

Benji somehow felt that he was being looked down upon, but he did not dare to say anything in front of Hesper, so he decided to change the subject. "I haven't heard any news about Juniper and Carter recently, but what happened the other day created such a huge ripple in the business circle, I don’t think Carter will stop his scheme just like that.”

‘It’s no big deal if they just send a person to create a scene at the workplace. Carter failed to seize the management rights of Duval Group, and time isn’t the only thing that he lost. The Wilsons wouldn't just allow him to mess around like this.’

"For now, just keep an eye for him. We’re in the light while they’re in the shadows, so let’s not make any rash moves." Hesper also did not believe that Carter and Juniper would stop there, but Rickard was still unconscious and on the verge of death…

‘If we can avoid going against them head-on, it’d be best for us to stay put and dodge them for now.’

Benji nodded. "I’ll arrange for someone to deal with this matter. And thank you for everything today, Ms. Rivera."

Hesper shook her head and looked around Rickard’s office. She had not taken such a close look at it before, but it seemed that it had a very minimalist design. Everything was so simple that it could be seen at a glance.

Although Hesper liked simpler designs too, Rickard’s office looked a little too cold and indifferent to her.

"This office…"

Seeing Hesper’s critical look, Benji instantly had a terrible hunch. And sure enough, Hesper commented, "If this were my office, I wouldn't keep Rickard’s decoration."

"Understood. I’ll have a new office ready for you when you come over tomorrow."

Benji took a glance at the design of the office in distress.

‘Although it looks simple, it still cost a lot of money. I bet I’ll have to redo everything when Mr. Duval returns. These two burn cash as if they have no basic understanding of macroeconomics!’

The devil living in Benji’s heart was biting his fingernails, but like the professional he was, he still gave off a polite smile on the surface as if he had no objections. "In the meantime, please make do with what we have. I guarantee that your new office tomorrow will satisfy all your preferences."