Ch. 1041..1050
Life at the Top Chapter 1041
On this ordinary morning, Jasper arrived at the construction site with Julian in tow.
He had not informed anyone of his arrival and came to look around by himself.
The skyscraper had already taken its initial shape and the concrete foundation of the main construction sight had been complete. With that, one-third of the 666-meter skyscraper was already constructed.
The scorching sun shone over the construction site and countless workers were busying themselves in all corners of the site. The quiet rumble of machinery could also be heard.
Construction materials laid about everywhere and there were six tower cranes as tall as buildings operating on the site.
“All of this is money,” Jasper sighed as he looked up at the tower cranes suspended in mid-air.
These tower cranes were rented on a weekly lease. Installation was 200 thousand each and rental was another 100 thousand regardless of whether it was put to use or not. Jasper also had to pay the operators of these tower cranes, and each skilled operator cost him at least 30 thousand a month.
It was currently the year 2000 too.
Jasper had spent 3 million per month on this expense alone.
The man found his heart aching at the thought of these expenses during such a time where money was tight.
However, the costs now were nothing in comparison to the profits he would earn once he succeeded.
“Hey, hey, hey! Who are you people? This is a construction site, all you unrelated people need to leave.”
Jasper heard a shout from behind as he observed the construction. He turned to see a worker in charge of overseeing the site walk over and speak unkindly.
However, Jasper was not angry even though he had been shooed away impolitely, especially considering the man was only doing his job. Instead, Jasper replied with a crescent-eyed smile, “I was just taking a look when I walked by. I’ll be going now.”
The worker waved him off and said, “Get to it then, we can’t take responsibility if anything happens to you. I don’t understand you people. What’s there to watch anyway? Even so, you guys just appear every other day to look around.”
Jasper’s heart skipped a beat when he heard this, and the man passed the worker a cigarette from his breast pocket with a smile, “Do a lot of people come to look around, Sir?”
Seeing that it was a CW cigarette, the worker’s attitude immediately brightened and he replied.
“Exactly! It was still fine in the beginning when it was just curious people coming in out of curiosity, but it changed as a group of people soon started sneaking in to take pictures. They don’t say or do anything but take pictures. Who knows what those people are doing?
“Look at how dangerous the construction site is. Rebar, concrete, and structures are all being lifted by cranes. What if something happens and we accidentally hurt someone? Who’s going to take responsibility for that?
“A lot of people are already saying that there’s something wrong with the vibes here and that something bad’s going to happen. We’d be screwed if something did actually happen.”
“A lot of people are already saying that there’s something wrong with the vibes here and that something bad’s going to happen?” Jasper narrowed his eyes and repeated the phrase.
At this moment, even Julian realized that someone was trying to secretly sabotage the skyscraper or attack Jasper himself.
When it came to construction within the country, be it for commercial or residential use, or even housing that farmers built for themselves, there was one thing that was universally feared.
A haunted location!
Countrymen would rather play it safe than be sorry later, so the moment any construction was suspected to be haunted, people would surely begin avoiding it. If such an issue were to arise, the best case scenario would just be that people would comment about and slander it while the worse case scenarios would spell an early end to the construction project.
The mastermind behind this was truly ruthless.
However, the worker seemed to have realized that he had misspoken. His expression changed slightly and he was about to clarify himself when they heard a sudden shout sounded from the other end of the construction site.
“Oh no! Someone’s falling from up there! I think he’s going to die!”
Life at the Top Chapter 1042
The shout had caused the entire site to go into an uproar.
Countless workers rushed toward the location and the orderly construction site immediately erupted into chaos.
Jasper and Julian rushed toward the scene the moment it happened, such that the worker from earlier could not even stop them in time. Not that he had the time to, for he immediately rushed to the office to search for the person in charge.
Julian was still a trained man, so he ran the quickest and arrived at the scene first.
He took a glance and immediately turned around to hold Jasper back.
“Don’t look, Jasper. It’s a bit unsettling.”
Jasper pushed Julian away and walked forward.
What he saw next was more terrifying than a scene from a horror movie.
Falling from a great height, the man would certainly have died if not for the guard rail and safety net around the construction.
Jasper saw a young man lying on the floor, his body contorted into a weird angle as weak whimpers escaped his mouth while he shivered in place.
The sight stunned many of the workers that rushed over. While it was not uncommon for accidents to happen in construction sites, it was a completely different feeling to see it with one’s own eyes.
Jasper’s complexion paled as well.
He did not expect something like this to happen at his own mega skyscraper. His expression immediately darkened.
It explained why Julian did not want him to see it.
Just then, the security officer and project manager in charge of the site rushed over as well.
Their expressions changed instantly at the tragic sight.
The security officer was a man with professional training, so he immediately shouted, “Stop looking! Everyone go back! Secure the area and stop all construction work temporarily! Dial 911!”
Under the efforts of the security officer and a group of officers in charge of site maintenance, order soon returned to the area.
Just as things were about to calm down, a couple ran over from afar. They wore construction jackets, so it indicated that they were workers here.
“Oh, my son!”
The woman looked at the young man lying on the ground and wailed. As a mother, one glance was all it took her to know that this was her son. She was about to pounce on his frail body, only to be held back by the security officer.
“Please calm down, Madam,” The security officer spoke.
“How am I supposed to calm down? That’s my son!” The woman wailed.
The man beside her paled and stuttered as he asked, “How, how did this happen? He was fine this morning. How’d he suddenly fall?
“Some, some people have been saying that our construction site’s got bad vibes, that we’ve angered the gods. It can’t possibly be real, right?”
Someone suddenly asked from the amongst the crowd.
The words caused everyone’s expressions to immediately change.
It was daytime and the sun was blazing above, yet everyone seemed to feel a cold gust of wind rush from the bottom of their feet to their heads.
“What nonsense is that?”
The security officer shouted, “This is the twenty-first century. What kind of medieval superstition is that? No one is allowed to speak of this anymore, and I’ll come after whoever brings it up again! Understood?”
As the person in charge of the entire construction site’s safety, the man’s words held quite a bit of authority. Thus, everyone immediately shut their mouths.
At the very least, no one would speak of it in front of him.
What happened in private was beyond the security officer’s control.
Exchanging a look with the project manager, the security officer was about to speak when he saw Jasper and Julian standing by the side.
“Where did you two come from?” The security officer asked with a frown.
Jasper’s nerves had calmed down as well and he replied, “We were just walking by so we came here to take a look.”
The security officer’s expression changed and he demanded angrily, “Who’s in charge of watching the entrance today?”
The worker that Jasper was conversing with immediately raised his hand to admit, “It-it’s me.”
“Would it kill you to do your job properly?”
The security officer scolded, “How many times have I told you not to let outsiders come in? Now not only are they inside but they’ve also gotten involved in this mess too! Do you want to die?!”
The worker glanced at Jasper resentfully and was about to reply when Jasper beat him to it, “It’s not his fault. He told me to leave, but I heard the commotion just as I was turning to leave. He didn’t have time to chase me away, but he did his part.”
The security officer harrumphed and glared at Jasper unkindly as he answered, “I don’t care who you are and what you’re here to do. Please just leave now!”
“Something’s wrong, Jasper.”
Julian suddenly looked up and said after he went to check on the victim and the safety measures at the site.
Jasper raised a defined brow and turned to Julian to ask, “What is it?”
“There’s a high possibility that this is attempted murder, not an accident.”
Julian’s words immediately caused an uproar.
Attempted murder to look like an accident was a big deal since it would mean that this was a case of homicide!
Just then, the project manager who remained quiet all this while suddenly piped up. He pointed at Jasper and Julian and shouted, “Who the hell are you two? This is a matter concerning our construction site, so it’s not up to you to interfere! Get lost, now!
“Why are you acting like detectives? This is obviously an accident, not homicide! Who’re you trying to scare?”
Everyone present looked confused when heard the project manager’s statement.
They did not know who to believe.
Not to mention, the project manager’s claim caused Jasper to narrow his eyes suspiciously.
Typically, construction site managers tended to blame any on-site incidences as intentional rather than pin them as accidents.
After all, the managers had to face responsibility for accidents, and serious cases were even filed under criminal law.
However, if the accident was criminal behavior, then the managers would not need to shoulder any responsibility for it.
Therefore, this project manager’s attitude was extremely unnatural.
“A simple investigation will tell you whether this is a case of attempted murder or not. I wouldn’t accuse anyone baselessly! I checked out your safety measures and there are no major issues with it. Hence, something seriously wrong had to occur for an accident like this to happen at the site,” Julian replied calmly.
The project manager glared at Julian harshly and roared, “This has nothing to do with you. You’d get out now if you knew what was best for you! Otherwise, I’ll have someone chase you away!”
Life at the Top Chapter 1043
“How imposing of you,” Jasper spoke coldly, looking at the project manager.
The project manager scoffed and replied, “I’m the project manager so I hold the most say here at the site. Not to mention that the both of you are outsiders, so who knows what you two came in here to do. What’s wrong with me asking you two to leave?
“Someone’s fatally injured here at the construction site and instead of thinking about how to resolve the situation, you’re busy arguing with us. Are you afraid we’d find something?” Jasper asked.
The project manager’s expression immediately changed and he roared, “What the f*ck are you implying?!”
The tall and broad project manager then made his way over to push Jasper aggressively.
There was no way Julian would let that happen.
The man took a step forward to stand protectively in front of Jasper. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the project manager, warning him, “I’ll cut off whichever hand you use to touch my boss today.”
Julian’s aura was extremely oppressive.
The project manager was an ordinary man, and he immediately surrendered to Julian’s threatening aura. His expression paled and he took an instinctive step backward.
However, the project manager seemed to have realized how embarrassing his actions were, so he clenched his jaw and barked. “You’ve got absolutely no respect at all! I can’t believe you two outsiders are planning to attack me!”
“I’m not an outsider. You’ll understand very soon,” Jasper told the project manager indifferently.
The project manager scoffed and replied, “Oh? You think you can do what you want just because you’ve got some level of power? Open your eyes and look at where you are. You think that just because you’re somewhat powerful, that it gives you the right to make this place your playground? I’ll kill you before you even know it!”
Ever since the man started working as the project manager of the construction site for the tallest building in the world, he had been raised and mounted on a high horse by the people around him.
He had the most authority at the site, and construction workers, raw material suppliers, and even other real estate businesses in Waterhoof City often watched their behavior around him.
As time slowly passed, he began to think of himself as an important person; He feared no one now that he had JW supporting his actions.
He had just finished speaking when a large group of people suddenly rushed over.
They were all JW Real Estates Waterhoof City branch’s senior executives.
With the exception of Sean, who was not present, everyone who had rushed over held the highest positions within the branch. All in all, two vice presidents and four department managers were here.
The two vice presidents leading the group felt their knees go weak when they saw Jasper. They did not dare to waste another second as they rushed over and pushed aside the project manager who was still clamoring away. They greeted Jasper courteously.
“We didn’t know you were coming, Mr. Laine. Our apologies for not welcoming you upon your arrival.”
‘Mr. Laine?’
‘What Mr. Laine?’
Everyone present was stunned.
The security officer looked at Jasper with eyes blown wide in disbelief.
Meanwhile, the project manager gaped in shock as if he had been struck over the head.
Jasper looked at the group of people and stated calmly, “What a group of talents Sean’s found me, huh?”
Sean was the highest-ranked superior in the real estate company, while Jasper was Sean’s highest-ranked superior.
The project manager had been too low-ranked to recognize Jasper, but he certainly knew who Sean was.
Sean was his superior’s superior’s superior. Yet, here Jasper was using Sean’s name to scold them all. Because of this, he quickly understood that Jasper was someone he could not afford to offend at all.
Instantly, the project manager felt cold sweat bead all over his body despite the searing heat above.
Life at the Top Chapter 1044
The two vice presidents, who were sharing similar emotions, stood in front of Jasper with their heads looking downward. They did not dare to even breathe.
Jasper glanced at the two vice presidents sharp and icily.
“I remember sending Sean a document about how important the safety of the skyscraper’s construction site is, and that a vice president of the branch is to be on duty at all times.
“So, would someone like to tell me why only the security officer and project manager are here when an incident like this occurred? Where is the vice president on duty?!
“Did Sean lie only to placate me, or are you so brave as to disobey the orders sent from the parent company?!”
Jasper’s voice boomed around them and everyone held their breaths in fear. No one dared to speak as they each stared at their own shoes with their heads down.
“Have all of you gone dumb?” Jasper roared.
Seeing that Jasper seemed intent to investigate the matter, a vice president mustered up the courage to speak despite the ominous feeling filling his chest. “Well, Mr. Laine, Vice President Rohin is the one on duty today. But we don’t know where he is now.”
“I do.” The confession was sudden and instantly caught Jasper’s attention.
Jasper looked over and saw that it was the security officer who had appropriately managed the scene earlier that was speaking up. Thus, he forced himself to calm down slightly before saying, “Go ahead then. Tell me where he is.”
“He’s sleeping in the duty room,” The security officer forced himself to ignore the looks from everyone around and explained.
“Sleeping?!” Jasper was truly furious now.
“Wow. Bring me to the duty room, I’d like to see how he can keep sleeping when an accident’s occurred at the site!”
Jasper had the security officer lead the way. Glancing at the project manager coldly, he instructed Julian.
“Watch him. There’s something wrong with him. One of you two vice presidents stay back and deal with the situation and handle the injured’s family. After this, come to the duty room.”
Jasper then turned to leave.
The project manager’s expression paled and he shouted, “I’m innocent, Mr. Laine! I did nothing wrong!”
However, Jasper and the group did not seem to have heard him as they continued walking away.
The project manager was about to continue proclaiming his innocence when Julian stood in front and cast a dark shadow over him.
“Save your strength to think of how you’re going to explain to Mr. Laine later,” Julian said calmly.
Just then, the project manager’s phone rang.
His expression changed greatly and he was about to turn his phone off when Julian grabbed it with his quick reflexes.
Julian answered the call without hesitation and began to record its content. He soon heard a frantic voice from the other end of the line.
“How’s it going, Mark?
“This isn’t some trivial business, let me tell you. We’re both screwed if anyone finds out, and you’re going to be the first one they come after!”
“Anyway, about your request for more money… Fine, I’ll give you 300 thousand cash once you’re done, but you better do it well and completely crush the skyscraper project!
“I want the entirety of Waterhoof City spreading the news of the horrible vibes at the site and how someone had died there tomorrow!”
Julian stared icily at the project manager when the clear voice echoed through the speakers.
The project manager’s body swayed, and he almost fainted on the spot.
Life at the Top Chapter 1045
At the construction site’s duty room.
The doors were pushed open, and Jasper felt the thick smell of alcohol hit him in the face right as he walked through the door.
Cigarette buds and bottles of alcohol were littered all over the duty room. There was even some leftover food as well.
It was evident that some gathering was held here last night, and a rambunctious one at that.
This was proven by the fact that the smell of cigarettes and alcohol had yet to disperse even though it was almost noon.
Jasper’s gaze soon fell on the bed in the duty room. On it was a young man in his thirties, sleeping away under his blanket.
“Go wake him up,” Jasper instructed the vice president beside him.
Not daring to hesitate, the vice president jogged over to the bed and shook Rohin awake. Thankfully, this was rather easy.
“Tadhg?” Rohin blinked open his alcohol-muddled eyes. Seeing that it was his colleague, he waved his hand and said, “Leave me alone. Let me go back to sleep, I had too f*cking much to drink last night.”
Rohin then turned around to see a group of people looking at him strangely at the duty room doors.
“What’s with the people?” Rohin asked confusedly, having yet realized what was happening.
Tadhg, who had shaken him awake, whispered awkwardly, “Sober up already. Something huge happened and Mr. Laine’s here.”
“Mr. Laine? Which Mr. Laine?” Rohin had drunk himself stupid and he scoffed. “Since when did our company have another Mr. Laine? Stop being so noisy, Tadhg, and shoo everyone away. I’ll wake up after a bit more sleep, I won’t be delaying anything.
“Seriously, Mr. Tucker must’ve been crazy to call all three of us vice presidents to take turns being on duty at the construction site. Like, what’s the point of s being on duty anyway? What a waste of time.”
Tadhg felt beads of cold sweat trickle over his forehead, and he quickly spoke, “Stop talking. It’s Mr. Laine from the parent company, open your eyes and take a good look!”
Rohin was stunned. Blinking as he looked to the door, he was instantly met with Jasper’s icy gaze.
Jasper’s eyes pierced deep into Rohin’s soul like two emotionless knives.
Rohin was shocked sober the instant their eyes met, and he shuddered suddenly. At the same time, he flipped over and fell off the bed.
Ignoring how embarrassed he looked and how painful the fall felt, Rohin frantically got up to explain himself only to find that Jasper had already turned and left.
“I want everyone present above the rank of deputy manager to come to the meeting next door. I have an important announcement to make.”
Rohin fell on his butt at that. He did not dare to say another word.
Tadhg sighed and spoke to Rohin before he left the room, “Good luck, man. Someone almost died over at the site while Mr. Laine came in secret. You essentially got caught red-handed.
“I told you before, Rohin. Something bad’s going to happen if you kept up your inattentive attitude. You’re basically screwed.”
“Tadhg!” Rohin grabbed Tadhg’s clothes and spoke frightfully, “Help me put in a good word! Or it’ll really be over for me this time!”
“What can I say?” Tadhg felt fear creep up within him at the memory of Jasper’s frosty expression.
“You should clean yourself and sober up before you go next door and ask for forgiveness. Maybe Mr. Laine will be kind and forgive you then. But no one can help you otherwise.”
Ten minutes later, around a dozen men sat down in the temporary meeting room next door.
They were all senior executives of JW Real Estates’ Waterhoof City branch.
Jasper swept his gaze expressionlessly over everyone in the room, including Rohin, who looked down silently. Then, Jasper began to speak.
“This is the first time all of you have met me, but I’m sure none of you are strangers to who I am.
“I won’t waste time with unnecessary things. A huge incident occurred at the construction site, and someone will have to take responsibility for it.
“I won’t repeat company rules and regulations because all of you are senior executives. I’m sure you’ve all had your fair share of chiding others about these exact same rules, so you should be well aware of the process.”
Jasper’s words silenced the entire meeting room. Everyone seemed to hold their breaths and no one dared to make a sound.
“Alright, let’s get straight to it, then.”
Jasper spoke calmly. “What I’m about to say next will be relayed to the head office after this meeting. Documents will be issued by the headquarters presidential office, and will then be executed by the president of the real estate company.
“Number one, this major safety incident has revealed poor site management in the construction site. As a result, JW Real Estates’ Waterhoof City branch will be comprehensively reviewed–members of the managerial rank bear inescapable responsibility.
“Everyone from the senior executives to the deputy managers will have their monthly performance bonuses deducted. The vice presidents their seasonal performance bonuses, and Sean his semiannual performance bonus because he has direct leadership responsibility.
“Number two, JW Real Estates’ Waterhoof City branch’s vice president Rohin Ruell will be relieved of all his professional duties effective immediately.
“Number three, JW Real Estates’ Waterhoof City branch will come up with a rectification plan and a situational report. This is to be handed up to the head office for review within the week.”
Then, Jasper glanced at everyone’s expressions before he continued coldly, “I want all of you to pay this incident your undivided attention. The head office will treat the rectification plan and the situational report solemnly.
“Your implementation of this rectification plan will be supervised. Whoever decides to continue being careless will end up just like Rohin.”
With that, Jasper waved his hand and ordered, “Dismissed!”
The entire meeting lasted no more than three minutes, yet it left everyone in the branch’s managerial ranks petrified.
Rohin could not accept this.
Seeing as how he had lost his job, Rohin stood up and let go of all inhibitions, “Mr. Laine, this isn’t fair!”
“It’s not fair?” Jasper asked coldly.
“All I did was invite a few friends over and drank too much. The nature of the safety incident has nothing to do with me at all,” Rohin forced out an excuse.
“Nothing to do with you?”
Jasper scoffed before slamming his palm on the table. He immediately started shouting at the man.
“I had you vice presidents remain on shift to monitor the site, not to have you sleep and invite friends over! I might as well get you a hotel or a restaurant if that’s the case. It’s more comfortable there than at a construction site too, no?
“Why do you think I asked for you to be on duty here?!
“I wanted everyone in the branch to understand the importance of this construction project!
“Yet here you are, getting drunk and blacking out! Now, you have the audacity to tell me it’s not fair?”
Life at the Top Chapter 1046
Rohin could not refute Jasper’s words.
He was filled with regret now.
JW Real Estates was a company recognized in the industry for its great treatment of its employees.
As the vice president of the Waterhoof City branch, his salary was one-point-five times higher than others who held the same position in other companies.
Not to mention, the company also gave annual dividends, paid leave, free medical insurance for their employee’s families, 2 overseas vacations, housing subsidy, and an educational support plan for employees’ children to study in Waterhoof City. These were benefits that only top-notch international enterprises provided.
No company gave as great a treatment as JW within the country.
Despite this, he had lost it all.
“Mr. Laine, please give me one more chance,” Rohin begged Jasper with a quiver in his voice.
“Does what I just said sound like a joke to you? A chance? Most things don’t come with second chances or the chance to regret. This is an issue with your professional attitude. How am I supposed to give you another chance?
“Let’s take a step back and say that I hypothetically did give you chance, then am I also supposed to give chances to others who make the same mistake in the future? How’s the company supposed to operate like that?”
Rohin’s complexion paled further upon hearing Jasper’s words.
“Mr. Laine, what if I atone for my sins? I have a report to make!” Rohin clenched his jaw and spoke suddenly.
Jasper arched his brow and looked at Rohin before asking, “Who are you reporting and about what?”
“This is very important matter, so I was hoping I’d get to talk to you alone about this, Mr. Laine,” Rohin spoke bravely.
Jasper glanced at everyone else in the room, especially the other two vice presidents. They seemed confused, and there was no trace of fear or panic on their faces.
“Everyone else is dismissed,” Jasper waved them out.
Excluding Jasper and Rohin, everyone else in the meeting room stood up and filed out.
While they had no idea what Rohin was going to report, they knew that it had to be something huge if the man felt it would save his life.
Therefore, everyone who left the temporary meeting room inexplicably felt a shiver run down their back. They immediately tried to recall if they had done anything incriminating before.
At the same time, Jasper turned to Rohin and said, “We’re the only ones left now, so go ahead and tell me what it is.”
Jasper continued when he saw Rohin hesitate in a seemingly self-conflicted state, “Don’t think about negotiating with me. There’s no way you can keep working for the company. But if your information is important and reliable enough, I’ll give you a sum of money at my discretion.”
Rohin grit his teeth.
He knew that Jasper’s stance on the matter was clear. There was no way he could go back to working in JW Real Estates, so he might as well settle for second best. It would be nice to leave with a sum of money in his pockets.
After all, he could always leave once the secret was out. There was an abundance of places for him to further develop, like Cavern City or Swallow Capital. There was no need to fear being the target of revenge.
Once Rohin had made up his mind, he immediately said, “A company in Waterhoof City actually came to me some time ago, almost right after I started working here.
“They wanted me to provide them with the all the data on the skyscraper’s construction plan. Including labor, materials, and design.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1047
“That’s not all. They were the ones who spread rumors about how our construction site has bad vibes. From what I can tells, it seemed like they wanted to attack the construction site and bring the construction of the entire building to a halt.
“I rejected them then, but I don’t know who they contacted next. I am certain, though, that someone did get bribed into working for them.
“Because they contacted me the day before yesterday and said that they were going to cause an incident at the construction site. They told me I didn’t have to do anything, but just turn a blind eye to what was happening since someone else would do the dirty work for them.
“Coupled with what happened at the site today, I suspect the project manager.”
Jasper narrowed his eyes and asked Rohin, “So you decided to get drunk and have fun in the duty room yesterday?”
Rohin immediately replied, “I am grateful that Mr. Tucker appreciates my work. I may act high and mighty but I am still not fully aware of my strengths or shortcomings.
“It was by pure coincidence yesterday that a few old classmates of mine came to Waterhoof City. I hadn’t seen them for years and I had to welcome them, but it wouldn’t be right for me to leave the duty room while I was on shift either. Thus, I ended up welcoming them in the duty room instead.”
Jasper neither approved nor disapproved of Rohin’s explanation before he asked another question.
“Why do you suspect the project manager? The project manager isn’t the only one capable of plotting these things on the construction site. What about the security officer? Or even the construction foremen or the general contractor? There are plenty of people to suspect.”
Rohin chuckled wryly and responded, “Mr. Laine, I dug around a little and I found out.
“While that project manager is pretty capable, he’s a gambling man through and through. He has a huge debt to repay and debt collectors have actually come to the construction site to demand that he pay them back on more than one occasion.
“The company’s high salary is the only thing supporting him and stopping his debt collectors from killing him.
“However, he suddenly managed to pay off all his debts some time ago. He even had the money to pay for his son’s marital housing in full in Waterhoof City, as well as purchase a car worth more than 200 thousand. Unless he won the lottery, there should be no way he made so much money.
“I don’t know for sure if anyone else has also been bribed, but this project manager has to be one of them. It’s really obvious if you just scrutinize his financial situation.
“I have no reason to lie, Mr. Laine. Things have already reached this state and I just want to leave with a some money in my pockets.”
Jasper’s expression remained unchanged. “I’ll investigate the matter further, but I’ll make sure you receive a hefty sum if the matter is truly as you have said. Go back for now and try not to show yourself for the next few days. I’ll have Sean contact you afterward.”
Rohin sighed and stood up. He opened his mouth to say something but swallowed his words after thinking against it. He then bowed to Jasper and turned to leave the room.
Rohin had just left when Julian dragged the project manager in.
“You’re right, Jasper. There’s something wrong with this man.”
Julian relayed the contents of the call the project manager received, and Jasper looked at the despondent man in question.
“Victory and loss are common when two parties are fighting each other. But do you know what the most tragic thing is?” Jasper asked the project manager.
The project manager was frantic and did not have the mind to ponder Jasper’s question. Thus, he remained quiet.
“The people who betray their original superiors,” Jasper answered icily.
The project manager shuddered and fell to his knees with a thud. He wailed, “Please forgive me, Mr. Laine. I gave into temptations. Besides, I’m not the only one involved in this.”
“Who else is involved? Write down all their names, including the person giving orders to all of you. You will meet a fate worse than death if there is a single omission or lie in your confession.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1048
Half an hour later, Julian walked out of the room with a depressed project manager.
Ten minutes after that, Jasper exited the room too.
Once he walked out, the middle-aged couple immediately fell to their knees in front of Jasper.
Jasper recognized them to be the parents of the heavily injured young man that fell from the building.
“Please stand,” Jasper immediately helped the couple to their feet.
The middle-aged woman wiped her tears as she sobbed to Jasper. “Mr. Laine, you’re the biggest boss here. You have to save our son.”
“Don’t worry, the company will take full responsibility since your son was working and got injured on our construction site.”
“How’s he doing now?”
The security officer immediately ran over and replied courteously, “Mr. Laine, he’s already been sent to the emergency room and his condition is stable. He’s not in life-threatening danger but he might be plagued with lifelong disabilities after this. Worst case scenario, he might live the rest of his life in a vegetative state.”
Jasper frowned slightly and asked, “All workers on site are insured, right?”
“Yes.”
The security officer hastily replied, “This is something the head office and Mr. Tucker stressed. We could not afford to be frugal with the insurance, so every worker was given the best workmen compensation and medical insurance available.”
“Good, but insurance claims tend to be processed slowly. The company will prepay all medical expenses and send professionals to deal with the supplementary nutrition and escorting expenses. There’s no need to be frugal with this either, it’s important that we at least keep our workers stress-free if we can’t keep them safe.
“The company will also pay for everything the insurance claim cannot cover, and if the worker ends up with a life-long disability, the company will assign them with another post once they’re ready to work again. Don’t be stingy with the compensation package either, and make sure you follow the standards.”
The security officer was stunned. He wondered how much money the company was going to end up paying according to that.
Ordinary companies might only give a sum to help pay the medical expenses and ask for the money back once the insurance claim had been processed. This was also normally the full extent of their compensation as well.
Construction workers were at a disadvantage, and legal awareness was shallow among the people nowadays. Most workers did not know how to protect their own interests according to the law.
Those that did know their rights would most often end up getting scammed of their hard-earned money by illegal middlemen. They also could not fight against wealthy and powerful companies.
Despite this, Jasper’s attitude on the matter was completely different.
The security officer, who was technically just another worker on-site, was genuinely grateful and moved by this.
“Mr. Laine, on behalf of everyone working here, thank you,” The security officer spoke sincerely.
Jasper patted the security officer on the shoulder and replied, “You’ve done well handling the scene just now. You’ll be the project manager from now on.”
The security officer flushed excitedly and replied, “Thank you, Mr. Laine! I’ll do my best!”
Jasper chuckled and turned to the grateful couple. “The situation’s very complicated now, but I promise I’ll catch whoever’s pulling the strings behind this.
“Don’t worry about too much now, just go to the hospital and take care of your son. You’ll still be paid during this period. Your son’s health is the most important thing right now.”
“Thank you, Mr. Laine. You’re a saint,” The middle-aged couple declared as they wiped their tears.
Jasper shook his head and sighed. “This wouldn’t have happened at all if I was a saint. No matter how much money I give, it still won’t change the fact that your son might end up disabled. I only ask that you do not blame me too much.
“I still have things to settle, so come to the company directly for the follow-up process.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1049
Then, Jasper turned and left quickly.
The middle-aged man supported his wife and spoke as he watched Jasper leave, “Mr. Laine sure is a great boss. Let’s go take a look at our boy first.”
“Yeah. I’d be willing to work for a boss like him even if he didn’t pay me,” The woman answered.
Their words echoed the thoughts of the majority of workers at the scene.
People were all the same, if you treated them sincerely, then they would be genuine to you too.
Being wealthy did not make someone superior, and being poor did not mean that person had to live a life inferior to everyone else.
Jasper’s kindness had won him the hearts of these construction workers, and they were now whole-heartedly willing to work for him.
In the future, when the country’s real estate industry would face a shortage of workers, JW Real Estates would be the only company not to face any trouble finding employees.
Not that Jasper thought that far into the future. All he knew now was that all the evidence on hand pointed to the president of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce, Norman Gardner, as the culprit!
Jasper immediately went to JW Real Estates’ Waterhoof City branch’s office after he left the construction site.
Sean rushed over to Waterhoof City that night.
After Sean arrived at Waterhoof City, the man had a closed-door meeting with Jasper that lasted for two hours. Then, as the president of JW Capital, Jasper sent a series of documents to the real estate company.
The business group responsible for JW Real Estates immediately held a high-priority video conference, hosted by Jasper himself.
The conference lasted until one a.m. the next morning.
JW Real Estates’ Waterhoof City branch went through tremendous change after the conference was over. Two senior executives were immediately fired and up to 40% of the mid-level managers were moved about.
The construction of the skyscraper was the Waterhoof City branch’s most important and core business. Excluding Zeph, who had been promoted from security officer, all managerial positions working on the project, from chief engineer to project manager, had been transferred away.
They were replaced with skilled members from JW Real Estates’ other branches within Southeast Province.
In just one night, the entire Waterhoof City branch had completely changed. Almost all mid-level managers were transferred somewhere else, and a small portion were even fired.
Not to mention, the shifting of personnel within JW Real Estates had spread to other subsidiaries and businesses under JW Capital as well.
For the first time, Jasper, who had always opted for a gentle management strategy, was harsh and direct when dealing with JW’s personnel.
All of JW’s employees, no matter their ranks, now knew not to cross their ultimate superior.
Throughout the city, employees of JW Real Estates’ Waterhoof City branch and another family in Waterhoof City were frantic.
The Gardner family!
In the study of Gardner’s family villa. The ashtray was filled with cigarette butts and thick smoke filled the room, making it almost impossible to open one’s eyes inside.
In this heavy environment, Norman held a cigarette between his fingers. The butt of the cigarette was lit, but the man did not seem to have the desire to smoke it.
A long trail of cigarette ash crept from the lit butt until it burned Norman’s hand. Only then did the man extinguish the flames in the ashtray.
“Of all the times, why would Jasper come to Waterhoof City now?!” Norman murmured to himself. Great unease and panic could be heard in his voice.
Life at the Top Chapter 1050
Lisa pushed the door open, and before she could enter the room, she choked and sputtered due to the overwhelming cloud of smoke.
“Why’re you smoking so much, Dad?”
Lisa had changed greatly from how she used to be in the past.
Donning a long-sleeved top and long pants, her short ear-length hair made her look smart.
Coupled with the glint of resentment and hatred in her eyes, the woman sent shivers down people’s spines.
“Can you contact anyone from the construction site?” Norman asked instead of replying.
“No.”
Lisa shook her head and opened the study windows to let fresh air into the room. She sighed. “Dad, we should be thinking of how to deal with at this stage. There’s no point in locking yourself in the study to smoke.”
“What solution could there be?”
The corner of Norman’s lips twitched. “Jasper’s already arrived at Waterhoof City. He’s definitely found out what we’ve done, and considering his temper, there’s no way he’d let us go.”
“We did this with the idea to fight to the death, didn’t we?” Lisa spoke firmly.
“What was Old Master Hurlbutt’s game by assigning Jasper as the vice president? He’s obviously trying to take your power away!
“Old Master Hurlbutt was also really ambiguous when we and Uncle had a conflict with Jasper.
“Even though Jasper was the one who destroyed Uncle’s family, who knows if Old Master Hurlbutt had given him the green light to do so? Jasper wouldn’t be able to do anything if Old Master Hurlbutt was firm about protecting the Hull family.
“Now that uncle’s family is done for, Old Master Hurlbutt even had Jasper assume the position of Waterhoof City Branch’s Vice President.
“Instead of asking you, the president, to attend the asset forum, Old Master Hurlbutt even had Jasper go instead. He’s never even showed up once as vice president before. Old Master Hurlbutt’s obviously telling the rest of the Chamber that he doesn’t like us.
“We aren’t doing anything wrong, Dad. We’re taking revenge for Uncle Ian and protecting ourselves. Jasper would still attack us even if we didn’t do anything, so there’s no going back now. We just need to fight Jasper to the end.”
Norman’s expression was solemn as he heard Lisa speak.
“Did you tell Mr. Atticus about the situation?” Norman asked.
Lisa nodded and replied, “I did. Mr. Atticus told us not to worry and that he’ll act at the right time. He’s also prepared a lot of follow-up trouble for Jasper, so he won’t be able to save himself when the time comes.”
Norman nodded at the first bit of good news he had heard today, and a small smile graced his face. “Good, Mr. Atticus is reliable after all… I heard you went to Harbor City last week. Was it to be with Mr. Atticus?”
Lisa replied calmly, “Weren’t you the one who taught me to grab ahold of an opportunity with two hands no matter what the costs, Dad?”
“Did that Mr. Atticus promise you anything?” Norman asked attentively.
Norman flushed in excitement at the thought of being Mr. Atticus’ father-in-law. The Gardner family would soar if this happened.
Yet, Lisa immediately poured cold water on Norman’s excitement.
“That’s not going to happen, Dad. I did sleep with Mr. Atticus, but he’s had more women on his bed than you have cigarette butts in your ashtray. Not even I would entertain the idea of marrying into his family.”
Norman’s expression darkened and he sighed. “I don’t even know if I made the right decision sending you over to Mr. Atticus’ side.”
Lisa replied harshly, “I’d be willing to sleep with beggars and rascals if it means that Jasper will be crushed! Let alone Mr. Atticus.”
“What do we do next, then? Jasper’s definitely going to take revenge on us,” Norman asked with a frown, reluctant to continue this topic.
“We wait…”
Lisa replied grimly, “Hold on a little longer. Mr. Atticus still needs to contact another important player first. If he manages to win them over, then this person will help greatly in our plans to target Jasper. Mr. Atticus also needs to arrange for backup, so he needs some time to prepare everything.
“eMr. Atticus wants us to hold him off a little longer. This is the mission he gave you, Dad.”
Norman spoke solemnly, “We don’t have any other option now. Let’s just hold him off for as long as we can, then. I’d also like to see how Jasper plans to counter us.”
“Mr. Atticus said that Jasper would most likely attack us through the Chamber of Commerce. Since he’s going to attend the asset forum conference on behalf of the Chamber, this is a great chance he won’t ignore.”
“Mr. Atticus even predicted that? Alright, then. If he’s planning to attack me through the Chamber, then I should still be able to deal with him,” Norman spoke, energized.
…
Jasper walked out of the hotel room the next morning and was about to eat breakfast with Julian downstairs when he saw Sean exit the elevator exhaustedly.
“Did you just get back?” Jasper asked.
Sean had held a meeting with the Waterhoof City branch overnight after the real estate company’s senior executive conference the night before. The meeting aimed to relay the spirit of the head office’s conference, as well as carry out the details decided during the session.
“The meeting just ended, and all personnel transfer procedures have just gone through. They’ll be carried out immediately,” Sean replied.
Jasper nodded and replied, “Let’s eat breakfast together first. Then you can come back and rest. Don’t neglect your meals no matter how tired you feel. It’s not worth harming your own health for work.”
Sean kept the elevator doors open for them and chose the floor with the buffet restaurant after Jasper and Julian got in. Then, he turned to Jasper and spoke remorsefully.
“Mr. Laine, it’s my fault for not being negligent. I didn’t expect so many people within the Waterhoof City branch to have been corrupt.”
“Not to mention that the overall atmosphere at the branch is negligent and lazy. It’s only been a few days and there are already self-interest-serving groups and alliances forming within the company. I should’ve kept a tighter leash on them.”
Jasper waved him off. “I understand that you’re busy too. The real estate company’s growing larger and there are more things you have to overlook and head.
“Not to mention that the siege from the three other real estate companies with Softwin’s support in Southeast Province hasn’t ended yet. You can’t clone yourself, so I understand that you can’t deal with everything.
“I’ve already had human resource begin a search to get you some help. I’ll assign you two deputies to help shoulder your burden.”
Jasper’s words caused Sean’s expression to sour.
It was only natural the man did not want to share after discovering how good it felt to be in a position of power. Yet, from the way Jasper spoke, it looked like Sean did not have any choice but to accept it.
Not to mention, reality had all but proven his inability to handle everything on his own.
“I understand, Mr. Laine.”