Ch. 1051..1060

Life at the Top Chapter 1051

The trio talked as they walked toward the buffet.

Stared hotels’ buffets were pretty consistent and Jasper had already gotten tired of the food they provided from business trips his past life, let alone this present one.

Jasper simply grabbed a plate of food and asked Sean as he ate, “Oh, right. How’s the injured worker doing? Is everyone else on the construction site doing okay?”

Sean replied, “He woke up already. Fortunately, it was just a fracture of his spine. There’s still hope for him and he should be alright after a year or so. But from how the doctor seemed, I don’t think he’d be able to get back to construction work in the future.

“But their emotions are considerably steady, they’re really grateful to you too, Mr. Laine. They’ve been asking to come and thank you themselves but I declined them.

“The workers on the site are doing well. We’ve calmed most of them, mainly because they know you’re looking out for them, Mr. Laine. No one made a ruckus and they’ve all gotten back to catch up on lost work.”

Jasper nodded and spoke, “Comprehensive compensations are a must when it comes to situations like this. It’s too small a sum to matter to the company, but it’s enough to save these workers. They’re using their entire life’s health in return for what’s an insignificant amount of money to us. We cannot and will not deduct compensations, this is our bottom line.

“And ask him if he has any plans after he gets better. If he wants to continue working for us, then assign him a more leisurely position, but let him go if he doesn’t want to stay.”

“Alright, Mr. Laine, I understand,” Sean replied.

After eating, Jasper got up and spoke, “Go get some rest later. I still need your help to keep an eye out for the real estate company. I won’t have the time to check up on it for the coming two days.”

“Are you going back, Mr. Laine?” Sean asked.

“No, I’ll be staying in Waterhoof City for the time being. There’s no way I’d just move on after getting plotted against,” Jasper replied calmly.

Under Norman’s efforts, the Haddock Chamber of Commerce’s Waterhoof City Branch had moved to the business center in Peace CBD after Jasper had kicked them out from their original address.

The Haddock Chamber of Commerce had always been known for its abundance of wealth. They had leased three whole floors for their office, costing at least a million a year for rent.

This was the first time Jasper had come here to the Chamber since he had assumed the position of Waterhoof City branch’s Vice President half a year ago.

Pushing open the door, Jasper saw the word ‘Haddock’ written in huge cursive letters, representing the Haddock Chamber of Commerce.

“Hello, who are you looking for?” The receptionist was beautiful and dignified as she greeted Jasper politely.

“I’m looking for President Norman, is he here?” Jasper asked with a smile.

“Mr. Gardner? He’s not in. But his daughter Miss Lisa is… Miss Gardner, someone’s looking for Mr. Gardner.”

Jasper turned around and locked gazes with Lisa who happened to walk out.

“It’s you,” Lisa spoke expressionlessly.

“It’s me,” Jasper replied calmly, “You expected that I’d come here, didn’t you?”

Lisa sneered and replied, “Why would I be able to guess when and why you’d arrive, Mr. Vice President?”

“That’s alright, I’ll tell you then. The asset conference is about to begin, I’m here to get my materials,” Jasper spoke.

Lisa’s eyes shone and she replied indifferently, “Is that so? That’s all you came here for, Mr. Vice President?”

“What else? Or did you think that I was here for revenge, Miss Gardner?” Jasper chuckled.

Lisa replied coldly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jasper walked over to Lisa and spoke calmly, “This is business, it’s only normal you attack others. After all, we’re enemies, not friends.

“But if you’re so willing to involve an innocent life just because of your conflict with me, do you not fear the haunting of ghosts when you sleep, Miss Gardner?”

Lisa took a step back in terror and gasped. “The construction worker died?!”

At that, Lisa immediately realized she had misspoken. Yet it was already too late to go back in time and change what she had already said. She immediately stared at Jasper darkly and accused him. “You set me up, Jasper!”

“I wouldn’t be able to set anything up if you weren’t feeling guilty, to begin with.”

Jasper continued coldly, “He’s still alive but that’s because he was lucky. It doesn’t make you any less guilty, Lisa, go back and tell your dad that it isn’t over.”

Lisa replied resentfully, “Stop acting so arrogant! I’d like to see how long more you can stay prideful!”

“Oh? So you’re telling me that you’ve still got tricks up your sleeves, hmm?” Jasper narrowed his eyes and spoke.

Having learned her lesson of being set up, Lisa harrumphed and spoke, “You deserve any trick against you. Just you wait, you have too many enemies and you’ll die a miserable death one day.”

Just after Lisa spoke, a young man walked out of the same room Lisa did just now.

The man rolled his shoulders lazily as he approached Lisa. He reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders and spoke affectionately, “Who’s this f*cker, Lisa? Looks like there’s a conflict between you two?”

Jasper raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard the accent businesspeople from Teo had.

The Teo Chamber of Commerce had already arrived at Haddock’s Chamber’s doors to attack them. So what was Lisa, the daughter of Haddock Chamber of Commerce’s Waterhoof City Branch’s President, doing by mingling with someone from Teo’s Chamber of Commerce?

“This is our great Vice President, Jasper Laine. He’s the one that’s going to represent Haddock in attending the asset forum conference.” Lisa stared at Jasper and smiled.

The young man chuckled and pointed at Jasper, speaking disdainfully, “This f*cker? Forget it, look at him. He looks like a child, go home and call your parents out instead.”

“Or does Haddock’s Chamber of Commerce not have anyone left? Instead of having someone able like Uncle Gardner, they had a stupid f*cker you like you come and make a fool out of yourself?”

Jasper looked at the young man and spoke, “This is Haddock’s Chamber of Commerce’s station. What is a Teo businessperson like you doing here?”

“Dudley is my friend! I invited him over!’ Lisa claimed.

“You are the daughter of Haddock’s Chamber of Commerce’s Waterhoof City Branch’s President. How do you have no shame to shout about inviting him into the station?” Jasper spoke calmly.

“Business is business, friends are friends. What’s it to you?” Lisa sneered.

“Exactly, you dumb f*ck. You think you’re some sh*t just because you’re a Vice President here? I go wherever I want, who’re you to control me, huh?”

Life at the Top Chapter 1052

Dudley raised his arm as he spoke to shove Jasper.

Dudley’s movements were wide, perhaps because he wanted to show off in front of Lisa.

Instead of shoving Jasper, Julian ended up catching his hand and twisting it behind his back.

Dudley shouted in pain as his wrist was twisted to his back. Julian pressed the hand against Dudley’s back, causing the man to bow forward and shout.

The action and posture Dudley was in caused a few pieces of paper to fall from his breast pocket.

Both Lisa and Dudley’s expressions changed at the same time.

Lisa instinctively bent down to pick up the papers.

However, Julian was much faster than her.

Just as Lisa reached out, Julian had already picked the papers up with one hand while still holding Dudley’s wrist with the other.

“Give my things back to me!” Lisa glared at Julian and spoke angrily.

Julian ignored her and passed the papers to Jasper instead.

Jasper took the papers and glanced at Lisa before he read their contents.

Jasper was elated by what he saw.

The paper was precisely the prepared schedule and explanations for the core topics of the asset forum conference prepared by the Haddock Chamber of Commerce for Jasper.

This so-called asset forum conference was essentially an event where a bunch of bigshots within the industry would sit together and give their own opinions on topics each other or the host had brought up. It could either be a debate or a speech.

As this was a provocation from the Teo to the Haddock Chamber of Commerce, they would certainly decide on a debate.

This meant that if the Teo Chamber of Commerce wanted to put businesspeople from Haddock in a difficult position, then they would surely attack Jasper who was their representative. Coincidentally, there were also people within Haddock’s Chamber of Commerce who wanted to put Jasper in a difficult position, so the two parties had intriguingly ended up with the same ‘enemy’.

Both Lisa and Dudley’s expressions changed.

“Motherf*cker! Tell your dog to let go of me and give me back my things!” Dudley shouted fiercely.

Jasper looked at the duo and waved the documents in his hand before speaking calmly, “Who’d have thought that I’d get such a great surprise the first time I’m here. Should I understand this as a gift from both of you together?”

Lisa’s face was taut and she did not speak, but her eyes kept flickering as she came up with a plan.

Dudley was more aggressive and simple. The man turned his head to sneer. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Also, I said let go of me right now, you hear me? Or I’ll kill you two!”

“F*cking h*ll, do you even know who I am? My dad’s the President of the Teo Chamber of Commerce! How dare you hurt me, I’ll have people kill you once you walk out the doors!”

“Jul, I think this child’s gone mad. Give him a shock to wake him up,” Jasper spoke calmly.

Julian did not hesitate before he slapped Dudley’s mouth with the back of his hand.

Julian’s hand was akin to a steel plate as he slapped on Dudley’s clamoring mouth. The latter immediately let out a muffled scream and stopped speaking, replacing it with pitiful screams and shouts.

Dudley covered his own mouth and stared at Jasper with hatred and fear, all while blood seeped out from between his fingers.

Dudley was used to being arrogant thanks to his family background and identity, so he had not expected Jasper to attack him.

“You’ve gone crazy, Jasper!” Lisa screamed as she saw Dudley’s pitiful situation.

She immediately rushed over to help Dudley up and wiped the traces of blood from his face with a tissue. Then she turned to speak to Jasper icily.

“Do you even know who Dudley’s father is? Don’t think that just because you’ve got a small business now you’re suddenly a true wealthy businessman. You don’t even have the right to stand and speak in front of someone of Dudley’s father’s caliber!”

Jasper narrowed his eyes and looked at Lisa calmly.

There was something strange with Lisa’s expression right now.

It seemed like she was elated to see him and Dudley get into conflict. Yet for the sake of acting, she had no choice but to pretend to be furious.

That was not all. Lisa’s choice of words was very specific as well. Instead of explaining the cause of the conflict or trying to smooth things out, she had emphasized Dudley’s identity.

This was a sore spot for trust-fund children like Dudley.

She had also told Dudley that Jasper was just a normal businessman with a little bit of property and a normal family.

“Motherf*cker. How dare you hit me! Just you wait, my dad will never forgive you!”

As expected, Dudley had mustered the courage and he glared at Jasper, his gaze resentful and fiery.

“No one’s ever dared to hit me all these years, you’re the first. But that’s alright, just you wait. I’ll make you pay tenfold for this slap!”

“Looks like you’re not completely awake yet, hmm?” Jasper asked Dudley calmly.

Dudley was stunned and he looked like he was about to rage. He glanced at Julian instinctively and fear spiked within him to squash the anger down.

That slap had told him that Julian was not someone he could fight back against. There was no other option but to let the matter go for now.

Or he would get beaten up again.

Dudley stared at Jasper and spoke with his jaw tightly set, “Fine, you win this time!”

Dudley then made a move to leave.

He was evidently at a disadvantage now and he could not beat Jasper in a fistfight. So Dudley planned to go back and wait for a chance to take revenge.

However, he had only taken one step forward when Julian appeared in his path.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Dudley asked, terrified and angry.

“What’s the meaning?” Jasper chuckled and looked at Lisa. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to ask her that. I’m only doing what she wants me to do.”

Dudley turned to Lisa confusedly and saw a rather frantic expression on her face.

“You’re insane. I don’t even know what you’re trying to say,” Lisa spoke, forcing herself to calm down.

“You wanted Dudley and me to fight, best to the point that both of us are willing to risk our lives to get rid of each other. All while you watch by the sidelines and reap the rewards, no?” Jasper spoke calmly.

Lisa’s expression changed slightly at that.

“What are you talking about! Dudley and I are friends! I’d definitely stand on his side if you two fought, what do you mean reap rewards?”

Jasper smiled and spoke, “I don’t care if you admit it or not, but there’s something the both of you must explain to me today.”

Jasper brandished the papers in his hands and his expression turned frosty. He shouted, “You two. What is the meaning of conspiring and stealing this document?!”

Life at the Top Chapter 1053

Lisa’s expression darkened when she saw the papers in Jasper’s hands.

She knew that Jasper had found a weakness and without a reasonable explanation, Jasper would surely blow the issue up. She would be put in a difficult position then.

“I don’t know,” Lisa turned her head away and replied unnaturally, “Why would I know what he has on him.

Dudley wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and scoffed. Yet he did not say a word.

It was evident that the two planned to leave the matter alone by denying and remaining silent.

Jasper looked at the two and spoke, “So you’re not going to admit it? Alright, then.”

Jasper then turned to look at the receptionist who was still dazed and frightened. He spoke, “Could you please call Mr. Gardner?”

“Huh?” The receptionist looked at Jasper blankly. Her brain had yet to catch up to what was happening.

“Tell him that if he doesn’t come over and deal with this as fast as he can, then I’ll sue his daughter on grounds of stealing trade secrets.”

Lisa jumped up like a cat who had her tail stepped on. “What nonsense is that, Jasper?!

“You have to take responsibility for your words! You can’t just accuse me of stealing trade secrets without evidence! You really think you’re on top of the world?”

“We’ll know if we investigated,” Jasper spoke calmly.

With that, Jasper turned to look at the receptionist. The latter did not dare to anger Jasper so she immediately found Norman’s number and called him.

At the same time, Lisa was also cueing Dudley with her gaze, urging him to do something.

Dudley’s expression was sour.

Lisa was the one who handed him the documents. Dudley knew that his Teo Chamber of Commerce was planning to attack Haddock’s Chamber from its Waterhoof City branch and he wanted to make a huge contribution. He had not expected to be caught red-handed at the very last moment.

The matter could potentially be blown into something huge, depending on whether people wanted to investigate it or not.

With the way Jasper acted, it was unlikely he would let the matter go.

Dudley’s eyes darted around and his expression kept changing.

“The asset forum conference held by the Teo Chamber of Commerce to attack the Haddock Chamber is about to commence. Yet the daughter of Haddock’s Chamber of Commerce’s President brought a businessperson from Teo into the Waterhoof City branch station to steal all of Haddock’s core future plans.”

“What do you think will happen if word gets out? Do you think your father, as President of the Chamber, would praise you for being understanding or hang you up and scold you for being a failure?”

Dudley’s expression darkened extremely at Jasper’s words.

“What do you want?” Dudley asked, clenching his teeth and ignoring the pain on his lips.

“Simple. Tell me what transaction you two made and I’ll let you go immediately. I also won’t hold you accountable,” Jasper replied calmly.

Dudley’s eyes flickered and asked, “Really?”

“I have no reason to lie to you,” Jasper replied.

Lisa immediately spoke, seeing how Dudley was persuaded to tell, “Mr. Ball! Don’t fall for this crafty and vile man’s lies! Who knows what bad intentions he’s got in mind!”

Jasper replied calmly, “I’m sure you can tell who’s more trustworthy. Me, or a woman who’s willing to betray her Chamber of Commerce father just for her own interests.”

That sentence worked better than any vow and Dudley immediately decided.

“Lisa and I are just acquainted, we aren’t especially close. She contacted me a few days ago and told me she could hand me a document your Chamber of Commerce has prepared for the asset forum conference later.”

“The only request she had was for me to humiliate you harshly at the conference.”

“I thought that since we’re going to have to deal with whoever Haddock’s Chamber sends over, I’d be gaining important internal intel without having to do more than I originally have to. So I agreed.”

Dudley completely sold Lisa out once he opened his mouth.

“Dudley! Are you even a f*cking man? Jasper just gave you a slight shock and you’re already admitting everything! You’ve got no balls, you coward!” Lisa shrieked in mortification.

Dudley glanced at Lisa icily. He clenched his jaw quietly and turned to ask Jasper, “Can I leave now?”

Jasper waved his hand and replied with a crescent-eyed smile, “If you wish.”

Despite getting Jasper’s approval, Dudley did not leave straight away. Instead, he looked at the document in Jasper’s hands hesitantly.

Jasper smiled before he ripped the papers in front of Dudley in half and spoke, “Does this soothe your worries?”

Dudley let out a long breath and wiped off the blood from the corner of his mouth. He spoke grimly, “At least you’re a man of your word. But this isn’t over, just you wait!”

There was no way people like Dudley would leave the matter alone after losing so horribly to Jasper once. The man had thought of countless ways to kill Jasper in his mind and he turned to leave after he said his piece.

Julian looked at Jasper as if to ask whether he should follow after the man.

Jasper shook his head and replied, “Let him go. This is just a small matter, there’s nothing we can do even if we catch him red-handed. It’s not something we can bring up, so it won’t affect the outcome of the situation.”

Jasper then turned to Lisa and asked calmly, “Is there anything you’d like to say?”

Lisa stared at Jasper icily and sneered. “Don’t look so proud, Jasper. You’re a dead man walking.”

“Is that so? Then please wait with me for your dad to come and deal with this.”

Jasper shrugged and turn to the receptionist. “Excuse me, but has the call connected?”

The receptionist stuttered in fear, “It-it’s connected. Mr. Gardner said, said he’ll be here shortly.”

“Alright. Could you also help me contact the other council people? Tell them to arrive in half an hour, I’m holding a meeting.”

“One last thing, could you bring me to your most commonly used meeting room please?”

The receptionist nodded vigorously and did not dare to say anything. She glanced at Jasper secretly through her peripheral vision and thought to herself. How this young, handsome, and wealthy man was not only respectful and dignified but also friendly.

Her cheeks flushed the more she thought about it.

“Hello? Could you lead the way, please?”

Jasper’s voice had shocked her out of her delusions and she frantically replied in acknowledgment. She quickly led the way, sighing as she walked. ‘What am I thinking? This isn’t a man I can dream about…

‘But he’s so charming!’

Life at the Top Chapter 1054

In the meeting room, Lisa sat icily on of the chairs by the side while Jasper took the head seat comfortably.

“The environment here’s quite nice,” Jasper commented.

“Haddock Chamber of Commerce’s wealth isn’t what a nouveau riche like you can imagine. This isn’t even much, you should look at the Chamber’s headquarters if you want something grand,” Lisa spoke disdainfully as if to a country bumpkin.

“Oh? Is that so? I’ve seen Haddock’s Chamber of Commerce’s Waterhoof City branch’s station before. I don’t remember seeing the wealth you were referring to though. That three-story building was quite the pitiful sight.”

“As for the headquarters. I haven’t been there before but I’ve been to Old Master Hurlbutt’s. It’s luxurious, I have to say, but there weren’t as many doors as you said,” Jasper replied calmly.

Lisa clenched her jaw. She felt like she had been belittled by Jasper again.

Jasper had singlehandedly destroyed the previous Haddock Chamber of Commerce’s Waterhoof City branch station.

So there was no right to brag about the new station to Jasper no matter how beautiful it looked.

Not to mention that Jasper was the Vice President of the branch.

Lisa felt extremely uncomfortable at that line of thought.

She wondered if the spiritual leader of Haddock’s Chamber of Commerce, Old Master Gale Hurlbutt’s eyes was worsening with age. How could he have Jasper, an enemy, be the Vice President?

As they spoke, the conference room doors opened to reveal Norman.

At the door, Norman glanced at Lisa darkly before he turned to Jasper.

Norman scoffed and spoke, “How arrogant of you, Mr. Laine. You haven’t been here for the earlier half of the year, yet the moment you come you hold a meeting with all members of the council. What’s this, are you trying to get rid of me?”

Jasper replied calmly, “You misunderstand, Mr. Gardner. I haven’t been here for half a year because I have absolutely no interest in this title as the Vice President, let alone get rid of you. It would be inappropriate of me.”

“I’m only here because Old Master Hurlbutt forced me and to attend the asset forum conference.

“I’ve resigned myself to it, but I also told Old Master Hurlbutt that my only request is that the branch does not cause me trouble.

“Who’d have thought that in the end, it’d be your darling daughter that’s causing me a lot of trouble and I’ve only been here for one day. Thank goodness I found out in time, or I wouldn’t be the only one humiliated, but so would the entire Haddock Chamber of Commerce.

“Initially, I thought that since it’s my own thing, I should deal with it by myself. But then again, I came here to help. And instead of thinking of a way to get rid of the Teo Chamber of Commerce, you’re teaming up to get rid of me.

“What do you think will happen if I were to call Old Master Hurlbutt, throw a tantrum and leave? I’m sure the old master is too kind to blame a youth like me, no?”

Norman’s expression darkened further at Jasper’s words.

He had no idea what Lisa had done, but regardless of what it was, the fact that Jasper caught her red-handed meant that this would be a horrible situation to resolve.

As expected, Norman’s brows scrunched up at Jasper’s suggestion to call Gale.

No matter what happened, it would be best resolved within the Waterhoof City branch. The moment Gale caught wind of it, then the situation would be beyond Norman’s control.

Norman could not afford to anger Gale.

“What happened?” Norman asked Lisa.

Lisa bit her lip and relayed what happened to Norman by her father’s ear.

“Useless brat!”

Life at the Top Chapter 1055

Norman immediately slapped Lisa across the face when he heard.

Norman had slapped her harshly, forsaking all public image.

Lisa shouted in pain and fell to the ground with a hand cupping her cheek. Her cheek immediately reddened and bumped up, and she looked rather pitiful.

“I already warned you a long time ago that no matter what conflicts there are, it’s still between ourselves. It cannot involve what’s important.”

“The Teo and Haddock Chamber of Commerce have had decades of history, ever since Old Master Hurlbutt. We’re mortal enemies! How dare you endanger something so important!”

Norman pointed at Lisa and scolded her angrily.

“Get lost, right now! This isn’t over, I’ll deal with you when I get back later!”

Norman then walked over to Jasper and bowed deeply after he was done scolding her. “This is my ignorant daughter’s fault, Jasper. Thank goodness you stopped her in time before she made a horrible mistake. I’m sorry, and thank you.”

Jasper narrowed his eyes and looked at Norman as if trying to see through the man with his calm and unfazed gaze.

Norman’s expression was calm as if he had spoken his genuine thoughts just now. There was no deception in the man’s face.

Jasper did not say anything and Norman did not move from his bow.

The conference room fell silent, less Lisa’s soft sobs.

Other than that, it was terrifyingly silent.

The silence was only broken when the conference room was opened again.

Filing in were three members of the Waterhoof City branch council.

The Chamber was a loose organization. It was made up of unofficial members and official members. Ranked above them were members of the council, the Vice President, then finally the President.

Members of the council were considered the managers of the Chamber even though there was nothing binding the members of the Chamber and thus nothing to manage. Still, the Haddock Chamber of Commerce was a huge chamber with members all over the country and not everyone could be a council member.

The three council members had decided to come in sternly to take a look first when they heard that Jasper had called for a meeting. After all, they were members of the Chamber’s council and they knew who Jasper was.

They also knew that Jasper was the one who ended the Hull family before. No one knew if they would be next now that Jasper had assumed the position of Vice President.

The three were stunned when they entered the room.

They saw Jasper sitting on the chair rigidly while Norman, the President, was bowing to him. There was also Lisa by the side, sobbing as she cupped her cheek in pain.

‘What are they doing this time?’

The three council members wondered if they had seen the scene wrongly.

“You’re too kind, Mr. Gardner. It’s common for youths to make ignorant mistakes, why would I hold a grudge?” Jasper suddenly smiled, reaching out to help Mr. Gardner up.

“As Vice President, I also wish that our Chamber of Commerce grows better every day. As President and Vice President, we have to work together with the same goals.”

Norman remained unaffected by Jasper’s words and the three council members looked terrified.

They wondered if, in addition to having poor eyesight, their ears had also begun to hear things as well.

Life at the Top Chapter 1056

The three members of the council looked at each other. No one knew what happened.

There were bucketloads of stories about Jasper and their chamber of commerce and there were only stories of grudge and no grace.

They thought this meeting would be a collision that was as huge as a meteor crash. However, they did not think that the president would get cold feet before the meeting even started.

Not only that, but Jasper also had a modest and amiable look on his face. It seemed that he wanted to dispel bygone enmity.

Everyone in the room was experienced in the business world and none of them exposed their thoughts easily. So, everyone planned to wait and see.

“Since everyone’s here, let’s start the meeting,” Norman said with a calm look on his face.

After he said that, Norman realized something awkward.

Jasper was sitting on the seat of honor and only the person with the highest position would be sitting in that seat during meetings.

Normally, Norman would be sitting there.

However, Jasper sat down directly and left him at one side.

This made Norman feel extremely awkward.

“Mr. Laine, you’re in the wrong seat.”

One of the members of the council was Norman’s die-hard supporter. After confirming that Jasper would be representing Haddock Chamber of Commerce’s Waterhoof City Branch to attend the Asset Forum Conference, he communicated with Norman, so he said this bluntly.

“Oh? Where should I sit then?” Jasper asked.

“You’re just the vice president and you dare to sit in the seat of honor? Get down and sit in the seat below that,” this member of the council said boldly and confidently.

“You’re young so I remind you out of kindness. This is a very solemn and proper setting, not those unregistered companies that you’re operating illegally without following the rules.

“Maybe you can sit wherever you want over there but don’t be confused with your identity and position over here. You’ll suffer a disadvantage if you do.”

This member of the council was pleased with himself because he felt that he found a perfect excuse to embarrass Jasper.

After berating Jasper, he saw Jasper looking at him with a half-smile on his face. He could not contain this anymore.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Am I wrong?”

“You’re right.”

Jasper said insipidly, “You said you’ll make me clear of my identity and position, and I did. I am the vice president and you’re just a member of the council. So even if I get a group of people to lie down and go to sleep in this meeting room, aside from Mr. Gardner, do you think you have the qualification to question me?”

“So, am I the one who’s not clear of my identity and status, or are you the one who’s not clear of yours?”

That member of the council’s face flushed immediately after hearing what Jasper said. He looked at Jasper in anger and said sinisterly, “What do you mean by that?”

“Literally,” Jasper said unenthusiastically.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Norman waved his hand and had a good-natured look on his face.

“It’s just a seat, right? I’ll just sit here.”

After Norman said that, he found a seat beneath Jasper and sat down.

“Mr. Gardner, what are you doing?” When that member of the council saw Norman backing down after he charged and broke through enemy lines for him, he was slightly lost for words.

“Alright, Mr. Heron. It’s just a seat. It doesn’t mean anything.” It was clear that Norman did not want to say much when he waved his hand and said that.

Mr. Heron chuckled coldly and sat back down. He said, “Right, it’s just a seat. I’ll let you feel pleased with yourself for a while. You’re just like a dog I keep as a pet. It won’t become human even if I put a suit on him.

“A dog will always be a dog.”

After he said that, the people around the meeting table were smiling. They were starting to look at Jasper with sarcasm and ridicule in their eyes.

As the members of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce, they would be siding with Norman naturally.

Plus, they even saw their president bowing to Jasper when they entered this room. Even though they did not know what happened, Jasper’s wild image was imprinted in their heads.

Life at the Top Chapter 1057

They were glad when they saw Jasper getting put in his place.

“Alright.”

Norman cleared his throat and came out to maintain the peace.

He looked at Jasper and said, “Mr. Laine proposed to host this meeting. So, Mr. Laine, what do you want to talk to us about?”

Jasper said calmly, “A few simple things.”

After he said that, Jasper looked at Lisa and said, “I wonder what position Miss Lisa Gardner holds in this chamber of commerce.”

After he said this, the three members of the council looked at Norman at the same time. Meanwhile, Norman looked as if he was caught unprepared. He did not expect Jasper to ask this question at all.

“What’s wrong? Is it a very difficult question?” Jasper asked.

Norman frowned. Even though this was not a huge matter, he was genuinely scared that Jasper would cause trouble to him from some unexpected angles.

After pondering, Norman braced himself and said, “She’s my secretary.”

Norman was just saying this without thinking the matter through. However, it would not be a strange thing for a president like him to have a secretary. So he figured Jasper would not push this matter further.

After smiling at him, Jasper said, “So, Mr. Gardner, you like to ask the people you’re close to work with you?”

“Mr. Laine, is this related to our meeting today?” Norman asked, feeling infuriated.

“Yeah, we’re very busy. If there’s nothing significant, we should end this meeting and not waste any time,” Mr. Heron said with a dark face.

“If I mentioned it, it’s relevant to the meeting naturally.”

Jasper said calmly, “Firstly, I made myself clear at the start of this meeting. I asked people who have a position that’s higher than the rank of councilmen to participate, and since Lisa is just a secretary to the president, why is she here?”

“So, Miss Gardner, please leave.”

Jasper’s words caused Lisa’s face to be filled with shame.

She had never been kicked out like this in her whole life.

“Jasper, are you doing all of this to humiliate me?” Lisa shrieked.

Jasper said calmly, “I’m just doing things according to the rule. Is there anyone who opposes my decision? You can tell me.”

The three members of the council were silent.

On the surface, it was completely reasonable that Jasper wanted to kick Lisa out. Nothing could be said about this.

After taking a deep breath, Norman said in a deep voice, “Lisa, you should go out.”

Lisa bit her lips and looked at Jasper in rancor. She said frigidly, “I want to see how long you can stay so savage.”

After she said that, Lisa made to leave.

“Wait.”

Jasper stopped her at this moment.

Lisa stood on her ground and smirked at Jasper. “You’re the one who asked me to leave and you’re the one who asked me to wait. What do you want?”

“I asked you to leave because you’re not qualified to take part in this meeting and I asked you to stay because what I’m about to say is directly related to you.”

“In other words, you are now an interrogee who needs to answer my question, understand?”

After Jasper said that, he did not look at Lisa’s expression. He turned his head to look at Norman and the other members of the council. He said, “Everyone, you all know that I’m going to represent the chamber of commerce to attend the Asset Forum Conference. The businesspeople from Haddock and the businesspeople from Teo are completely incompatible. However, in order to embarrass me, someone joined forces with the people from the Teo Chamber of Commerce to steal our business secret.”

“If you guys don’t give me an explanation for this today, okay, Old Master Hurlbutt will have to find someone better qualified then.”

Life at the Top Chapter 1058

Jasper’s words flashed across the hearts of Norman and the three members of the council like a clap of thunder.

They looked at each other and saw that everyone had the same look of confusion on their faces. Then, they looked at Lisa at the same time spontaneously.

At this moment, Lisa’s face was as white as a piece of paper.

She finally understood what Jasper was planning.

Jasper wanted to cause trouble and conflict between Norman and Lisa inside the Haddock Chamber of Commerce.

The rivals were coming right into their faces and the upper management was colluding with the rivals. If word about this got out, how big of a commotion would be caused inside the Haddock Chamber of Commerce?

After realizing what was going on, Lisa looked at Jasper with extreme rancor and screamed, “Jasper, are you trying to eradicate me?”

When Jasper heard this, he did not have the slightest interest to answer her. He turned his head to look at Norman.

The expression on Norman’s face was also very interesting since he had already known about this.

He stared straight at Jasper and gritted his teeth. He was so mad that he was shaking.

Back then, he accepted a compromise to give Jasper the false illusion that he had admitted defeat.

Because Mr. Atticus said he would need more time to plan this.

Norman knew Jasper would come to him and cause trouble for him. He had already thought this through, so he would endure everything Jasper said or did.

That was why Norman gritted his teeth and endured Lisa’s trick of injuring herself to gain the enemy’s confidence and also the conflict that happened because of the seat.

He felt that his victory was going to come.

However, Jasper was turning the tables now.

He could not keep pretending anymore.

Because if word about this got into Gale’s ears, he would be the first one to die.

When that happened, Norman would not have a place to hide in the world.

“Mr. Gardner, what’s going on?”

“What’s wrong? Are you not going to say anything, Mr. Gardner?” Jasper asked calmly.

After taking a deep breath and clenching his fists, Norman said in a deep voice, “I think there are some misunderstandings here.”

“Misunderstandings?”

Jasper chuckled lightly and looked at Norman before saying, “If this is a misunderstanding, then are the rumors about my construction site ruining the vibe and almost costing someone their life misunderstandings as well?”

After Jasper said this, Norman’s face became tense even though he was prepared for Jasper to bring this up.

Norman felt as if Jasper’s gaze on him was piercing and it was preventing him from hiding from Jasper.

“I don’t understand what you mean. What does your construction site have to do with me?” Norman asked while bracing himself.

Jasper chuckled lightly and stood up to walk in front of Norman. He bent down to look straight at Norman’s face and said, “He’s a young man in his twenties and his parents suffered harshly to raise him into the man he is now. When it’s time for him to finally start making money to pay back his parents, you caused him to become disabled for life and lost his ability to work because of your grudges with me.

“Do you still have a conscience?”

The corners of Norman’s eyes twitched and he lifted his head to look into Jasper’s eyes. He said through gritted teeth, “I told you I don’t know what you’re talking about and this has nothing to do with the chamber of commerce. Hence, there’s no need to talk about that right now.”

“Jasper, don’t go too far!”

Mr. Heron stood up and pointed at Jasper before saying angrily, “I think you’ve been domineering for way too long. Don’t forget where you are. You’re just a vice president so who are you to question the president?”

“Do you think you’re qualified to speak now?” Jasper turned his head to look at Mr. Heron coldly as he said that.

Mr. Heron widened his eyes and said in anger, “I am a member of the council so how am I not qualified to speak?”

“A member of the council? What a huge boast.” Jasper chuckled lightly and took out his phone to call Gale.

The call was answered immediately after.

Jasper said calmly after putting Gale on loudspeaker, “Old Master Hurlbutt, you said as long as I represent the Waterhoof City Branch to attend the Asset Forum Conference, then I will have absolute power in the branch, am I right?”

“Yes.”

Gale answered without hesitation over the other end of the phone.

“What about firing one of the members of the council?” Jasper asked.

This time, Gale was silent for a while. “I told you you have enough power.”

“Thank you, Old Master Hurlbutt,” said Jasper.

“As long as you get things done.”

After Gale finished saying that, he hung up the phone immediately.

The two of them were conversing through the wireless phone so Gale who was in Suesville would not be able to see the interesting expressions of Norman and the three members of the council in the meeting room.

Especially Mr. Heron. He went mad immediately.

Who was Gale Hurlbutt? He was the lifetime honorary president of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce and he was the one who brought the Haddock Chamber of Commerce to a great height of development.

He was the spiritual leader of all businesspeople from Haddock all over the country.

As one of the normal members of the council in the Waterhoof City Branch, perhaps Mr. Heron did manage to interact with the current president of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce in the country, however, he would never get the chance to interact with a top-notch big shot like Gale.

However, he knew that the voice from the phone was from the person he needed to look up to, Gale Hurlbutt.

Even if the old master had backed down from his position, no one would question his prestige in the Haddock Chamber of Commerce.

Since Gale supported Jasper, then he would be finished!

When he thought about this, Mr. Heron said to Norman with a pale face, “Mr. Gardner, y-you have to help me!”

The chamber of commerce was just an organization that was not consolidated, so any one of those members had their own property and business, and naturally, Mr. Heron was the same.

However, to a person like Mr. Heron, being a member of the council in the chamber of commerce, was very beneficial for his business.

At least, the Haddock Chamber of Commerce was in every industry, so if he mentioned his position in the chamber of commerce, it would help him greatly in all kinds of business deals.

However, if he was fired and his dismissal was approved by Old Master Hurlbutt, everyone in the Haddock Chamber of Commerce would avoid him like he was a venomous snake.

When Norman heard this, he felt his scalp getting numb.

He knew Gale supported Jasper but he did not think that he was so supportive.

No matter what, Mr. Heron was a member of the council in the Waterhoof City branch and he was serious about his job. However, Gale did not even ask for his consultation before agreeing to let Jasper fire Mr. Heron.

What did that mean?

It meant that if it was necessary, Jasper could just kick him out of the chamber of commerce.

Norman was already helpless so how would he have the mood to care about Mr. Heron’s cries for help? He lifted his head to say to Jasper in a deep voice, “Jasper, don’t push us so far! What on earth do you want?”

Life at the Top Chapter 1059

“I’m pushing you too far?”

Jasper looked at Norman and asked coldly, “Am I the one pushing you too far, or are you the one who’s forcing me to do this?”

Norman gritted his teeth and said frigidly, “Don’t you just want an explanation? Alright, I’ll give you an explanation!”

As he said that, Norman announced loudly, “From now on, I’m going to take a long break because of personal reasons. During this period, I won’t care about anything that’s happening in the chamber of commerce. Mr. Laine will be responsible for everything from now on.”

After he said this, Mr. Heron, who initially hoped that Norman could save him, collapsed on his seat. He wanted to cry but no tears were coming out.

Meanwhile, the other two members of the council had a change of expression on their faces.

“Mr. Gardner, you don’t have to do this. Please reconsider!” One of the members of the council implored him.

Compared to the more assertive Jasper, it was evident that they were more willing to listen to Norman’s orders.

Everything else aside, everyone knew that Jasper would not focus his attention on the chamber of commerce. Plus, if Jasper had the absolute authority of the chamber of commerce, they would suffer in the future.

“No need. I’ve decided,” Norman took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.

After he said that, Norman stared at Jasper with rancor and asked, “Is this enough?”

“Jasper, I won’t care about anything that’s going to happen next. Our grudge ends here. I hope you can shape up.”

After Norman said that, he left with Lisa.

Jasper never stopped them. He just watched the two of their figures disappear from the meeting room.

After the door was closed, Jasper looked at Mr. Heron and said insipidly, “Mr. Heron, this will be the last time I call your name. From now on, you’re no longer a member of the Waterhoof City branch. Please leave.”

Mr. Heron’s expression changed. He gritted his teeth and stood up to look at Jasper with resentment. He said, “Alright, you’re ballsy. Just wait. I want to see when you’re going to die!”

After he said that, Mr. Heron turned his head and left.

After Mr. Heron left, the huge meeting room was left with the three of them.

Jasper looked at the two members of the council who looked apprehensive and said, “Do you think I want to replace Norman?”

Of course, no one would answer Jasper. The two of them pretended they did not hear him and did not make a sound.

“Actually, I am not the least bit interested in the Haddock Chamber of Commerce.”

Jasper patted the back of the chair and said ruminatively.

“I don’t care if you believe me or not, but that’s what I’m going to say. You don’t have to worry that I’ll take action against you guys. The relationship I have with the Haddock Chamber of Commerce was just a promise I made with Old Master Hurlbutt. After I’m done, I’ll leave.”

“Since Norman doesn’t want to bother anymore, you two should do as you see fit for the daily operations of the chamber of commerce. You don’t have to care or worry about the Asset Forum Conference as well. I’ll take care of it and you just have to send me the workflow and that’s it.”

“After that, we won’t have any interactions anymore.”

After Jasper said that, the two members of the council looked at each other and they were confused.

They thought this would be a vigorous battle for authority, yet they did not expect Jasper to act like this when he was in power and still be able to let this go easily. Was he really going to split the power of the president between the two of them so easily?

The two members of the commerce looked at Jasper in disbelief after they were given a free lunch.

One of the braver members mustered the courage and asked, “Mr. Laine, may I ask why you did so much but not want the power of the president?”

“Self-defense,” Jasper said unenthusiastically.

The two members of the council did not believe what Jasper said at all.

After Jasper entered the door, he had been so assertive. He had Mr. Heron and Norman in the palm of his hands and now he said he was just doing that for self-defense?

The two of them just assumed that Jasper did not want to say much, so they did not ask.

…

“That sly animal!”

Lisa cursed with bitter resentment once she got into the car.

Norman closed his eyes and leaned against the seat of the car. He said softly, “I’ve been so careful and he still managed to get information that can be used against me. Jasper is so hard to deal with.”

Lisa clenched her fists tightly and said with bitterness, “We can’t just let this matter go.”

“Lisa, what you did today was too impulsive,” Norman said after he opened his eyes to look at his daughter.

Lisa lowered her head upon hearing that. She replied, “I know that, dad. I didn’t think this through and I didn’t expect to run into Jasper so coincidentally.”

“This is not a matter of coincidence. You need to risk too much for this, but even if it’s successful, the return is too little. So, you’re still too impulsive no matter how you think about this. You shouldn’t have done that,” Norman said while shaking his head.

“I just don’t want Jasper to be so comfortable,” Lisa said with bitter resentment.

“Lisa, you still didn’t realize one thing,” Norman said.

When Lisa looked at him suspiciously, Norman continued with a slight bitterness, “This is not about our grudge with Jasper anymore the moment Mr. Atticus contacted us. Instead, it’s a battle between Mr. Atticus and Jasper.”

“The two of us are just Mr. Atticus’ chess pieces at most, do you understand?”

Lisa answered nonchalantly after she heard that, “This is not important. I don’t care if we’re chess pieces or not, I just want Jasper dead.”

“No, this is very important.”

Norman emphasized his words. “We will only change how we think as long as we know our positions.”

“To Mr. Atticus, we’re chess pieces. So, we shall behave like good chess pieces. From now on, we won’t do anything unless Mr. Atticus tells us to.”

Lisa said angrily, “Dad, we don’t even know what Mr. Atticus is planning to do. Today, Jasper used this opportunity to kick you out of the chamber of commerce. What if he takes one step further in the future? Should we just watch him do that?”

“We’ll just cause a little trouble for him so that he won’t be able to take action against us in the time being,” Norman gritted his teeth and said.

“I’m sure that Dudley person will not let this go after suffering a disadvantage. You should go to him and fan the flames so that he’ll go find Jasper for trouble.”

“The Asset Forum Conference is starting as well and Dudley’s father is not a person that’s easy to deal with, plus he’s extremely protective of his family members so Jasper will be so troubled when that happens.”

Upon hearing that, Lisa’s eyes lit up and she said, “Dad, I’ll listen to what you say!”

“Remember, you can’t show up in the foreground anymore. Just let Dudley, that brainless son of a rich man, look for Jasper. You can just hide behind him and watch.”

“Okay!”

Life at the Top Chapter 1060

After dismissing the two members of the council, Jasper walked out of the meeting room.

Initially, he wanted to go back to the hotel but when he walked past the reception, someone called out to him.

“Um, M-Mr. Laine.”

Jasper turned his head to look at the receptionist with a smile. The receptionist’s face was red and she looked nervous. Hence, Jasper said, “Hello, can I help you?”

When the receptionist saw how polite and conservative Jasper was, the woman was slightly disappointed. She reapplied her makeup lightly and delicately while Jasper was in the meeting.

After all, the politer he was with her, the more it showed that her beauty was nothing to Jasper.

She sighed in her heart and mustered up the courage to say, “Just now, I saw Mr. Heron barge out of the meeting room looking furious. He was also on the phone but I didn’t hear much, I only heard him saying that he’ll find someone to teach you a lesson, Mr. Laine.”

Jasper was lost for words when he heard that. Then, he smiled at her and said, “Thank you for telling me.”

The receptionist added, “Mr. Laine, you have to be careful. Among the three members of the council, Mr. Heron is a local in Waterhoof City. He’s in the entertainment industry, as in bars and arcades.”

“You should know that he has a lot of thugs under him since he’s in this industry. That’s why the other two members of the council won’t provoke him usually.”

When he saw the receptionist’s nervous face, Jasper knew that she was very stressed and scared when she said this.

Jasper nodded and said warmly, “Alright, I understand. I’ll look out for that.”

The receptionist watched as Jasper left. In the end, she did not muster up the courage to ask him for his phone number. So, she could only sigh in misery and sat back down. She was wondering when Mr. Laine would come to the chamber of commerce next time.

After Jasper came out of the chamber of commerce, he went back to the hotel.

It was already afternoon when he got back to the hotel. So, he decided to have lunch with Julian in the hotel to get by. However, when he went back to his hotel room, he saw Sean coming over to find him coincidentally.

“Mr. Laine, I was looking for you,” Sean said.

“What’s going on?”

Jasper opened the door of the room and asked Sean to sit anywhere he liked. When he saw that Sean was still a little dispirited, he opened the mini-fridge and took out a can of coffee to throw it to him. He laughed and said, “Sean, are you suffering because you’re old? You still haven’t recovered from that all-nighter?”

Sean chuckled bitterly and opened the can of coffee to take a sip. He said, ‘I’m already in my forties so of course, I can’t compare with a strong young man like you.”

“However, my foundation is still fine. Back when I was in the military, I was the parade guard of our company.”

Jasper sat opposite Sean and said, “You have to watch the real estate company, especially the branch in Waterhoof City. There’s been a major personnel transfer recently and there will be people who are unhappy with this. You should confront them as you see fit.”

“After all, we still need employees for the work. We can’t have all of them quit because something happened.”

“I got it. I will supervise and urge for the completion of this.” Sean nodded.

“Right, Mr. Laine, the reason I’m here is to talk to you about the naming.”

“The base of the skyscraper is already finished. According to the rules stated in the document, we have to report to the Waterhoof City’s government about our progress. Also, we have to start preparing for the name registration of our trademark.”

“Mr. Laine, do you need me to ask the planning department to provide you with a few names or…”

Jasper remembered the name Wendy proposed back then and said, “No need. I already have a name. Let’s call it World Financial Center.”