Ch. 831..840
Life at the Top Chapter 831
Although Charlie was lying on the bed, he was in good spirits. He waved his hands and said, “I’m okay. It’s just a broken rib. I’ve experienced all kinds of things doing farm work in the field back then. This minor injury is nothing.”
“Stop acting tough,” Sally said grumpily, “Do you think you’re still a young man in your 20s? Do you not know how old you are now? Don’t you think it’s time to change that attitude of yours?”
Jasper breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his parents were fine. He then asked, “What exactly happened?”
Charlie was just about to speak when the door of the ward was kicked open.
A young man walked in with a sullen and sinister expression, cursing at Charlie who was lying on the bed, “F*ck! This wretched old man isn’t dead yet?”
As soon as he said those words, the expressions of everyone in the ward sank.
Henry stood at the door and was ready to listen to Charlie’s story, though when he heard how brusque this idiot who came out of nowhere sounded, he burst out laughing in anger.
“Where did this idiot come from?”
When the young man detected the unfriendly gazes from the people in the ward, he sneered and said, “What? You think I’m scared because you have more people here? I can get two cars full of men over to end all of you any minute so don’t act tough in front of me.”
As he said those words, he swaggered up to Charlie and said, “Hey, you beggarly old man, I heard you refuse to let this matter drop and insist on suing me for assaulting you? I know what people like you are thinking about. Money, right?”
Having said that, he pulled out his wallet and drew out a stack of money. He tossed it on the hospital bed, sneering, “This 3,000 dollars is for your hospital fee. Go and withdraw the lawsuit or I’ll destroy your entire family.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a punch had already landed on his face.
It was from Jasper.
Standing on one side, the furious-looking Wendy and Sally exclaimed. On the other hand, Charlie cheered, “Good punch!”
Henry widened his eyes. He rarely saw Jasper hitting anyone himself. This would have qualified as a souvenir if a photo had been taken.
Julian walked out immediately and stood next to Jasper lest the man returned the punch.
“Motherf*cker, who do you think you are?! How dare you hit me?!” The young man covered his face and roared at Jasper with a malicious look on his face.
Jasper did not even spare him a glance when he ordered Julian, “Julian, he broke my father’s rib. I want both of his arms broken.”
Julian responded and stepped forward. Although it did not look like he moved much, he had already clamped the young man’s arms with his hands that were like a tiger’s claws. After a quick interlock, two clicks were heard as the bones dislocated and cracked. It was followed by the man’s tragic screams that echoed throughout the ward.
Jasper pulled out a stack of US dollars from his pockets. He had just rushed back from the United States, hence the cash he was carrying was all in US dollars.
Jasper tossed the US dollars on the man’s body and said coldly, “These are your hospital fees. Get lost immediately. Don’t worry, this isn’t over yet. I’m just charging you a bit of interest.”
The young man was lying on the ground letting out a blood-curdling screech. When he finally got up, he could not even exert any strength in his arms as they hung limply on both sides of his body.
He screamed in terror and fury, “Motherf*cker! Do you know who I am? I’m Gabriel Webb, my father is Thompson Webb! We contracted the Southface River Project and the Laws’ amusement park construction project! My father is friends with the Laws’ young master. How dare you hit me?! You’re dead! I’ll kill you!”
As soon as he said those words, everyone, including Jasper, looked at Henry with enquiring gazes.
Not knowing who Henry was, Sally and Charlie were the only ones who were dumbfounded. Gabriel seemed like a really influential man.
In the crowd, Henry wore a puzzled expression before slowly turning his gaze to Gabriel who was still clamoring non-stop.
Without hesitation, Henry raised his foot and kicked the idiot’s waist while cursing aloud, “Motherfcker, stop talking crap using my name. Who the fck do you think you are? And who the f*ck is your father?”
Life at the Top Chapter 832
With Gabriel’s shoulders dislocated, his arms had lost their strength and he was barely able to maintain his balance. He was caught off guard when he was kicked in the waist by Henry. He shrieked on the spot before rolling a few times on the floor.
Henry’s expression sank as he stared fixedly at Gabriel, itching to snap this idiot’s bones in half.
This idiot could hit anyone in the world but chose to hit Jasper’s father. If his sister learned about this, then his puny life would be over.
“You know him?” Jasper asked, patting Henry and pointing at Gabriel who was lying on the ground.
Henry spat out the words sullenly, “Don’t taint my name. Do you think idiots like him are qualified enough to get acquainted with me? But I do know his father, Thompson Webb, the man he mentioned earlier. He’s the amusement park supplier for the equipment. I’ve met him several times before.”
“Hold on, I’ll summon Thompson over this instant,” Henry said.
Jasper nodded, saying, “Be quick. Let’s get this over with.”
Henry drew out his phone and dialed a number, most probably making a call to the person in charge of overseeing the Laws’ amusement park project.
Henry scolded into the phone like a machine gun. When he was done scolding, he ordered the other party to drag Thompson, that idiot, to the province’s general hospital.
When he put his phone away, Gabriel had also stopped screaming. He looked at Henry in trepidation and asked frightfully yet furiously, “W-Who exactly are you?!”
“Who am I? I’m your ancestor,” Henry cursed, glaring at Gabriel.
“Motherf*cker, you used my name to brag to everyone out there yet you don’t even know who I am? Do you live with the dogs?”
How could Gabriel not know who Henry was after hearing what he said?
He stood blankly on the spot, his complexion paling instantly.
Disregarding the pain he felt, he crawled his way up and tugged at Henry’s trousers while pleading, “Young Master Law, I didn’t know this old man was related to you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have the guts to disrespect him at all.”
“Motherf*cker!”
Already humiliated enough to begin with, Henry was even more irritated now. With a smack, he hit Gabriel to the ground. “Why do you keep calling him an old man? Do you have a death wish?”
“That’s enough. Stop hitting him,” Jasper persuaded him.
“It’ll be difficult to clean up this mess if anything happens to him.”
Since Gabriel was indeed Henry’s partner, he should more or less show Henry some respect. Text © by N0ve/lDrama.Org.
Henry said with a sullen expression, “This idiot deserves to be beaten to death. You don’t have to think of my feelings. I’ve met far too many people like that!”
“Let’s not even talk about the damned partnership, this piece of trash is beneath contempt. Even if he’s related to me, I’ll still be the first to end him for being such an idiot.”
Jasper turned to look at his somewhat astounded-looking parents, saying, “What happened before this, Dad?”
Charlie saw the wretched state Gabriel was in currently and shook his head, saying, “He was walking his dog without a leash. His huge and fierce dog frightened the children who were playing by the roadside, so I lectured him, to which he reacted by trying to attack me.
“However, his attacks were really weak and I could easily tell that he came from a well-off family. He was no match for me and I managed to press him to the ground in no time at all.”
Charlie actually sounded a little smug at this point.
Life at the Top Chapter 833
Jasper had no doubt about this.
His father was no martial arts master, but he had been farming all his life, so his strength surpassed ordinary people’s—let alone someone like Gabriel whose health had long deteriorated from drinking too much wine and fooling around with too many women.
“He wasn’t happy about it so he called a few helpers. I was no match for them and ended up having one of my ribs broken from getting kicked.”
Charlie finished his sentence, and the overall incident had been roughly described.
“Idiot!” Henry could not help but curse again, glaring at Gabriel who was now too afraid to say a word.
If Jasper was not around, he would have gone over and stamped on him again.
“I thought I was wicked enough. But at least I don’t bully the young and the old. You share the same qualities as your dog. I can’t believe you went to get help even after you lost in the fight.”
Sally felt sorry for her husband, so she chimed in, “He’s really arrogant. When he realized how serious things had gotten and that we were planning to call the cops, he kept saying that he wanted to take revenge. He threatened to hurt us and said that he could easily kill everyone in our family.”
Jasper smiled and looked coldly at Gabriel, saying, “You struck my father and threatened my family. I now stand before you, so why don’t you try killing one of us to show me?”
Gabriel glared resentfully at Jasper and gritted his teeth. “If it isn’t for Young Master Henry, do you think you—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Henry lifted his foot and kicked Gabriel’s mouth, causing him to scream as he spat blood and saliva all over the floor.
“You refuse to admit your mistakes even now?!”
Henry sounded extremely irritated. “Also, don’t call me Young Master Henry. Who gave a person like you the right to call my name?”
As soon as he said those words, the door of the ward opened.
A group of men rushed in hastily, led by a shrewd and experienced man in a suit and leather shoes. As soon as he spotted Henry, he rushed forward and said reverently, “I’ve brought him here, Mr. Henry.”
Behind him, a plump middle-aged man rushed out anxiously. Upon seeing Gabriel lying on the floor covered in blood, he exclaimed and trotted over to hold his son. He lifted Gabriel’s head to say to Henry, “W-What happened, Mr. Henry?”
“What happened?” Henry sneered. He pointed at Gabriel and said, “Ask your son. He caused all this.”
Thompson was thrown into confusion when he noticed how furious Henry was. He then glared at Gabriel and said, “What did you do to anger Mr. Henry?”
Gabriel had a guilty conscience. Too afraid to tell the truth, he stuttered for a very long time but still could not utter a word.
Thompson knew that his son must have done something wicked to be reacting like this. At this critical moment, he quickly tried to think of something before frantically slapping Gabriel’s body without giving him a chance to explain.
“I asked you to keep a low profile and learn business from me but all you do is go out and mess around with those hooligan friends of yours!
“As an adult, not only do you not work, but you’re also fooling around all day, causing trouble out there just because you’re a bit rich!
“You ran into problems today and nearly landed me in trouble. You’ve wrecked our family!”
To ensure survival, Thompson did not go easy on his strikes.
Gabriel was struck so hard that he started screaming, but Thompson continued to strike without blinking.
Thompson knew very well that regardless of what happened today, they were now in deep trouble for offending Henry. If he did not go heavy on his strikes and hurt his son to placate Henry, then both of them would be in huge trouble.
Life at the Top Chapter 834
“That’s enough, stop f*cking pretending.” Henry was irritated by what he was seeing.
Perhaps due to his lack of interest, Henry was slightly incapable when it came to doing business, but that certainly did not mean he was not clever enough or that he was a dunce others could wrap around their little finger.
Truth was, a prodigal son like Henry had cultivated the ability to act according to his elders’ mood since he was a kid.
If he did not know how to fawn over his elders whenever he got into trouble out there, he would easily get hung and beaten.
Therefore, the act that Thompson was putting on looked no different than a monkey show to him.
Thompson stopped hitting his son after hearing that. He wore a pained and regretful expression on his face as he said to Henry, “I don’t know what my insolent son has done to offend you, but now that this has happened, you only need to say one word and I’m ready to punish him if justice demands it. As long as it makes you happy, Mr. Henry.”
“As long as I’m happy, my ss! Motherfcker, I’m itching to throw both of you into the sea to feed the sharks right now!”
Playvolume00:00/00:00TruvidfullScreenHenry cursed without hesitation.
“Do you think I’m a fool? Your son’s character is clearly a result of bad influence. Who would believe that this has nothing to do with you?
“I heard that you like to play dirty tricks and are terribly unbridled. In order to get my contract, you secretly messed with a lot of people. Do you really want me to tell everyone what happened to the two bidding companies during the invitation to tender?”
Thompson’s countenance abruptly changed. He started stuttering, not able to say a clear word.
Henry sneered, saying, “I don’t care about rubbish like that. If anyone gets the contract, then so be it. As long as everything goes smoothly, I don’t give a sh*t about other things!”
Jasper looked at Henry in a different light after hearing what he said.
Sure enough, these trust fund babies who had received elite education from an early age were no easy targets. Henry’s superior attitude of disregarding his employees’ struggles as long as they got things done was one that no ordinary family could cultivate.
Kindness was a taboo subject to superiors. Take, for example, the invitation to tender that Henry mentioned. If Henry had refused Thompson’s service just because he resorted to dirty tricks against the other companies, then he would be an idiot.
It was precisely because Thompson was great at using dirty tricks that he was the perfect candidate to work with him.
Jasper figured that he needed to speed things up with training Henry.
Jasper narrowed his eyes, lost in thoughts.
“Also, I’m not the one you offended today. It’s him.”
Henry pointed at Jasper and sneered at Thompson, “You’re working on the Southface River Project too, aren’t you? I’m sure I don’t have to tell you who he is?”
Thompson followed Henry’s finger and turned over to look. The moment he saw Jasper, he quivered all over.
Who in Southeast Province had not heard of Jasper?
This was especially the case for someone like Thompson. He had heard so much about Jasper that the stories were like thunderclap piercing his ears.
Besides, as he was working on the amusement park project, he knew things that others did not. For example, he knew that Jasper was friends with the Laws, often flirted with the Laws’ daughter, Anna, and was good buddies with the Laws’ son, Henry Law.
Thompson, who knew a thing or two about Jasper, felt his blood freezing.
He would rather have provoked Henry than Jasper.
What Jasper said next chilled his limbs, and he could not wait to beat his son to death.
“The man lying on the bed is my father. Your son asked someone to beat him up and broke one of his ribs.”
Life at the Top Chapter 835
Jasper said calmly, staring at Thompson.
“It’s wrong for any children to treat their parents with disrespect. Now that my dad has been beaten up by your son, do you think I should just let it slide?”
Thompson, whose limbs were ice-cold now, heard a ringing in his head. He nearly fell butt first to the floor.
He looked at Jasper with a teary face and said in trepidation, “M-Mr. Laine, there’s nothing more to say about this. Since my good-for-nothing son has done something so horrifying, we admit our mistakes and are willing to accept your punishment. We just hope that you can give us a chance to make amends.”
Jasper said indifferently, “How do you plan to make amends? With this?”
Having said that, Jasper pointed at the 3,000 dollar bills that Gabriel had tossed to the ground earlier. He said vaguely, “Your son threw the cash to us just now.”
Thompson turned around to look at Gabriel, whose face was full of blood, trembling and too afraid to speak. The older man was so furious he nearly fainted.
Playvolume00:00/00:00TruvidfullScreen
His good-for-nothing son had never been able to achieve anything but was always able to ruin things.
“From now on, my son and I will take care of your father for you until the day he’s discharged from the hospital. When the time comes, I’ll take this good-for-nothing son of mine to your father and apologize to him. You can punish him all you want and I will not comment a word,” Thompson said between clenched teeth.
As soon as Thompson said those words, Jasper had a whole new level of respect for Thompson. If this fellow was able to snatch the amusement park project from his competitors, it just proved that he was indeed capable.
He had remarkable skills for coming up with the perfect way to placate him in such a short period of time.
“Jasp,” Sally called out to Jasper softly.
“Yes, Mom?” Jasper responded quickly.
“Let’s just forget about it. Your dad isn’t terribly injured. Besides, the doctor said that he only needs a few days’ rest.”
Sally was a soft-hearted person. When she noticed how pitiful the pair was, especially Thompson, who had little to do with this yet pleaded for leniency and vowed to take responsibility for the trouble his son had gotten into as soon as he entered the door, she felt compassion for them.
Jasper glanced at Thompson without a word.
“Forget it, Jasp. All parents are the same,” Charlie, who was lying on the bed, added.
Looking wretched, Thompson’s gaze dulled at his words and he walked up to Charlie to thank him reverently.
“Send your son overseas after this and only allow him to come back once he has cultivated his moral character,” Jasper said flatly.
Thompson knew what Jasper meant. In other words, he wanted his son to leave so he would never appear in front of him ever again.
This was still better than losing his life! Thompson hastened to say, “Okay. I’ll send him away tonight.”
As soon as Thompson said those words, he kicked Gabriel and raged, “You’d better thank Mr. Laine!”
Gabriel had grown wiser by now. Without wiping the blood off his face, he stood up and said to Jasper, “Thank you, Mr. Laine.”
He then ran up to Charlie and Sally, sobbing. “Thank you for sparing my life.”
Charlie waved and said, “Just go.”
Thompson and Gabriel left after thanking them profusely. Henry pulled a long face and dragged the person in charge of the amusement park as well as his subordinates outside to lecture them.
Jasper, Wendy, Charlie, and Sally were the only ones left in the ward.
Wendy peeled apples for Charlie when she heard Jasper saying, “Wendy, should we find something for Mom and Dad to do?”
Life at the Top Chapter 836
“Do what?” Wendy asked curiously.
She did not even notice that Jasper had said ‘Mom and Dad’ instead of ‘my mom and dad’, giving Jasper the chance to take advantage of her.
When Wendy noticed Jasper’s smirk, she realized what was going on. She said angrily and embarrassedly, “Ugh, stop it! Can you judge the situation before you get into mischief?!
“Your son needs to be disciplined, Aunt Sally, Uncle Charlie!”
When Sally saw Wendy protesting like a child to her, she chuckled and said, “Jasp did a great job this time.”
Wendy was both embarrassed and mad, itching to punch Jasper, that idiot, to death.
“I’m serious about the things I say. I’m not joking.”
Playvolume00:00/00:00TruvidfullScreen
Jasper stroked his chin and said, “Actually, Mom and Dad, you’re not that old yet. Besides, you have been busy working all these years and probably don’t feel comfortable having so much free time all of a sudden. So I’m just thinking if I should bring you to Brac County?”
Wendy was a quick-witted woman. She reacted instantly, asking, “Are you referring to the shipyard in Brac County?”
Jasper laughed. “Not bad. You know me best.”
The shipyard was the Zions’ property that Jasper had previously acquired for 50 million. Jasper sat by the bed and explained it to his curious-looking parents.
“I acquired a shipyard at Brac County previously. It’s a factory that makes ships. I have too many businesses to handle right now so I don’t plan to focus too much energy on that for now. But it’s still a factory with huge assets, so it’ll be such a pity to abandon it!
“Therefore, I’ve decided to send you there to take care of the shipyard. Doing so will keep you busy and it’s not even that tiring to do. You’re mainly supervising production and managing workers. It’s not going to be tedious work.”
Jasper liked his arrangement, though as soon as Charlie and Sally heard what he said, they quickly shook their heads in unison.
“No way, I don’t know anything about that.” Charlie refused.
“That’s right. Your dad is used to being supervised by others and has never supervised anyone. If you send us to a shipyard, we won’t know what to do and will only mess things up for you,” Sally added.
Seeing how his wife was looking down on him, Charlie hastened to explain, “Who says I’ve not supervised anyone before? I was the deputy captain of the production team when I was a young lad!”
“Mm, and you got kicked out in two weeks. Don’t you feel embarrassed to say that?” Sally exposed him mercilessly.
Jasper and Wendy exchanged glances with each other, smiling. Jasper said, “You don’t have to worry about your managerial roles. I’ll send you helpers. Let them do the complicated stuff. You just need to watch them and keep an eye on the products, that’s all.
“I will be the one to make the orders, and when things slowly begin to settle and you’ve also learned a thing or two, you can then take over completely.”
In fact, Jasper did not care about the shipyard at all.
It was mainly because Jasper had realized a problem after this incident.
His parents were simply too bored.
Things were still fine when they were in the countryside. They knew their neighbors and had a few plots of land to manage. Even though work was tough, they had no time to laze around doing nothing.
Jasper would never let his parents go back to farming, but it would be damaging to a person’s physical and mental health to suddenly become idle when they were already used to a hectic life.
Therefore, Jasper decided to send his parents to the shipyard near the sea to manage it. Jasper did not care if the factory was not managed well. He just wanted his parents to be happy.
Of course, persuading them required skills.
“Therefore, I’ll assist you in getting businesses this year but you still need to make a few trips yourself. This shipyard means a lot to me and I’m worried about leaving this to someone else. See, I don’t have the time to manage it, but at the same time, I find it a pity to just let it lie idle. I’m too busy.”
Sally and Charlie immediately changed their minds after hearing what Jasper said.
In their opinion, they were doing something to help their son.
As parents, nothing could stop them from helping their children.
“That’s true. The factory is pretty big. It’s not safe to leave it to outsiders.” Charlie agreed.
“If that’s the case, we’ll go over once you’ve made the arrangements for us.”
Jasper laughed. “Okay. Get some rest first, Dad. I’ll send you over immediately once you’ve recovered. I’ll leave everything there to both of you, then. Be sure to watch over it for me.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll manage it well,” Charlie said heroically.
Half an hour later, Jasper and Wendy walked out of the hospital together.
As she was worried about her husband, Sally decided to stay behind and take care of him.
As soon as they left the hospital, Jasper noticed that Henry was still lecturing his subordinates with a sullen expression.
A bunch of professional elites in suits and leather shoes stood obediently in a uniform line at the hospital yard as Henry lectured them like a father lecturing his sons.
Upon seeing Jasper, Henry finally let the matter drop and drove the group away.
“How embarrassing.”
Henry said to Jasper.
Jasper laughed. “This has nothing to do with you. You can control your subordinates but can you control your partners? Don’t be too hard on them.”
Henry gnawed on a cigarette and said thankfully, “I’m glad that this project is ending soon. I’ll soon be released from this agony.”
“Are you going back to the hotel right now?” Jasper asked.
“Hehe, I know where to have some fun. Don’t worry about me.” Henry chuckled.
“Don’t mess around,” Jasper reminded before climbing into the car with Wendy and driving off.
In the car, Wendy could finally spend some time alone with Jasper.
“You must’ve been really busy in the United States, right?” Wendy asked softly.
“It’s alright. What’s most important is that everything went well,” Jasper said, holding Wendy’s hand with a smile.
“That’s good to hear. Initially, I thought you couldn’t make it to the Southface River Project’s topping-out ceremony,” Wendy said.
Jasper suddenly recalled something and said, “Give your father a call and tell him that everything here has been settled. Ask him not to worry.”
Wendy rolled her eyes at Jasper and said, “I would have grown old by the time you recalled this. I informed him a long time ago. He asked you to drop by when you’re free.”
“Sure. I have to go, that’s for sure. The Southface River Project is close to completion, and I still have many things to discuss with him. Is there anything else happening in the company recently?” Jasper asked.
“I have to tell you something,” Wendy said in a deep voice.
“I’ve been discussing with Chad a lot lately about integrating the job title system of state-owned enterprises. We put together an idea and plan to implement ranking posts within the company.”
Life at the Top Chapter 837
Jasper was no stranger to this concept.
In the future, even huge internet technology corporations like Abbylon, Terizone, or Warwick employed this strategy.
Among them, Warwick, the largest enterprise with the most employees, had as many as 25 internal rankings and 22 rankings that were opened to the public.
Divisions like that would be beneficial for internal management. At least they would be able to provide salaries according to academic qualifications and different levels of responsibilities.
For employees, there was a clear goal they could work hard to achieve.
Unlike in the past where an ordinary office clerk could not even serve as a manager even after working for a few years.
There were only so many leadership positions, and the number of employees would always be greater than that of leadership positions.
However, after separating salaries and administrative ranks, making them completely unrelated to each other, it would be beneficial for a company to grow stronger and larger.
“That doesn’t sound like a problem to me. This is a crucial path a company must take to modernize itself. An all-inclusive management strategy isn’t suitable for a huge corporation.
“Do you have a specific plan?” Jasper asked with interest.
Seeing how Jasper approved the idea that she had been racking her brains to think about during this period of time, Wendy said excitedly.
“I do. Chad and I discussed it for a very long time, revised it several times, and eventually formed two versions of the final draft. It’s on the computer at home. You can check it when we get back.”
It took only half an hour to drive home from the hospital.
When they got home, Jasper took a quick shower and sat in front of the computer, looking at Wendy’s fruit of labor during this period of time.
Jasper reviewed the 67-page report while listening to Wendy’s explanation, asking questions from time to time.
“Based on what you said, each applicant is ranked using a similar set of formulas. Can the formula guarantee objectivity and fairness?” Jasper asked.
Wendy replied, “Yes, the formula is used specifically on people.”
Jasper nodded after hearing what she said. Actually, Jasper had already planned to propose the idea during the last meeting.
However, he considered the fact that the company’s scale was not large enough and reformation needed to be done step by step. The entire hierarchy needed to be implemented after rigorous and careful considerations.
As this was a reformation that would affect the salaries of everyone in the company and perhaps even the situation as a whole, Jasper had decided to put off the plan temporarily.
Little did he know, Wendy and Chad had acted ahead of him.
Not only had they come up with the idea, but they had also formulated a perfect plan.
“Not bad. The plan is logical and workable. Most importantly, you were the ones who discovered this and even worked to solve it.
“To be honest with you, I did notice this problem and wanted to solve it, but my plans weren’t as good as yours,” Jasper shut his laptop and said to Wendy with a smile.
Wendy blinked, saying, “Do I get a reward, then?”
“Yeah. It’s in my luggage. I’ve prepared it for you a long time ago,” Jasper said with a smile.
Wendy cheered and rushed over to unzip Jasper’s luggage.
She eventually found a set of Givenchy limited-edition lipstick gift boxes, a total of 16 lipsticks that cost Jasper 30,000 US dollars.
“That’s cheating. This is clearly the souvenir you bought for me. It’s not a reward!” Although Wendy was over the moon, she quickly realized that she was nearly fooled by Jasper.
Wendy thought about it and then narrowed her eyes as she looked at Jasper, saying, “I won’t ask for much. You just need to answer one question.”
Jasper’s muscles contracted as he asked vigilantly, “What question?”
“Why are you so guilty?” Wendy’s eyes glinted sharply.
“I’m not guilty.” Jasper calmly picked up the cup of coffee and walked to the door. “I’ll go pour some coffee.”
“Wait!” Wendy stood at the door and stared at Jasper, saying, “Don’t change the subject. You are guilty!”
“Look, why don’t we do this? I’ll owe you the reward first. Since you’re the one who proposed the plan, submit a document to me tomorrow under your and Chad’s names.
“Once I approve it, you and Chad will implement this together with you as the leader and Chad as the assistant. I will determine the reward for you after that, okay?”
Wendy hesitated slightly. “Chad is the director of the Human Resources Department, though. Wouldn’t it be better if he leads?”
Jasper knocked on Wendy’s smooth forehead and said, “Silly, you’re the boss lady. He’s just a worker. Who do you say is better for the job?
“Do you think a human resources director is capable enough to implement something this major? Only you and I are qualified to do this in the entire company. Therefore, I’m certain he won’t be bold enough to be the leader.”
Life at the Top Chapter 838
“Excuse me? What lady boss? You can dream on!”
Wendy glared coyly at Jasper before running back to her room.
At the sight of Wendy’s flurried back, Jasper laughed. “Do you think you’d have so many things to worry about if you weren’t the lady boss? Just admit it.”
“Go to hell!”
The door closed with a bang, cutting off Jasper’s field of vision.
The next day at the Southface River Project site. Jasper and Dawson patrolled the site while accompanied by a large group of site managers.
“It’s nearly done.” Looking at the clean road, refreshing greenery, and newly built buildings around him, Jasper said to Dawson with a smile.
Playvolume00:00/00:00TruvidfullScreen“Yes, it’s all done. Now it’s just the ceremony.” Dawson was in a good mood as well.
They had both invested a lot of money and energy in this project in the past year.
Now that everything had finally come to fruition, even Dawson, someone who was used to seeing turbulence in life, felt a sense of joy and gratification. It was just like an old farmer who was finally harvesting his crops after a whole year of busy farming.
“Have all the invitations been sent out?” Jasper asked.
Dawson nodded and said, “The preparations are done. We were just waiting for you to come back from the United States, actually. We have also begun seeking investments. At the moment, 70% of the shops and office buildings in the entire Southface River Project have been rented out.
“However, in order to meet the publicity requirement set by the city’s government, the rental fee for the first three years is extremely low. The city’s government will give us a 70% subsidy and we will bear the 30% ourselves.”
After listening to what Dawson said, Jasper nodded and said, “This is all just a small sum of money. It’s fine. Let’s get this place crowded with people first. As soon as this place starts bustling with energy, we can easily earn back the rental fee by double in three years. Giving comes before receiving. There’s no need to be petty-minded with small gains like that.”
Dawson laughed. “Speaking of which, the city’s government is really considerate. They exempted as much as they could for Schuler Group’s and JW Company’s taxes. For the first five years, all the properties rented out here will be tax-free. After further calculations, we’re still making a profit.”
“The city’s government wants to attract more investors. We’ve invested billions in place of the city’s government so it’s crucial that they do something to show their appreciation. Now that the Southface River Project has been completed and Nauritus City’s investment has taken on a new look, the higher-ups of the city’s government will be over the moon,” Jasper said with a smile.
While talking, the group arrived at the core center of the Southface River Project.
At the sight of the 26-story building in front of him and the three dazzling words ‘Southface River Tower’, Jasper said, “Don’t rent out the ten levels at the top of Southface River Tower.”
“Are you saving them for yourself?” Dawson asked.
Jasper nodded and said, “Yeah. The tiny villa is too cramped. There are four to five people crammed in the room working. We should’ve changed locations a long time ago. We still need to wait for a very long time for the building in Waterhoof City to finish construction as I don’t think it’ll be done soon, so it’s better to move the company over here first. Ten floors should be more than enough.”
Dawson said in agreement, “Since JW is slowly building up its reputation, paying attention to the company’s image is crucial. This is something that many people are concerned about. The building in front of us is almost in line with JW’s current reputation. When JW becomes even more powerful in the future, the construction in Waterhoof City would be almost completed as well.”
Jasper laughed. “When the time comes, Schuler Group can move there too.”
Dawson laughed while waving his hands. “No thanks. Since its establishment, not once has Schuler Group left Southeast Province, so there’s no need to waste the resources moving into a new place. However, I’ll consider setting up a branch there. After all, Schuler Group has a large organizational structure. I plan to set up several branches in the country so it’ll be easier to manage them when they’re all divided.”
Jasper and Dawson were chatting when a group of men approached them.
Conrad Monty!
Seemingly here to see Jasper, Conrad did not halt in his footsteps as soon as he saw him and walked straight to him.
There were several other men next to him. With a glance, Jasper knew what was going on. These were all the leaders of relevant departments in the city’s government whom he had talked to before.
What were these two groups of people doing together?
Jasper narrowed his eyes and walked toward Conrad.
Life at the Top Chapter 839
“Aren’t you as pleased as Punch after your trip to the United States, Mr. Laine? Not only did you earn a reputation for yourself but you also made a fortune. The news about Sena has spread throughout the entire domestic financial circle. Well aren’t you something, Mr. Laine?”
Conrad looked at Jasper and said ambiguously.
Jasper let out a faint smile and said, “I don’t have a choice, do I? I need to earn a living for my family. Money isn’t easy to earn, so I have to do something. I’m surprised you still found the time to show up at Southface River despite your busy schedule, Mr. Monty. Are you here to give me some advice?”
“I don’t consider this advice. Judging from your reputation and status, do you think I have the guts to advise you?” Conrad said with a calm countenance.
“If that’s the case, are you here to attend Southface River Project’s topping-out ceremony then?” Jasper asked with a faint smile.
Conrad’s gaze turned icy. He looked at Jasper and said calmly, “Jasper, we can shed all pretense of cordiality. You know I will never come here to celebrate your project’s topping-out ceremony.
“However, we can make a fortune together. I’m here to partner up with you this time.”
Playvolume00:00/00:00TruvidfullScreenAs soon as Conrad said those words, Dawson and the rest looked at him with inquiring gazes.
Jasper and the Monty family’s strife was no longer a secret in Southeast Province. They were even so close to bringing their fight to the streets.
Following the success of Sena being listed in the United States market, everyone was speculating the amount of money Jasper had earned this time around.
Although no one knew the specific amount, everyone knew one thing at least.
Jasper had changed ever since he returned from the United States.
Many people were racking their brains thinking of ways to curry favor with Jasper.
Looking at Conrad now… Was he admitting defeat?
Was he seeking peace with Jasper?
Everyone was weirded out by that thought.
As the richest family in Southeast Province, the Monty family had been a giant sitting above the Southeast Province’s upper class circle for far too long.
Right now, this giant was about to collapse.
All of a sudden, everyone felt conflicted.
Jasper was the calmest of all.
They said that your enemy knew you best.
Jasper understood people like Conrad the most.
There was no way he could settle as an official or a general because it was absolutely impossible for him to yield to others.
A person like that would only end up in two ways—be a king, or die.
How could Conrad submit to him?
Jasper was extremely vigilant, yet his tone remained calm while revealing a hint of curiosity.
“Partner? Let’s listen. I’m really curious to know how this cooperation would work.”
Life at the Top Chapter 840
“There are too many people here. Why don’t we find somewhere quiet to talk in detail?” Conrad said flatly.
“Let’s go to Southface River Tower. One of the floors has been renovated. There’s a slightly more quiet reception room there,” Dawson suggested.
Jasper and Conrad had no comments about that. Therefore, they turned around and walked into the building.
Upon stepping into the new building, Conrad was still wearing a calm countenance yet his gaze would not stop darting all over the place.
Actually, although he was here today to hinder Jasper, he had been carefully observing the entire Southface River Project on his way here.
He came to the conclusion that even though Jasper was contemptible, he had to admit that from the day Jasper started from scratch up until now, the man had portrayed traits of an extraordinary man.
Disregarding everything else, the Southface River Project had a formwork that could not be found in any other cities in this country.
Playvolume00:00/00:00TruvidfullScreenOn the contrary, this place would become a formwork for other cities.
When word about Southface River Project’s topping-out ceremony got out and the nation took a look at the style of this place, Conrad could almost see JW Real Estates becoming the first partner anyone could think of for the construction of the nation’s New City Project.
This place was simply too advanced!
In terms of concept, other real estate companies had fallen way behind JW Real Estates.
Conrad lifted his head to look at Jasper who was walking ahead and could not help but wonder if he had a different brain structure than other people. Why was he always able to impress his competitors no matter what he did?
When the group entered the reception room, Conrad had also put away the messy thoughts in his head.
When they had all taken their seats, Conrad did not wait for Jasper to speak and took the initiative to say, “You know, mining is the Monty family’s main industry, so we know a thing or two about minerals.”
There were only Conrad, Jasper, and Dawson in the reception room.
Upon hearing Conrad’s opening remark, Jasper and Dawson remained quiet as they waited for him to continue.
After a slight pause, Conrad continued, “In the previous aluminum incident, the Monty family was more than capable of fighting for it to the end, but before that, something else happened and our family refused to invest too much in a site that has already been exploited to a certain extent.”
When Conrad said those words, Dawson’s expression changed. He understood the implicit meaning of his words.
From what Conrad was saying, he seemed to have located a new mining site?
This would be major news.
Dawson turned to look at Jasper.
Jasper, however, was seen shaking his head almost imperceptibly, motioning him not to be anxious.
Conrad observed their reactions with a blank face, and his expression did not even fluctuate.
“That mine is located in Hill County, at the junction of Southeast Province and Mustiece Province. As the name suggests, 90% of Hill County is covered by mountains. It’s a poor county where more than 40% of the villages and towns do not have access to road facilities.
“It’s precisely because of its harsh conditions that no one had discovered the aluminum mine, not even the Monty family.”