Chapter 6: Chapter 6 What Do You Think?_1
Such a necklace as the "Dawn Light" was enough to make countless women fantasize all day long while staring at pictures.
Tess Radcliffe's eyes flashed with a gleam; she had finally caught an opportunity to humiliate her sister.
Quella Radcliffe was not only beautiful when they were children but also had better academic achievements and social skills than any of them.
The praise she received was tremendous, making the other Radcliffe girls very envious.
Now that she had fallen on hard times, everyone was kickin her while she was down.
"Really now! Quella, where did you get that?"
Many people began taking out their phones to compare pictures of the Dawn Light.
"Oh my! Quella, when did you become so rich?"
Tess Radcliffe sneered and moved in for a closer look.
Without a second thought, it had to be a counterfeit!
The Dawn Light was so expensive that even Tess Radcliffe had looked at fakes.
If there hadn't been only one in Gonzalez City, she would have already bought a fake to show off.
The call attracted everyone's attention to the necklace around Quella Radcliffe's neck.
"Sis, let us have a look."
Soon, a crowd had formed around Quella Radcliffe.
Quella Radcliffe wanted to die of embarrassment; how could she face work after losing face in front of so many people.
"Julius Reed, you've really done me in! Out of all the things you could buy, why did it have to be a fake!"
Quella Radcliffe's face turned red as she stole a glance and saw Julius Reed looking at her with a carefree smile.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
"It's a gift from my Julius, it must resemble the real thing quite a bit!"
Quella Radcliffe forced an awkward smile.
"How could it be! That's clearly the Dawn Light! Surely our Quella wouldn't stoop to vanity and buy a counterfeit, right?"
Tess Radcliffe took the opportunity to add insult to injury.
"I heard that the Dawn Light has a hidden QR code on the crystal that lets you verify its authenticity with just a scan."
Calvin Leopold kindly reminded from the side.
Together, the couple thoroughly pushed Quella Radcliffe into the fire pit.
"Right! I know about this too! Let's scan it and see. If it's a fake, it's not a big deal, who would blame you for ending up with a good-for-nothing husband!"
The Radcliffe girls each took out their phones, scanning the large crystal on the necklace.
"Just wait and see her get embarrassed."
Tess Radcliffe pursed her lips in amusement, but shouted out, "Even if it's a fake, it's no big deal. Who doesn't want the Dawn Light? If you can't afford the real thing, getting a fake to satisfy your craving is fine too!"
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.
Quella Radcliffe closed her eyes, prepared to be ridiculed by everyone, while she internally cursed Julius Reed to no end.
She decided that she would make Julius Reed sleep on the sofa that night.
"Holy crap! Sis, did you win the lottery?"
"My God, the mysterious buyer wasn't really Julius Reed, was it? Where did he get all that money!"
"Sister, let me borrow it to take a photo, I want to post it on my social network."
A few young ladies quickly came over, crowding around Quella Radcliffe.
"What? It's real? How is that possible!"
Tess Radcliffe hurriedly came down and took a scan.
The result left her dumbfounded.
Not just her, even Quella Radcliffe herself couldn't believe it.
She took out her phone to scan it, too shocked to speak.
The unique interface on the screen identified the necklace as a limited edition of the Dawn Light.
Numbered 07.
"Where did you get so much money!" Tess Radcliffe asked angrily.
"Yeah, over ten million! Sis, what have you been doing?"
The questioning came rapidly.
Quella Radcliffe looked at Julius Reed, wondering if he could have done something illegal?
If he had, she felt like she would die of frustration.
"Julius Reed, you better not have done anything foolish!" she thought to herself.
Putting on such an expensive gift, Quella Radcliffe's heart swelled with emotion.
Especially seeing the envy in the eyes of others, it was the first time she felt happiness as a woman.
"Bought a lottery ticket, won over ten million, just enough to buy Quella a necklace," Julius Reed said with a nonchalant smile.
"Oh! I get it now!"
Tess Radcliffe had an epiphany.
"Julius Reed, you really do seem comfortable wearing those green hats!"
With that said, the crowd once again began to murmur amongst themselves.
Everyone speculated that the mysterious buyer must have had an affair with Quella Radcliffe, who, after all, was the belle of Gonzalez City three years ago.
Countless men had pursued her.
Even after marrying Julius Reed, many had not given up hope.
"Such a tough break for brother Julius!"
Calvin Leopold gave Julius Reed a meaningful look, a sneer flickered across his face.
It was not easy being cheated on and having to cover for the cheater.
He even felt a bit of sympathy.
But that's just how cruel the world can be, the incapable can only endure.
"Stop talking, the representative from Titan Group has arrived!"
Following a shout, the crowd instantly fell silent.
Quella Radcliffe, her face ashen with anger from these words, noticed Julius Reed seemed utterly unfazed by the gossip and rumors.
He remained calm as if he completely disregarded the slander.
"Welcome Mr. Cook to the Radcliffe Group!"
After the call.
A middle-aged man stepped out from a black Rolls-Royce.
Seeing the representative from Titan Group, the Radcliffe family displayed obsequious smiles.
But the man who stepped out of the car didn't pay them any attention at all.
A second-tier family was nothing in the eyes of Titan Group.
Even the Radcliffe Family couldn't understand why Titan Group would seek a partnership with them.
It seemed like free money! With so many major companies in Gonzalez City, why choose them?
There must be something off!
The family had discussed it all night and still couldn't figure out the reason.
But with money to be made, who cared!
Titan Group was a major financial backer!
Under the guidance of Zade Radcliffe, the group proceeded to the Radcliffe Group's conference room.
Representative of Titan Group, Sky Reed, naturally took the seat at the center.
In the face of such a God of Wealth, the Radcliffe Family wished they could enshrine him, offering incense all day long.
Zade Radcliffe and Otis Radcliffe sat on either side of Sky Reed, while the other Radcliffe Clan members were seated according to their company positions.
Quella Radcliffe sat at the very end, and Julius Reed had no seat at all.
In fact, there was originally a seat here, but Otis Radcliffe had someone remove a chair at the last minute, so Julius Reed had to stand.
"Now, let us welcome Mr. Sky Reed, representative of Titan Group, to Radcliffe Group with the warmest applause!"
Zade Radcliffe was the first to clap, followed by a room filled with applause.
"The one standing, what's the meaning of this?"
Sky Reed looked at Julius Reed standing at the door, his tone somewhat unfriendly.
"This man is our Radcliffe Family's son-in-law, who usually stays at home cooking and washing clothes. I have no idea what got into Quella today to bring him along!"
Otis Radcliffe hurriedly spoke up, with a slight embarrassment in his voice, "I will have him thrown out immediately. A man who's been nesting at home for three years, is this kind of meeting where he belongs? Having such a person sneak into our partnership is truly inauspicious!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the Radcliffe Family members all bore expressions of watching a spectacle.
Otis Radcliffe's move could be said to kill two birds with one stone, vicious to the extreme.
Not only did he embarrass Julius Reed by kicking him out, but he also left a bad impression of Quella in Sky Reed's eyes.
After all, just as Titan Group was investing, encountering such an incident would surely make them extremely disgusted with Quella.
When the time came for the board to kick their family out of the group, it would seem only natural.
Zade Radcliffe nodded secretly on the sidelines, silently praising his grandson.
"Quella, bringing in this good-for-nothing, are you intentionally causing trouble?"
Otis Radcliffe stood up and scolded loudly.
"Julius Reed is a member of the Radcliffe Family, on what grounds can he not come?"
Quella Radcliffe, sitting in her chair, glared at Otis Radcliffe.
That very night, the rift between the two had already lessened significantly.
Therefore, she could not stand by as Julius Reed was bullied.
The atmosphere became particularly awkward for a moment.
"As the General Manager of Radcliffe Group, I'm asking you to leave now!"
Otis Radcliffe's face suddenly turned cold.
Within the group, he was the General Manager, wielding significant power.
And Quella Radcliffe was merely a regular executive.
If she were to be expelled, it would undoubtedly leave a deep impression on Sky Reed and also confirm Quella's insubordination.
An employee who doesn't obey cannot stay!
"Wait a minute!"
Just then, Sky Reed stood up and looked at Julius Reed.
"The grand Radcliffe Group can't even spare a single chair? You seem to hold this cooperation in very little regard. Such a large meeting, and you can't even get the number of people right!"
Upon hearing this, the Radcliffe Family immediately panicked.
Being able to cooperate with Titan Group was a tremendous opportunity for the Radcliffe Family.
Titan Group, as the Boss of Gonzalez City, possessed enormous financial power.
And the Radcliffe Family was merely a second-tier power, who wouldn't ordinarily dare to dream of establishing a relationship with Titan Group.
"Mr. Reed, this is a misunderstanding! We had just the right number of chairs, only someone who shouldn't have come did."
Otis Radcliffe quickly stood up to explain.
He had intended to ensure Quella would never have a chance to turn things around, but he hadn't expected to actually anger Sky Reed.
If this actually affected the cooperation, he would be to blame!
Zade Radcliffe also hurriedly chimed in, "Mr. Reed, please don't take offense, this was all very unexpected, Julius Reed never participates in meetings of this kind."
"Someone who shouldn't have come?"
Sky Reed furrowed his brows, "If I hadn't come, then would you have had just the right number of seats? Fine, I'll leave now!"
With that, he picked up the briefcase on the table and turned to leave.
"Mr. Reed, you've misunderstood!"
Seeing him serious about leaving, Zade Radcliffe quickly stood up to explain, "You are our esteemed guest! Everyone in the Radcliffe Family greatly admires Mr. Sky Reed. When we heard yesterday that you were coming, everyone was very excited!"
"Good! Then you come over here, sit next to me."
Sky Reed hesitated, then beckoned to Julius Reed.
"Hmm!"
Julius Reed nodded and then began walking toward the center seat.
"Julius, don't make a scene!"
Quella Radcliffe grabbed Julius Reed in one quick motion.
Although the clanspeople were unfriendly towards her, today's matters related to the future of the Radcliffe Family, and she couldn't stand by and watch Julius Reed act recklessly.
"It's all right."
Julius Reed gently pushed her hand away and briskly walked up to Sky Reed.
"Mr. Reed, that is unacceptable! You are our honored guest, how can you yield your seat to a good-for-nothing?"
Otis Radcliffe hurriedly stood up to block their way.
"I don't need your instructions on how to handle my own affairs. Since you don't want me to stand, then yield your seat to me."
Sky Reed sat back down on the chair, looking at Otis Radcliffe coldly.
"I would like to offer it to him, but I'm afraid he wouldn't dare to sit!"
Otis Radcliffe hesitated, but ultimately stood up.
"Julius Reed, you had better be aware of your own place!"
For three years, he had been bullying this son-in-law who joined the family, yet today, he found himself having to yield his seat to such a loser.
"I also hope that you will see yourself clearly!"
Julius Reed shoved Otis Radcliffe away and turned to sit down in the chair.
"You..."
Just as Otis Radcliffe was about to explode, Zade Radcliffe coughed a few times from the side.
Today's meeting was very important, and they couldn't afford any mishaps.
Otis Radcliffe's mouth trembled slightly, standing to one side with resentment.
"I am entrusted by Mr. Ovidiu Cook, the chairman of the Titan Group, to discuss cooperation with your company."
Sky Reed pulled a stack of documents out of his bag.
"The Radcliffe Group specializes in semiconductor chips, and Titan Group also intends to expand into the electronics industry, so we have decided to join forces to establish a special department."
"It is an absolute honor for the Radcliffe Group to partner with a large corporation like Titan Group!"
Zade Radcliffe smiled, his heart already blooming with joy.
"We will provide the funding, and you will contribute the technology!"
Sky Reed placed the documents on the table, looked around the room, and continued, "This department will be dedicated to a project, so I hope you can select a project manager."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the crowd began to discuss among themselves.
Without a doubt, this was a good opportunity.
Whoever became the project manager would certainly make a fortune.
Moreover, within the Radcliffe Family, their status would become very high.
"In theory, I should be the project manager. But as you all know, Titan Group has many different businesses, so I may not be able to attend to them all."
Sky Reed looked at Zade Radcliffe, patiently explaining.
"I can understand that, Mr. Reed. You hold an important position, and we wouldn't want to trouble you. But rest assured, even without you, we will maintain high quality!"
Zade Radcliffe assured him, thumping his chest.
If it was as Sky Reed had said, the Radcliffe Family stood to make a killing.
"Why not select a manager today, so I can report back?"
Sky Reed took out a pen, ready to take notes.
"Our Radcliffe Group general manager, Otis Radcliffe, is young, capable, and the clear choice for the position!"
Zade Radcliffe spoke first, effectively silencing everyone else.
The other Radcliffe Clan members who were eager to try, could only bow their heads.
Who would dare to disobey the old man's words?
"Mr. Reed, please rest assured, I will definitely not let you down!"
Otis Radcliffe promptly stood up and guaranteed, thumping his chest.
He looked at Julius Reed with a smug expression in his eyes.
It was as though he was saying, even if you sit in my seat, you will still be a good-for-nothing.
"Any objections from the others?"
Sky Reed looked around the room.
"We agree."
The Radcliffe Clan members nodded one after another.
They knew that even if they disputed, they could not win.
"Mr. Reed, since everyone agrees, let's talk about the specifics of the cooperation!"
Otis Radcliffe straightened his suit, feeling as though he had already become the project manager.
"Hold on! Not all of the Radcliffe Family members have expressed their opinion yet!"
Sky Reed turned to face Julius Reed and asked, "What do you think?"