abcnovels
Chapter 471
Chapter 471
Chapter 471
Chapter 471 Strengthen Our Alliance
“You must be pretty surprised now, Mr. Hopper. I guess you’re wondering how I got my hands on something like this, right?” Elspeth raised her hand with the contract in it, flashing it right in front of Jericho’s panicky face while taunting him. “Why do you look so scared? I won’t bite.”
“Why don’t you tell me how you got this contract first?” However, Jericho quickly realized the way he put his words might have accidentally given himself away, so he immediately rephrased his sentence. “I don’t know where you got that thing, but I’m sure it’s fake. So, stop framing me with whatever is in your hand.”
“Fake?” Elspeth clicked her tongue, finding it hard to believe Jericho would deny her accusation so shamelessly. “You could take a look at it for yourself if you think it’s fake.”
Upon hearing that, Jericho skeptically flipped through the contract just as his forehead was covered in a cold sweat. After all, he saw his own signature on the contract, his name clearly written on the paper, although the document he was looking at was just a photocopy. “This signature isn’t mine.” At that moment, Jericho decided to play dumb and denied everything he was accused of, thinking Elspeth would have no way to force him into submission by doing that.
In the meantime, Elspeth let out a sigh when she saw the man’s dishonest look. “Well, if you don’t admit it, I guess I’ll just have to do it another way, Mr. Hopper.”
“Another way?”
“Yes, I’m going to find out who signed his name here through a forensic handwriting examination. Since your name was clearly signed here, all we have to do is just compare this signature to your previous ones, and the truth will come to light.”
Jericho’s back was already drenched in sweat at that moment, as he didn’t expect Elspeth to get her hands on a confidential document like the one she just showed him. In fact, he signed the contract with Arthur as soon as he verbally informed Azure Corporation about his intention to terminate their partnership. The time and date on which we signed the contract were written on the document. If Elspeth uses that to testify against me, I’m going to be in huge trouble, which is going to be something bigger than having to pay the penalty of fifty million.
“So, do you care to explain why you violated the contract, Mr. Hopper? Why did you sign another contract with Arthur even though you hadn’t formally terminated your current one with Azure?”
Jericho collapsed onto the chair, seemingly speechless, without any idea how to defend himself. “I-It’s your words against mine. Who knows this document is fake?” The man stammered his sentence and tried to continue playing dumb, thinking there was nothing else Elspeth could do to make him admit his mistake. At the same time, his eyes were filled with guilt and fear as he was betting on the odds that Elspeth wasn’t familiar with the law. Calm down! I’m going to find a way to get away with this.
Elspeth responded with a chuckle and clapped her hands, whereupon a tall silhouette stepped in through the door. The moment Jericho set his eyes on the figure, his face blanched in horror. Hank Damazio? He is the lawyer with a silver tongue, isn’t he?
“I know what you’re thinking, Mr. Hopper. Perhaps you have some questions that you’d like to consult my lawyer when legal matters are concerned.”
Like Jericho thought, Hank was known as the lawyer with a silver tongue across Damoria because he had never lost a court case before. In fact, when Elspeth first approached Hank, she was only planning to ask him for some legal advice. However, Hank was kind enough to go the extra mile for Elspeth and helped her obtain a photocopy of the signed contract between Arthur and Jericho. It wasn’t until later that Elspeth learned that Hank had friends in the legal department of Arthur’s company. For that, she
found it ironic for Jericho to overlook that detail, which would cost him dearly when he proudly thought his plan was flawless.
On the other hand, Jericho still refused to give up and owned up to his mistake. “Mr. Damazio, what do you say if you’re welcome to join my company? Just name a price. I can pay you more than this lady is offering you.” Deep down, Jericho believed all lawyers only worked for money, which he thought he could buy over anyone’s service. For that, he doubted Hank would ignore his offer and look the other way.
Seeing Jericho’s panicky look, Elspeth tried her best to keep a straight face. “Look at him, Hank. He is trying to bribe you now.” Come on, Jericho. You have to be better than this. I wish you knew that you’re insulting him with your offer. Hank is worth more than you think he is.
“Thanks for your kind offer, Mr. Hopper, but I have no plans of accepting any small clients at the moment,” Hank replied in a witty yet mean manner like he usually would.
At his wits’ end, Jericho nervously gazed at Elspeth and asked, “Is there any other way that we can resolve this matter, Miss Lynwood?” He yielded to Elspeth as his response clearly indicated.
However, Elspeth didn’t seem to have any intention of going easy on Jericho in spite of his submission. “Miss Lynwood? How polite! Where are your airs and graces that you were putting on earlier? Are they gone?” She walked closer to the man and patted his shoulder, gesturing for him to relax. “Take it easy, alright? We’re just about to discuss what we’re going to do, aren’t we? I’m sure we’re going to sort this out peacefully.” She smiled cunningly like a beautiful succubus.
While Jericho would have fallen for Elspeth’s beauty if she had smiled at him like that back then, he couldn’t help but feel chills running down his spine at the sight of the same smile on her face. “How are we going to resolve this, Miss Lynwood?” He put his words in a courteous way, hoping Elspeth would go easy on him. At the same time, he began to beat himself up for letting his greed get the better of
him. Darn it! I shouldn’t have let my desires turn my head. If I had been in the right mind, Arthur wouldn’t have tricked me so easily. Sh*t!
“Well, I came here today for one specific reason—to see if we could continue working together as partners, Mr. Hopper…” Elspeth soon shook her head regrettably and added, “But unfortunately, you signed another contract with someone else so soon, which is simply just… heartbreaking.”
Heartbreaking? It’s more like it’s exciting to you, isn’t it? Jericho took a deep breath while staring at Elspeth’s pretense. “I’m sorry, Miss Lynwood. I’ll continue to work with Azure Corporation and call off my deal with Arthur. Please forgive me, Miss Lynwood.” Jericho was sensible enough to remain as Azure’s partner, thinking he was no match for Elspeth and Hank even though he was a lot older than them.
“So, you’re going to continue working with us and call off the deal with Arthur? That’s all?” Elspeth didn’t seem to be satisfied with Jericho’s answer.
“W-Well, you could state your request, and I’ll do my best to fulfill in my power.” Jericho smiled, his forehead covered in a cold sweat. In fact, he expected Elspeth to say something like that but didn’t think she would put it so directly.
“What if I tell you I want some of Hopper Corp.’s shares?”
Jericho nearly choked on his own saliva when he heard what the lady said. What?! How audacious of her to make such a request!
“What’s wrong, Mr. Hopper? You have a problem with that?” Elspeth blinked ambiguously.
Jericho shook his head repeatedly just as his flabby cheeks jiggled up and down. Despite his annoyance about Elspeth’s suggestion, he forced a smile and said, “No, of course not. Why would I? I
just don’t think it’s appropriate since you’ve hardly been in touch with Hopper Corp.”
“Well, that’s all the more reason I asked what I asked because I’m trying to strengthen our alliance. Don’t you think so? Think about it, if you transfer some of Hopper Corp.’s shares to me, it will make us partners. By then, you won’t terminate our partnership so easily anymore, will you?”