abcnovels
Chapter 338: Coercion
Chapter 338: Coercion
Chapter 338: Coercion
There was also a middle-aged man in his forties standing behind Lucas with a sullen expression, but no one knew who he was.
William looked at Lucas with his eyes wide open in surprise because he didn’t tell Lucas about what had happened here!
“You... Ahem, Mr. Gray, why are you here too?” William asked, sounding a little unnatural.
Lucas said indifferently, “If I hadn’t come in time, I’m afraid someone else would have replaced the general manager of my company without my knowledge, huh?”
William’s face was getting a little warm. Seems like Lucas has already found out everything that happened. At a loss for an explanation, William opened his mouth but ended up closing it again because he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
Of course, Lucas wasn’t trying to hold William responsible or reprimand him. He turned to look at Adrian and the former executives around him, and his gaze instantly became much more menacing.
Adrian and the others had slightly guilty consciences in the first place. And now that Lucas, their most authoritative superior, had exposed their ploy to threaten William, they immediately felt even more nervous.
“Mr. Gray, since you’re here, there are some things that I’d like to tell you in person.” Among the group, Adrian had the best EQ, and he was also very quick-witted. So he soon thought of an excuse and explanation to give Lucas.
“What is it?” Lucas sneered.
Adrian coughed gently. “Mr. Gray, you probably didn’t see what happened just now. Charlie Franco, the person in charge of Snowflake Entertainment, brought a bunch of his men with him to block the entrances and exits of our warehouse, causing operations to be disrupted. Even the security guards of our company couldn’t stop them and ended up getting beaten up badly.
“If I hadn’t asked Franco to unblock the entrance and exits, I believe that the operations of the warehouse would still be disrupted now. The orders for the goods to be delivered would have been all affected, which would have brought major losses to the company. I’m sure you’re very clear about that.”
Lucas glanced at him indifferently. “So?”
With a look of determination, Adrian said, “Mr. Gray, since you’ve heard what I just said with William Carter, I’ll get straight to the point. Franco is not only the head of Snowflake Entertainment, but he’s also a highly valued subordinate of the Taylors. At the same time, he’s also a good friend of mine.
“Franco was really upset that I was dismissed from my job for no reason yesterday, and he insisted on doing me justice, so he brought his men here and blocked the entrances and exits in the morning. He told me that he would bring them here every single day and stop the cargo trucks from entering and leaving the warehouse until I’m appointed as the general manager of the company! Mr. Gray, you should know very well what that means, right?
“So, Mr. Gray, you’re a wise person, and I believe you should know the best choice to make!”
Adrian was eloquent, and his explanation was logical and coherent as well. He not only made himself seem close to Franco, but he also attributed the cause of everything that had happened to Franco’s insistence on seeking justice for him.
If Lucas hadn’t already learned the truth from Franco, he would have probably really been fooled by Adrian’s words.
Standing behind Lucas, Preston had an incredibly gloomy expression.
Charlie Franco is just a lackey of the Taylors. What does he mean Franco is highly valued? Is he implying that I have poor judgment?
God knows how many stupid things that bastard Franco has already done in the name of the Taylors!
After hearing Adrian’s threat, William flew into a rage and snapped, “Adrian Hill, you’re really despicable and shameless! You actually resorted to such underhanded tricks just to become the general manager!”
Lucas shook his head and laughed. “How are you so certain that I can’t deal with Franco?”
Adrian said with unparalleled confidence, “Charlie is backed by the Taylors, one of the four most powerful families in this county! Even if you’re the chairman of the Stardust Corporation, you own only one corporation, and everyone in Orange County knows that the Stardust Corporation no longer has anything to do with the Huttons now. So, do you think you can defeat the Taylors?
“Besides, Franco has a large group of underlings who have committed all sorts of violent acts such as slashing and arson. Franco himself is a combat expert who has been training since he was a teenager! Mr. Gray, given how lanky you are, Franco can crush you with the lift of his finger! Aren’t you afraid that he’ll deal with you ruthlessly?” At the end of his speech, a sinister glint appeared in Adrian’s eyes as he began to threaten Lucas’s personal safety.
“Pfft!” Someone next to him suddenly burst into laughter.
Seeing that everyone was now staring at him, Louis hurriedly reached his hands out to cover his mouth.
Louis found Adrian’s threats hilarious and couldn’t help himself.
He wondered what expression Adrian would have on his face when he found out the truth later.
“In that case, you’re bent on being the general manager, and there’s no room for negotiation. Is that right?” Lucas asked with raised brows.
“I’ll be honest with you too. Franco will continue to disrupt the operations of the warehouse for as long as I’m not the general manager. Mr. Gray, it’s up to you to decide whether you can afford to wait!” Adrian dropped his pretense and simply revealed his agenda and tricks to Lucas.
Lucas sneered and stopped wasting his breath on Adrian. He turned around and said to Preston, “Go bring that so-called highly valued subordinate of yours over!”
“...” Preston glanced at Lucas while gritting his teeth, but he could only helplessly gesture at the bodyguards behind him.
The bodyguards immediately acknowledged his order and walked toward the warehouse.
Lucas’s reaction made Adrian, Jimmy, and the other five people baffled as they had an ominous hunch. They were just about to crane their necks to see who the bodyguards would bring over when Lucas suddenly questioned them.
“Are the six of you still going to take Adrian Hill’s side?”
Jimmy and the other five people looked at each other. Soon, they saw a look of certainty in each other’s eyes.
They had already handed over 60 grand each to Adrian in return for the chance to return to their jobs at the company and then make a ton of money. They couldn’t give up and back out at this point.
They had to be on Adrian’s side!
“Yes, Mr. Gray. We’re indeed going to support Adrian in becoming general manager!”
“Yes. Mr. Hill is capable, qualified, and competent, so why shouldn’t he be the general manager? If you hadn’t interfered yesterday, this wouldn’t have happened to the warehouse today!”
“That’s right! We’re all in this together with Adrian. We’re not taking sides, but rather, we’re just choosing to stand on the right side!”
“Mr. Gray, think about it carefully. Otherwise, the company will eventually go bankrupt and shut down!”
Lucas shook his head regretfully. “I just gave you guys a chance, but unfortunately, you gave it up yourselves.”
Jimmy and the other five all frowned in bewilderment, failing to understand what Lucas meant.
At this juncture, the sounds of a noisy commotion filled the air. A group of people came out from the corner outside the warehouse and walked over with bizarre gaits. Their bodies were swaying unsteadily, and many of them were limping or hopping over on one leg. All of them were grimacing and hissing in pain.
At the front, the two bodyguards in black were carrying a person whose limbs were obviously broken and hanging loosely while walking toward Lucas.
Looking at these people who didn’t seem to be behaving normally, Adrian panicked and subconsciously took two steps back. Pretending to be composed, he asked, “Who... who are these people?”
Lucas gibed with a smile, “What? Can’t you recognize your best buddy?”