Private matters?
Jasper was stunned.
It was his first time meeting Mr. McNeal,
and the two did not share any personal
friendship. How could there be anything
private to discuss?
Mr. McNeal chuckled but did not explain a
s he rose to retrieve a small box from his
briefcase. As he handed it to Jasper, he
said, “Someone asked me to bring this to
you.”
Jasper opened the box and saw a ruby
pendant.
The pendant was a bright, vibrant red that
glinted when it caught the light.
Obviously, this gemstone was of superb
quality that was rarely found.
Most impressively, a lifelike phoenix had
been carved onto the stone. The
workmanship was exquisite and dainty,
and it was obviously the work of a master.
Jasper did not know much about rubies
and was far from becoming an expert in
the field. However, even an amateur like
him could tell that the ruby pendant was
extremely valuable.
It was so valuable there was no market
price available for it.
“This?”
Jasper held the ruby pendant and turned t
o look at Mr. McNeal in astonishment.
Mr. McNeal grinned and said, “Adele is m
y cousin’s niece.”
Jasper immediately understood.
“It turns out you’re related to Adele, Mr.
McNeal. That explains a lot.”
It was then that his doubts and
unanswered questions were clarified.
Before this, Jasper had always thought M
r. McNeal was a little too enthusiastic and
intimate with him.
Although it was evident that Mr. McNeal
had come over this time as a gesture of
kindness from Swallow Capital, his main
purpose was to come to support him.
However, there was still no need to do so much.
Besides, the evident admiration that shone through his choice of words and actions made it clear that he could not even be bothered to hide it anymore. At that point, he might as well announce to the entire world, ‘Jasper Laine is a junior that I admire and support greatly.”
Such proclamations might not seem odd t
o anyone else, but Mr. McNeal was at senior official in the system. The average person would not even be able to get near the position he held in their entire lifetime. Thus, on many occasions, people would pay attention to his every action, and even his every expression so they could try to decipher hidden meanings within them.
That was also why Mr. McNeal’s identity and status meant that he was destined to make sure he did not go overboard when h e took a stand, that he did not show any expressions he was not supposed to show, and not say anything he was not supposed to say. It was because his attitudes would often be interpreted as an official statement by the public.
However, despite that, Mr. McNeal still
showed a great deal of liking and warmth
towards Jasper.
It turns out that Mr. McNeal was a part of the Brown family, and it was his relationship with Adele that made it so that despite Jasper not having come into contact with anyone from the Brown family before, they would make sure to help each other reap the greatest benefits possible whenever possible.
After all, Swallow Capital was also divided into factions. The waters were even murkier here than compared to other places. It was also why Jasper had rarely extended his developments into Swallow City even until now. His entire being showed his reluctance to get overly involved in politics.
However, change happened whether he wanted it or not. His status now meant he had no way of getting rid of fame or fortune completely. Even if he did not get involved with the Brown family, the King brothers, the Combe brothers, and the
Langdon family would all begin trying to get a feel of his attitude.
It did not mean they had to forge an alliance and do anything. Rather, it was to ensure that everyone would work together and get what they needed while taking care of each other, with the prerequisite that Jasper was destined to fly high all the way.
Seemingly sensing how Jasper was not thinking calmly, Mr. McNeal said pleasantly, “You don’t have to put any pressure on yourself. We don’t have to make any promises or bonds. All you have to do is your own thing, and we’ll discuss everything else at a later time. This can be ignored for now.”
Jasper nodded, feeling slightly relieved.
