Jasper and Wendy were locked in conversation when Henry arrived upstairs cooly.
“Were we too rash just now, Jasp?” Now that they were alone, Wendy could not help but voice her concerns.
“They are part of Softwin, after all.”
Jasper smiled. “It’s alright. Our true conflict with Softwin is over Abbylon’s shares. Either we give up, they relent, or we become enemies. Those two only got what they deserved, it’s the consequences of their actions.
“Not to mention that the fundamental conflict between us and Softwin wouldn’t have been solved even if we treated those two well and sent them off politely.”
Wendy sighed and replied, “Everyone’s just trying to do business. Why can’t we all get along?”
“Sure, small businesses can still be nice to each other, but it’s not the same when your business reaches a certain size. There are only so many resources and everyone wants a bigger piece of the pie for themselves. How are we supposed to get along?” Jasper consoled.
At that moment, Henry walked into the room proudly.
“F*cking Hell, I met a Sunriser on crack downstairs. He kept spouting sh*t, so I beat him up,” Henry immediately boasted once he walked through the door.
“I saw,” Jasper told him, “Quite the slaps you gave him.”
Henry’s eyes widened and he asked, “Those two can’t possibly have come from here, could they?”
“Relax, they’re enemies, not friends.”
Jasper recounted the situation briefly.
Henry’s eyes shone as he looked at Jasper and said, “Not bad. Your opponents are getting more and more formidable. You’re even involved with Softwin’s higher ranks.
“That Echo Welch or something, I’ve never met the man but I’ve heard of him.”
“How do you know him?” Jasper gasped.
“Hey, I just told you I’ve never met him. I’ve only heard of his name… Do you have anything to drink? I want something cold, I’m thirsty… Wait, what’s with that shocked face! You don’t think I’m qualified to know people like that, right?” Henry barked out in an upset tone..
Jasper laughed out loud as he pulled out a bottle of Coca-cola from the fridge in the office for Henry. “Tell me what you know about him.”
“You already know his occupation, but he’s also the heir of Trider Financial Group’s extended family in Sunrise Land,” Henry explained after twisting the Coca-cola bottle open and taking a large gulp.
“I thought his surname was Welch?” Jasper asked with a frown.
He had not expected Echo to be related to one of Sunrise Land’s four major conglomerates, the Trider Financial Group. This was hardly good news.
“Okay, so the families of Sunrise Land’s four major conglomerates, Trider, Triton, Sumotomo, and Mizuha, have been around for centuries. Their familial relationships are weird and complicated, so there’s nothing weird with the extended members of the family having different surnames.
“Kayden has more partnerships with Sunrise Lan,d so he knows them better than I do. However, I’ve heard him talk about how the Trider family’s support played a part in Echo assuming Softwin Investment’s Presidency at such a young age.”
Henry held the bottle of Coca-cola in his hands and crossed his legs. Smiling crescent-eyed, he asked Jasper, who had a grim look on his face, “What happened? Worse come to worst, I can always have my dad come out and put in a word for you.
“Even if it’s someone from Trider’s extended family, so what if you hit him? They still respect my dad.
“Now that I think about it, Grandpa and Trider’s Foster used to know each other. Then something happened and their relationship turned sour. But that was decades ago, so no one cares about it anymore.”
Jasper glared at Henry and spoke, “Do I look like that kind of person? I’m just thinking about how Echo will be planning to take revenge later.”
“Who cares? Didn’t you say you two were fighting over some company? If that’s the case, then anything they do will either be to attack you or to try to win that company over. Stop thinking so much and just act,” Henry replied excitedly.
Jasper frowned slightly as he thought about it. While Henry was unreliable most of the time, Jasper realized that the man’s suggestion was the best course of action right now.
No matter what Softwin or Echo did, it would not stray from the main goal attacking JW and trying to get Abbylon to choose them. If that was the case, then there was no point in overthinking.
“Help me contact Wayne and Jose. I’ll treat them to a meal in the afternoon,” Jasper turned to tell Wendy.
Wendy nodded and left the room.
“Why’d you come to see me today?” Jasper asked.
Henry sighed but remained silent.
“What’s up?” Jasper looked up in confusion. He was intrigued the moment he saw an embarrassed expression on Henry’s pinkish cheeks.
“I didn’t know there were things Young Master Law was shy about.”
Henry gasped back in horror when he heard Jasper tease him, “Can you be a bit more serious here? I’ve been thinking about it and you’re the only one who can help me.”
Jasper’s curiosity piqued as looked at Henry and asked, “Go on, then. What is it?”
Henry scratched his head. Then, as if he had suddenly decided on something, he told Jasper fiercely, “You have to promise me first that you won’t mock me for this. And you can’t hold this over me or tell anyone. Including my dad and Anna.”
Jasper replied lightheadedly, “Okay, okay, I got it. Now are you going to tell me or not?”
Jasper then twisted open a bottle of Coca-cola for himself and took a few gulps.
Henry scratched his cheek bashfully and explained, letting go of all his inhibitions, “It’s just, f*ck, if nothing goes wrong, I’m dating someone!”
Pfft!
Jasper sprayed Coca-cola all over Henry’s face.
