[96]
“What did he say? Twenty billion for canceling the contract? Josh targeted Mountain Pte’s financial condition, which he knew was in disarray. Although Leonel realized late that the man who still looked at him with a cunning grin had deceived him, Leonel knew one thing that needed to be done.
“Fine. Let’s cancel the contract,” Leonel confidently declared. He still held the button to continue shifting the unfinished presentation slides. The room immediately filled with victorious laughter from Josh, but Leonel ignored it. He chose to keep challenging Josh’s gaze, also glancing briefly at the two individuals who had been observing the course of the meeting.
The representatives from Jena.
“For the Director and Deputy Director,” Leonel said, disregarding the lingering laughter. “Don’t let yourselves be deceived by the help Josh Corp provides.”
“Have you been trying to slander my associates for a long time?” Josh couldn’t believe what Leonel was saying, but he had already suspected it. “Jena and Josh Corp have been working together for a long time. The collaboration has been going well. Isn’t that right, Director?” Josh asked. “No need to answer. It will only hurt Leonel’s feelings.”
The Jena representatives didn’t immediately respond; they exchanged glances because they knew what they were experiencing was similar to Leonel’s situation. If they spoke up, Jena would heavily depend on Josh Corp. It would take a little while for significant losses to occur within Jena.
“A compensation of twenty billion,” Leonel repeated. “What about our claim regarding…?” Leonel refocused his attention on the pointer in his hand. The following slide appeared. “Defamation and deliberate intimidation of Mountain with partnership offers.”
Leonel displayed photos showing Emir and several of Josh’s henchmen. Also, several locations were where meetings took place with influential media figures, both online and offline.
“So, you want to sue me because of these photos? Let me tell you the truth, Leonel!” Josh laughed. But then the laughter began to fade as clear recordings played on the screen. Many recordings showed Emir’s orders, along with his trusted associates, to do what Josh requested.
There was also evidence of envelopes containing bribe money being handed over discreetly. All those instructions were coordinated to prevent Leonel from doing anything about the events in Cattle Village. Because of Josh’s orders, Leonel couldn’t even gather any information from the media that reported on it.
“Boss doesn’t want any mistakes and wants to suppress all searches about Leonel and Ester’s past. The main focus is Leonel’s mistake of having an affair with Ester.”
Emir’s words were audible in the recorded video that Leonel played. Ester’s confession during a press conference held when various heated issues shook Mountain, all orchestrated by Josh, was not limited to the recordings. Leonel blatantly showed evidence of meetings between the model and Josh.
Josh fell silent. He clenched his fists tightly. His gaze sharpened on Leonel, who was now grinning thinly.
“I demand compensation for this action,” Leonel’s gaze shifted to Chris, who was busy taking notes. “Chris, how much loss have I suffered from this fabricated gossip?”
“The estimated loss is three billion dollars, Mr. Leonel.”
“Note it down.”
Josh sneered. “The stupidity of a Mountain Pte leader is now evident.” He clapped his hands loudly. “You should be grateful that I handled the affair with Ester discreetly. Instead, you’re blaming me for it.”
“Sooner or later, the affair between Ester and me will become public knowledge. I won’t be able to continuously suppress the news that will emerge about us, especially as Ester’s career continues to rise.” Leonel folded his arms across his chest. “Furthermore, I don’t justify my actions as something good. Not at all. But in the world of entrepreneurs, having a mistress is commonplace.” Leonel stared intently at Josh, whose anger flared. “What I’m saying is true, right, Director?”
The Jena Director fell silent. His eyes seemed to plead for assistance to redirect Leonel’s question, but unfortunately, his deputy bowed his head instead. It made the middle-aged man chuckle awkwardly.
“Or should I also expose your affair with your secretary?” Leonel remarked.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
“Mind your boundaries, Leonel,” Robby warned. “Jena is not our realm to discuss.”
Initially, the Director appeared pale, but upon hearing Robby’s voice, he sighed with relief.
“Forgive me, sir. I have indeed gone too far,” Leonel slightly bowed his head, apologizing.
Josh applauded once again. “Is there anything else you want to accuse me of?”
Leonel looked at Josh again, but this time there was no smirk on his face. “In the end, it seems that we both know. Our affair was exposed so widely. To the point where Ester couldn’t do anything because initially, she was praised and portrayed as a sad woman due to my actions in Cattle Village. But in reality? Once the truth was revealed, she received the most criticism.”
“You’re defending your affair?” Josh laughed uproariously. “Are you serious? Oh my, God! I can’t believe hearing this from Leonel Grisham. Whose marriage was celebrated as the happiest and used as an example? Your wife, oh… I mean, your ex-wife must have been unfortunate, right?” Josh still didn’t want to stop laughing. “Your fate is so bad, marrying someone who ends up defending their affair instead of their spouse.”
Leonel let Josh’s many remarks pass by. He listened attentively, occasionally catching glimpses of the two Jena individuals giving him scornful looks, still waiting. It wasn’t time for him to speak yet.
“You shouldn’t have gotten married. And you, honorable Mr. Robby, how can your prideful son speak like this? As if affairs and the spread of rumors are normal?” Josh stood up, banging the table slightly and glaring disapprovingly at the people before him. “There’s a woman you’ve hurt over there. You don’t even think about her!”
“What’s it to you, Mr. Josh?” Leonel spoke softly. “As far as I can remember, Chloe has never had any involvement with you. I admit we attended the same alma mater, but during our marriage, it’s up to you whether you want to curse or insult me however you like-I accept it openly. I am at fault. I openly admit my mistakes to Chloe.”
Josh looked extremely satisfied as he smiled. That was what Leonel needed to know-that hurting Chloe meant Josh wouldn’t hesitate to take action. No matter how he would make Leonel understand what it meant to feel heartbreak. Chloe couldn’t retaliate, so Josh would be the one to act.
“But that’s not my point, and Josh,” Leonel abandoned the polite address for Josh. He didn’t care that his steps brought him closer to the figure staring at him sharply. They challenged each other through unyielding gazes. “What’s your business in this? Do you love my wife?”
Josh wiped the smile off his face. His hands clenched tightly once again.
“Seeing your silence, I finally understand why all this is directed at me. I am also certain that Chloe wouldn’t do this to Mountain. My ex-wife is very kind. She was so kind that I was too foolish to realize how her heart was always filled with immense love, especially for my parents. Hurting Mountain is the same as hurting both of them.” Leonel stepped forward, patting Josh’s shoulder. “If you truly love my ex-wife, make her happy. Not…” The pointer in Leonel’s hand was directed back to the slide on the wall.
Once again, the screen displayed a highly anticipated recording Leonel wanted to show Josh.
“Boss, we have asked the workshop to customize the target car according to your wishes.”
“Don’t let anyone suspect anything.”
“All right, Boss.”
“Remember one thing: the car should not become the vehicle that delivers the death of the woman I’m targeting.”
“Yes, Boss. We have already coordinated with the workshop. We have also observed the driving behavior of the woman, as you informed us. Everything is under control.”
“Good. Keep me updated on the progress.”
Josh’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Oh… it’s not over yet. There’s more.”
Then the video showed someone working on the car that Chloe frequently used daily. It played with a time gap of several days, and in the CCTV footage, someone delivered a black bag that appeared to contain cash. One day after the transaction, Chloe’s car was involved in an accident, causing her blindness for several months.
“So, this is what you call love, Josh?”
“How dare you slander me like this!!!” Josh shouted.
“What did you say?” Leonel laughed. “Slander? With such clear evidence, you call it slander? Explain that, then. Or explain the evidence related to Chloe’s car still in the workshop. A car or vehicle involved in an accident can bring bad luck again. That’s why I didn’t fix it at all. I let it become a useless pile of scrap metal. I can replace Chloe’s car in the blink of an eye. But because of that, I finally learned that the car had been tampered with in its braking system.”
Josh growled in frustration.
“Are you still going to argue?”
“Can that be used as evidence to incriminate me? It’s just a phone recording that can be manipulated.”
Leonel laughed loudly. “Who’s the foolish one now? Do you think I would mention this recording without verifying it? The truth is, Josh, everything has been authenticated. Even the call duration and the phone number you used in Singapore. And the perpetrator, who works at the workshop, is already in police custody. They will strengthen all the legal charges you will face, Josh.”
Would Josh give up just like that? Certainly not.
“There’s one more thing, Josh. I will never forgive everything you’ve done. I won’t withdraw any of the complaints filed with the police.” Once again, the screen changed. This time, Emir met with someone known as the owner of the sedan that almost took Tian’s life. Although the man didn’t admit his actions to the police, Chris had his way of making him confess.
And everything was recorded meticulously by Leonel.
“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me!!!” the man in the video shouted. “Yes, I was instructed to steer the car toward a group of students coming out of the school gate. The goal was to harm them, regardless of how many students would get injured!” The man spoke in a low voice. “ARGH!!! I’ve told the truth! Forgive me. Don’t kill me!!!”
Then everything turned black. The screen that had adorned the meeting room wall became bright again.
“Do you have any defense, Josh?” Leonel asked with a cunning smirk. “While I’m feeling generous, before you’re arrested and charged with numerous offenses, especially premeditated murder, against my ex-wife and the child of a prominent Grisham family lawyer.”
Josh released a satisfied laugh and took out a revolver from his pocket.
It was utterly unexpected for Leonel. In disbelief, his eyes widened at what Josh had in his hand.
“What if the barrel of this gun does the talking?” Josh said with a smug grin. “I don’t care about your accusations, Leonel. You will regret saying all of this.” Josh aimed the pistol at Robby. “Especially for you. This bullet will be unleashed soon.”
“DAD!”
The gunshot echoed loudly, accompanied by a collapsing body drenched in blood.