Chapter 796 Miscalculation
Upon receiving the document from Sonia, Daphne left with it, along with the thermos. After she left, Sonia leaned back in her chair. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she breathed out a sigh of relief.
All of a sudden, she was realizing how much Daphne had changed during this period. The Daphne from the past was stern, all business, and so devoid of facial expression as to be intimidating.
However, this Daphne was different. Not only was she no longer as strict and inflexible, but she had warmed and gentled to the point where she could even joke around with Sonia. A good example was a few minutes ago when she had dared to tease Sonia.
Moreover, it seemed like her sense of style had changed from before. Although the changes weren’t too obvious and she still wore the same old black-colored business suit and A-line skirt, she no longer wore heels and had switched them out for a pair of soft-soled shoes instead.
That said, Sonia wasn’t going to put too much thought into it. Perhaps Daphne had grown bored of heels and simply wanted to try out a new style. Even though Daphne didn’t often dress up, she was still a woman. And like many other women, she still wanted to look pretty sometimes.
With that thought in mind, Sonia shook her head with a small smile and picked up her cell phone to let Toby know that she was having someone deliver him stew. However, before she did so, she checked her Messenger to see if he had replied to her.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t. That alone showed her how busy he was during this period.
Sighing, she speedily tapped out a few words on the screen. After checking to make sure that there were no errors, she sent the message. And then, once it was sent, she exited the app and picked up her pen to begin working.
Meanwhile at the large factory under the Fuller Group banner, Toby finally finished inspecting the various workshops and departments in the plant. He then emerged through the front doors wearing a white protective suit.
The moment Tom saw Toby, he strode over. “President Fuller.”
Instead of going with Toby to inspect the factory, he had been out and about handling the matter with Damon, and had only just managed to rush to the factory in time to wait for Toby to emerge.
Taking off his suit and tossing it to Tom, Toby asked, “Did you get everything handled?”
“Yes.” Tom nodded above the protective suit in his arms. “With the audio recording, Damon and his lackeys will be unable to explain things away. I’ve handed everything I heard over to the police, and the police have contacted the Business Investigation Department for arrests. They scared Damon’s lackeys so much that the lackeys naturally capitulated and confessed to everything Damon was doing. With the way this is going, Damon will be jailed for at least 10 years.”
At that, Toby smiled coldly. “In gratitude for him being a founding member of the Fuller Group, I once hinted at him to keep in line and cede his place to the younger generation before he became hated by them, but he would not listen. It’s his own fault that he’s ended up this way.”
While Toby would admit that he wasn’t a good person, he would not say that he was a bad one. All along, he had treated those who contributed to the Fuller Group with a measure of kindness and tolerance.
As long as these people minded their place, he could sometimes provide them with the highest honor. Yet, there were always people who assumed he was easily bullied and would pick on him in order to get things that weren’t theirs. Since that was the case, they couldn’t blame him for being merciless.
Just like that, something so cold flashed through Toby’s eyes, and anyone who saw it would have shuddered.
“You’re right.” Tom nodded in approval behind Toby.
The thing was, Tom couldn’t understand what those people were thinking either. As a shareholder, they didn’t even have to do anything to earn money. Wasn’t that a good thing?
It was ridiculous for them to still be fighting for power at their age, especially when what they held was nothing in comparison to what Toby did. Even if they got that bit of power, who would they pass it to after they died? Their layabout, good-for-nothing children?
At any rate, those who didn’t calculate their odds before trying to stir up a fuss deserved the end they met with. By now, Damon was already 60. When he was released from prison, he would be 70, and his health would already have been wrecked by his stay. What would it all have been for?
Feeling nothing but scorn for Damon and his gang, Tom curled his lip.
“By the way, President Fuller, you were right. After finding out that he wouldn’t escape the law this time, Damon made plans to sell his shares. The person he’s chosen is Wesley Barber. He wishes to incite Wesley’s greed and turn Wesley into his successor—your future antagonist,” Tom reported as he walked to the car with Toby.
After narrowing his eyes, Toby sneered, “He’s chosen the wrong person, then. Wesley would never agree.”
Tom chuckled. “You’re also right on that front. Mr. Barber indeed would not take over Damon Lore’s shares.”
“Naturally.” Toby opened his car door and got into the car. “Wesley is obsessed with his art and has never interfered with company affairs in the decades that he’s been a shareholder, let alone been as ambitious as Damon. Clearly, Damon doesn’t understand Wesley. Does he think every shareholder who doesn’t have power or position in the company is as ambitious as him?”
“Indeed! Clearly, Damon doesn’t know that Mr. Barber seeks you out every year hoping you’ll buy his shares from him so that he can use the money to search for his own artistic spirit.” Pushing his glasses up his nose, Tom continued with a chuckle, “Speaking of which, he’s soon to come and seek you out this year to sell his shares, isn’t he?”
At that, Toby’s expression softened slightly. “Well, I’m not going to buy them. I still need him to be a figurehead. How could I let him go just like that?”
The Wesley Barber that they were referring to was also a founding member of the Fuller Group. Not only did he come from the same batch as Damon, he was also the Fuller Group’s second-largest shareholder, with 5 percent of the company’s shares.
Damon, knowing that he had lost to Toby with no way out and still wanting to leave him with the inconvenience of another enemy, had been prepared to sell the 3 percent of shares that he owned to Wesley. That way, the latter would become ambitious and fight for his side.
Of course, for a shareholder of such a large group, 8 percent of shares was an incredible amount. Any regular person would become greedy and ambitious enough to become dissatisfied with the previous idle lack of rights and decision-making power.
That was why it was actually a smart move on Damon’s end.
However, what he failed to foresee was that Wesley was not a regular person. From the start, Wesley had no intention of remaining at the Fuller Group, nor was he greedy for money and power. His biggest dream was to be able to travel the world with an easel on his back and leave behind nothing but a soulless, enigmatic graffiti-style oil masterpiece. That was why pigs would have to fly before Wesley bought Damon’s shares.
If Wesley had a choice, he would sooner have sold his shares to Damon so that he could extract himself and leave.
The only reason Toby needed some old shareholders to remain at the Fuller Group was to let the outside world know and see that he was not a despot who would switch out the old shareholders the moment he rose to his position. That was why he could not allow Wesley to leave.
That being said, he had reserved Wesley’s shares a long time ago and once Wesley was old enough, Toby would naturally purchase Wesley’s shares and allow the man to leave.
Once Tom heard Toby’s explanation, he laughed gleefully. “Mr. Barber must be so angry right now that he has steam coming out of his ears.”
“He can be placated with a set of the newest oil-painting tools,” Toby answered lightly.
It was obvious just how he appeased the old shareholder every year.
