Chapter 488


    The silence in the office was shattered when Raymond spoke. “We hope that Mrs. Pearson will step in


    and lead the Crossley Group. That’ll allow everyone to settle down and buy us more time.”


    “More time? What for?”


    “Here’s the thing; we’ve been working with Mr. Cnder to pull in more investmentstely. We’ve been


    trying to alleviate some of the Crossley Group’s current predicament, but they didn’t have anyone in


    charge before this. Nopany is willing to work with us, and no bank will loan us any money.”


    Jimmy continued, “However, if Mrs. Pearson takes over Crossley Group, that’ll give everyone more


    confidence in us. They’ll be more willing to cut a deal.”


    Leanna was never one for tact. She cut in, “Are they confident because of me? Or because of Aidan?”


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Jimmy couldn’t help but nce at Raymond. “Well… when you put it like that…”


    Raymond didn’t miss a beat and replied nonchntly, “It’s true that we’re hoping to capitalize on


    President Pearson’s stature. But at the end of the day, you’re the Crossleys’ rightful heir. If you helm


    the family, the employees and partners will feel at ease. Otherpanies and banks will also be willing


    to give Crossley Group another chance on ount of you and thete chairman.”


    Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief. “He’s right. I’ve never met thete chairman, but I’ve heard much about


    him. When the Crossleys almost split up, he was the one who held them together and saved the day.


    You could see his affection for the family. Now that he’s no longer here, I’m afraid you’re the only one


    who can save the Crossley Group, Mrs. Pearson.”


    Raymond and Jimmy kept trying to convince Leanna.


    They had an ace in the hole, and they hoped she would do this for her father’s sake.


    Unfortunately for them, they didn’t know that her biological father was still alive.


    He couldn’t be unaware of Crossley Group’s current straits. Since he wasn’t even going to lift a finger


    to help, it meant that he was displeased with them.


    However, they did make a good point; thousands of employees working for the Crossley Group were


    innocent.


    Leanna shut her eyes. There was a sudden stab of pain in her temple.


    “Mrs. Pearson, we—”


    Jimmy was about to say something when Raymond shushed him.


    Then, Raymond said, “We’veid a lot of new things through. There’s no hurry, and we’ll wait for your


    reply.”


    Leanna nodded, trying hard to hide her relief. “We’ll talk soon, then.”


    He was right; she did need time to digest all this information.


    Meanwhile, Jimmy looked dissatisfied. As soon as they left the office, he burst out, “We wasted so


    much effort to woo her. Are we just going to leave it at that?”


    Raymond was unppable. He said calmly, “Mr. Onder, even if we forced her to agree with us today,


    do you think Aidan would give in so easily when he hears about this?”


    Jimmy hesitated for a couple of seconds before letting out a snort. “Please. By then, things would have


    been finalized, and everyone will have their eyes on us. Not even Aidan Pearson would dare to step


    out of line.”


    “I’m afraid you’ve underestimated Mr. Pearson on this. No one can force him to change his mind if he


    doesn’t want something. The consequences will be damned.”


    Jimmy snorted once again. “If I weren’t so afraid that this whole thing would end up with an egg on my


    face, I wouldn’t have made this trip. I hated looking at that spoiled girl’s face.”


    Although Leroy had fled, he didn’t bring his wife and children, nor did he bring all the property his family


    had amassed. Without any preparations at all, he couldn’t simply escape.


    He had been hiding for some time but would eventually be dug out of his hideout. He’d have to exin


    himself sooner orter.


    Jimmy wondered what sort of exnation Leroy would give them.


    Regardless of whatever happened, Jimmy would not be caught in the crossfire.


    Until then, he had no choice but to help Raymond in wooing Leanna.


    He would have a lot fewer problems as soon as she agreed to take over Crossley Group, after all.


    Raymond chuckled. “Mr. Onder, you know as well as I do that Mrs. Pearson is the Crossleys’ golden


    child. If they ever get back on track, we’ll also end up working for her.”


    Jimmy hastily waved his hand. “Come on, you know the Crossleys as well as I do. They’re a stubborn


    lot. They’ll limp on as long as they can, but they’ll never make aeback. That spoiled princess can’t


    do anything at all. We’re only just using her to distract the outsiders.”


    Raymond made no reply to that, and he merely narrowed his eyes.


    Compared to Jimmy, he was a lot more rxed.


    He knew he had a trump card in his hand, and he wasn’t worried about getting out unscathed.


    The only thing on his mind was when he should use it for the maximum benefit.


    Jimmy then piped up, unable to bear the silence,


    Raymond smiled, slightly surprised. “Why is that so?”


    Jimmy chortled and patted Raymond on the shoulder. After stepping into if thete Lloyd Crossley


    crawls out of the dirt.”


    Raymond rolled his eyes. “You have a sick sense of humor. Lloyd Crossley’s been dead for years.”


    “That’s what I’m trying to say. The Crossley Group is finished.”


    After closing the door to his car, Jimmy continued, “Alright, I’ll get going. I’ll leave the rest to you. I


    never want toe back here again.”


    Raymond nodded. “Drive safe.”


    With that, he watched Jimmy’s ck car drive off.


    Once he was sure Jimmy had left, Raymond’s gaze shifted to the nearby office. His lips curled into a


    curious sneer as he ran through the details of his scheme once again.


    He was interrupted by the beeping of his phone. He nced at the number and picked up the call. In a


    soothing voice, he said, “Yes, Celia?”


    Celia breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his voice. “I finally got to go out today. Are you working? If


    you’re not too busy, can we get dinner?”


    “Of course.” Raymond started the engine. “Speaking of which, you never told me where you moved to.”


    “I’m still in the same neighborhood. I just moved next door to the boss.”


    “Next door?”


    “Yeah. At first, I was worried that the boss’ girlfriend might find out, but he seems to think the safest


    ce to be is out in the open.”


    After being with Raymond for so long, Celia was no longer as guarded or wary. She told him


    everything.


    The only information she withheld was Aidan’s name. She only referred to him as the ‘boss.’


    While ncing at the office, Raymond said, “Well, your boss seems like one smart cookie.”


    “That’s true. However, I lost the floor card once, and he made a big fuss over it. I was scared to death.”


    He sighed. “Why don’t you quit? I can take care of you. You’ve beening out less and less. It’s so


    hard to get together nowadays.”


    “It’s not the right time. The boss has been so good to me. Please, just wait a little longer until things


    settle down.”


    He impatiently drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “What is he waiting for?”