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“It was Simon Grant,” the guard said, eyes full of anger.
“He came out personally to welcome Oli Medical. We couldn’t stop him.”
Adrian’s expression turned ice-cold.
Simon Grant was Umbrella’s vice president.
The Cross family had trusted him deeply, and inside the company, he had ranked just below them.
He held considerable authority.
He had not expected this man to be the first to betray them.
“Gather a few guards and come with me,” he said, a cold, humorless smile on his face.
“Yes, sir.”
The guard hurried off to call the others.
“Mr. Cross.”
As Adrian entered the office building, every employee he passed greeted him respectfully.
Some, however, could not hide the pity or disdain in their eyes.
‘The deck needs to be reshuffled.
Anyone standing in my house while dreaming of a new boss has to go.’
There were bound to be more people like him inside Umbrella.
Too many were desperate to distance themselves from him and flatter whoever they thought would become the next owner.
People who chased power existed everywhere.
But if they could not even read the situation, they had no one to blame when they were cleared out.
“Mr. Cross, Simon Grant took the people from Oli Medical straight to your office. I’m so angry I could scream.”
A woman in a tailored business suit hurried toward him on high heels, her expression tight with frustration.
Evelyn Shaw had been sponsored through school by Adrian’s parents years earlier.
After graduation, her competence had earned her a permanent place at his side.
“Backstabbing rats,” he said coldly.
“Let them make as much noise as they want. They’ll still be packing their things by the end of the day.”
A moment later, the group stepped into the elevator and headed for the sixth-floor executive office.
As soon as he and Evelyn were gone, the employees began whispering.
“Do you think Mr. Cross is going to sell the company?”
“I think he has to. This buyer is just offering too little.”
“Exactly. No matter how bad things are, buying the whole company for one hundred million is ridiculous.”
“Honestly, Mr. Cross is the problem. If you ask me, selling would be better. Otherwise, we might not even get paid this month.”
“That’s true. I hope some powerful group buys us. I don’t want to end up unemployed.”
“What is wrong with you people? The company has never missed payroll, even when things were hard.”
“It hasn’t missed payroll yet. That doesn’t mean it never will. I heard the debt is two billion.”
Many employees despised the turncoats switching sides, but worry still pressed on them.
If Umbrella was sold, would they still have jobs?
Good work was hard to find, especially at a company with benefits as solid as Umbrella’s.
At that moment, inside the general manager’s office, a heavyset middle-aged man with rough stubble lounged in the executive chair with a cigar between his teeth.
Beside him, Simon Grant adjusted his glasses and spoke with open admiration.
“Mr. Quinn, you have a complete picture of Umbrella’s finances. Adrian Cross cannot hold out much longer. If he is smart, he will agree. Even if he is stupid enough to refuse, we can still buy it through a court auction before long.”
“Are you an idiot?” Victor Quinn snapped.
“If it goes to auction, how are we supposed to buy it for one or two hundred million?”
He knew perfectly well that even after bankruptcy, Umbrella could sell for well over a billion through the courts.
Even with friendly contacts keeping the auction quiet, the amount he had prepared would never be enough.
That was why he had come today.
He wanted to buy Umbrella before bankruptcy stripped away his leverage.
Bang.
The door opened, and Adrian walked in with Evelyn beside him.
“Are you leaving on your own, or do I have security throw you out?”
His gaze swept over the two men from Oli Medical and finally landed on Simon Grant, cold and empty of warmth.
“Come now, Mr. Cross,” Quinn said, completely unfazed by his attitude.
“No need to get so worked up. I came today with complete sincerity to discuss business.”
In Quinn’s eyes, the young chairman’s anger was nothing more than the last flare of pride before the end.
He was just a young man.
A little pressure, a little bait, and soon enough he would be begging Oli Medical to acquire the company.
“Mr. Cross, the company is already hollowed out,” Simon began.
“Without outside capital, bankruptcy is inevitable. Mr. Quinn came here today with real sincerity. I…”
“Move aside,” Adrian cut in.
“What are you, exactly? Who gave you permission to speak?”
The words hit Simon hard enough that his face flushed, then went pale.
“You… you should know what is good for you. Once the company goes bankrupt, you…”
He did not finish.
The look in Adrian’s eyes drained the blood from Simon’s face.
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