James walked into the elevator with a look of dignity on his face.
"So, I'm really in danger now. I have offended a lot of people before, and these directors must be
pissed off at me."
He smiled as if to mock his current predicament. It was not an exaggeration. He had to answer for what
he had done before.
"No, it shouldn't be so serious. After all, we all know that although you are sometimes difficult to deal
with, you just got to do what you got to do. And what you did is how you see fit for the benefit of the
company. The company is thriving because of your efforts. If it were someone else who is in charge of
it, they wouldn't have run the company as well as you."
James was experienced and knowledgeable, so he knew every twist and turn of running a massive
company. This type of situation wasn't particularly new to him.
"Well, it's just temporary. Besides, we can't predict the future. Times always change. The only thing that
we can be certain not to change is the fact that we are still moving forward."
It came in a whim, and Jacob turned into an eloquent man who spoke wise words. James nodded in
silence. He clearly understood what his nephew meant.
"But there is one more thing I'm worried about. The rules you proposed for the board of directors may
cause internal conflict and the whole thing might end up in discord."
James frowned as he spoke with a worried tone. Such a thing was the most difficult to deal with.
Especially when it came to the interests of most people, it was inevitable that many would still resist.
There was only one person who resisted, and that was considered a minor conflict. But if there were
many of them who opposed at once, that would be a straight up rebellion. Although the current
situation seemed still under control, the new rules for directors had somehow harmed everyone's
interests.
"When there are too many people resisting, we're not sure we have enough intel and manpower to
handle them. But still, I don't regret making such a decision." Jacob, too, was full of confidence. Even
though the current situation indeed seemed that the odds were against him, he could not afford to
succumb to fear.
"I understand. I will try my best to help you solve these things, so you don't need to worry about not
having someone to support you. I'm here with you every step of the way." James gave him a smile, and
just then, the elevator door opened. Someone was coming in, and Jacob was headed to the CEO's
office on the top floor.
"Thank you, Uncle." He nodded, and his assistant, Cindy, suddenly came in a hurry.
"Mr. Jacob, you came to the company earlier than usual. What changed?" She greeted Jacob first and
looked at James.
"Well, where are you going in such a hurry?" Jacob kept his calm demeanor. It looked as if he was a
little gentler than usual.
"Here's the thing. There's a certain very important document that I left in my office yesterday after I
read the whole thing. But I can't find it today. I must have misplaced it here somewhere."
The feeling of nervousness was suddenly reflected in her eyes. It seemed that it was a big deal.
"Well, what document, exactly? Tell me in detail so I can help you. How come you can't find it?"
Troubles always came to him as if he was a natural magnet for them. The whole thing didn't even
surprise him, such problems were just another day in the office for him.
"It's a newly signed document—an annual report from the other company. There are detailed plans
about the company's future organized in that file. What I'm worried about is that it's confidential. I
should have reported it to you today, but I just can't find it anywhere."
The guilt on her face became more and more apparent. She knew exactly that if she really lost it
somewhere, that alone would mean a great loss for the company.
"Did you just come down to look for the document?" He raised his eyebrows as if being skeptical. He
thought about the fact that he observed his assistant in a hurry just a moment ago.
"No, I just went downstairs to check the surveillance video, but I didn't see anything significant that
helped me with my search. I couldn't find a single clue of someone prying around the office, and there's
nothing lost or moved except for the document."
Cindy was beginning to feel extremely anxious. Understandably, it was the first time in her career that
she had encountered something like this.
"It's okay. Don't worry about it. Let's see if we can work something out to compensate for the loss. If it
seems that we really lost it, we can sign another document with that company and declare our loss. It
won't be much of a problem," James softly said.
It was rather unexpected knowing that such a big problem just happened, but James managed to keep
his cool and immediately thought of a way to solve it.
"Okay, I'll try my best. If it turns out that I really lost it, I'll gladly take responsibility and accept any
punishment."
She bowed her head while the look on her face remained in a disenchanted expression.
However, Jacob didn't have the heart to scold her. He thought about ways to solve the problem instead
of wallowing in disappointment. "It doesn't matter. It has happened and the document surely wouldn't
just lose by itself. Someone must have a strong motive to steal it away. It's not your fault so I won't
punish you for neglecting your duties. That would be unfair."
She nodded vigorously and she felt like someone just pulled a thorn in her heart after hearing what her
boss had to say.
"Thank you, Mr. Jacob. I will try my best to find it. Don't worry." She nodded again, and proceeded to go
off her away to find the document. It was the most important task right now. Although she didn't know
where to start finding it, she believed that as long as she was certain that it was lost in the office, there
would naturally be some clues left that she could use.
As soon as the elevator door opened, she rushed out. Meanwhile, Jacob couldn't help but also think
about the document, but James was carefully observing Cindy from behind.
"I know for myself that Cindy is a good assistant. If she can't find it, it's not wise to put the blame
entirely on her, even if it results in a company loss." James tried to cover her.
"Well, I know that, Uncle. I don't plan to blame her for this. I'm not new to this company. Her
contributions to keep this company running is a great asset. I know that."
Jacob nodded in agreement as he also observed Cindy disappear from his sight.
Even a person as annoying as Jonathan had the reason to stay in the company. So there was every
possible reason for such a hardworking person like Cindy to stay in the company as well.
Despite the challenges of unexpected turns that happened, it could be forgiven as long as it was not
directly a mistake that resulted out of her incompetence.
Jacob quickly walked back to his office. He had a pile of documents to deal with recently. It was
important for him to keep track of the company's progress with those pile of reports.
As the CEO, he couldn't afford to show weaknesses. It was inevitable that he would be working extra
hours in order to gain a deeper understanding of the company's situation.
He sat in the office and poured himself a cup of tea. The taste of tea for him had recently grown bitter,
and he thought that it was probably a mere psychological effect.
Two photo frames could be seen sitting comfortably on the desk. One was a photo of his father, and the
other was a photo of him and Sara together. Now he finally had a legitimate reason to put it here
aboveboard.
He took a sip of his tea. Just last night, he remembered that James mentioned something about a
dream involving his father.
What kept him unsettled by that news was the fact he never once saw his father in a dream since he
passed away. It was strange enough on its own.
Perhaps it was because his father passed away without any sort of regrets that he knew of. Nostalgia
washed over him and he felt the need to take a moment of silence to honor his father's memory.
He took a glance at the photo once again, and let out a faint sigh.
'I hope I can fulfill your wish, father. I hope I can keep your company intact. I know you worked and
fought hard for this your entire life. Although I can feel it's difficult now, I will try my best and make you
proud, ' he thought.
Lucky for him, James was still around to work with him and offer some support so he wouldn't feel that
he was alone in the fight. Without his guidance, he would be like a sitting duck, waiting for the wrath of
his powerful enemies.
Every step he took could be trap. It felt like being in a minefield. He couldn't afford to instantly trust
everyone around him, because they could be an enemy accomplice that he knew nothing about.
So it was only reasonable that he had to worry about the company's status. Of course, there was a
possibility that he might not be able to keep the company after all, but he kept his optimism and
decided that he would hold on until the very end.
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