This was definitely one of the lowest moments the company had ever been in.
Jacob looked at the two men in front of him and felt sad.
"What does the board of directors think of this matter? I need your opinion on how we are to deal with
these men." Jacob gestured to the two men before him as he asked the others in the room. His tone
was serious.
Both Kim and Allan trembled as they looked at the board members. Even though they already knew the
result, they were still hoping that someone would speak up for them.
"Mr. Jacob, we think that it's best if you would make the decision. We appreciate that you informed us
of the matter. But it is inappropriate for us to interfere. We believe that you will deal with this fairly, with
the company's best interest in mind,"
said a seasoned member. He was one of the older board members, and served the longest. He echoed
the members' thoughts on the matter. The board did not want to offend Jacob, nor did they want to
further humiliate the men involved. But their main motive was to protect themselves and not meddle.
Kim and Allan felt disappointed. Jacob then stood up.
"In that case, these are my decisions. I will take over the shares of Kim and Allan. They will be
removed as directors in the company. We will never employ or do business with them ever again. I will
also take responsibility of explaining this matter to the other company. I will announce the result as
soon as I am done. However, I will not disclose the process."
After his announcement, Jacob eyed everyone in the room who seemed relieved about his decision.
James squinted his eyes. At that moment, he finally figured out what Jacob was really up to. No
wonder his nephew was calm and confident. Jacob even concealed his plan to him.
But his concealment was also the right decision. It only showed Jacob's wisdom and ingenuity in
dealing with the problem.
"Does anyone have any question? Anyone?" Seeing that nobody spoke or objected, Jacob quickly
added, "Alright then, it's done." The board of directors nodded their heads. But Jonathan had a hard
expression in his face.
Kim and Allan didn't dare say anything. They made a huge mistake. They were lucky they wouldn't end
up in jail. But their future was now in jeopardy.
Getting fired and their shares taken away was a major blow to their professional and personal lives. But
their biggest problem was yet to come. They were still to face some vengeful people in their future.
"Of course, in order to not completely ruin their lives, I will do my best to help them with the current
problems they are facing." Jacob looked at the two men. His eyes were cold. The directors silently
agreed with him and nodded their heads.
Jonathan was livid inside. But he could not reveal his anger. If his anger got the better of him, other
things could be exposed.
"That's settled then," Jacob said. "If there is nothing else, let's call it a day. Meeting adjourned,
everyone."
The board stood up one by one and left the room. But Jonathan remained at his seat and glared at
Jacob. Jacob looked back at Jonathan. He sensed that Jonathan wanted to have a word with him.
Jonathan stood up and said, "Watch your back. You were lucky this time. I'm not so sure about the
next." Jonathan was fierce with his warning. James looked at him, his eyebrows raised.
"I don't know what you mean, Jonathan," Jacob said as he leaned back on his chair, ready to accept
the challenge from his cousin.
"Just a fair warning. You know exactly what I mean," Jonathan said before walking out of the door.
After he left, James revealed the pen-recorder he was holding. "What do you think, Jacob? Should we
make this public?"
Jacob shook his head. "There's no need for it, Uncle."
Cindy was sitting quietly in the corner. She was writing down the meeting minutes. The three of them
were the only ones left in the room.
Jacob noticed that Cindy wanted to say something before she stopped herself. She was still bothered
about her involvement in the matter. "Everything's okay now, Cindy. I told you we'll be able to solve this.
You don't have to worry about it anymore. You can take the next three days off. You deserve it."
Jacob paused for a moment, then said, "By the way, about the matter with Kim, I already made my
decision in front of everyone. I have nothing more to say about it. It's my way of showing mercy. I hope
that came across considering the circumstances. Go home now. Take some rest. Get the most of your
three-day off. I know you're going to work harder once you come back. The company needs you."
Cindy was teary-eyed. "I know why you did it, Mr. Jacob. And I wouldn't dare plead for Kim. He was at
fault."
Jacob paused and said, "Thank you, Cindy. And I'm sorry it turned out this way. But I think it's still
possible for the two of you to start over."
Cindy nodded as she wiped her tears. "Thank you, Mr. Jacob. I'll take my leave and do my best when I
come back."
Jacob nodded.
When the two men were finally alone, Jacob looked out the window and said, "I'm sorry I've hidden this
from you, Uncle. But it's all settled now."
James smiled. "It's perfectly alright. I'm actually impressed. So the contract was not lost after all."
Jacob was surprised. "How do you know that?" he asked.
James smirked at him. "I figured as much. I didn't expect you to be this clever. I'm proud of you. You're
almost as smart as me now."
Jacob laughed. He kept his eyes on the window and looked at the expanse below. He imagined how
people could feel afraid when they climbed to such great heights.
"It was a strategy. We should be more careful. I have a hunch that there is something someone wishes
to hide from us, some loose ends that we need to fix. And we have to solve them privately."
"You're right. It's better to keep it quiet. We'll lose in the arena of public opinion if everything comes out
before the right time. Don't let the third party know about your moves. It could cause a lot of trouble."
James walked around the room. He first looked at the door to check if someone was listening. Then
looked at the empty chairs one by one.
Jacob appreciated his uncle's cautiousness. He made it a point to be cautious himself. He learned that
from his uncle.
James breathed a sigh of relief once he finished scanning the room and found nothing suspicious.
"Are you going to see Sara today? You look really tired as of late. How about you go and see her
tomorrow after seeing Mr. Wang," James suggested.
Jacob nodded. "I should, shouldn't I? But I don't know what will happen tomorrow. Maybe the other
party might irrevocably terminate the contract. That's why I don't want to take any risk."
James agreed, "Yes, I'm also worried about this. I saw the board's expression. Some of them are still
very wary and confused. Be careful. Don't take things too lightly."
Jacob nodded and looked back again outside. Spring was about to arrive. But here in the north, it's not
as apparent.
The next day, James and Jacob were waiting for Mr. Wang in the meeting room.
It made them feel anxious. Time seemed to pass by so slow.
Jacob straightened his tie, and kept drumming his knuckles on the table. A sign of nervous energy. Mr.
Wang was scheduled to arrive anytime now. They agreed to have this meeting three days ago. But he
was already unusually late. Mr. Wang was taking forever to show up.
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