Obsessed With Her Novel by Master Momo (Chapters 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280)   

Chapter 271

The middle-aged woman continued, “You’re late. If you were here a few days earlier, you could’ve gotten back some of the money.”

“Thanks,” said Jessica before leaving.

Did he actually cause the professional scammer couple to be locked up? Looks like he’s the only person who will help me. I guess I owe him another favor then. Riley, Danny, and his wife… He has already dealt with these people. However, Jessica was not the slightest bit happy. Instead, there was an emptiness in her heart.

She looked toward the gloomy sky. It was drizzling. Just like her current emotions, it was as if there were no signs of hope.

Do I still have hope?

After spring, everything, including Jessica’s life, calmed down. It was as if nothing much had changed. However, her plan had been developing smoothly, thanks to her effort. She was only waiting for the right time to begin the attack. The peaceful stock market was about to face a bloody war. Meanwhile, in a bleak, dirty alley, was a nameless café that had very few customers.

Its only regulars were a couple.

Yonah drank his coffee as he tried his best to hide the excitement on his face.

As soon as Jessica entered and had taken her seat, the person in front of her said excitedly, “Jess, you’re such a genius! The stock has risen again! Now, more people are coming to me for advice. When shall we begin with our plan?”

Yonah couldn’t wait any longer.

“We can begin now.”

Yonah had been waiting for the moment when he could make a bold move in the financial market.

He laughed happily. “I have been waiting for you to say this.”

Then something came to his mind. “For the past two months, I have earned a commission of about 450 thousand dollars. With the investment’s earnings, that would total up to about 1 million dollars. We should divide this among us. Give me your bank details, and I shall transfer it to you.”

Jessica gulped her fruit juice and said softly, “There’s no need for that. Instead, use the money to build an elementary school for the less privileged. Name it Sunnyside School.”

“But that’s worth about 600 thousand dollars!” Yonah couldn’t help but exclaim.

It’s such a waste to donate it all just like that.

“Just donate it.”

Seeing her emotionless face, Yonah had no choice but to accept her decision.

He had not achieved the state of being able to simply give away such a large sum of money.

“Okay.”

“Get someone else to do it. I need you to focus on the stock market in the coming months.”

“Got it.”

As soon as Jessica left the café, Yonah immediately called up a few company directors he knew from the stock

market. He also reached out to some regular investors from well-established families who had been involved in the stock market for some time.

The wealthy investors were Yonah’s first pick as partners; investors with little capital were practically non-existent to him.

For the past two to three months, he had been worshipped by the people around him. It made him forget that they once looked down on him.

In less than an hour, after Yonah had spread the news, many people started contacting him.

Some of them had earned a large profit by following Yonah’s investment tips.

Meanwhile, the others decided to invest without

hesitation after hearing rumors of Yonah’s brilliance and witnessing their friends earning a huge sum of money from the stock market.

“Honey, are you sure this man can be trusted?” A couple who were dressed in branded clothes were standing outside of Yonah’s office.

“Don’t worry. It’s Yonah. You know him, right? He’s the Stock God who earned more than 150 thousand dollars. Why should I miss the opportunity when he’s willing to guide me this time? I hesitated previously and lost the chance to earn more than 150 thousand dollars. This time, I’m going to follow everything he says.”

Chapter 272

The middle-aged woman was also attracted by the large profit and decided to ignore her concerns.

As soon as they entered the office, a staff member handed them a disclaimer form for them to fill in.

The middle-aged woman was displeased upon seeing the form and frowned. “Once we’ve signed this, does that mean that he is not responsible for anything that happens?”

“Well, you can choose not to sign it. Just take your money and leave. In fact, there are others who can’t wait to get it signed,” the staff said arrogantly.

The duo was slightly angry but did not dare to talk back. After all, nobody would be able to resist the financial temptation.

The middle-aged man summoned his courage and signed the form.

Then the staff said, “Just transfer your money into this account and you may leave.”

“Aren’t you going to give us a receipt?” the wife asked.

“It shall be given once the transfer is successful,” the staff replied with an impatient expression.

“Okay.”

Just as the couple was about to make the transfer, the staff added, “We do not accept transfers lower than 150 thousand dollars.”

“Yes, we know.”

As soon as they made the transfer, the middle-aged man asked politely, “Is Mr. Yonah free at the moment? I was hoping to meet him to discuss some things.”

The staff flashed an impatient look and said, “Mr. Yonah is a busy man. He does not have time to meet you both. Please leave if you have no further business.”

As soon as the couple left, the staff muttered to herself,” They’ve only invested 150 thousand dollars. How dare they ask so many questions and even request to meet Mr. Yonah with such a small investment?”

Just then, the office’s main door swung open and Yonah walked in.

The staff immediately put on a different expression, adjusted her posture, and approached Yonah. She bowed intentionally so that her cleavage was revealed slightly and then greeted in a playful manner, “Hello, Mr. Yonah.”

Yonah’s gaze flashed across her chest, and he quickly put on a calm expression. “How much funds do we have now?” “It has reached 10 million dollars,” the staff answered sweetly.

“Let’s stop once we’ve reached 15 million dollars.”

It has only been three days and we’ve already gained about 10 million dollars. Looks like the title of being a Stock God has been quite useful.

“Okay.”

Five days later, Yonah carried a large sum of money to the stock exchange market and invested it all into two specific stocks that were mentioned by Jessica.

In the beginning, there was a steady growth in the stocks, causing Yonah to be very confident with them.

After a week, the stocks that had been steadily growing had their first slight decline.

However, Yonah was not worried because it was normal to see fluctuations in stock prices.

He continued to live his extravagant life by going to hotels to meet up with various company directors and getting different girls to accompany him every day.

This was the type of life he had never gotten to experience. Yonah felt as if he was starting to climb to the peak of his life. What he didn’t know was that this was the beginning of his downfall.

On the afternoon of the third day, the stocks suddenly dropped to their lowest point.

Yonah was shocked, and he quickly gave Jessica a call.

“Jess, the two stocks have plummeted. Should we sell them off?” Yonah asked in a panic.

The person on the other end of the phone said calmly, “Don’t worry. I have a feeling that it will increase rapidly after this.”

“Really?”

“I have a strong feeling about this.”

Yonah felt a sense of relief after hearing this as he trusted Jessica’s sixth sense.

Chapter 273

“No matter what happens, don’t sell it off. Remember. Never sell them off,” Jessica reminded sternly.

“Okay.” Yonah nodded.

For the next few days, Yonah kept his eyes fixed on the stock market, only to see all the stock prices declining rapidly. Meanwhile, the two stocks he invested in had reached an all-time low.

When he saw that he was slowly losing his funds, he started to panic again.

He dialed Jessica’s number with his trembling hand. “Jess, they have reached the lowest price again. If I keep up with this, I will lose everything. I’m flooded with questions from the investors. I don’t think we can put up with this any longer.”

It will be a disaster if the investors get mad. I don’t know how shall I deal with it.

“Don’t worry, there will be a rise. Tell them that the two stocks you’ve invested in will rise. The drop is only because the stock market is in a bad situation. Once this is over, they will continue to rise.”

“Really?” Yonah was still doubtful.

“If you panic over such a small thing, how are you going to do bigger things in the future? It’s just 15 million dollars. There’s no need to panic. Remember, you’re the Stock God. No one is more powerful than you,” Jessica said, deluding him.

“You’re right. I am the Stock God.” Yonah brainwashed himself. His anxious expression melted, and he was immediately filled with confidence.

“That’s right. Keep up with this confidence.”

Surprisingly, Yonah also used the same method to garner the investors’ trust.

Of course, some were still worried. Hence, they took the opportunity to make him so drunk that he blabbered out the names of the two stocks.

At first, only three of them knew about it. Then, more people came to know about the stock that was bought with their funds.

For the next few days, every investor paid close attention to the stock price.

Unfortunately, there was no miracle. Even after hitting the lowest price for three consecutive days, it continued to drop while the other stocks rose. It was a disaster.

The investors came flooding into Yonah’s office and surrounded him.

“Return our money!”

“Give it back.”

Blood drained from Yonah’s face as he was faced with the furious investors. He put on a brave front and said, “Trust me. It’s all a phase. Soon, the stocks will rise and everyone shall earn a share of the profits.”

“When are you going to stop lying to us?” asked the middle-aged man who came to Yonah’s office to process his investments previously. His face was flushing with anger. “You’ve all got to trust me. It will rise.” Yonah tried his best to convince them, but no one was willing to believe him because he said the same thing too many times.

“Then tell us, when will it rise?”

Left with no choice, Yonah said, “Next month. It will rise from next month onwards.”

As soon as Yonah finished his sentence, someone in the group received the latest news, and his expression immediately changed. He pointed at Yonah and yelled, “He’s lying! The two companies have been declared bankrupt. Our money is gone. It’s gone.”

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.

They were so furious that they had practically lost their minds.

Someone in the crowd yelled, “Let’s beat up this liar!”

It was as if the crowd had received an order. They immediately pushed the two security guards away and dragged Yonah out to beat him up.

“No. Stop. Please don’t! I wasn’t lying to all of you!” His voice was drowned in the angry shouts.

Nobody was willing to believe him anymore. Besides, they were too furious to control their anger.

Twenty minutes later, Yonah’s face was covered in blood. There were bruises all over him, and he looked as if he was run over by a car. He was in so much pain that he could not move.

Chapter 274

Yonah opened his mouth, and his front tooth moved. Then he spat out a mouthful of blood, only to find that a few teeth had come out as well.

“Get out of the way.”

Suddenly, someone charged from the back of the crowd with a knife in his hand.

Yonah was so frightened that he yelled, “I’m not the Stock God! Someone else is! She’s the one who has your money.” The man with the knife grabbed Yonah by his collar and lifted him up. “What did you say? Explain yourself. If you’re not the Stock God, then who is? Exactly who is holding onto our money?”

Although everyone was shocked, they felt slightly hopeful. The frightened Yonah looked at the murderous-looking investors and said with caution, “It’s Ms. Jessica from the Larson family. She is the real Stock God. I am just her puppet. If you want your money, look for her.”

Just like that, he had put all the blame on Jessica.

Since the Larson family is so wealthy, they are definitely able to whip up 15 million dollars to compensate them. Anyway, I am telling the truth. Jessica is the Stock God. “Why should we even believe you?” someone questioned. Yonah immediately replied, “I can prove it to you. I’ll give her a call in front of everyone and you can hear it for yourselves.”

“Okay, do it. If she can prove that you’re right, we will let you go.”

The investors were already plotting something at the back of their heads.

Instead of asking an ordinary man to compensate us, it’s even better to have a large enterprise owner’s daughter do so. That way, we are guaranteed to get our money back.

Everyone calmed themselves.

Under the stares of the crowd, Yonah dialed Jessica’s number with his trembling fingers. A female voice from an automated reply immediately traveled through the speakers.

“Hello, the number you’ve dialed does not exist. Please try again.”

Suddenly, there was a tense atmosphere.

Yonah’s expression changed. His voice trembled as he said slowly, “I-I might have called the wrong number. L…- Let me try again.”

As soon as the second call connected, the cold automated voice replied again.

The atmosphere turned even tenser.

Yonah was on the verge of tears as he faced the terrifying glares from the investors. “P-Please hear me out. It’s true. Ms. Jessica from the Larson family is the Stock God. She has your money, not me.”

Yonah kept convincing himself in his mind.

This has nothing to do with me. It’s all Jessica’s fault. It’s all her fault.

“Evidence. We want to see some evidence.”

They were actually hoping that the daughter of Larson Group was the person behind all this. That way, they would be able to get their money back.

However, it would be impossible for them to demand this without any evidence. No one would admit their wrongdoings without any proof.

An idea suddenly came to Yonah, and he said hurriedly,” Yes, yes. I am the evidence. In fact, I am your best evidence. I can be your witness. Your money is all with her.”

Most of the investors became silent. Then, a chubby middle-aged man blurted, “I suspect the Larson family invested all our money. They must have worked with this liar to scam us of our money.”

Then another person immediately added, “Yes, I agree. This must be the case. The Larson family must have taken our money. We should demand it back from them.”

The others also caught on and said, “Let’s go get our money back from the Larson family. Let’s go.”

Together, the group of investors headed to the Larson residence, bringing Yonah with them.

Meanwhile, the very couple who were previously looked down upon by the staff followed closely behind. The middle-aged woman whispered, “How can everyone believe the liar so easily? He claimed that it is the Larson family’s doing with no evidence.”

Chapter 275

Her husband rolled his eyes and lowered his voice. “You’re wrong. He might be broken, but the Larson family is loaded. I believe they will pay us eventually as long as we have a witness and insist that the Larson family did it. They can’t afford to allow us to cause a scene.”

“Are you sure? Don’t we need more evidence?” The middle-aged woman was confused.

The husband tried to explain, “The same thing happened years ago. Though there was no concrete evidence, the company paid when the news broke out, and people started to make a fuss. Those big companies will try to patch up their reputation through the compensation.” The lady gasped in surprise. She lowered her voice and asked, “Are they doing the same thing now?”

The husband nodded. “We’ll follow from behind. Try not to attract too much attention.”

The couple murmured between themselves for some time. The security guard was shocked to see a group of people rushing into the Larson Group building. He notified the company director right away.

“What? What debt?” James was confused when he heard the news.

The Public Relations Department manager was puzzled as well. “They said that we used the name ‘Stock God’ and defrauded 15 million dollars from them. They are protesting by the front door and demanding us to pay them back.”

“What? Stock God? 15 million dollars?” James was baffled. I want you to investigate what exactly is going on.” Every employee of the Larson Group found out about the protest within 20 minutes. The company’s director also recognized the man who led the protest as Mrs. Larson’s relative.

When James heard about this, his blood boiled from anger.

“Yonah accused my company of being the mastermind? I want you to tell them that this is not the truth!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Larson. I’m afraid they won’t listen to us. They insisted that Ms. Jessica is the Stock God and you are merely the middleman,” the Public Relations Department reported truthfully.

Upon hearing this, James immediately realized that they were being framed. Yonah wanted to pin the blame on the Larson family and Jessica for his own mistake. James understood clearly why they chose Jessica as the scapegoat.

Among all his children, Jessica was his biological daughter. Hence, she was the best choice.

James recalled hearing the Quail family bragging about Yonah being a Stock God during New Year’s Eve. And he remembered feeling embarrassed about it. Hence, he would not have bragged about his daughter if she was the Stock God.

He immediately called his brother-in-law, Micah Quail, who was the head of the Quail family. “Micah, how can Yonah do this! How can he blame us when he lost the money of his own accord? Quail is his last name, not Larson! We are not responsible for helping him!”

Micah frowned when he heard the accusation. “James, I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding. I’ll ask him about it personally.”

Meanwhile, Jessica listened attentively to the lecture when she felt her phone vibrating. She waited until the end of the class to check her messages.

It did not surprise her when she saw the news. She expected that Yonah would blame her and the Larson family.

She sent out instructions from her phone before putting it aside. She turned her attention back to the lecture as though she was not related to the ongoing protest.

Half an hour later, media outlets across the country reported that the Larson Group defrauded investors. This incident had caught the Larson’s Group off guard.

Chapter 276

Inside James’ office, the veins on James’ forehead were bulging as he watched the Larson Group’s stock price drop drastically.

“Mr. Larson, the stock price has dropped to its limit.”

James tried hard to contain his anger. “How’s the investigation?”

“Mr. Yonah defrauded those people 15 million dollars and invested the money in stocks. However, with the drop in the stock prices of the two stocks he invested in, he suffered tremendous losses. Since he can’t pay back the money, he thought of accusing us.”

“Hmph,” he sneered coldly. The things Yonah did showed that he had contemplated his plan and that he was smart about it. If he was an idiot, he would accuse the Quail Corporation of defrauding the people rather than the Larson family.

Unfortunately, he had taken advantage of the Larson Group. “Order our men to tell the investors that this is not our doing. If they have proof, let them sue us. One more thing, try to clarify the news report as soon as possible. Stop the news from spreading!”

James was enraged when he saw Julianna and Whitney laughing in the living. “How dare you laugh?”

The mother and the daughter were stunned by his shouting angrily.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Julianna asked in a soft voice.

“What’s wrong?” James glared at her coldly. “Why don’t you ask your nephew what he has done. Is your family trying to ruin us?”

Julianna was ashamed and outraged at his nasty comment, but she did not dare to lash her anger at him. After all, the Quail family still needed the Larson family’s help. She was the Quail family’s daughter. Therefore, she had to help her family in any way she could.

“Tell me who made you angry, and I’ll teach him a lesson,” Julianna pronounced her loyalty.

James scoffed at her and headed upstairs.

Julianna took out her phone and tried to understand what had happened. When she found out about the news, her brows furrowed deeply. She finally understood why James was so mad.

James had helped a few of the Quail family’s younger members when they faced troubles. Those troubles were relatively minor issues. However, Yonah’s actions were different. He had caused Larson Group to face a terrible loss, and Larson Group was James’ most precious asset.

Julianna’s face was gloomy, as she was trying to think of a possible solution. Her eyes lit up when she saw Jessica come home. She quickly walked up to Jessica and gently welcomed her home. “Jess, you are back.”

Different from her mother’s enthusiastic voice, Jessica coldly replied to her mother in a faint voice, “Yes.”

The frown returned to Julianna’s face when she heard the coldness in her daughter’s reply. She was displeased with her attitude.

To her, Jessica was an ungrateful child. She always wore the same blank expression, regardless of how nicely or badly she treated Jessica.

“Jess, can you help me? Please tell me that you are willing to help,” Julianna asked Jessica.

“What is it?”

“Can you tell Dad that you have been trading stocks with Yonah? Tell him that you are the Stock God and Yonah believed you.”

“But I didn’t trade.”

“Secret trading,” Julianna replied.

“But why?” Jessica innocently blinked her eyes and stared at her mother.

Julianna took Jessica’s hand and spoke to her in the most gentle voice she could sound. “You are our child, and it’s your right to inherit the company. And yet, your father preferred Zachary, who is adopted. I’m trying to help you defeat Zachary. So long as you can gain more fame, you will have a greater chance to win Dad’s heart.”

Chapter 277

Julianna’s words were beautifully arranged and full of concern.

In Jessica’s previous life, Julianna used the same tactic before. The first time was when Julianna wanted Jessica to be Whitney’s scapegoat. Now, when Julianna used the same tactic, Jessica knew in her heart that she would be Yonah’s scapegoat.

She complied with her mother’s request in her previous life, as she wanted to make Julianna happy. She was pleasantly surprised to see the tenderness in her mother’s eyes.

Thinking back, she realized how stupid she was. Her mother’s tenderness and familial affection were short-lived. It was never genuine in the first place.

“Okay,” Jessica agreed with a smile.

Julianna was excited to see her daughter’s promise and quickly brought her upstairs to talk to the father.

When they knocked on the study’s door, James was on the phone. It took him a while to hang up. He then turned his attention to his wife and daughter. “What’s wrong?”

Julianna spoke in a gentle tone. “Honey, Jess has something to tell you.”

Seeing her mother urging her to speak, Jessica opened her mouth. “Dad, I’m the Stock God. I have been trading stocks with Yonah.” At the end of her sentence, she subconsciously looked at Julianna.

James frowned when he saw the interaction between the mother and the daughter. He then angrily threw the ashtray at Julianna as he felt that she was treating him like a fool.

Julianna did not expect his action. She screamed in pain when the ashtray hit her arm.

“What a good mother! How can you force your own daughter to take the blame? Are you trying to force me to pay that 15 million dollars?” James was furious.

“No, Honey. You’ve misunderstood.” Julianna was angry at Jessica for not trying hard enough.

“Jess, explain to your father!”

“Dad, what do you mean? What 15 million dollars?” Jessica pretended to be confused and surprised.

James turned to his wife after seeing Jessica’s reaction. He was beyond furious. He then pointed at Julianna and said to Jessica, “Your mother wants you to take the blame for Yonah. Yonah defrauded 15 million dollars from others. and lost everything to the stock market. Now he doesn’t have the money to pay.”

Jessica pretended to be shocked and looked at her mother in disbelief. “This is why you asked me to lie to Dad? How could you?”

Julianna’s face went pale immediately.

“You are a traitor! Why don’t you leave the Larson residence since you love your family so much? I’ll send you the divorce papers tomorrow.”

Julianna rushed to her husband’s side and held on his sleeve tightly. “I’m sorry, Honey. Please don’t kick me out of the house. I won’t do it again.”

James stared at her blankly and did not react to her pleas. He was sick of the Quail family’s greed.

“Please, Honey. Forgive me.”

Jessica watched with a stony expression as her mother pleaded with her father.

Whitney balled her hands into fists as she heard the commotion inside the study. If Julianna left the Larson residence, she was sure that her life would be miserable. She wanted to help Julianna, but she knew that she would only make things worse.

After the incident, the Larson family’s housekeepers were gossiping about it. Everyone agreed that Mrs. Larson was an idiot for forcing her daughter to take the blame.

“Mrs. Larson, Mrs. Tiffany Quail is here. Shall I welcome her in?”

Julianna’s face darkened. “Tell her I’m not around. Ask her to leave.” She was unwilling to help Yonah after the incident with her husband in the study the other day.

Chapter 278

The Quail Corporation was unwilling to help Yonah as well. Micah was unwilling to take out 15 million dollars to help Yonah, as the Quail Corporation did not have a sizeable amount of cash on hand. Most of the funds were from bank loans.

As for Joseph, the amount of dividends he got was not enough to withhold his family’s daily spending. He did not have any extra money to help his son. Joseph hoped that the Larson family and Julianna could help them.

Unfortunately, Julianna had distanced herself from them. The Larson Group had reported to the police after the protest from the other day. They even sued the investors for false accusations, libel, and trespassing on the property.

The Larson Group’s unyielding attitude and the lack of evidence forced the investors to change their target.

They then sued Yonah for illegal fundraising and fraud. Yonah was under police custody throughout the investigation.

After a detailed investigation, the police collected sufficient evidence to prove his crimes. The court then froze Joseph’s family assets and closed their shops.

After two weeks of trial, Yonah was convicted and sentenced to death with a one-year probation. The court also fined him 750 thousand dollars and took away his political rights, along with all the illegally obtained assets.

When Yonah’s family heard about the sentence, Tiffany fainted in the courtroom.

The incident had gained nationwide attention. Though the Larson family denied any involvement in the incident, there was no improvement in the company’s stock price. As for the Quail Corporation, their condition worsened.

During this period, Julianna tried hard not to cause any trouble for James. She feared that he would lash out at her.

The atmosphere in the Larson residence was tense, and everyone tried hard not to anger the head of the family. However, Jessica was the only exception. She acted as though nothing had happened and lived her days happily.

One afternoon, she went to Willow’s side and helped her to pick peanuts.

“Ms. Jessica, please don’t dirty your hands. Just let me do it.”

“It’s okay. I’ve done dirtier work before.” Jessica crouched next to her and started to pick the peanuts.

Willow’s eyes were full of softness as she looked at Jessica. “Ms. Jessica, you really suffered before this.”

“It’s nothing.” Jessica smiled. She then casually asked, “Mrs. Wallace, how did you figure out that Whitney is not Larson’s child?”

Willow replied, “I saw Ms. Whitney’s medical report that day, and I realized her blood type was different from Mr. and Mrs. Larson’s blood type. Your mother then ordered Alex to carry out a paternity test. Only then did they find out she’s not their child.”

“I see.” Jessica nodded. “Both Mom and Dad took the test?” “Yes, you did your paternity test at the same place as well.” It had been a while since Jessica went for the paternity test. Though she remembered some important details, she had forgotten about the name and the location of the paternity testing center.

“How did Mom and Dad locate me in such a short period?” Jessica was curious.

Willow tried to remember. “When Mrs. Larson found out that Whitney was not her child, she got worried. She sent out a few people to search for you. Thankfully, we

managed to locate you after two weeks’ search.”

Jessica narrowed her eyes as the timing was suspicious to her.

“Mrs. Wallace, do you remember the name of the paternity testing center?”

“Why do you ask?” Willow looked at her strangely.

“I’m helping Sam to locate a good paternity test center. She keeps complaining that she’s not the Young family’s child, so she wants to take the test to prove it.”

Chapter 279

On Horington Island, Samantha let out a sneeze. Then she nuzzled her nose and murmured, “Who was thinking of me?” Meanwhile, at the Larson residence, Willow said, “I’m not too sure about this. Let me help you check with Alex later.” “Okay,” answered Jessica with a smile. Then she asked, Mrs. Wallace, who did Mom ask to find me back then? I should thank that person.”

“Ms. Jessica, I understand your intentions, but there’s no need to do so. That person completed the job as commissioned.”

“It’s still good to thank them personally. When I was just reunited with the family earlier, my mind was in a mess. Now that I am reminded of it again, I think it will be good to find out,” replied Jessica.

“I really don’t know who it is, but Mr. Joseph often came here during that period,” Willow revealed.

“Yonah’s father?” Jessica asked in astonishment.

“Yes,” said Willow as Jessica helped her place a bag of handpicked peanuts in the kitchen. The gardener would plant them as seeds in the backyard garden.

As Jessica walked out of the kitchen, a maid rushed to her and said, “Ms. Jessica, Mr. Larson wants to see you in his study.”

Zachary was also there when Jessica entered the study. James handed her a file and requested her to read it.

After flipping through some pages, she asked, “The Harbor District is ready to be put up for auction? Dad, wasn’t there any lobbying from us?”

“Don’t talk about it. We sent out many gifts and nearly got what we wanted. However, there was a sudden leadership change in the district administration. The new guy was bent on the auction.” James sighed.

The Larson family’s previous bribes in the form of money and mansions had all gone to waste.

Nevertheless, Jessica was not surprised by this result.

In her previous life, a well-known real estate developer had also tried to bribe their way through. However, they failed to win the project in the end.

The company subsequently faced a crisis and asked the senior officer to return the money.

Somehow, the media got hold of this matter, which led to the arrest of the senior officer and a hefty fine on the company.

To prevent the matter from worsening, a high-ranked officer leveraged his connections to exacerbate the company’s crisis until it went bankrupt.

Jessica was a little disappointed that James didn’t make the same mistake, yet she had bigger plans to sabotage Larson Group’s operations.

What she had secretly done to date would only result in some losses for the Larson Group.

“Dad, why did you ask for me?” Jessica pretended to be clueless.

“I want you and Zachary to take part in the auction together. Both of you have a look at these land plots on this map. Which one do you think suits us the most?”

Zachary spoke first as he wanted to overshadow Jessica. This one near the estuary is undoubtedly the best. It’s suitable for developing mixed-use buildings and villas. The first-class river view will help push up property prices too.”

James listened quietly, then turned toward Jessica and asked, “Jess, what do you think?”

After looking at the map for a few seconds, Jessica pointed to a land plot in the middle and said, “I think this land plot is the best.”

Zachary snorted. “You think it’s the best because it’s the biggest plot of land? That’s so dumb.”

He said the last sentence softly, but everyone in the study heard it.

Chapter 280

James frowned slightly but didn’t reprimand Zachary, encouraging him to smile smugly.

For a while, Zachary’s behavior was more restrained, as he was an adopted son. However, he became self-entitled and arrogant after confirming that he was treated like a rightful member of the Larson family.

James requested Jessica to explain her choice, but she asked, “Isn’t the central land plot a popular choice for developers to build many luxury villas?”

James laughed and shook his head slightly while Zachary smirked.

Above all, a daughter will never surpass a son.

James pointed to the map and stated, “Zachary was right about the land plot near the estuary. The second best is this piece on the top left.”

Zachary shot a haughty look at Jessica, but she ignored him.

James patiently explained the pros and cons of each land plot. Then he pointed back to the one near the estuary and stressed, “This land plot is our target in the auction.”

“Dad, don’t worry. I promise to get it done,” replied Zachary. “Good! You, siblings, must work together, okay?” James encouraged.

Zachary knew it was impossible to stop Jessica from engaging in this project, so he refrained from saying something stupid.

Jessica glanced scornfully at him and went back to her room.

She received a call from Zander. “Boss, I’ve done what you ordered me to do. The only caveat is that I must deposit 15 million dollars to qualify as a bidder.”

“I’ll transfer the money to you. Look out for my signals on what to do in the auction.”

“Okay.”

The auction took place at the banquet hall of Skyview Hotel.

James had assigned Damian, a land assessor at Larson Group, and Tyrone to accompany Zachary and Jessica.

Damian and Tyrone would decide on Larson Group’s bidding, which meant Zachary was only there to gain exposure and experience to prepare him for the top management role in the future.

When the four of them entered the venue, many corporate directors greeted them, though Jessica was the center of attention instead of Zachary.

“Jess, you are getting prettier each day!”

“What a fine young lady!”

Given the cold shoulder, the self-obsessed Zachary held back his anger by clenching his fist.

I’m the rightful heir of the Larson Group, but you’d rather ignore me and curry favor with Jessica. All of you will regret this one day.

Zachary sat down in pent-up anger while Tyrone and Damian looked at each other and pretended nothing happened.

After exchanging pleasantries with the directors, Jessica sat beside Zachary and started to look around the venue. She saw Zander and his assistant sitting in the last row, doing well to keep a low profile.

Shortly, the auctioneer started with two land plots of the lowest value. Many small and medium-sized businesses made their bids, while the large corporates merely observed.

Two companies soon pocketed these land plots. One of them wasn’t a real estate developer, but this didn’t raise any eyebrows, as the land value was insignificant.

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