The other three shareholders were dumbfounded. “What? You’re the one behind everything? What exactly are you up to, Jacob? Do you want to bring the company down with you?”
Jacob shook his head and replied, “Of course not! Zeke was the one who had murdered Logan. He’s our enemy! Do you seriously want our enemy to take over the company? Do you wish to work under our enemy for the rest of your life?”
“I know Zeke better than any one of you. I’m certain that he will chase us away once he takes over Reagan Pharmaceutical. When that happens, we will be left with absolutely nothing!”
“As of now, I’m trying to get my hands on the fifty percent of shares he owns. By the time I get my hands on the remaining shares, we will be the sole proprietors of the company. Isn’t that the ultimate goal we have been pursuing all along?”
The three shareholders were tempted by Jacob’s seemingly flawless plan.
“Alright. If we’re able to get our hands on the fifty percent shares Zeke owns, we’ll listen to you from now onwards, Jacob.”
Jacob took a glance at his secretary and asked, “Who’s leading the strike this time?”
His secretary replied, “It’s Johnathan, a senior employee of the company. His mother is heavily bedridden. Hence, he needs a huge sum for the operation. Since we’ve been denying payment of their wages for quite some time, he decided to push his luck and organize the strike.”
“Mm. Go get Johnathan for me. I’ll talk some sense into him,” Jacob instructed.
“Roger that.” Jacob’s sexy secretary walked out of his office in an ostentatious manner.
Before long, Johnathan showed up in Jacob’s office.
It was evident that he had been crying lately as he had a pair of bloodshot eyes. He begged Jacob the moment he entered his office, “Mr. Hugh, please pay us our wages. I’m in desperate need of money for my mother’s operation. I’m afraid she won’t make it through if I can’t gather the required sum soon. Most of us have to depend on our monthly wage to make ends meet. We can’t possibly work if we struggle to make ends meet, right?”
Jacob heaved a sigh when he heard Johnathan’s words. He handed him a cigarette and beckoned him to take a seat. Soon, they started smoking in his office.
“Johnathan, you have been with the company for the past decade, right? I’m sure you’re aware of the company’s current condition as well, right? Things have been tough lately. We are generating losses on a daily basis.”
“To be honest, we can’t possibly afford to settle the overdue wages of the employees as of now. However, I’m aware of the hardship everyone is going through. I have sold some of my personal assets to gather the required sum for everyone.”
“It wasn’t easy to gather the required sum either, but the newly appointed supervisor embezzled the said fund for his personal gains. He has purchased all sorts of luxuries for himself using the said fund! I... I can’t possibly sell all my assets, right? P-Please, take my situation into consideration as well...”
Johnathan got agitated upon hearing that. “What! Does that mean the newly appointed supervisor has taken advantage of you, Mr. Hugh? He’s such a cruel man! How dare he spends our hard-earned money when we’re all in desperate need of our wages?”
“Mr. Hugh, please tell me the whereabouts of this newly appointed supervisor of ours. I’ll bring our men over and demand our wages from him instead!”
Jacob waved in return and said, “That won’t be necessary. I’m sure he will drop by the office soon. Why don’t you confront him by then? Perhaps you will be able to move him and persuade him to change his mind.”
“To be honest, I have confronted him previously. I told him everyone is in desperate need of their wages. However, the newly appointed supervisor said... Sigh... Let’s not talk about it...”
Jacob managed to pique Johnathan’s interest. “Mr. Hugh, what did he say?”
“Let’s forget about it, okay? I don’t want everyone to be disappointed,” replied Jacob.
Johnathan repeated himself. “Mr. Hugh, please tell me. Since he has the audacity to express his thoughts, I’m sure he’s ready for what’s in store for him.”
When Jacob heard Johnathan’s words, he said, “The newly appointed supervisor said you guys are but a bunch of peasants. He said to pay no heed to any of you because you guys can’t possibly do anything about it either.”
What!
Suddenly, Johnathan got infuriated, “Did he really utter such imbecile remarks? He’s such an ungrateful supervisor! He’s nothing without us! We’re the one who has generated the fortune for him! We can’t possibly do anything about it? Fine! If that’s the case, we’ll show him what we’re capable of!”
The infuriated Johnathan made his way out of Jacob’s office.
The other three shareholders exchanged glances and gave Jacob a thumbs-up.
“Jacob, that’s a brilliant move! You actually manage to kill two birds with one stone with this plan!”
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