Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 346

Over the next week, Clara stayed low-key at home, keeping tabs on the buzz at work. Greysen was on a power trip, swapping out anyone he didn't like. Most of the top brass backed him, but a few decent folks stayed neutral—and those were the ones who got the boot. Desperate, they reached out to Clara.

"Ms. Clara, what do we do now? We've been with the company for ages."

Switching jobs at their age seemed like a hassle, but leaving the corporate grind altogether felt unsettling. To them, the CEO's chair was like a throne, where picking the right side meant hitting the jackpot. Clearly, Greysen didn't care for fence-sitters.

Clara wasn't a fan either, but at least these folks hadn't stabbed Johnny in the back. She told them, "Hang tight for two weeks."

They immediately wondered if she had something up her sleeve. It was obvious that Ryan still had a lot to learn, and Clara was the real power player. But since she rarely showed up at the office, they didn't know what to expect from her.

Clara kept it vague, just telling them to sit tight. After the call, she even had the luxury of cooking herself a nice meal.

Three days later, Greysen tried to push through a big land development project, hoping to cash in on the Dawson family's clout by building a hospital. But the moment they submitted the plans, they got shot down.

Turns out, an underground river made the land a no-go for construction. Greysen was floored and resubmitted the proposal, only to get rejected again.

As he clung to a shred of hope, news about the underground river spread like wildfire. If it had stayed under wraps, he might've sold the land to some unsuspecting buyer. But now, no one wanted to touch it.

Greysen was in a panic. Victory Capital had financed the land, and now they were staring at a two-billion-dollar black hole. When Darrick called him up, Greysen was sweating bullets.

"Mr. Darrick, I think Clara set us up. Maybe she knew about the land issue and that's why she sold it."

Darrick, touching his prosthetic eye, chuckled. "So, you're saying our two billion is gone?"

Greysen was terrified of Darrick. He'd once promised to sell his shares if he couldn't recover the money.

"Mr. Darrick..."

Darrick's voice was icy. "You've got two weeks. If I don't get my money back, you know what happens."

Greysen was a mess. He owned about twenty percent of the shares, but selling them wouldn't even come close to covering two billion. The Bradford Group's shares weren't worth that much.

"She'll listen to you! She has to! Ryan, can't you see she's grooming you? For your dad's sake, help me out. Don't push me to the edge. I'll sign over my shares to you right now."

Ryan saw the fear in Greysen's eyes and thought of their long history, so he called Clara.

Clara listened to his plea and didn't scold him. Instead, she said, "In business, emotions are a liability."

A good leader, like Dylan, never lets sentiment cloud judgment.

Ryan hesitated but sighed at the sight of the blood-stained ground. "Clara, he's willing to give me all his shares. Isn't this what Dad would've wanted? I don't want to be heartless."

Clara was silent, gazing out the window, her breath fogging the glass.

"If that's your call, then so be it."

She would make sure he remembered this: never to show mercy to those who'd turn on you, especially someone like Greysen, who could easily be swayed by his own interests.