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Chapter 217
Chapter 217
In the end, Chronos Legal–true to Richard’s ruthless style–won by sheer shameless persistence.
Mia, who managed the Horizon Tower X account, was devastated. She didn’t even dare report the failure to Wilson. She had tried her best. But Chronos wasn’t some random netizen–they were professionals at verbal warfare.
The whole point of the campaign had been to assert dominance. Instead, they’d only pushed Yvonne further away.
She didn’t even want to imagine Richard’s reaction when he woke up and found out what happened overnight.
As the account’s manager, Mia had never once dared face Richard in person. The man’s eyes–dark, heavy, utterly disappointed–were more terrifying than any scolding. He didn’t have to raise his voice. One glance was enough to make anyone in the Holmes family feel like trash. But his rare praise? That was what everyone desperately craved.
So all her panic and guilt boiled down to one conclusion: I’m screwed.
She might as well start weaving the apology reed bundle and prepare to kneel at Richard’s feet tomorrow.
Of course, while some wept, others slept soundly.
Richard, for one, went to bed in high spirits. He switched off his phone with satisfaction, finally feeling genuinely relaxed for the first time in days.
Jeremy, however, watched his light–hearted steps with concern.
‘Has he gone mad from missing Yvonne?‘ he wondered.
Very possible. He should keep an eye on the old man’s mental state–e
-elder care was important too.
*****
2:00 AM, while most of the internet had gone quiet, Jaxen Massey was wide awake, staring at his ceiling as guilt, fear, and rage twisted in his gut.
Ever since Horizon Tower publicly clarified that they, not Grizzlyworld, were the ones who’d bought back the infringing snack bags, angry netizens had swarmed his account, accusing him of manipulation and deceit.
He’d just gotten a front–row seat to the wrath of the internet.
All night, his secretary, senior managers, and even shareholders had been bombarding him with messages and calls–but Jaxen didn’t have the courage to pick up.
Even the shareholders were publicly tagging him in group chats, demanding an action plan. They were clearly losing faith in his leadership.
Reading their passive–aggressive comments, Jaxen felt like a trapped animal pacing in a cage. After all the years he’d clawed his way up–surviving two power struggles to seize his current position–this was how it was going to end?
He glanced around at his lavish home, his face pale with dread.
No. He wasn’t going down without a fight.
Desperate, he began reaching out to contacts, trying to gather information about Chronos Legal.
He wasn’t part of the inner circles, but he still knew a few people with access to high–level gossip.
Chapter 217
Unfortunately, most of them wanted nothing to do with him now. Out of all the messages he sent, only one person replied, Clinging to that lifeline, he asked for help–but the response was anything but reassuring
He said, “You know who backs Chronos Legal, right? That’s the Adler family, Word is, the firm is under direct control of the Adler patriarch. I can’t help you. If you’ve got time to beg strangers, you might as well go beg the Adlers directly. Maybe if you kneel fast enough, they’ll let you live.”
If their industry were a celebrity hierarchy, the Adlers were A–list stars–and people like Jaxen were seventy–second–tier nobodies.
The Adlers didn’t need to lift a finger. One offhand comment could decide whether you thrived or vanished.
And now everyone knew he’d tried to outplay the Adlers, launching a smear campaign against Chronos Legal preemptively, It wasn’t just dumb–it was suicidal.
Chronos Legal registering an official account and going public with receipts? That wasn’t a flex. That was a declaration of war. They’d bought out the algorithm and lit up the entire internet. Clearly, they were pissed.
What could’ve been a quiet case had now turned into a PR nightmare–because of Jaxen’s brilliant idea,
Court hadn’t even convened yet, and already, people were betting Grizzlyworld would bleed.
Honestly, who’d step into this mess now?
The silence from his so–called “friends” wasn’t cold–hearted–it was survival.
After that message, no matter how many times he begged, the person ghosted him.
Furious, Jaxen hurled his phone across the room.
He tried to calm himself, but failed miserably, clawing at his scalp as he paced the living room.
That’s when Brylee, his wife, stepped out.
She was a soft–spoken woman with delicate features and a gentle manner. She’d already read everything online and overheard his outbursts from the bedroom.
“Jaxen,” she said gently, “maybe we should go apologize… to the Adlers. And to Yvonne. If we show sincerity, maybe they’ll be willing to forgive.”
Jaxen, already at a breaking point, exploded. He turned all his bottled–up rage onto her.
It was past midnight. The kids were asleep. Brylee didn’t dare make a sound. She sat on the couch, clutching her cheek silently.
After unloading on her, Jaxen finally felt… better. He lit another cigarette. Then another. As he smoked, his eyes fell on Brylee–still trembling, still red–eyed.
She was beautiful, and looked especially fragile now. The type of woman who seemed born to be pitied. And ironically, what she said wasn’t wrong.
Right now, the only path left was to grovel.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. His tone was heavy, ominous. “Tomorrow, you’re coming with me to apologize. I don’t care how–we’re getting the Adlers‘ forgiveness before this goes to court.”
“Me?” Brylee blinked in surprise, then quickly shook her head. “But I–I haven’t been out much since we got married. I don’t
Chapter 217
know anything about this kind of thing. I’ll only embarrass you?
She meant it sincerely. But in Jaxen’s ears, it sounded like another excuse.
His temper flared again. “I said you’re coming! Enough with the whining. You said we need to show sincerity, right? Well then, you kneel. If that’s what it takes to make them forgive me, then you kneel
Brylee’s face crumpled, horror dawning in her eyes. But Jaxen didn’t care. In fact, her expression only irritated him further,
‘Men shouldn’t kneel. But women?‘ he scoffed,
“Spare me the drama. What, kneeling is too much for you? You cry your eyes out over TV dramas where women are always kneeling. Now it’s your turn, and suddenly it’s the end of the world?”
Brylee’s voice trembled. “Jaxen, how can you treat me like this…”
“Oh, shut up. Are you going or not?” he snapped. “You’re always going on about the kids. Well, guess what? If I go down, they
you hesitate.” go down with me. Think about that next time
If they couldn’t settle this quietly, it would go to court.
And just picturing himself standing in front of those cold–blooded legal beasts from Chronos made him sick.
He glanced at Brylee–still weeping quietly–and felt a fresh wave of irritation. ‘Useless. Absolutely useless. Not a thought for this family.‘
田
AD
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