novelraw Chapter 432 - 434: Caleb, How Could You Do This to Me?
Chapter 432 - 434: Caleb, How Could You Do This to Me?
He patted Naomi Kenway’s hand and said earnestly, "You must take back the Kenway Family, child... The Kenway Group was built on the blood, sweat, and tears of so many people. It can’t and shouldn’t be wasted in the hands of that animal, Jackson Kensington. It belongs to you."
"I may be old, but my mind is still clear. If you need any help, just say the word. Uncle Linton won’t just stand by and watch."
*
At three in the morning, Jackson Kensington was startled awake by a shrill ringtone. Beside him, Lorraine Warren groggily opened her eyes. "What is it, Jackson?"
Jackson motioned for her to go back to sleep and answered the phone.
His assistant’s anxious voice came from the other end of the line:
"Mr. Kensington, there’s a huge problem with our Horizon Corp deal. They’re demanding we pay the final balance immediately, or they’ll sue us for breach of contract."
Jackson, now a little more awake, retorted, "Why is Horizon Corp in such a rush? It’s not like we aren’t going to pay. Once our capital flows back in, that little bit of money is nothing. Go talk to them properly. And another thing—from now on, don’t call me at three in the morning to bother me about things like this!"
Jackson had just lain down when he was woken by the ringing again.
"Jackson..." Lorraine Warren could no longer get back to sleep.
Jackson angrily answered the phone. "Didn’t I just tell you not to disturb my sleep?! Do you not understand what I’m saying? If you don’t get it, then quit!!"
The assistant on the other end, his voice choked with sobs, said, "Because of a new government policy, Apex Innovations and many other manufacturers have canceled their contracts with us. Mr. Kensington, what are we going to do...?"
"What did you say...?" Jackson shivered, now wide awake.
He had poured almost all of the company’s money into the automotive project. With so many partners canceling their contracts, the cars would be stuck in warehouses, unable to be sold. This meant no capital could be recouped. Without capital, they couldn’t proceed with any other work, and they might even face massive penalties for breach of contract.
Jackson’s blood pressure skyrocketed, and he nearly fainted.
Lorraine Warren didn’t understand business matters, but even she could tell the company was facing a massive crisis. "Jackson..."
Clutching his phone, Jackson suddenly remembered someone. "Caleb... Caleb Bishop..."
He repeated the name as if clutching at his last straw.
"Caleb will know what to do..."
Jackson was completely unaware of how heavily he had come to rely on Caleb Bishop for making decisions...
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...
The line was busy.
*
"Tell me, why did you do this?!"
Jackson Kensington furiously splashed his tea in Caleb Bishop’s face.
He hadn’t been able to sleep since the early morning. His assistant had called over a dozen times, each call about a new problem with the company’s investments.
Caleb Bishop had been in charge of all these investments. They had once been raking in profits, but now they were all failing at once. The company’s stock price was plummeting. On top of that, Jackson had heard that Caleb had been secretly acquiring company shares.
Connecting the dots, Jackson Kensington was no fool. By now, how could he not see Caleb Bishop’s treacherous ambition?
"Dad, there must be some misunderstanding!" Jeanette Kensington shrieked, but Lorraine Warren held her back. Lorraine said, "Let your father handle this. We shouldn’t interfere."
Caleb Bishop calmly took out a handkerchief and wiped the tea from his face. "You already know, don’t you?"
"So you admit it?!" Jackson’s hands trembled with rage. "You orchestrated all of this! You want to swallow the company whole! Why?! Our whole family treated you like our own son! You just got engaged to Jeanette! After all these years, she wouldn’t marry anyone but you!"
"You animal! How could you do this to us?! I never should have trusted you!!"
Jackson cursed, raising his arm to strike, but Caleb Bishop grabbed his wrist. With a cold shove, Caleb sent Jackson stumbling backward, nearly falling.
"Speaking of which, I learned it all from you, Father-in-law. Isn’t this how you clawed your way up to become chairman of the Kenway Group? When it comes to ruthlessness, at least I haven’t taken a life. If we’re really comparing, who’s the real monster here?"
Caleb Bishop snorted coldly.
Jackson’s eyes widened as he stared at Jeanette in disbelief.
Jeanette was just as shocked that Caleb knew about that incident. "I... Dad, I never told him! I don’t know how he found out!"
Hearing their conversation confirmed Caleb Bishop’s suspicions. Jackson Kensington had indeed claimed his chairmanship through disgraceful means.
Seeing Jackson deflate, lost in his own schemes, Caleb lost all interest in arguing further. He stood up and strode out of the Kenway Family’s living room.
"Caleb! Caleb!!" Jeanette followed close behind him, chasing him all the way to the garage. Just as he was about to close his car door, she grabbed it, refusing to let go.
"Let go," Caleb commanded coldly. He couldn’t be bothered to pretend anymore. The coldness in his eyes was bottomless.
"No..." Jeanette’s expression was dazed, as if she’d suffered a terrible blow.
"No, I won’t let go! Why are you doing this to me? Why?!" she shrieked.
Caleb’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Is there something you can’t tell me? You must have a secret reason, right? Caleb, just tell me. I’ll definitely stand by you. I don’t believe that our years together were all a lie. You were so good to me, you loved me so much... How could you do this to me...?" As she spoke, her words dissolved into tearful pleas.
"My dad is old, he really can’t take a blow like this. Caleb, please spare him, okay? For my sake, just let him go, please..."
Caleb scoffed. "For your sake? When will you stop being so stupid? If I really cared about you, why would I have made a move against the company? Even now, do you still presumptuously believe that I like you, that I love you?"
His eyes were filled with pity, as if he were looking at a pathetic clown.
"I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it!! I don’t believe any of this is fake! We’ve been together for so long, how could it all be a lie..." She began to cry helplessly, but her tear-streaked beauty clearly didn’t move the man beside her.
"Get in the car. I’m taking you somewhere."
Overjoyed, Jeanette got into the car. She followed Caleb to his house, up to the second-floor art studio.
"Remember the secret door here? Weren’t you always curious about what was inside? I’ll show you."
Jeanette stared blankly at her surroundings. As if remembering something terrifying, she shook her head frantically, resisting.
"No, Caleb, I don’t want to see! I don’t want to look! Let’s get out of here, I don’t want to be here."
Caleb Bishop ignored her. He activated the mechanism and forcefully dragged Jeanette inside.