Emily and her immediate family had always been eyeing Ashton’s business empire with envy. If it weren’t for Ashton’s ruthless tactics and his refusal to give them any opportunities, they might have already succeeded in overthrowing him.
Others might have no clue what tricks they were up to, but Ashton knew precisely what they were capable of.
After all, every time they hired assassins from overseas, it was his mercenaries who let those channels slip to them.
Ashton’s face was beyond grim at this point. Whether Emily went after Briar because of her family or her personal grudge, she had managed to enrage him.
‘How dare they try to lay a finger on someone I treasure and protect?‘ Ashton thought, his anger simmering.
Noticing Ashton’s grim expression, Reece burst out laughing, “Ashton, what do you think? This information is entirely accurate. I paid 17 thousand dollars for it. Is it worth it or what?”
Infected by his friend’s gloating laughter, Hamish exchanged a look with Frederick and grinned, “Oh man, looks like someone’s about to have a terrible day.”
Frederick gave a little cough and reminded him, “Hamish, you’re laughing way too loud. Careful, or Ashton might just deck you.”
Hamish didn’t care at all and responded confidently, “Relax, at best he can only tie with me. Plus, there’s no way he’d embarrass himself in front of his girlfriend.”
Frederick fell silent as he thought, ‘Seriously, you’re just asking for it, aren’t you?‘
Frederick often found himself questioning whether Ashton’s bad temper was primarily due to Hamish and Reece teasing him.
The two had mouths sharper than knives. Since they couldn’t beat Ashton in a fight, all they could do was tease him.
If it were Frederick, he’d be mad as hell, too, at the constant teasing.
Just as Ashton’s icy aura filled the room and no one dared to step forward to calm him down, Briar suddenly spoke up.
“Ashton, don’t be mad. She can’t hurt me,” she said as she walked oyer to him, gently poking his shoulder.
To everyone’s surprise, the chill around Ashton visibly melted away in an instant.
Ashton caught Briar’s mischievous finger in his palm, and he reassured, “Alright, I won’t be mad. But I won’t let anyone hurt you either.”
It seemed he’d been way too kind to some people, and this had made them believe that he was easy to mess with.
Still fanning the flames, Reece asked, “So what now? I bought the information, but the problem’s not solved yet. Ashton, are you gonna send someone to handle it, or do you want me to help? I just hired a bunch of new guys, and this will be a perfect opportunity for them to have some practice.”
He thought, ‘Ashton is still way too lenient on the Wade family. Judging from the way they’re always looking for trouble every few days, Reece believed that it was because Ashton had spoiled them rotten,
‘If he just put them in their place once and for all, qut off all their options, and made them live off a bare minimum salary every month, would they still dare to act up?
‘They’d be stuck groveling at Ashton’s feet, wagging their tails and sucking up to him every single day.‘
Frederick let out a silent sigh before pulling Reece aside. In a lowered voice, he advised, “Stop fanning the flames, will you? Ashton’s got his troubles. Mr. Griffin’s health has only just begun to improve. If things get out of hand and something happens to the old man again, then what?”
Ashton was often hard on the other members of the Wade family, but he had a special admiration for Griffin. Throughout the years, he had spent a lot of
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money to ensure Griffin stayed healthy, but kept it all quiet and out
of the public eye.
All that money came straight from Ashton’s pocket, and even these guys, who were
but be shocked.
spoiled rich kids that burned through cash like water, couldn’t help
The good thing was that Ashton knew how to make money. He poured hundreds of millions into maintaining Griffin’s health every year. Otherwise, who knows what kind of shape Griffin would be in now!
At this point, Hamish knew it wasn’t the time to stir things up anymore. He asked, “Yeah, you think Ashton doesn’t want to crush the Wade family members once and for all? But there’s still Mr. Griffin who is stuck in the middle, and the old man can’t take any more shocks.”
He contemplated, ‘Otherwise, with Ashton’s scheming personality, would he have let Emily and her family act so arrogantly for this long?
‘But this time, Emily had kicked the hornet’s nest. She had no idea that if she even tried to go after Briar, Ashton would wipe out her entire family without hesitation.’
Reece threw up his hands in defeat as he replied, “Come on, you think I don’t know that? That’s exactly why I said if Ashton can’t make a move, I’ll handle it for him. That way, Justin Wade won’t go running to Griffin to whine again.”
Emily’s father, Justin, was known as the most troublesome and dramatic member of the Wade family. He was also the second son of Griffin.
Even though Briar had been standing right next to Ashton, she’d heard every word of their conversation. After listening to their analysis, she couldn’t but laugh.
When Ashton looked over at her, she teased, “I didn’t know you could be so softhearted, Ashton.”
Ashton squeezed her hand and asked, “Are you making fun of me?”
Briar smiled in response, “I wouldn’t dare! But I do have a way to deal with Emily and her family for now. While doing so, I will also make sure Mr. Griffin remains healthy.”
Ashton’s expression turned serious as he replied, “Briar, don’t joke around about it. I’ll take you seriously.”
Briar pulled a small plastic bag out of her pocket, the same kind she’d used to hold pills the first time they met. She said, “Of course it’s real, Ashton. How about a life–saving pill for 16 million dollars each? Will you be interested in them?”
Inside the bag were two pills. The pills were black, round, and shiny, resembling the chocolate balls commonly found in supermarkets.
Ashton’s eyes lit up in surprise as he replied, “Of course I’m interested, Briar. However many you’ve got, I’ll buy them all.”
Briar rolled her eyes as she laughed, “Don’t be ridiculous. I only made 20 of them. Are you planning to spend 320 million dollars to buy them all? Two pills are more than enough for Mr. Griffin’s health. I’ll give you a friendship discount. You can have them both for just 24 million dollars.”
Ashton nodded in response, “Alright, I’ll have someone transfer the money right away.”
With that, he pulled out his phone and called Jalen, who was still stuck in traffic and hadn’t arrived yet. He asked, “Where are you?”
Jalen’s voice came through as the door to the private room swung open, “Ashton, I’m here.”
Ashton hung up the call and instructed, “Jalen, transfer 30 million dollars to Briar’s account right now.”
Everyone turned to Jalen, their faces full of curiosity.
Jalen blinked in confusion before responding, “Alright, Ashton, I’ll transfer it right now.”
However, Briar stopped him as she repeated, “Ashton, I told you I am giving you a discount, and it will be 24 million dollars.”
Ashton replied, “The extra 6 million dollars will be your pocket money.”
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Chapter 153
Briar was about to refuse when Frank chimed in, “Briar, if you don’t want it, just hand it over to me. Ashton’s got nothing but money, and fie can’t even spend it all. Don’t be shy.”
Briar paused, then said, “Alright, then I’ll just get some fancy herbs for Griffin to help with his health.”
“Alright,” Ashton didn’t refuse. “So, how are you planning to deal with Emily’s little hitman stunt?”
Ashton may not have the ability to get back at Emily and her family fully, but regardless of the chaos they caused, he still had control over them. He was just curious to see what clever plan Briar had in mind.
Jalen had already transferred 30 million dollars to Briar’s account, and just like everyone else, he crowded in, eager to hear what she had to say.
Then, they all heard Briar speak in an unhurried, steady voice, “It is simple. An eye for an eye.”
Frank, who was the curious one, asked, “So, how are you planning to get even? Are you gonna hire a hitman to take her out?”
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