Chapter 397: Time for a Break
Many people were stunned by Enrico’s bold actions.
“Mr. Gustin, do you agree with abolishing the slum laws?” someone shouted.
Enrico heard this and chuckled softly. He wrapped his arm around Paige’s shoulder, pulling her into his embrace. “Did my woman not make it clear enough? For those willing to talk, we can sit down and figure out how to abolish the slum laws while protecting everyone’s interests. For those unwilling to talk-be ready for me to wipe you out.”
Wipe them out?
Paige glanced at him, slightly displeased. “Didn’t you say we would do this together?”NôvelDrama.Org owns © this.
Weren’t they supposed to be partners?
Enrico shot her a sidelong glance, his long fingers brushing through her hair as he smiled with indulgent affection. “I can handle wiping out these people on my own.”
No need for her to tire herself out.
Hearing this, Paige couldn’t help but laugh. “Aren’t we being a little too arrogant?”
Just the two of them daring to challenge the entire room.
“As long as I’m here, you can be as arrogant as you want.”
Enrico raised an eyebrow, utterly nonchalant.
Paige’s smile deepened.
“…”
Rachel watched this scene, her face as pale as paper.
“You all heard that, right? Enrico has made his stance clear. He’s standing with this criminal!” Denver was also surprised by their audacity. He had thought there would be a process of slowly exposing Paige, but these two had outright admitted everything, leaving him unsure if things were still going according to plan.
“Execute the criminal!” someone suddenly shouted from the hall.
Soon, more people began to declare their stance: “Execute the criminal!”
“Execute the criminal!”
Those speaking out now were making their positions known. While they were usually divided, none wanted to see the slum dwellers return to power.
Rachel let out a small sigh of relief. Thankfully, when it came to self-interest, everyone could still tell right from wrong.
While people shouted slogans, no one dared approach Paige. Both sides of the security teams were still pointing their guns at each other.
The summit organizers were panicking, breaking their facade of calmness, and rushed to Rafael for help. “President, you need to do something about this situation!”
After all, you are still the president! You can’t just sit back and let the crowd split into two factions, shouting at each other. If this continues, there could be a shootout!
“…”
Rafael sat there, watching the panicked organizers. He took a deep breath, stood up, and glanced at his watch. “Wow, it’s been over an hour already. How about this-we’ll take a break and resume in half an hour.”
“…”
Everyone was stunned.
They were on the verge of a shootout, and he wanted to take a break?
However, the organizers immediately nodded in agreement. “Yes, yes, perhaps the air conditioning in here is too warm, making everyone a bit emotional. Let’s take a break.”
“Exactly, let’s rest a bit and then continue.”
Denver shot Rafael a cold glare. “And what about this woman?”
To him, today wasn’t a victory unless they subdued Paige.
“She’s not going anywhere. We can discuss it later,” Rafael said, waving a document his assistant had just prepared. “Besides, I just reviewed some files. It seems Temple in Heaven has business ties with many of the corporations here. If we’re going to charge her, it could implicate a lot of people. Since everyone’s here, let’s talk it through properly. There’s no rush to arrest anyone.”
“…”
A number of business leaders almost rolled their eyes. What did he mean? That prosecuting Paige could end up implicating them?
“Alright, alright. You all should put down your guns for now. You can pull them out again when the meeting resumes. Aren’t your arms getting tired?” Rafael added, trying to convince the security teams.
“…”
Both sides’ security teams felt like they might pass out.
—
**In D Country**
Inside a tastefully decorated villa, an elderly man in a gray sweater, Jasper, stood on a chair, raising his withered hand to take down a small cage.
“Father, be careful,” said a middle-aged man nervously, helping Jasper down from the chair.
“I’m not so old that I can’t move,” Jasper said dismissively, staring at the golden bee inside the cage. As he watched it, a flicker of confusion crossed his face. “Paige, come and look at this golden bee. Doesn’t it seem unwell?”
After he spoke, silence filled the room.
Jasper glanced over to see his son, Beinice Folsom, looking exasperated. His face darkened as he waved Beinice away.
“Father, you’re still thinking about that girl? Word from A Country has already come back. Rachel didn’t even have to provoke her. That girl and Enrico are taking on the entire corporate elite directly,” Beinice said, his portly figure barely concealed by his refined suit.
“Oh, isn’t that something?” Jasper said calmly, even a bit proudly. “She’s more capable than you and your siblings ever were at her age.”
He was actually praising her.
But that girl wasn’t even on their side!
Beinice helped Jasper to a recliner, sitting beside him. “Yes, yes, she’s certainly capable. She spent half a year by your side, and you never realized she was secretly building so many companies. All of a sudden, she consolidated them into Temple in Heaven. I just did some quick calculations, and she’s undoubtedly a major player in A Country now.”
Jasper nodded, frowning slightly. “Look at her-24 years old. Now look at yourself…”
“…”
Beinice was thoroughly frustrated. He didn’t come here to hear the old man praise Paige.
Jasper held the cage in one hand, contemplating. After a moment, he asked, “So, how did the talks at the finance summit go?”
Beinice immediately recounted everything that had happened at the finance summit in A Country.
“By doing this, she’s essentially achieving the same goal as us. As long as she’s at odds with the corporate elite, A Country will descend into chaos,” Jasper mused. Chaos was good-only in chaos could the Folsom family’s vendetta be avenged.
“My concern is that if this girl’s approach is too fierce, she might have some tricks up her sleeve. If the corporate elite actually listen to her and abolish the slum laws together, then A Country might not fall into chaos.”
Beinice was naturally worried. As a foreign force, they had been waiting for the right opportunity to create disorder in A Country. They couldn’t afford another failure after all these years.
Jasper looked at him and laughed. “So you admit my apprentice is impressive?”
She knew the Folsom family had been using her identity as a pawn, so she simply jumped out herself, rendering her and the slums worthless as leverage.
“Father…”
Beinice was at a loss.
“There’s no point in lingering here. We just have to wait for news,” Jasper said, gazing thoughtfully at the golden bee in the cage. He wondered how many cards his young apprentice still had up her sleeve.
—
In the towering finance summit building, security was now extremely tight.
After the standoff between Enrico and Denver’s men, many more security personnel were called in, causing a media frenzy. Photos of the armed guards entering the building were quickly posted online, creating widespread panic.