Chapter 27 Banquet Invitation
At this moment, James stopped paying attention to the crowd. He casually bought a few outfits and left the mall with Caroline.
They hadn't gone far when Caroline received a message.
Seeing the content, her expression changed.
She glanced at James, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes. Her lips pressed together again and again, unable to speak for a long time.
Seeing this, James reached out and gently ruffled her hair, his gesture natural and tender.
"Say what you want to say, don't hold it in."
His voice was soft, yet it hit her heart like a pebble. Caroline's nose tingled, and her eyes instantly reddened.
"My grandfather just sent me a message saying he wants me to bring you home for a simple meal."
Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, and her head hung lower, not daring to look James in the eye.
"I know they're trying to butter you up. I don't want to force you to go. If you don't want to, I'll just tell them you're busy and can't make it."
After she finished speaking, her heart tightened. She didn't want to put him in a difficult position, yet she felt a hint of disappointment.
She found herself conflicted—hating her family's opportunism on one hand, yet unable to completely let go of those blood ties on the other.
James looked at her lowered head, her hair softly framing her face, and his heart melted.
He knew Caroline's nature all too well—soft-hearted and sentimental. Even after being hurt by her family, she couldn't completely ignore them.
He reached out to lift her chin, his fingertips brushing her reddened eyes.
"Let's go."
Caroline's head shot up, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"You, you're willing?"
"If you want to go, I'll go with you."
James smiled, his eyes full of affection.
"But let me be clear upfront—I won't tolerate them. If anyone dares to disrespect you, I won't be polite."
Caroline's heart warmed. She reached out to hug his waist, burying her face in his chest, her voice muffled.
"Thank you, James."
"Silly girl, no need to thank me."
James raised his hand to hold her, gently patting her back, though his heart grew colder.
The Collins family—he knew exactly what they were after. They simply wanted to use Caroline to climb up to the Anderson family. Since they were delivering themselves to his doorstep, he didn't mind helping Caroline take back everything that belonged to her.
After half a day's drive, the car arrived at Silvermoon City and stopped in front of the Collins Villa. Landon, along with Doyle and Bronte, had been waiting at the entrance, their faces plastered with ingratiating smiles.
Landon hurried forward, bowing deeply. He reached out to help James but didn't dare actually touch him, leaving his hand frozen in mid-air.
"Mr. Anderson, you're finally here. Please come in, we've prepared your favorite dishes."
Doyle followed behind, his face full of flattering smiles, nodding repeatedly.
"Yes, Mr. Anderson, please come inside. Don't stand out here."
Bronte grabbed Caroline's hand, smiling with feigned affection.
"Caroline, you're finally home. I've missed you so much."
Caroline felt awkward being held by her, not knowing whether to pull away or not, so she could only force a smile.
She knew too well the purpose behind this smile—it was all for James.
Once inside the living room, servants immediately brought tea and snacks. Landon sat across from James, hands on his knees, posture stiff, barely daring to breathe.
After deliberating for a long time, he carefully spoke up.
"Mr. Anderson, the reason we invited you here is mainly to apologize. We were foolish before, treating Caroline poorly. We hope you'll be generous and not hold it against us."
James picked up his teacup and took a light sip without speaking. His eyes swept over Landon with an indifferent gaze that, though casual, made Landon's whole body tense up, instantly breaking out in a cold sweat.
Caroline sat beside James, her fingers clutching her skirt tightly, knowing in her heart that what Landon was about to say next was the real point.
Sure enough, Landon swallowed and forced himself to continue.
"There's one more thing I'd like to discuss with Mr. Anderson. Caroline is smart and capable. I was thinking of having her join the Collins Group as a deputy manager to help run the company. What do you think?"
At these words, Caroline froze completely. She looked up sharply at Landon, her eyes full of shock.
Deputy manager?
She had suggested joining the company to help before, and Landon had always flatly refused, saying things like women didn't need to work outside, that the Collins family business would be left to the men in the family, without leaving any room for discussion.
And now, to please James, he was directly offering her the deputy manager position.
A sense of irony surged from the bottom of her heart, like cold water poured over her body, chilling her to the bone.
A bitter smile tugged at her lips as she mocked herself inwardly. So opportunities were never earned through one's own efforts, but rather through the power and influence of those around you.
James set down his teacup, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, making crisp sounds that were particularly clear in the quiet living room.
"Deputy manager?"
He looked up at Landon, his gaze growing colder.
"Landon, Caroline is your own granddaughter. When she wanted to join the company before, what did you say? Now that I'm here, you're generously offering positions. Don't you think that's too fake?"
Landon's face turned awkward beyond words, his lips trembling, unable to speak for a long time.
Doyle quickly tried to ease the atmosphere, smiling apologetically.
"Mr. Anderson, we were short-sighted before and didn't recognize Caroline's abilities. Now we know we were wrong and want to make it up to Caroline."
"Make it up?"
James let out a scornful laugh, his tone full of disdain.
"What Caroline wants isn't the deputy manager position—it's what the Collins family owes her."
He leaned forward slightly, his presence instantly overwhelming everyone, speaking each word deliberately.
"The Collins Group—give Caroline fifty percent of the shares. Then she'll naturally take the deputy manager position."
"What?"
Landon jumped to his feet, eyes wide as saucers, his voice trembling.
"Fifty percent? Mr. Anderson, that's too much! The Collins Group is my life's work. Fifty percent of the shares—absolutely not!"
Doyle panicked too, quickly chiming in.
"That's right, Mr. Anderson. Fifty percent is really too much. There are other family members in the company. If we give it all to Caroline, they definitely won't agree. Could you... could you ask for less?"
"Less?"
James's gaze turned cold as he looked at Doyle.
"Caroline is your only daughter. Is fifty percent too much for her? You used to look down on her and exclude her. Now you want to cozy up to me with this pittance? How cunning of you."
Doyle was left speechless, standing there at a loss.
Landon felt both angry and afraid—angry at James's outrageous demands, afraid of offending James and ending up like the Harris family.
Fifty percent of the shares was equivalent to handing over the Collins Group. He really couldn't bear to part with it.
But he had witnessed James's methods firsthand. The Harris family and the Turner family had been destroyed overnight. The Collins family was no match for James at all.