Chapter 53: Heir of Summit Holdings Corporation
But Landon had some doubts in his heart. Summit Holdings Corporation was so powerful - how could Brian, as Finn's son, fall for an ordinary girl like Janice? And when he said he had decision-making power over the bidding project, could he be exaggerating?
Just as Landon was doubting, Brian's phone suddenly rang. The screen showed "Father" as the contact name.
Brian picked up his phone and deliberately turned the screen toward Landon and the others, letting them see the contact name clearly before answering the call with a respectful tone.
"Dad, why are you calling me?"
From the other end came a deep, authoritative voice.
"Brian, where are you? Come home right now. There's a lot of work at the company waiting for you to handle. If you keep hanging around with those shady women, forget about inheriting the family business!"
Brian's face showed a hint of grievance as he spoke seriously,
"Dad, I'm not hanging around with shady women. I'm at Janice's relatives' house. They're all good people."
"Besides, I truly like Janice. I won't give her up. Even if you won't let me inherit the family business, I still won't break up with Janice."
Finn on the other end roared in anger,
"You bastard! What did I tell you? I told you to stop seeing Janice. She's just a girl from an ordinary family - she's not good enough for you. Why won't you listen? Come home right now, or I'll cut off all your financial support!"
Brian remained firm.
"Dad, I'm not coming back, and I won't break up with Janice. If you cut off my financial support, I'll earn money myself to support her. Either way, I won't give her up."
With that, Brian hung up directly. His face showed a bitter smile as he explained to Landon and the others,
"Sorry you had to see that. My father has never approved of Janice and me being together. He thinks her family isn't good enough for the Moore family. He keeps restricting my freedom and won't let me do what I want."
Landon and the others, seeing the contact name on the screen and hearing the voice on the phone, immediately lost all their doubts.
After all, he had once heard Finn's voice on the news - it sounded exactly the same. Looks like he was overthinking it.
With that thought, Landon quickly said,
"Mr. Moore, don't be upset. Your father is just looking out for you. He'll understand your feelings eventually."
"Janice is so outstanding - she's more than good enough for you. Don't worry, we'll definitely support you and Janice being together."
Gilbert also quickly chimed in.
"That's right, Mr. Moore. Janice is so beautiful and outstanding. Your father will definitely accept her eventually.
Don't worry, as long as you can help us partner with Summit Holdings Corporation, we'll definitely put in a good word for you with your father and help win him over."
Daryl also joined in.
"Exactly, Mr. Moore. We'll definitely help you, so don't worry."
Brian's face showed a smile, and his tone softened considerably.
"Thank you all for your understanding and support. As long as you support Janice and me being together, I'll definitely help you connect with Summit Holdings Corporation and make you their partners, so you can get the bidding project."
When Landon and the others heard this, they immediately got excited and quickly picked up their wine glasses from the table to toast Brian.
"Mr. Moore, I toast to you. Thank you for being willing to help us. We'll definitely repay you well in the future!"
"Mr. Moore, I also toast to you. I wish you and Janice an early marriage and your father's approval!"
"Mr. Moore, I toast to you too. Please take good care of the Collins family in the future!"
They took turns toasting Brian, their faces full of flattery and respect, treating Brian as their only hope to turn things around.
Brian accepted all the toasts, drinking glass after glass, his face full of pride, as if he really were the heir to Summit Holdings Corporation, holding great power and able to decide the Collins family's fate.
Janice sat to the side, watching the Collins family people fawn over Brian, her face full of arrogance and satisfaction.
Doyle sat nearby, not saying much, just quietly drinking along, but feeling somewhat uneasy inside.
He kept feeling that something was off about Brian, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
Besides, the Collins family people were already blinded by thoughts of revenge and reclaiming their shares, and wouldn't listen to him at all.
Early the next morning, Landon and the others wasted no time in flattering Brian.
They gave Brian all sorts of treasured wines and antiques.
"Mr. Moore, what about that bidding project we mentioned?"
Receiving these things, a calculating look quickly flashed in Brian's eyes before he put on a pained expression.
He deliberately sighed and rubbed his temples.
Seeing Brian's expression, Landon's heart immediately jumped, afraid this only hope would disappear. He quickly hobbled forward two steps with his cane, bending almost ninety degrees, his voice trembling.
"Mr. Moore, what's wrong? Is your father refusing to budge?"
Brian glanced at everyone, his brow furrowing even tighter, his tone full of helplessness.
"Landon, to be honest, my dad is extremely controlling. He personally manages everything at the company, big or small, and won't delegate any authority."
"Even though I'm his son, in his eyes, I'm still a child who hasn't grown up. I have hardly any real power and everything I do is restricted by him."
Landon quickly nodded, his face full of smiles, though his heart was anxious.
If Brian had no real power, could he still help the Collins family get the project?
But at this point, he had no other options. He could only bite the bullet and trust Brian. He quickly agreed,
"I understand, I understand. He cares about you and doesn't want you to take wrong turns. After all, it's a wealthy family - being cautious is appropriate."
"Caring about me is one thing, but this matter is difficult."
Brian sighed and deliberately paused, building up everyone's anticipation.
"You heard yesterday - my dad already looks down on Janice, thinks she's not good enough for me, and targets us at every turn."
"After dinner last night, I talked to my dad about it. He's not happy about me meddling in other people's business, so now if I try to help the Collins family get the bidding project, he'll definitely make things difficult for me on purpose, maybe even sabotage it."
Gilbert's heart tightened, his heart jumping to his throat, and any remaining hope completely vanished.
He quickly grabbed Brian's hand, his voice full of pleading.
"Is there any way? Mr. Moore, we really want to partner with Summit Holdings Corporation!"
Brian pretended to think for a long time, his fingers unconsciously tapping the sofa armrest, his face showing a conflicted expression.
After quite a while, he finally spoke slowly, his tone serious,
"It's not that there's no way. After all, I'm still his son - I definitely have connections. It's just very difficult, and it'll take quite a bit of money. I need to use that money to grease the wheels, otherwise it won't work at all."