Chapter 34 Stealing Clients
Jennifer explained, "He did come to see me, but I've completely broken with him."
Francis replied, "Okay, if he bothers you again, tell me right away. I don't like my woman getting tangled up with other men."
"I understand." Jennifer answered obediently.
That evening, Francis worked overtime handling business while Jennifer made him coffee and cut fruit. Francis not only had to manage the hospital's daily operations, but also gradually take over the group's investment department. He was his father's son born in old age, the first heir to the Carter Group.
After showering and getting into bed, Jennifer nervously glanced at the bedside table drawer. The condoms she'd bought were inside, but Francis hadn't asked about them at all.
Jennifer tossed and turned restlessly in bed, unable to sleep. When Francis wanted to be intimate with her, she was nervous; when Francis didn't touch her, she was even more nervous.
Francis pulled the fidgeting Jennifer into his arms and asked in a husky voice, "Why so restless? Got fleas or something?"
Jennifer's face grew hot as she replied softly, "I bought what you asked me to buy, I was just wondering why you haven't..." She couldn't finish the sentence.
But Francis understood immediately, kissed her full lips and said, "So Ms. Brown is feeling unsatisfied. Don't worry, once I deal with that pest, I'll give you my full attention."
'Who is the pest?' Jennifer wondered. Had someone upset him recently? So he had something on his mind, which was why he wasn't in the mood. Since it wasn't her fault, she felt relieved and went to sleep. As for him saying she was unsatisfied, she was too lazy to argue—she couldn't win against him anyway.
Seeing Jennifer bury her head and ignore him, Francis rubbed her soft hair and closed his eyes to rest too. To stand up for her, he'd taken on extra work lately and was indeed a bit tired.
That day, all the mainstream media outlets in Golden Harbor received calls from the Carter Group's secretary department, asking them to be cautious about David's company because the Carter Group was planning to partner with this small company.
Additionally, Riverside General Hospital was a hospital under the Carter Group, and Mr. Carter was very unhappy that reporters had broken the rules and snuck in to disturb patients. These news editors were the most well-informed people in Golden Harbor and naturally knew that Francis had the entire Carter Group backing him. Several articles criticizing David as a bad businessman were pulled, and interview videos with the injured workers weren't published either.
When Eugene didn't see the expected coverage, he called his friend, editor Eddy Bowers, to ask about it.
Eddy only said that someone too powerful to offend had blocked these stories, and advised him not to go after David anymore to avoid angering this big shot.
Eugene hung up frowning—Eddy, that old fox, deliberately didn't tell him who it was. He was even returning the payment he'd received, which meant he really wasn't going to do the job. But which important person had David gotten close to?
Before Eugene could figure this out, his secretary reported. "Mr. Bailey, Mr. Church says he's not feeling well and can't make tonight's dinner."
Eugene frowned. "Mr. Church's project isn't that big, it's not a major problem if he can't come. What about Mr. Bautista and Mr. Riddick?"
These two were his most important clients recently. Jerald Bautista had just freed up a large sum of money and was looking for a promising project to invest in; Elton Riddick's gaming startup had attracted a huge number of players and was the most promising project investment banks were watching. He'd organized this dinner mainly to lock down these two clients.
But his secretary said with a pained expression. "Mr. Bautista says a meeting got postponed today, and Mr. Riddick says his dad called him home for dinner. Both of them can't make it either."
Eugene immediately sat up straight, his index finger tapping the desk repeatedly. He frowned deeply—this was more serious than the failed attack on David.
There was no such thing as pure coincidence. One person canceling was one thing, but when all three flaked at once, maybe the partnership was already falling apart.
Eugene would originally planned to close these two deals this quarter, which would make him the top performer for the year, and then get the Clark family to pull some strings at year-end so his promotion to vice president would be a sure thing.
With these two clients gone, the chances of a promotion disappeared, and he became the target of behind-the-scenes ridicule.
"Use all my connections immediately to find out where these three people went today," Eugene ordered. He wasn't the type to take hits passively. At least he needed to know who was stealing his clients before he could figure out how to counter it.
At that moment, at Emerald Isle Golf Course, Elton saw Kimball Church and asked with a mischievous smile. "I heard Eugene's secretary say Mr. Church wasn't feeling well. How come you're here playing golf?"
Kimball was a chubby man with a kind smile. He said with a grin, "When the Carter Group heir invites me, how dare I not come? Even if my leg was broken, I'd crawl here. But Mr. Riddick, I heard you were going home for dinner? How come you're here too?"
Elton added, "I can still make it home for dinner after golf. When my dad finds out I just played golf with Francis, he'll be happy enough to have a couple extra drinks."
The two exchanged knowing smiles, both understanding perfectly. They'd turned down Eugene's dinner for Francis's golf outing simply because Francis's status was more important.
Eugene was just an investment bank manager. Although he controlled a lot of funds, he was just managing investments for clients. As for Eugene becoming part of the Clark family in the future, he wasn't yet, so naturally he couldn't compare to Francis.
Jerald was an elegant middle-aged man who didn't know these two, so he stood aside without speaking.
Soon Francis appeared with a sharply dressed young man, introducing him to the three businessmen as a capable investment bank manager, Kellan Hawthorne.
Kellan was Eugene's colleague and also his biggest competitor. Before Eugene got close to Aria, Kellan had been the company's top performer. Unfortunately, he didn't have such a useful girlfriend, which caused his recent performance to fall slightly behind Eugene's. When he received Francis's invitation, he felt like Lady Luck had finally smiled on him.
The group chatted while playing. Kellan casually told a golf course story that revealed his investment philosophy, earning praise all around.
Everyone knew Francis had organized this gathering to introduce them to a new investment bank manager. Kimball, with less capital, immediately said he'd follow Francis's lead.
Jerald was more cautious and wanted to see more of Kellan's abilities first, asking him to prepare an investment proposal for next week. As long as the proposal was on par with Eugene's level, he was willing to show Francis that respect. Elton also said he'd think it over.
Francis patted Kellan's shoulder. "The rest is up to you."
"I definitely won't let you down!" Kellan was full of confidence. His work ability was definitely not inferior to Eugene's.