Chapter 127: Jason’s Power Play

Chapter 127

Jason’s POV

I moved through the hallways on autopilot while I scrolled through my social media, my eyes settling on one post before flicking to another the next minute.

It was time for dinner, but as usual, my stupid brother refused to show up, insisting he would eat in his bedroom. Just as if Father read my mind, his eyes darted towards the stairs as I sat in the chair across from him. “I suppose your brother isn’t joining us today, again.”

I let out a scoff. “He’s even more annoying now that he’s becoming a shell of himself,” I muttered, picking up my fork and knife as I watched the thin wisps of steam rise from my plate of lobster. “And it’s all because of that girl. At least, he was beginning to step out a bit for her.”

The look on Father’s face darkened. “I don’t care who or what he’s sulking about—” he paused abruptly as one of the maids walked in to drop another dish, probably our dessert, then we both sat in silence watching her tense beneath our gaze as she hurried out of the dining room.

His voice then dropped to a harsh whisper, his grip tightening on his fork. “What I want to see is him not winning that national championship game.”

A smirk tugged at my lips. “I couldn’t agree more. I want to see the frustration when he comes back home without that trophy,” I said through clenched teeth.

Father’s expression mirrored mine as he slowly chewed the food in his mouth, dropping his fork and knife, before leaning closer. “And I have just the plan to make that work.”

A smile spread out on my lips as I chewed on my own food. “I’m all ears, Dad.”

“It's nothing new, just sabotage.”

That certainly got my attention.

I dropped my utensils. “Tell me more.”

“I’m planning to plant a mole in the team he’s playing for. Someone that’s going to sabotage the game and make sure his team never wins.”

My brows raised in surprise, completely caught off guard by his words, even though I couldn’t deny the flicker of interest it sparked. “Now that is wicked. But how are you going to pull something so sinister like that off? And how are you going to get someone on his team who’s going to be perfectly fine with making sure his team loses?"

An evil glint flashed in his eyes as he leaned back, taking his phone out of his pocket. “Oh! Trust me, son, there are a lot of people who would do anything for the right amount of money.”

I tilted my head in agreement, as I knew that was true. I sat there, watching as he made a call, telling some person I didn’t know that Jett was coming.

As I listened in on Father's end of the call, I felt an unsettling feeling deep in my chest as my mind raced with concerning thoughts.

I knew Jett; I was his twin brother, for fuck’s sake. I knew him better than anyone. He was very good and incredibly smart when he wanted to be, he could even be dangerous. There was a part of me—a very small part—that felt this way because deep down, I suspected that this wasn’t enough to bring my brother down.

I didn’t just want to let my father do all the work, and I didn’t just want him to lose. I wanted to feel the satisfaction of outsmarting him.

So I hatched my own plan too.

One that was going to tear him to pieces completely.

My plan was to win over the shareholders at the company and push through as many deals as I could get, as many projects as possible, legally or illegally. I didn’t give a damn about the law, and then I'd have leverage against my darling brother.

“What’s on your mind, son?” I snapped out of my thoughts to find my father looking at me with a curious yet intrigued expression on his face.

"Oh, don’t worry, Dad." I returned my attention back to my food. “You’ll find out soon, trust me.”

I didn’t even want to waste time to carry out my plan. The next day, I made my way to the company, deciding to join one of the board meetings. I didn’t even need to hide it from Jett, as he was still stuck in his Kim-obsessed bubble. Guess this is all working in my favor.

“That’s because our current direction is too safe.” A young woman who looked like she was in her early thirties hissed out, looking annoyed as she crossed her arms. “We’ve already stopped taking the risks. Now our work just looks like everyone else’s.”

Surprisingly, it was today of all days that I decided to join the meeting; they were tackling an issue concerning the decrease in client engagement. In other words, my time to shine.

A murmur moved through the room as everyone whispered amongst themselves, and I seized the opportunity to speak up. “I agree. I’ve been reviewing feedback from our top clients, and what I can say is they’re not asking for something safe." I clasped my hands together on top of the desk, pausing for dramatic effect. “They’re asking for identity. Something unmistakably us. Something that will definitely wow the public.”

This would’ve been the perfect chance for me to propose something, but I didn’t have anything on me. Which meant I just had to wait for someone to propose an idea and butt in. Or possibly make it even better.

It didn’t take long before another shareholder proposed something concerning a new concept line, one with mixed media, emotional design, less perfection, and more expression.

“That’s a big departure from our current branding,” another one replied.

The young man who proposed the idea looked doubtful for a few seconds, and I took up the opportunity. “It is, and I get what you’re saying. But staying stagnant is even riskier,” I told them, feeling all of their eyes on me. “We’re already slipping behind competitors who are embracing raw, imperfect aesthetics.”

One of the women frowned. “And if the people reject it? What do we do then?”

I held her gaze. “Then we refine. But we cannot keep producing safe work and expect growth. Art doesn’t evolve through…” I searched for the exact word. “Caution.”

I saw a few interested ones, but I also saw skeptical ones. They fired me with questions, but with the young man turning to my side, along with others, we were able to convince most of them. That is, if not all.

I’d succeeded in getting the recognition I wanted.

I was still buzzing with excitement and satisfaction when I bumped into someone a few minutes after I had left the board room.

On instinct, my hand slid around her, catching her before she fell. Her feminine scent filled my senses as I looked down to find a pair of green eyes staring up at me.