Chapter 147 Give Mommy Back to Me, or I'll Make You Go Bankrupt
Jeremy responded, "He's fine, just two broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder, plus some bruising."
Alexander asked, "Is he still at the hospital?"
Jeremy nodded. "Mr. Hayes, are you injured at all?"
Alexander countered, "Do you think I would be?"
Jeremy remained silent.
Alexander continued, "Since he's fine, don't worry about him. Just give him a warning. Also, I want you to thoroughly investigate Jenny—home address, phone number, current employer. Get me everything."
Jeremy acknowledged with a simple, "Understood."
Alexander made a trip to the office, did his usual rounds of the project teams, reviewed several reports, then headed home.
Liam and Max were already back from school.
Liam was his usual oblivious self, but Max was far more perceptive.
Since Alexander and Grace had been out all night, the moment he walked through the door alone, Max circled him suspiciously before asking, "Where's Mom?"
The night before, Alexander had called the nanny to let her know he and Grace wouldn't be coming home.
Max had barely slept, constantly trying to call Grace only to find her phone turned off. The nanny kept saying Mom was with Alexander, but how could that possibly put his mind at ease?
Being with this man was precisely what worried him most.
Alexander replied, "Mom didn't come back."
Max looked him up and down critically, demanding, "Were you two together last night?"
Alexander nodded. "Yes, the entire night."
Max ground his teeth audibly at this response. "You didn't hurt Mom, did you?"
Alexander asked, "Why would I hurt her?"
Max planted his hands on his hips, adopting a prosecutor's stance as he interrogated, "Then why did you come back alone? Where exactly are you hiding my mom?"
Alexander said, "Your mom is fine. It's not like I ate her."
With that, he tried to step around Max to go check on Liam.
Max grabbed his hand, refusing to let him pass. "Then why didn't Mom come back with you?"
Alexander seemed to deliberately provoke him, saying, "Your mom belongs to me now."
Max's eyes went wide as saucers. "No way! Mom is mine—you can't steal her from me."
Alexander found his indignant attitude amusing.
Such a domineering little guy at such a young age—definitely his son.
He crouched down in front of Max, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "What if I insist on stealing her from you?"
Max's brow furrowed, clearly getting angry now.
You could tell he was genuinely furious as he grabbed the man's tie, his expression becoming identical to Alexander's—cold and intimidating. "You wouldn't dare."
Alexander replied, "There's nothing in this world I wouldn't dare to do."
He seriously suspected this kid had an Oedipus complex, or perhaps it was related to growing up alone with Grace, just the two of them against the world.
But he couldn't indulge this behavior.
He needed to make this little guy understand that Grace wasn't his personal property.
Max declared, "Then I'll make you go bankrupt!"
Alexander's lips curved in amusement as he suppressed laughter. "How exactly would you make me go bankrupt?"
Max decided not to hide anything anymore, laying his cards on the table. "I have plenty of ways to bankrupt you. If you've done your homework on Crest Corporation's ownership structure, you should know who the second-largest shareholder is, besides you."
Alexander's expression froze slightly.
He was naturally well-versed in his company's ownership structure.
In Crest Corporation, he held a 49% stake, while the second-largest shareholder held 15%.
But this shareholder's identity was extremely mysterious and elusive. Even he only knew the person went by Morris, called Mr. Morris. This individual had never attended board meetings, conducting all business via email, and had a dedicated representative who handled all major agenda items and communications with Mr. Morris.
Mr. Morris...?
Alexander frowned, looking at Max's youthful face. An incredible suspicion crossed his mind, which he immediately dismissed.
He knew Max possessed formidable hacking skills—he could casually develop a virus capable of bringing down Crest Corporation's entire defense system—but no matter how capable he was, he was still a child under eight years old.
Eight years old...
What could an eight-year-old possibly accomplish?
Alexander found it difficult to connect him to any relationship with Mr. Morris.
He asked, "You know this Mr. Morris?"
Max replied, "Want to take another guess?"
Alexander said, "Are you playing riddles with me?"
Max raised an eyebrow, his lips curving into an elegant smile. "Is it possible that I am Mr. Morris?"
Alexander responded, "Impossible. I've investigated Mr. Morris's background—he's thirty-five years old."
Max said, "Are you sure about that? Information like that can be easily falsified, can't it? I can't believe you actually fell for it."
Alexander's eyes widened slightly in shock.
If this were true, it would completely shatter his understanding of reality.
He couldn't believe Max could possibly be the mysterious Mr. Morris. If Max really was Mr. Morris, that would make him worth billions.
He was only eight years old?
How could he have achieved that?
Alexander still didn't quite believe it, asking, "What proof do you have that you're Mr. Morris?"
Max replied, "Unless you tell me where you're hiding Mom, I'm not saying another word!"
With that, he crossed his arms and half-closed his eyes, glaring at him disdainfully.
The "Mr. Morris" identity was his trump card, one he didn't reveal lightly. But since Alexander was his biological father, there wasn't much point in hiding it—it might as well let him see the truth.
Alexander slowly stood up, his brow furrowed in concentration. He had to admit, this little guy had thoroughly piqued his curiosity, so he rarely backed down: "Tonight, I'll bring her home. But first, you have to tell me how you became Mr. Morris."
Supposedly, Mr. Morris was a legendary venture capital mogul who dominated financial circles.
Two years ago, he had invested in Crest Corporation and continuously increased his stake, aggressively acquiring shares. After Crest Corporation went public in Skyview City, Mr. Morris had continued steadily increasing his holdings, eventually becoming the company's second-largest shareholder.
Such business acumen and boldness were hard to attribute to a child under eight years old.
If he really was Mr. Morris, then his threats actually carried considerable weight.
After all, as the second-largest shareholder, his position on the board of directors was not to be underestimated. While it might not be enough to force Alexander into bankruptcy—since Alexander still held actual control of Crest Corporation—as a major shareholder, any move he made could create far-reaching domino effects.