Chapter 143 He Won't Take a Silent Loss
"Dad, you're not getting it. If saying sorry fixed everything, I'd do it right now. But even if I apologize, what if Emily doesn't keep her promise and doesn't give us the evidence?" Bianca shifted the blame onto Emily.
Eli was worried about that too, but there wasn't a better solution at the moment.
"We have to try. If she breaks her promise, we'll confront her again and record the conversation. That way, we can shift the blame onto her and minimize the damage to you and Chase."
Feeling more confident, Eli's tone strengthened. Bianca's expression froze, almost unable to hold back.
But she managed to control herself and replied, "Dad, have you thought about how my apology would implicate Chase, me, and Emily? The public would start questioning the integrity of the entire Johnson family."
Eli's face darkened. "So what do you suggest? If there's no other option, we have to try something."
Bianca had been waiting for this. She smiled at Eli, her hand instinctively touching her stomach. "Dad, don't forget that I'm carrying James's child. We're about to get engaged, which ties us to the Smiths. Why not announce our engagement? This would make anyone targeting the Johnson Group or Chase think twice. Then we can quietly handle Chase's issue and try to reach a private settlement with Noah."
Eli hesitated but saw the merit in her plan. "It's a good idea, but announcing it before the engagement could backfire if the Smiths aren't happy about it."
Bianca was well aware of this. Ever since James found out she refused to apologize, he had been distant, and the engagement plans were stalled. This was her way of pushing James forward.
"Dad, I'm carrying James's child. They won't turn against us because of the baby, right?"
Mentioning the baby gave Bianca confidence. Eli's eyes lit up, and he nodded. "You're right. Let's do it your way."
Eli immediately moved to inform the PR department to announce Bianca and James's upcoming engagement and the alliance between the Johnson and Smith families. But Bianca stopped him.
"Dad, don't rush. It'll look like we're desperate. Do it this way..."
She whispered a few instructions to Eli, who nodded in agreement, his gaze softening. "Alright, I'll handle it."
Eli felt that if Bianca were in better health, the Johnson Group would thrive even more under her leadership.
After their conversation, Bianca called James. "James, I'm not feeling well. Can you take me to the hospital for a check-up?"
Despite his reservations about the engagement, James couldn't ignore his child. "Alright."
He picked up Bianca and took her to the hospital. Unbeknownst to them, someone secretly photographed them at the OB-GYN.
Following Eli's instructions, the photos were edited and posted online. Within hours, the internet was abuzz with news of the beautiful couple, Bianca and James, and the impending alliance between the Johnson Group and Ascend Global Group. The news dominated the headlines, and those considering ending their partnerships with Chase paused.
While Eli and Chase felt they had made the right move, the Smith family also caught wind of the news. Kade frowned and summoned James.
"Look at what you've done. The Johnson Group is really good at latching on. Now, how do you plan to handle this? Push the engagement forward."
Kade valued lineage and felt he had no choice but to accept the situation. He acknowledged Bianca's good reputation and capabilities, especially compared to Emily, the adopted daughter. He had prepared for this alliance when he accepted Emily as his daughter-in-law.
James stared at the hospital photos, his face tense and eyes cold. Bianca had played him well. He realized how deep her scheming went, contrasting sharply with the innocent image he had of her.
"The Johnsons are banking on you agreeing. But I won't let them control us."
"So what do you suggest?" Kade asked.
"I'll handle it. Even if we don't follow the Johnsons' plan, they won't dare cross us."
James had seen the true nature of the Johnsons and began to reconsider Emily's past actions. His eyes grew colder at the thought.
"Alright, you handle it," Kade agreed, seeing it as a chance for James to prove himself.
James left the study and immediately called his assistant with two tasks. "First, remove all news about my engagement with Bianca. Second, investigate everything about Bianca and Emily's conflicts."
The assistant, who had always suspected Bianca, was pleased to finally see James taking action. "Yes, I'll get right on it."
Meanwhile, Emily saw the news online about the Johnsons' and Smiths' alliance. She smirked, feeling a cold chill. The Johnsons would rather announce a marriage alliance than have Bianca apologize.
But just as the news was gaining traction, the web pages suddenly became inaccessible. Emily refreshed the hot topics, only to find a statement from Ascend Global Group replacing the news of the engagement.