Chapter 144 Kicked Out of the Company
The man shouted and struggled desperately.
"A man named Chase gave me a large sum of money. He told me to go upstairs during the party, enter the room, and just stay there without doing anything."
Several burly men surrounded him and asked, "Who is this man? What's his background? Do you know?"
The man begged for mercy a few times, then continued, "He was very cautious, but I secretly followed him and saw him enter the Lockwood Group with my own eyes."
Hearing this, Henry and Atlas's faces instantly darkened.
I realized it too - their target was me.
There was no more useful information after that. Atlas closed the laptop and looked at Henry. "Mr. Lockwood, do you know the person he's talking about?"
Henry sighed and leaned back against the sofa. After a moment, he said coldly, "There's a veteran employee at the company named Chase. He's been working at the Lockwood Group since my father started the business. I'm not sure if it's him."
Hearing this, my heart sank. So people in the company were already in such deep collusion with John.
"Dad, what do we do now?"
Henry silently took out his phone and made a call. Soon, a man's hearty laugh came from the other end.
"Mr. Lockwood, why are you calling me so late?"
"Mr. Chase, at Natasha's party, my wife accidentally drank a glass of water that contained a high dose of sedatives. She's now in the hospital."
As Henry finished speaking, the man on the other end responded with an exaggerated voice, "Is Mrs. Lockwood alright?"
"Fortunately we discovered it in time. She's fine."
Henry continued, "However, I've already found out who drugged her. He said a man named Chase from the company instructed him to do it. Mr. Chase, I just want to ask - do you know anything about this?"
Seeing Henry ask so directly, Finnley Chase on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, but quickly denied it.
"Mr. Lockwood, how would I know about such a thing? You know what my performance at the company is like. Besides, I'm a veteran of the company - how could I do something that harms the company's interests!"
Seeing him deny it outright, Henry wasn't surprised.
"It's precisely because you're a veteran of the company that I thought to call you first. Since that's the case, pack up your things and prepare to explain yourself to the police."
"Mr. Lockwood, what do you mean? I told you it wasn't me. Why don't you believe me?"
"I'm someone who started the business with your father! You can't just kick me out after using me. If you do this, the company veterans won't let you get away with it!"
Finnley's frantic voice came through the phone.
Hearing this, Henry said coldly, "It's precisely because you're a company veteran that I called you first. Finnley, let me tell you - you can do anything, but if you dare harm my wife and daughter, that's unforgivable!"
With that, Henry hung up directly.
After hanging up, Henry immediately called the police and had Mira start gathering evidence to formally sue Finnley.
In just a few minutes, Henry had decisively kicked a company veteran out.
I looked at him admiringly. "I wish I could be as decisive as you, Dad."
Henry patted my head and sighed. "If he hadn't gone too far, I wouldn't have been so ruthless either."
Henry shook his head. "I hope this was just a momentary lapse in judgment, not something he'd been planning for a long time."
Hearing this, I said, "When you took over the Lockwood Group, Dad, you kept many of the veterans from when the company was founded. These people are getting old now - shouldn't we consider letting them all retire?"
Hearing this, Henry looked startled for a moment, then said, "Helena, you mean let all these people go?"
I nodded. "These people rely on being company veterans and have done plenty of things that go against orders. This is a good opportunity."
It was also a good chance to get rid of anyone who might be colluding with John.
Hearing this, Henry thought for a moment. "This isn't a simple matter. There are still seven or eight company veterans left, all in important positions. Suddenly removing them all wouldn't be good for the company."
After thinking, I suggested, "Dad, you could first explain to these people that it's not that the company doesn't want them, but that we're letting them enjoy their retirement early. Their annual dividends and income won't decrease, but there's one requirement - when they leave, they must hand over their work cleanly."
"Dad, you can assign two people to each of them for the handover. This way we avoid gaps in the work."
"After a month or two when things settle down, we can slowly calculate these people's expenses, choose a price the company can handle, and gradually reduce it."
My words made Henry understand immediately.
"You mean first get them to leave, then reduce their income after they're gone?"
I nodded. "This approach may be somewhat unethical, but it's the best way to protect the company."
Henry thought about it and shook his head. "I'll give them a reasonable amount of money so they won't have any worries. After all, they've made contributions to the company."
Hearing this, I nodded. I knew Henry never cared much about profits. His saying this meant he'd already agreed to my suggestion.
I was secretly pleased. In this life, by planning ahead, let's see how John's family and Knox can make their move!
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Dad."
"It's getting late. Let Atlas take you home."
Henry stood up and looked at me.
I nodded. Before I could speak, Atlas said first, "Mr. Lockwood, don't worry, I'll get Helena home safely."
"Good."
Henry closed the door only after seeing us off.
Atlas drove me all the way home. After saying goodnight to each other, he left.
I slept well that night. The next day when I woke up and opened my phone, a bunch of entertainment news popped up. The headlines were clearly photos of me.
[Shocking, is Helena the other woman?]
[This year's most dramatic news - Helena destroys Natasha's relationship.]
[Round and round, it's still you - Mr. Pemberton's rocky love life rivals a soap opera.]
Seeing this, I immediately understood. Some media had deliberately twisted yesterday's events and published them.
It must have been Knox and his people. Thinking of this, my expression instantly turned cold.
I took out my phone and called Mira. "Mira, find out who wrote these reports. They're fabricating false facts. Get ready to take them to court."
"Yes."
Mira on the other end responded, "Ms. Lockwood, don't worry, I'll start gathering evidence right away."
"Good."
After hanging up, I gripped my phone and walked outside.