Chapter 189 Negotiating Terms
"Of course, besides you, I can't think of anyone else who deserves this crown. Plus, I bought it specifically for you. If you don't accept it, wouldn't that be rejecting my feelings?"
Hearing this, Helena said, "Alright then, I'll keep it for now. But if you need it later, just ask me for it."
I pulled her slender waist close, my warm palm covering her back, gently caressing it. Looking at those tempting red lips before me, I couldn't hold back any longer and leaned down to kiss her.
As our lips met, my mind went completely blank.
I could feel Helena's body go from stiff to gradually relaxing. Her lips were the sweetest thing in the world.
I kissed her deeply, and only when I felt Helena could barely breathe did I slowly release her.
"Helena, I love you!"
I held her in my arms like I was holding the most precious treasure in the world.
Just then, my phone suddenly rang. I picked it up and saw it was Wesley calling.
Helena stretched her neck to look and also saw it was Wesley. She blinked and slipped out of my embrace. "Answer it."
I responded softly and picked up the call. Wesley's stern voice came through: "Since you're back in the country, come home. Come home now."
Hearing his tone that left no room for argument, my heart sank. I knew it must be about Zane. Well, this was a good chance to go back and put Yvonne in her place.
Since Yvonne liked to bully Helena by acting like an elder, I'd let her taste what it's like to be bullied!
With this thought, I responded, "Alright, I'll be home soon."
After hanging up, Helena looked at me with a smile. "He wants you home to talk about Zane, right?"
I nodded and patted her head. "I wanted to have a nice meal with you, but it looks like that's not happening. I need to get back and warn Yvonne while I'm at it."
"Good, go quickly. Don't let Yvonne off easy!"
Helena's pouty, indignant look was just adorable.
I nodded firmly. "Don't worry, wait for my good news!"
With that, I left the office. When I got back to The Lancaster Manor, the whole family was there, clearly waiting for me.
"Atlas, so you do remember to come home! You can just leave, but poor Zane is stuck in jail suffering. He's your own brother—how can you be so cruel?"
Hearing Yvonne's crying complaints, I frowned and stared at her coldly. "So what, you just go looking for trouble with Helena? Seems like you've forgotten why Zane's in jail in the first place."
"You bastard!"
Yvonne cried out and tried to rush at me. I glanced at her coldly and said to Evan, "Keep your mad dog under control. Don't make me do it myself. If I have to step in, it won't be just a small lesson."
"Yvonne, calm down. Atlas is back now. Dad and I will talk to him properly."
Evan's face was full of anger, but he held it in and didn't explode. He quietly comforted Yvonne before turning to me.
"Tell me, what will it take for you to let Zane out?"
I snorted. "What's the rush? He's only been in jail a few days and you're already panicking. Letting him stay longer is for his own good. I suggest you all calm down."
Seeing I had no intention of releasing Zane, Evan immediately got angry.
"Atlas, I want you to let Zane out right now. Otherwise, don't even think about having any say in company matters!"
"Oh really?"
I looked at Evan with a cold laugh. "You won't let me be involved? Are you going to manage it yourself? No offense, but with your abilities, if you ran the company, the Lancaster Group would go bankrupt within a year!"
"You!"
Hearing my words, Evan flew into a rage. He raised his hand as if to strike me.
Seeing this, I sneered. "What, you want to fight? Better think about the consequences first."
I ignored Evan and walked leisurely over to sit on the sofa.
Seeing my fearless attitude, Evan angrily turned to Wesley. "Dad, look at what Atlas has become! He has no respect for his parents, and he's completely heartless toward Zane. Aren't you going to do something?"
Wesley frowned and looked at me. "Atlas, you've made your point. Just let Zane out of jail."
"You want me to let him out? Fine, but what are you planning to do with Zane after he gets out, Grandpa?"
I knew Wesley intended to groom Zane this time, but Zane wasn't ambitious at all—all his energy went into shady schemes.
This time I'd caught him red-handed, so I might as well use it to negotiate some terms.
Seeing me soften, Wesley said in a negotiating tone, "I was thinking of having him join the shipping company. What do you think?"
The shipping company was the Lancaster family's core business. Having Zane involved in management was clearly meant to sideline me. There was no way I'd agree to that.
"With his level of ability, are you sure he could settle in and stick with the work?"
Seeing my dismissive expression, Wesley said patiently, "Then what do you suggest? Which company should he go to?"
"If you ask me, send him to the trading company. Let him expand the overseas business. If he does well there, then he can move to the shipping company."
As soon as I finished, Yvonne was the first to object. "Zane is one of the future heirs of the Lancaster family. Why can't he join the shipping company? Dad, I don't agree!"
Her agreement didn't matter. Wesley's opinion was what counted. But Wesley should know that if he didn't back down, Zane might not be getting out of jail.
I was betting he'd agree.
Sure enough, after a moment of thought, Wesley said, "Alright, I agree to have Zane train at the trading company for now."
"Dad, how could you—"
Before Yvonne could finish, Wesley raised his hand to cut her off.
"This is settled. Atlas, I want to see Zane at the company tomorrow."
With Wesley's final word, even Yvonne didn't dare make a fuss anymore.
Having achieved my goal, I pulled my legs back from the table, stood up, and straightened my clothes. "You will."
With that, I left.
As long as Zane joined the trading company, I'd make sure he stayed there permanently, never getting anywhere near the Lancaster family's core business.
No matter what, I'd won this round!