Chapter 12

He was all set to spill the beans about who he really was, but after mulling it over, he figured Caitlin wouldn't buy it anyway, so he kept his mouth shut.

Plus, given how things were between him and Caitlin, coming clean would just mess things up even more.

"Friend? Since when do you have a rich friend? Ever since we tied the knot, no one has reached out to you. Do you think I'm stupid?"

It turned out Caitlin had him all figured out. Leon gave a wry smile and said, "I'm not lying, it's really a friend. I helped him out once, and to pay me back, he lent me this money. Don't overthink it. You need the cash, so just take it."

"You helped someone? Seriously? What could you possibly do to help anyone?" Caitlin shot back.

Leon shrugged, "Caitlin, I might not be a big shot, but I did help someone out once. It was just small stuff, but he still wanted to repay me. That's the truth."

Seeing Leon's earnestness, Caitlin finally bought it. After a moment, she said, "Leon, thanks for helping me out. I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

"Okay." Leon didn't argue because he knew it would just make Caitlin suspicious.

They headed back to the living room, only to find Matilda and Caden had already left.

Leon smiled and didn't bother chasing after Matilda.

Lucy was practically beaming at the sight of the money.

Samara had calmed down and said to Leon, "Leon, you did help out this time, but don't think this earns you my respect. It's not even close! If it weren't for you, Caitlin wouldn't have been mocked by Jackson."

Leon was confused. He'd already given Caitlin the contract, so why was she still getting mocked?

Caitlin said, "Mom, don't blame Leon. This isn't his fault."

Samara shot back, "Why not? You brought the contract from Corleone Investment Bank, but Patrick thinks Jackson deserves the credit. How can I not be mad?"

"If you were a capable husband, do you think Patrick would treat our family like this? Leon, listen to me. If you hate being here, then divorce Caitlin. She'd be happier and could find a better husband without you."

Leon couldn't help but say, "Samara, do you really think others are better than me? You used to like Steve a lot, but he's already been fired. Where is he now?"

Samara glared at Leon, "Leon, who Caitlin ends up with is none of your business. If you want to prove yourself, convince Patrick to change his mind. I won't let you stay with Caitlin unless you can do that."

Leon replied, "Samara, don't worry. I don't think Jackson can take Caitlin's credit."

"Really? Jackson's heading to Corleone Investment Bank tomorrow. By then, all the credit will be his. Do you think you're the chairman of Corleone Investment Bank? Even if you're a Corleone, you can't possibly be Chairman Corleone," Samara sneered.

Leon wanted to explain, but Caitlin jumped in first.

"Alright, Mom, don't blame Leon. Blame Jackson. He's the shameless one. Plus, Leon gave me 8 million dollars, which really helped."

"Caitlin, why are you defending him? Doesn't Leon have any faults?" Samara glared at Leon. "Go clean the toilet, don't just stand there like an idiot."

Even though Samara scolded him, Leon was happy to see Caitlin standing up for him.

The next morning.

It was still early when Jackson drove to Corleone Investment Bank. After he gave his name, the receptionist led him to a room to wait.

Jackson sat down, grinning smugly.

The Herman family had upped their terms last night, now asking for 300 million dollars. Jackson was sure Mr. Corleone would agree.

Once the deal was signed, the Herman family would get a 300 million dollar investment.

300 million dollars! Just thinking about it made Jackson giddy. Patrick would definitely put him in charge of the real estate project, and Jackson could make a ton of money, enough to buy a supercar at least.

While Jackson was daydreaming, he suddenly saw Leon walk into the company. Jackson immediately stood up, stormed out of the room, and yelled, "Leon, what are you doing here? You don't belong here. Get out now."

Leon looked at Jackson calmly, didn't say a word, and kept walking.

Jackson ran over, grabbed Leon's sleeve, and shouted, "You loser, I'm talking to you. Who do you think you are, ignoring me?"

Jackson's loud voice caught the attention of the security guards, and two of them quickly approached.

One of the security guards said, "No fighting. You're disturbing others."

Jackson let go of Leon's sleeve and said politely, "Security, I don't know how he got in, but he clearly doesn't belong here. Please kick him out."

When the security guards saw Leon's face, their expressions changed.

They recognized Leon as the new chairman of the company.

Jackson actually wanted them to kick Leon out. Was he an idiot?

The security guards were about to speak when Leon waved them off and said calmly, "Jackson, Corleone Investment Bank is hiring, so I came to look for a job. What's it to you?"

"You came here to look for a job? Do you think Corleone Investment Bank would hire you? You can't do anything. Just get out of here and stop embarrassing yourself," Jackson mocked.

"I don't need your permission to do anything," Leon said calmly.

"Are you here to apply for a janitor position? Yeah, that's all you're good for," Jackson sneered.

In Jackson's eyes, Leon was only fit for the lowest of jobs.

Leon gave Jackson a quick glance, not wanting to waste any more breath on him. He turned to the two security guards and asked, "Do you know where the HR department is? Can you take me there?"

The security guards, a bit puzzled, nodded and led Leon inside.

Once they were away from the reception area, Leon said to the guards, "I don't want anyone talking about my identity outside. Got it?"

"Understood, Chairman Corleone. We won't say a word," the security guards immediately agreed.

Though they didn't get why Leon wanted to keep his identity under wraps, they knew better than to ask questions.

When Leon got to his office, Victoria was already there, working.

Seeing him, Victoria quickly poured him a cup of coffee and said, "Chairman Corleone, the representative from the Herman family is here. His name is Jackson Herman, and he wants to finalize a cooperation agreement with us. This is the revised contract from the Herman family. I thought you might want to review it before making a decision."

Leon didn't even glance at the contract. He waved it off and said, "There's nothing to review. Tell him to get lost. Corleone Investment Bank doesn't welcome him. If he shows up here again, have security throw him out."

"What? Okay, I understand." Victoria was taken aback by Leon's sudden decision, but she knew better than to question him. She just nodded and went to carry out his orders.

Meanwhile, in the reception area, Jackson was getting impatient.

He'd already downed five cups of coffee and had been waiting for nearly an hour without seeing the chairman. His patience was wearing thin.

"Is anyone there?" he shouted.

An employee walked in and asked, "Sir, is there something you need? Please keep your voice down."

"I've been waiting for an hour. Why haven't I seen your chairman yet?" Jackson said, eyeing the attractive employee. "What's your name? Want to be my girlfriend? I'll make it worth your while, way more fun than working here."

"Sir, please don't talk nonsense. Show some respect."

Jackson laughed and moved closer to her, thinking she would be easy to sway with enough money.

Just then, Victoria walked in. "Mr. Herman, what are you doing?"

Jackson immediately straightened up and smiled politely. "Hello, Ms. Mitchell. How much longer do I have to wait to see your chairman? I've been waiting for an hour."

Victoria's expression turned icy. "Sorry, Mr. Herman, our chairman doesn't want to see you and has decided to cancel the cooperation with the Herman family. He also told you to get out. Please leave."

"What? No way!" Jackson's face twisted in disbelief.

He wanted to blow up, but being at Corleone Investment Bank, he knew better than to lose it.

So he swallowed his anger and asked as calmly as he could, "Ms. Mitchell, why? Can you give me a reason?"

Victoria replied, "The chairman didn't explain. Maybe he found out about your 'good deeds' just now and doesn't like you."

With that, Victoria called in the security guards, and they promptly escorted Jackson out.

"No, this can't be. Let me see your chairman. I want to talk to him personally. Why!" Jackson struggled, but the security guards unceremoniously tossed him out the door. He tumbled down the steps and landed at the entrance.

Back at Patrick's house.

Patrick was sipping coffee, but after hearing Jackson's story, he looked just as shocked. "How could this be? Are you serious?"

Jackson nodded miserably, "Patrick, I'm telling the truth. Corleone Investment Bank doesn't want to cooperate with us at all and even threw me out!"

Patrick frowned, "Why would this happen? Didn't they agree yesterday?"

Jackson gritted his teeth, "Patrick, I think maybe yesterday's contract wasn't real at all. Corleone Investment Bank never intended to cooperate with us. Caitlin has been deceiving us."

Then other members of the Herman family voiced their opinions.

"That's right, that must be it. Otherwise, there's no way to explain what happened to Jackson today."

"Patrick, we should call Caitlin and have her explain herself."

"I agree. If Caitlin deceived us, we should kick her out of the Herman family. She's gone too far."

Jackson nodded repeatedly and suddenly remembered something, "By the way, when I went to Corleone Investment Bank today, I saw Leon there too."

"Leon? Why would he be there?" Patrick was puzzled. Leon was a nobody. How could he be there?

"It looked like he was there to apply for a janitor position. Patrick, maybe this whole thing was planned by Leon and Caitlin. Because Caitlin knew the task was difficult, she decided to deceive us," Jackson suggested.

"Patrick, no matter what the problem is, we can just ask Caitlin directly, can't we?"

"Yes, if they really planned to deceive us, we should kick them out."

The other members of the Herman family chimed in angrily.

Yesterday, they were thrilled, thinking they had secured funding from Corleone Investment Bank, but today everything had changed, and everyone was in a foul mood.

Patrick looked at the contract again and said coldly, "Call Caitlin and bring Leon and Samara too. If Caitlin really lied, we'll expel them from the family!"

The Herman family members all agreed with Patrick's decision. With Caitlin gone, the remaining members could get a larger share of the inheritance.