Chapter 36

"That guy? He's the project leader? If he's the leader, I'll do a handstand while eating a can of herring right here!"

"Yeah, right! Everyone knows he's just the Brown family's son-in-law. If he can lead this big project, then I can say I'm the owner of the Dragon Group. Anyone can talk big, right?"

Two slick-looking guests joked loudly, and the crowd around them burst into laughter.

They looked at Louis like he was a circus monkey.

"Of course, the Collins family did a background check on him," another sharp voice chimed in, perfectly in sync with the others. "This guy just lazes around all day, bragging and pretending to be a big shot, but in reality, he relies entirely on his wife to support him!"

Louis stayed cool, but inside he was sneering, 'The Collins family? Just another bunch of narrow-minded fools.' 

"Alright, everyone, quiet down!" Bruce waved his hand with a smug smile, "Louis, stop dreaming. Only I am qualified to lead this project!"

The Brown family members didn't hold back either, mocking one after another.

"Louis, you still have the nerve to call yourself the leader? What a joke!"

"Luckily, we distanced ourselves from him early on, or we would have been dragged down by him!"

Anna stood in the crowd, looking distressed. She wanted to defend Louis but couldn't find the words. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Confusion, grievance, and helplessness washed over her, tears welling up in her eyes.

She knew he would become the target of everyone's humiliation.

At that moment, there was a commotion in the banquet hall, and from a distance, several men in black suits forged in like giant bears.

They all wore Dragon Group badges on their chests, shining under the lights.

The leader scanned the room, speaking sternly, "Who is the representative of the Collins family?"

"Oh, friends from the Dragon Group, please come in!" Bruce smiled, thinking the Dragon Group's arrival was timely, as they were the actual financiers of this billion-dollar project.

But the leader stood still, showing no intention of exchanging pleasantries, making Bruce take them more seriously.

The noise in the banquet hall ceased abruptly as if someone had pressed the mute button.

Everyone turned to look at them, craning their necks like curious giraffes, eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.

"We're from the Dragon Group's business department. Regarding the hundred-million-dollar project with the Collins Group, our board has decided to terminate it." The leader's voice wasn't loud, but every word cut like a knife.

"What? Terminate the contract?" Bruce's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "This is a breach of contract! You have to pay the penalty!" he shouted, veins bulging on his neck.

"Penalty?" The Dragon Group rep sneered, looking at Bruce like he was an idiot. "Even if we pay, do you dare to take it? How many of your projects rely on the Dragon Group? Without us, what can you do?"

Bruce was so choked up he couldn't say a word. His face turned beet red with rage.

"Our board has decided to increase the project fund to three hundred million dollars and hand it over to Mr. Windsor." As he spoke, he looked at Louis and nodded solemnly.

His words were like a bomb going off in the banquet hall, causing a huge uproar.

Everyone was thunderstruck, their jaws nearly hitting the floor, including Bruce and the Brown family members. Their eyes were wide with disbelief.

Louis walked forward steadily, took the contract from the Dragon Group rep, and signed his name with a flourish, his movements smooth and confident.

He looked up at the dumbfounded crowd, a faint smile on his lips as if everything was under his control.

"This... this is impossible! Let Louis lead the project? What a joke!" Bruce's voice boomed in the banquet hall. He slammed the table, almost spitting on Louis's face.

"He's a loser! Do you believe he can handle such a big project?" He pointed at Louis, his face full of undisguised disdain and doubt.

"This is a decision made by the Dragon Group's top management. You have no right to question it," the business department leader spoke coldly, his voice not loud but full of authority. "As for the penalty, as I said, the Dragon Group can afford it. The question is, do you dare to take it?"

Bruce was rendered speechless.

Millions of dollars in penalties were nothing to the Dragon Group, but to the Collins family, taking it would be like signing their own death warrant!

He felt extremely uneasy. The Collins Group's profitable projects all relied on the Dragon Group. If they angered the Dragon Group and canceled all cooperation, the Collins Group would be finished!

The business department leader handed the signed contract to Louis. "Mr. Windsor, this is the three-hundred-million-dollar project contract with the Dragon Group, in duplicate. Please keep this copy."

The leader's voice carried a hint of respect as he handed over the contract with both hands.

The banquet hall erupted. Everyone was dumbfounded.

"What... what's going on?"

"Am I dreaming?"

"Louis? A three-hundred-million-dollar project?"

"Isn't he a loser relying on his wife?"

"This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Everyone exchanged glances, shock, and disbelief written all over their faces.

Anna was just as stunned, her mouth hanging open. The business department leader took the signed contract and left the banquet hall.

The hall fell into a dead silence, everyone standing there in a daze. The Brown family members looked the most bewildered. Harper and her descendants wore a range of expressions, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

"Grandma, what... what is going on? How did he suddenly become so powerful?" Samuel stammered, looking like he was about to cry.

The Louis he had always looked down on had suddenly become the big shot in charge of a three-hundred-million-dollar project. How could he accept that?

The entire Brown family's assets combined were less than that!

Now, Louis was on par with Harper? Harper was equally shocked, her eyes fixed on Louis as if trying to bore a hole through him.

Anna was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth, feeling like she was dreaming.

The Brown family racked their brains but couldn't understand why the world's most mysterious and powerful Dragon Group would hand such a big project to Louis.

"Were those people really from the Dragon Group? It felt so unreal," Lucy said, frowning and full of doubt.

"Exactly, I also feel something's off. The Dragon Group is such a prestigious company; how could they make such an unreliable decision?"

"Yeah, I also think there's something wrong."

"It must be fake!"

The guests in the banquet hall began to murmur, with voices of doubt rising continuously.

"Mr. Collins, do you know any of those people from earlier?" a member of the Collins family couldn't help but ask.

Bruce shook his head. "No, I don't know any of them."

He was also puzzled. The Dragon Group was so big that it was normal for him not to know everyone.

"Mr. Collins, I'm sure those people were fake, definitely hired actors!" a voice suddenly rang out, like a bolt of lightning cutting through the fog in everyone's minds.

"Yeah! They must be actors!"

"I knew it, the Dragon Group would never do something like this!"

"So he hired actors to fool us!"

"What a joke!"

"He really thinks he can be in touch with the Dragon Group?"

"He's just a loser; he probably can't even understand the contract!"

The banquet hall erupted again, with everyone belittling Louis.

"Louis, you really surprised me!" Bruce sneered, his face once again showing a mocking smile.

"To brag in front of Anna, you even hired actors. But I have to admit, it's a clever move. Too bad it's useless!"

"What?" Louis was stunned, amazed at what these people could come up with.

At that moment, Bruce's phone suddenly rang.

"Dad, why are you calling me so late? Shouldn't you be enjoying the sun abroad?" Bruce's voice was full of impatience.

On the other end, Aaron Collins's voice was almost sparking with urgency.

"You idiot, don't play dumb with me. The Dragon Group's big project is gone, and you still have the mood to joke?"

"Dad, don't listen to that loser Louis. He's just jealous of me and made up lies to mess with us!" Bruce sneered, looking at Louis with disdain.

"Nonsense! The Dragon Group's General Manager, Mr. Campbell, called me personally. How could it be fake? Tell me, you idiot, did you cause some trouble outside?" Aaron's voice was much louder, and his anger was palpable even over the phone.

"Mr. Campbell? Why didn't he contact me first?" Bruce was confused. Normally, David would have informed him first about such matters.

"Who do you think you are? Do you know his status compared to yours? Get a clue!" Aaron was furious, cursing loudly. "I'm telling you, the Collins Group's success today is all thanks to the Dragon Group's support. If you offend the Dragon Group, we can kiss everything goodbye!"

Bruce was dumbfounded, standing there like a statue.

People around started whispering,

"What's going on? It's really gone?"

"Is it true? The Collins Group is in big trouble!"

"This is going to be interesting!"

Bruce was shocked. What did his dad mean?

His mind raced, 'Could it be that loser Louis really had some connection with the Dragon Group? No way, absolutely not! It must be a mistake.'

"Have you offended anyone recently?" Aaron's voice came through again, with a hint of anxiety.

"No... no one, except... except that loser Louis..." Bruce stammered.

"Louis? Who's that?" Aaron asked, puzzled.

"He's... he's Anna from the Brown family's husband..." Bruce's voice dwindled to a whisper, as faint as a mosquito's hum.

"What?" Aaron's roar almost deafened Bruce. "You idiot, how dare you mess with him! I'm telling you, apologize to that Louis right now! Do you hear me?"

The atmosphere in the banquet hall suddenly became eerie.

Everyone turned to Bruce to see what was happening.

"What? Anna's husband?"

"That son-in-law Louis?"

"Oh my god, Bruce has really hit a brick wall this time!"

The Brown family members looked at each other, never expecting that Louis, whom they considered worthless, would cause such a stir.

"Dad, you want me to apologize to that loser? No way!" Bruce, his neck rigid with obstinacy, declared. "I am the future heir of the Collins Group. How can I lower myself to such a nobody?"

"You..." Aaron was so angry he almost passed out.

Bruce hung up the phone, glaring at Louis.

He couldn't believe it. Could that loser son-in-law Louis really turn the tables?