Chapter 5

So, Apex Global Enterprises got a new boss and decided to cut ties with all their old partners. Talk about a cutthroat competition!

The folks who had worked with Apex before had a leg up this time. They knew the ropes, which gave them a better shot than the Brown family.

The Brown family, on the other hand, didn't have the muscle to pull it off, even if Sophia's proposal was top-notch. The odds of getting turned down were still pretty high. This thought made Sophia even more nervous.

But then she saw James's reassuring smile, and it calmed her down a bit.

"Don't stress, babe, you'll nail it! And if it doesn't work out, I'll leave on my own. I won't drag you out of the Brown family with me!" James said, trying to boost Sophia's confidence.

Sophia's face darkened. "Don't ever say that again!"

Even though they'd been married for years without much intimacy, Sophia never thought about divorcing James. James grinned, "Alright, my bad, I won't say it again!" He lifted the steak he was holding and added, "Let's head back. I'll cook you something nice, and you can focus on the proposal!" Sophia nodded, and they went back to their rented apartment.

As soon as they walked in, they saw Aurora glaring at them.

Aurora yelled, "James, are you trying to get our whole family killed before you're satisfied?" Her words were dripping with disdain. Sophia instinctively stepped in front of James and snapped back at her mom, "Mom, James is doing this for me! You can't talk to him like that!"

Aurora's face twisted with anger. "I can't talk to him like that? Then I'll talk to you! I told you to divorce James and marry Andrew, but you wouldn't listen! You're just wasting your time!"

Sophia replied firmly, "My marriage to James was arranged by Grandpa. Even though he's gone, I can't break my promise to him!" Her tone grew more serious, "And over the years, James hasn't done anything wrong, so I can't divorce him!"

Hearing this, James thought Sophia wouldn't divorce him purely because of her grandpa. He knew Sophia didn't have much affection for him, but it still stung to hear her say it.

"You're such a fool!" Aurora shouted, then collapsed onto the sofa, crying. "Ever since I had you, your grandmother Mia never liked me! But at least your grandfather did, and that was some comfort!"

She paused, then went on, "But I never thought your grandfather would harm you like this, making you marry this worthless man! Ruining your life!" 

Sophia frowned and shot back, "Grandpa cared for me, or he wouldn't have given me the chance to join the group! I agreed to this marriage myself! I've never regretted it!" Aurora was even more upset, but she couldn't argue with her stubborn daughter anymore.

Just as the tension in the room hit its peak, there was a knock on the door.

James went to open it, and his face darkened when he saw who it was. "What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.

Standing there was none other than James's rival, Andrew.

Andrew flashed a smug smile. "I heard Sophia's trying to collaborate with Apex Global Enterprises. I'm here to help!" He strolled into the room, nodded at Aurora and Sophia, and set a basket of apples on the table.

"We've been working with Apex for ages, and we know their people inside out. I'm confident I can help the Brown family secure this collaboration," Andrew continued.

James's expression soured. He had completely forgotten about the Anderson family's connections.

Andrew, ignoring James's reaction, went on, "Apex terminated all their collaborations because they got a new owner, not because they changed all their staff."

Everyone understood the implication.

"Mr. Anderson, are you really that confident?" James asked icily.

Andrew kept his cool and smiled. "We've been established in Silverlight City for years and have worked with Apex for at least a decade. So yes, I'm confident." Aurora, who had been looking defeated, suddenly perked up. "Then we'll have to trouble you, Mr. Anderson!"

Andrew smiled, "It's no trouble at all. I'm happy to help Sophia in any way I can." 

Aurora beamed. "Mr. Anderson is always so kind, unlike some people who almost got Sophia kicked out of the Brown family!"

Her words were a clear jab at James, emphasizing the importance of having a reliable man. Andrew, pleased with the praise, said, "Mrs. Brown, if you don't mind, you can always consider me part of the family!"

Aurora nodded. "I'd love to, but some people just get in the way!"

Her words were a blatant put-down of James.

Seeing them gang up on James, Sophia suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Anderson, thank you for your offer, but I don't need your help right now." Her tone was firm. "If I fail, it's on me. I won't blame anyone." She opened the door and added, "Mr. Anderson, please leave."

Andrew was taken aback by Sophia's rejection but kept his composure. "It's getting late. I won't disturb you any longer. If you need anything, feel free to contact me."

With that, he walked out the door.

"Goodbye," Sophia said coldly, then shut the door.

Outside, Andrew's gentlemanly smile faded into a scowl. But he knew that if Sophia really wanted to stay in the Brown family, she'd have to come to him eventually. So he wasn't worried.

Inside, Aurora's face turned grim. "Are you out of your mind? Mr. Anderson came here to help you, and you kicked him out!"

She shot a venomous look at James and continued, "Do you really believe what James said, that you can get noticed by Apex Global Enterprises on your own?" Sophia didn't respond to her mother's questioning. Instead, she said, "I'm going to work on the proposal now!" With that, she walked into her room and shut the door.

Seeing Sophia leave, Aurora had no intention of sticking around either. She glared at James and said, "I want my steak medium-well. If it's overcooked, don't blame me for scolding you!" Then she also retreated to her room.

After the two women left, James's expression remained unchanged. He took out the steak from the bag and started preparing it. Then he closed the kitchen door and began cooking.

The noise from the kitchen was loud enough to drown out any other sounds.

James pulled out his phone and dialed Nora's number.

The call was quickly answered, and Nora spoke respectfully, "Mr. Smith, is there something you need my help with?" James spoke calmly, "I heard that some of the potential new collaborators are secretly colluding with people in the company?" Nora paused for a moment, a bit confused, then said, "The final selection of collaborators is up to me! In theory, this shouldn't happen!" James didn't rush to a conclusion and asked, "Would you consider choosing old collaborators?" Nora almost instinctively replied, "Possibly, because long-term collaborators are definitely better in some aspects than new ones! New collaborators also need time to adapt!" Her words were clear and reasonable.

After hearing Nora's answer, James spoke without hesitation, "I don't care about the other collaborators, I have only two requirements!" Hearing James's words, Nora immediately perked up and listened carefully.

James continued, "First, Apex Global Enterprises will absolutely not collaborate with the Williams family! Even if they are old collaborators, I don't like the Williams family!"

Nora agreed without hesitation, "Actually, Mr. Smith, even if you didn't say it, I wouldn't have considered continuing to collaborate with the Williams family. The collaboration has been too long, and the Williams family has become a bit greedy!" James nodded. "Then the Williams family is the first to be excluded!"

Nora agreed decisively. "Rest assured, the Williams family will not have the opportunity to collaborate with Apex Global Enterprises!"

At this point, Nora hesitated then continued, "Then what's your second requirement, Mr. Smith?"

It couldn't be to deal with the Williams family too, right? Although it wouldn't be difficult for Apex Global Enterprises, the company had been busy recently and might not have the time.

"The second requirement is to collaborate with the Brown family!" James said calmly. Hearing this, Nora paused for a moment, then quickly opened the information about all the families in Silverlight City. She soon found the Brown family among the mid-to-lower-tier families.

Without getting a response from the other side, James didn't rush and added, "The eldest daughter of the Brown family is my wife, but she doesn't know my identity, and you can't reveal it to her! When the time comes, you can assign the projects that the Brown family can handle to them!" Hearing this, Nora immediately understood James's intention.

She had heard of wealthy heirs being very low-key, but she didn't expect James to be so under the radar that even his wife didn't know his true identity. But Nora also knew that these big family dynamics were complicated, so she didn't pry.

"Don't worry, Mr. Smith, I'll take good care of Mrs. Smith's matters!" she said, already starting to dig into the Brown family's business dealings.

After finding out that the Brown family had some involvement in construction materials, she quickly devised a plan. "We have a $1.5 billion residential project coming up, but the exterior wall painting hasn't been decided yet. How about I assign this job to Mrs. Smith?"

James knew that the exterior wall painting was indeed a significant project.

Seeing no immediate response from James, Nora elaborated, "The residential project we're building targets high-end clients, and the budget for the exterior wall painting is fifty million dollars." James thought that given the Brown family's limited capabilities, this $50 million project was just right.

"Okay," he agreed.

Relieved, Nora said, "When Mrs. Smith comes over, I'll assign this project to her!"

But since she couldn't reveal James's identity, the explanation might be different at that time.

"Arrange it well! You've worked hard recently, and I'll give you a one percent bonus from the company's profits in the second half of the year," James said, giving Nora enough incentive. Considering Apex Global Enterprises' size, one percent of the profits would be at least tens of millions.

Nora was immediately more motivated. "Don't worry, Mr. Smith, I'll handle everything." James hung up the phone, feeling satisfied. He finished preparing the steak, placed it on the dining table, and went to call Sophia and Aurora for dinner.

Aurora came out and frowned as she sat at the dining table, while Sophia emerged holding her proposal. James subtly glanced at it and saw that her original target was only $25 million, aimed at another mid-range residential project under Apex Global Enterprises.

Even so, Sophia was frowning, doubting her chances of success.

James took the document from her hand. "Let's eat first!" He handed her the knife and fork, then continued with a smile, "You're working so hard, you will definitely succeed in collaborating with Apex Global Enterprises!" Seeing James's confidence, Sophia's eyes softened. She didn't expect James to have so much faith in her.

She bit her lip and said, "Honestly, I'm not even confident myself, but you have so much faith in me!"

James smiled, "You'll know when the time comes!" There was no need to say too much now. He had already informed Nora, and when Sophia went over, she would get the prepared contract.

Soon, the night passed.

Sophia, holding her prepared contract, confirmed there were no more issues and headed directly to Apex Global Enterprises.