Chapter 90
I couldn't help but worry even more.
Tom had been by my side the whole time, and now, seeing the state I was in, he clearly wanted to say something but held back.
"You should go," I took the initiative to let him leave.
The next day, when I arrived at the Johnson Group, I found Jane waiting for me in my office.
Seeing her like that, I frowned, walked over in a few steps, and sat down, asking coldly and directly, "What are you doing here?"
Jane smiled sweetly, "Of course, I came to see you, Ms. Smith. I heard Michael had an accident, so I came to ask if there's anything I can help with."
When she said this, her eyes were clearly full of mockery - I could see right through it.
Staring intently at Jane's face, I said coldly, "Michael's situation has nothing to do with you. As for those dirty people hiding in the shadows, as long as I'm around, I will definitely drag them out and teach them a harsh lesson!"
Jane laughed.
"Ms. Smith, you think too highly of your own abilities!"
Michael's disappearance left me with no energy for work until Amelia called me.
"Nancy, did something happen to Michael?"
Faced with Amelia's anxious tone, I could only remain silent, but that made her even more anxious.
"Nancy, tell me what happened!"
"Amelia, Michael had a car accident on a business trip. He's missing, possibly kidnapped."
There was a loud crash on the other end - it sounded like Amelia had dropped her phone.
I temporarily handed the Johnson Group matters to Bronte. When I got to the hospital, I found Amelia already lying in bed, unconscious.
The doctor had finished emergency treatment. She was on an IV now and wasn't in life-threatening danger, but the doctor said she needed rest.
I sighed and stayed at the hospital for a while, until Amelia woke up.
"Nancy, Michael is my only son. Nothing can happen to him."
Amelia held my hand, trembling constantly. I quickly comforted her: "Don't worry, I will definitely find Michael!"
Amelia nodded, but the worry in her eyes seemed ready to overflow.
That day, when I returned to the Johnson Group, I discovered an uninvited guest - none other than Terrence.
"Ms. Smith, not long after you left, Terrence arrived. Mr. Wheeler said that with Mr. Johnson's fate unknown, someone needs to take charge of the Johnson Group, so he introduced Terrence to the board of directors."
Hearing this, I felt a surge of anger rising within me. I slapped my hand on the desk, unable to control my emotions, and said coldly, "That useless Terrence loses money on every single project he handles at the Johnson Group. What does he know about running a company? What qualifies him to be president of the Johnson Group?"
Tom nodded.
"According to our investigation, Terrence is just a puppet on the surface. The person behind him is his father."
I frowned.
Right, Terrence didn't have the brains for this, but Sawyer was a different story.
I had looked into Sawyer before - he was an extremely calculating person.
He did hold shares, but because the Johnson Group bore the Johnson name, he could only be a senior executive.
But Terrence was different - Terrence's mother was also a Johnson.
Putting Terrence in charge would at least make sense on paper.
Sure enough, at the shareholders' meeting the next morning, Sawyer proposed having Terrence temporarily take the president's position.
Sawyer casually glanced at everyone in the conference room and said with a smile, "A country can't go a day without a ruler. Though we can't call the Johnson Group a country, we have so many people depending on us. Even just thinking about all those employees, we must have someone to lead."
The shareholders looked at each other. Since this involved their interests, they naturally needed to think carefully.
"I don't agree."
I was the first to speak up.
Sawyer looked at me. "Ms. Smith, although you're a leader at the Johnson Group, this is a shareholders' meeting. Only shareholders should be able to give opinions, right?"
He meant I wasn't qualified to say this.
I looked at him. "I represent David and Amelia, as well as my fiancé, Michael. Their combined shares should be enough to give me a voice at the shareholders' meeting."
Sawyer looked at me with a dark expression, but finally, under my pressure, he nodded.
"But the Johnson Group can't be without leadership. Ms. Smith, I believe you should understand that."
"Then let me ask you, Mr. Wheeler, does Terrence really have the ability to lead the Johnson Group?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Sawyer was very confident.
"It's not like Terrence hasn't worked at the Johnson Group before. All those terrible things he did - anyone can look them up if they investigate. If you're interested, feel free to check."
I laid it out directly.
If the shareholders put their own interests first, they couldn't possibly let Terrence take the president's position, even as a puppet.
Sawyer was clearly guilty about this. He said through gritted teeth, "Who hasn't made mistakes when they were young? Can't people correct themselves and grow? Besides, I'll be behind him. Everyone, if you don't trust Terrence, surely you trust me?"
"So is Terrence going to be president, or are you, Mr. Wheeler?" I exposed Sawyer's true intentions again. Sawyer was clearly furious, his eyes practically shooting fire when he looked at me.
I didn't care.
After the meeting ended, Sawyer and I stayed until last. Terrence naturally followed behind Sawyer - he didn't look like Sawyer's son, more like a dog.
"You woman, how dare you stop me from becoming president! Just you wait - once I'm in power, the first thing I'll do is fire you!"
Terrence was extremely arrogant, slamming his hand on the table as he said this.
I tilted my head slightly. "That's only if you can actually get that position. Then you can fire me. Right now, you don't seem to have that authority."
Terrence was left speechless by my retort. He snorted coldly and glared at me.
That's when Sawyer spoke up.
"Ms. Smith, I'm Michael's uncle and your elder. Everything I'm doing is for the Johnson Group's sake!"
I glanced at him sideways.
"Whether it's really for the Johnson Group's sake or not, you know in your heart."
"Mr. Wheeler, actually, there's a question I want to ask you."
Seeing me speak, Sawyer looked at me, indicating I could continue.
Only then did I say, "I want to know - where exactly is Michael right now!"
Sawyer shook his head. "How would I know? Didn't he go missing?"
"If someone's alive, we need to see them. If they're dead, we need to see the body. There's no such thing as just 'missing.'" I pulled at the corner of my mouth.
After I returned to my office, Tom immediately followed.
"Go investigate Sawyer's recent activities, see if he's met with anyone else." Tom left right away, while I sat in my chair and gently massaged my temples.
Recent events had been coming one after another - it was giving me such a headache!
John showed up again.
"Nancy."
I didn't leave the Johnson Group until nearly ten o'clock. In the underground parking garage, I saw John, who had clearly been waiting there.
When John saw me, his hands and feet were obviously awkward, but he quickly walked over.
"Nancy, I heard Michael is missing and hasn't been found."
I could tell with absolute certainty that when he said this, he was definitely overjoyed.
I pressed my lips together and nodded.
John said, "Nancy, if Michael never comes back and your engagement is canceled, could you marry me again?"
I stared at him in disbelief.
He had completely lost his mind!