Chapter 34: Taking the Initiative to Come to the Door
Daryl was already fuming, and Gilbert's question only made him angrier.
He swatted away Gilbert's outstretched hand and threw himself onto the sofa with a thud.
"Bullshit! I got beaten up by people from Stellar Industries Group!"
Gilbert froze, unable to hide the shock on his face.
Stellar Industries Group? That was the top company in Silvermoon City, ten times stronger than the Collins Group.
Why would they beat up Daryl for no reason, given their status?
"People from Stellar Industries Group? Why did they hit you?"
Gilbert frowned, his tone full of disbelief and a hint of panic.
He knew Stellar Industries Group had powerful backing. If they really offended them, the Collins family couldn't handle it at all.
Daryl touched his badly swollen face, grimacing in pain, his eyes full of hostility.
"Why else? Because I went to handle the partnership deal instead of Caroline!"
"As soon as I said who I was and that I was the person in charge from the Collins Group, they just started hitting me!"
Gilbert felt uneasy and quickly pressed for details.
"What exactly happened? Tell me clearly."
Daryl took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and explained the whole situation.
"Grandpa said Stellar Industries Group specifically requested Caroline, so to keep her from embarrassing herself, he sent me to take over."
"But when I got downstairs and explained the situation to the Stellar Industries Group people, they immediately lost it."
"The guy in charge punched me right away and said no one else would do except Caroline!"
"He also called me ungrateful and said if the Collins Group dared to send anyone else, they'd cut off all possibility of cooperation!"
Daryl got angrier as he spoke, kicking the coffee table and shattering a cup.
"Dad, isn't this infuriating? What makes that bitch Caroline so important to Stellar Industries Group?"
Gilbert sat beside him, unconsciously tapping his fingers on the sofa armrest, his expression growing darker.
He also felt something was off, very off.
Caroline was just a newbie who'd been at the company for a few days, with no experience or connections. Why would Stellar Industries Group insist on her?
Unless there was something improper going on.
A dirty thought immediately popped into Gilbert's mind, and his eyes narrowed.
"Do you think Caroline already hooked up with the CEO of Stellar Industries Group?"
Daryl paused, then his eyes lit up as he slapped his thigh.
"Yes! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
"Otherwise, with her abilities, how could she get Stellar Industries Group people to protect her like this?"
"I knew she wasn't that innocent. First James protected her, now she's hooked up with the boss of Stellar Industries Group!"
The more Daryl thought about it, the more sense it made, and even his facial pain seemed to lessen.
He already disliked Caroline, and now he was convinced she got the partnership opportunity through improper means.
"Dad, we can't let this go!"
Daryl moved closer to Gilbert, his eyes sinister.
"We need to let everyone know her true colors!"
"Make it impossible for her to stay at the company, and let James see what she really is! Then maybe he won't help her anymore."
"When that happens, Caroline will be at our mercy!"
Gilbert sneered coldly, a flash of malice in his eyes.
"What's the rush? We can't win in a direct confrontation. We need to think of a plan."
He paused, leaned close to Daryl's ear, and whispered a few words.
Daryl's eyes grew brighter as he listened, the hostility on his face turning into a sinister smile.
"Dad, you're ruthless! Let's do it!"
"We'll make sure Caroline is completely disgraced and can never hold her head up again!"
The two exchanged glances, both showing malicious smiles.
They didn't even think about verifying anything—their minds were full of ways to smear Caroline.
As long as they could destroy Caroline and take back the shares, they'd do anything dirty.
Meanwhile, Caroline was organizing her work when there was a knock on her office door and the receptionist's voice came through.
"Ms. Collins, the people from Stellar Industries Group are still downstairs, saying they must wait for you to come down."
Caroline was startled, feeling confused.
Daryl had already gone down, so why were the Stellar Industries Group people waiting for her?
She hesitated for a moment, then picked up her bag and headed out.
No matter what, she had to go see. Even if the partnership fell through, she needed to know why.
Just as she reached the stairway, she saw Daryl and Gilbert standing in the lobby with grim expressions.
Several people from Stellar Industries Group stood in the center of the lobby with cold expressions.
Leading them was a man in a suit with a composed demeanor—Isaac Reynolds, the CEO of Stellar Industries Group.
When Isaac saw Caroline coming down, his face immediately broke into a smile and he quickly walked up to her.
"Ms. Collins, you're finally here. We've been waiting for you for quite a while."
His attitude was incredibly respectful.
Both Daryl and Gilbert looked stunned, their faces full of disbelief.
Caroline was also taken aback and quickly spoke up.
"Mr. Reynolds, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."
"My grandfather said to have Daryl handle the partnership, so..."
Before she could finish, Isaac waved his hand, his tone apologetic.
"Ms. Collins, since we've already decided to work only with you, we won't choose anyone else."
When Daryl heard this, he trembled with anger and pointed at Isaac, shouting.
"What do you mean? I'm also part of the Collins family!"
"Why can only she be in charge? Are you deliberately targeting me?"
Isaac glanced at him sideways, his eyes full of disdain, not even bothering to respond.
He turned back to Caroline, his tone still respectful.
"Ms. Collins, let's find a place to talk in detail."
"You choose the location and set the time. We'll follow your lead on everything."
Caroline felt increasingly confused. Isaac's attitude was really too abnormal.
She could sense that Isaac's respect for her wasn't because of her, but because of something else.
Could it be James?
The thought flashed through her mind, and Caroline quickly shook her head, not daring to think further.
She steadied herself and said.
"Mr. Reynolds, no need to go to such trouble. Let's just talk in the company conference room."
Isaac immediately nodded.
"Fine, whatever Ms. Collins says."
With that, he gestured to his assistant behind him, who immediately took out the contract and followed along.
Daryl and Gilbert stood there, looking terrible, too angry to speak.
Daryl watched Caroline and Isaac walk side by side into the conference room, the hatred in his eyes growing stronger.
"Dad, see! There's definitely something going on between them!"
Gilbert gritted his teeth, his expression terribly dark.
"Don't rush, we'll have our chance."
"After they finish talking, we'll make our move and make sure Caroline can't defend herself."
In the conference room, Caroline sat in the main seat, looking at the contract in front of her, feeling very anxious.
This was a partnership worth hundreds of millions of dollars, undoubtedly a lifeline for the Collins family.
But she knew clearly that she didn't have the ability to make Stellar Industries Group come to her on their own initiative.
Isaac pushed the contract toward her, saying with a smile,
"Ms. Collins, take a look at the contract. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, we can modify it at any time."
"Name your terms. As long as you're willing to take on this partnership, we'll agree to anything."