Chapter 155
Dahlia hurled the agreement at Rupert. "Rupert, let me tell you something—give up that fantasy right now! As long as the Mellon family is around, it's not your place to meddle! Get out!"
Rupert was berated so thoroughly that he completely lost face, especially in front of Harper and Bianca.
Trembling with rage, he pointed at Dahlia. "Dahlia! You... you're being completely unreasonable! I tried to help out of goodwill. Fine if you don't appreciate it, but to slander me like this? You think the Mellon family is still what it used to be? Without the Getty family, you would have..."
Dahlia shrilly cut him off, her face twisted with unconcealed contempt. "Stop acting so high and mighty! Your Getty family can barely keep itself afloat—scandal-ridden, stocks plummeting. And you have the nerve to covet our Mellon family assets? Let me tell you, don't even think about the Ross Manor! Try anything again, and I won't be polite!"
The two went back and forth, their argument escalating out of control, completely forgetting their original purpose and surroundings.
Bianca watched from the side, stunned, barely suppressing her laughter.
Harper observed the farce, sneering inwardly.
With Dahlia's petty mindset and greedy nature, she'd definitely embellish the story when reporting to Wilder and Ryder.
Wilder, biased as he was, might not believe everything, but he'd certainly grow more dissatisfied and wary of Rupert.
Rupert had thoroughly lost any "allies" within the Mellon family, even gained potential enemies.
Rupert finally fled in humiliation under Dahlia's barrage of insults and Harper's cold gaze, slamming the door behind him. He didn't even remember to retrieve that agreement he'd pinned such hopes on.
Dahlia spat at Rupert's retreating back, then turned to glare viciously at Harper. "You'd better behave yourself, too! Don't think having someone backing you means you can do whatever you want! Don't even think about monopolizing a single penny of the Mellon family property!"
With that, she stormed out as well.
The studio finally fell quiet again.
Bianca exhaled deeply, patting her chest. "Harper, that person you said was watching outside—that was Dahlia, wasn't it? You deliberately let her in? You're amazing! You just let them tear into each other!"
Harper rubbed her temples, showing a trace of weariness, though her eyes remained sharp and clear. "They each had ulterior motives. Conflict of interest was inevitable. I just brought the contradictions to the surface ahead of schedule."
She glanced at the absurd agreement thrown on the floor, her lips curving in a cold smile.
Over the following days, beneath the surface calm, undercurrents surged even more violently.
Rupert had been publicly humiliated by Dahlia and gained nothing from Harper.
Thinking of Alaric going all out to help Harper, his jealousy and sense of crisis intensified.
He mobilized every resource the Getty family could muster, accelerating his lobbying and promises to Miguel.
Meanwhile, Dahlia went home and sure enough painted Rupert as worthless in front of Wilder and Ryder.
Wilder was initially skeptical, but Dahlia embellished liberally while Ryder fanned the flames from the sidelines.
Wilder's impression of Rupert immediately plummeted, extending his distaste to the Getty family as a whole.
The Mellon Group suddenly made a move, stealing away a project Rupert had been eyeing for months by the narrowest margin.
This project was crucial for the Getty Group's current situation—not only bringing substantial profits but also boosting morale dampened by scandal.
Rupert had been virtually certain of success. His preliminary work had been thorough, his bid and proposal highly competitive.
He never imagined being undercut at the last moment by the Mellon Group.
"That old bastard Wilder!" Rupert smashed a cup in his office, his face contorted with rage. "He did this on purpose! Because of Dahlia's bullshit, he's retaliating—stealing my project! Bastard!"
He was convinced this was Wilder's retaliation and warning—warning him not to pursue the Ross Manor anymore.
This deepened his resentment toward the Mellon family by another layer.
What he didn't know was that the Mellon Group's precision in stealing this project certainly involved Wilder wanting to teach him a lesson. But more critically, someone had "inadvertently" leaked the Getty Group's bottom-line bid to the Mellon Group executive handling the project.
That someone was Harper.
At this moment, she sat with Bianca over afternoon tea.
"Harper, did you hear? Rupert's project really was stolen by the Mellon Group!" Bianca held up her phone, reading the latest financial news alert, her eyes bright with excitement. "The Getty Group must be in chaos right now! Rupert took a massive loss this time!"
Harper lifted her teacup, gently blowing on the tea leaves floating on the surface, a faint smile playing at her lips. "Business is war. What goes around comes around. With his impure intentions and enemies everywhere, someone taking advantage is perfectly normal."
She certainly wouldn't admit that while investigating Miguel, Alaric had also had his people "look after" the Getty Group project's competitor—the Mellon Group.
The fiercer Rupert and the Mellon family fought, the more questionable the "Getty Group's strength" appeared to Miguel, and the stronger Alaric's negotiating position became.
All she needed to do was wait quietly, occasionally adding fuel to the fire.
"Harper, I'm seriously in awe of you now," Bianca spoke sincerely. "How do you think of all this, execute it so seamlessly? I used to think you were too kind, easily bullied. Now I realize—when you go ruthless, you kill without drawing blood."
Harper smiled, though a trace of desolation flickered through her eyes.
"It's not that I wanted to become ruthless. Reality forced me to grow fangs. But..." She looked toward the bright sunshine outside the window, her voice growing firm. "To protect what and who I want to protect, I use these methods with a clear conscience."
"Exactly!" Bianca nodded vigorously. "Dealing with those scumbags requires no mercy! Harper, I'll always support you!"
The two exchanged smiles, the studio filling with warmth and strength.
Miguel proactively sent an invitation for a second meeting.
Same location, but this time Miguel's demeanor was noticeably different.
In the private room, tea fragrance drifted.
Miguel's face appeared calm, but his mind churned.
He'd naturally received word of the infighting between Rupert and the Mellon family.
Rupert having a major project stolen by the Mellon Group and hitting a wall with the Mellons made Miguel increasingly doubt the Getty Group's promises of doubled returns.
With Rupert barely keeping himself afloat, how much could he deliver?
In contrast, Alaric—after their first meeting, aside from routinely sending more detailed southwest project materials, made no other moves. His composure was unsettling.
This silence created more pressure than an aggressive pursuit.
The leverage Alaric held was like a ticking time bomb. The less Alaric mentioned it, the more Miguel panicked.
So he decided to take the initiative, test the boundaries.
"Mr. Stuart, since we last parted, I've carefully considered your proposal."