Chapter 968 The Amazing Susan

Chapter 968 The Amazing Susan

Randall picked up his glass and said slowly, "Poppy is divorcing Erik. With the charges against him and his long history of cheating, he'll walk away with nothing."

"You're telling me to find someone better?" Otto asked.

Randall shook his head and clinked his glass against Otto's. "You've seen firsthand how well-connected Erik is in this industry. The moment Erik got arrested, you quit — people won't just be reluctant to hire you, even if someone does take you in, everyone will think you're a backstabber."

Otto had actually been thinking about quitting and jumping ship — after all, Erik had crossed the Olteran family, and he didn't want to go down with that ship.

But what Randall said was exactly what he was worried about. His boss had just been thrown in jail, hadn't even been sentenced yet, and here his right-hand man was already looking for a way out. He could live with it himself, but what would everyone else think?

The problem was that he'd been too eager to ride Erik's coattails. He'd followed Erik everywhere, always at his side, to the point where everyone saw him as Erik's most loyal man. If he jumped ship now, people would despise him and look down on him. But if he didn't leave soon, once everyone else was gone, he'd be stuck with nowhere to go.

Randall watched him struggle with the dilemma and asked, "Otto, if Erik walks away with nothing, who gets the company?"

"Poppy, of course."

Randall smiled and pressed further, "And who's Poppy's only heir?"

Otto froze. "...Jenny!"

"If I remember right," Randall said, "Otto got close to Erik for a piece of the company. What if there was a way for you to actually take a controlling stake?"

Otto felt like he was starting to understand what Randall was getting at.

Randall went on, "I don't want to make too many enemies, and besides, you've never directly crossed me. We've worked together long enough — I know better than anyone what you're capable of. Jenny can't manage a company, can't read a financial statement, let alone handle the technical side of things. And Poppy has never touched company business in all these years. So why wouldn't you want to make the most of this moment, Otto?"

"Randall, why are you helping me?" Otto asked.

Randall's expression was calm. "Like I said, I don't want too many enemies. And since I'm planning to get into this industry myself someday, consider this me making a friend. I've given you the play — whether you can pull it off is up to you."

"But everyone in the company knows you're the one Jenny actually likes."

Randall gave a sardonic smile. "Otto, does it matter who she likes? Why do you care so much about that? You've told me more than once — what matters most for a man is his future. With a future and money, you can have any woman you want." He threw the words right back at him. "Don't forget how Erik got to where he was."

Otto was tempted. He looked at Randall, searching for one last confirmation. "What if she refuses to marry me?"

Randall smiled lightly. "Then that's none of my business. I've handed you the idea — if you can't use it, I'll find someone else to work with."

He stood up. "I look forward to hearing good news from you."

He turned and walked away, and the moment he did, the smile vanished from his face.

---

That afternoon, the weather was clear, with a cool breeze in the air. Susan's computer certification exam results had also come in — just as expected, she passed. She was on cloud nine the whole way and insisted on taking her boyfriend out to dinner.

Randall let himself be treated for once. "Susan, how much money do I have left in my account?"

Susan pulled out her phone and checked the balance. "Almost 120,000."

Randall's chopsticks stopped mid-air. "That can't be right."

Susan counted again carefully. "Ones, tens... ten thousands... Randall, it's 119,400. By tomorrow it might hit 120,000."

Randall was stunned. He'd done a rough calculation himself — after paying off the car loan, rent, and living expenses, he figured he'd have around 70,000 left at most.

"What did you do?" he asked.

Susan handed him her phone. "Randall, I used your money to buy mutual funds and stocks."

Randall was speechless.

Susan said it plainly and innocently, "I figured if I lost money, I'd quietly cover the losses myself so you'd never know. But it turned out everything I bought went up."

Randall took the phone and scrolled through her transaction history.

She had a pretty good eye for trends. "Who told you to buy these two?"

"Nobody. I just figured it out myself from watching the news with you every day." Susan answered sweetly. On top of that, her school had just started offering finance courses, so she'd been piecing it together on her own.

Randall had gotten into the habit of watching the news every day to prepare for his political exam. Sometimes Susan would pull up a stool and sit beside him.

Who would've thought — this quiet little Susan was actually pretty sharp.

Looking at the transaction history and the moving averages on the screen, there was clearly still an upward trend.

"Susan, when did you start buying?" Randall asked.

Susan took a bite of steak and said between chews, "A few months ago. I started scheming the day you gave me your debit card."

She'd been cashing out the gains and reinvesting them.

Randall handed the phone back and said with a half-joking smile, "Susan, just take care of me."

"Sure, sure!" Susan swallowed her bite and agreed happily.

Randall tapped her on the head, then gently ruffled the back of her hair.

---

Erik signed the divorce papers in the detention center, just as Randall had said — he walked away with nothing.

On top of that, he was facing prison time. If you play with fire long enough, you're going to get burned.

Many of his peers heard the news and tried to visit him, hiring lawyers to get him out. But once they found out Erik had crossed the nephew of the Olteran family, they all disappeared without a trace.

Jenny had been gone for days. Then one day, she showed up in a panic outside Randall's building, crying and begging him to save her father.

Randall said coldly, "Are you really too stupid to know that your father is in this mess because of me?"

Jenny's eyes were red and swollen. She grabbed Randall's arm and pleaded desperately, "I'm begging you — save my dad. I'll do anything you ask."

Randall shook her off. "I'm going to pick Susan up from school. Don't show your face in front of her. You'll disgust her."

But when Randall came back with Susan, Jenny was still standing at the door.

Randall's expression darkened. Susan pouted, annoyed. "Randall, I'm so sick of her."

Randall got out of the car, and Susan was right behind him.

She stepped in front of her boyfriend, blocking Jenny from getting any closer. "What do you want now?"

"Jenny, I'm sorry, please — don't let my dad go to prison." Jenny knew exactly what was at stake. If her father went to jail, the company would be in trouble. Otto had already been making his move lately, constantly cozying up to her mother. The employees were all watching and waiting, and many had already started looking for other jobs.