Chapter 836: There’s nothing amiss.
Everyone listened as Stephen summarized what had happened to him since the night Sven was arrested. It was more detailed than the previous night when he had spoken to Slater, as the surprise had left him unable to recall every little detail.
But now, after retelling his story for the second time, it was clearer. This time, Stephen didn’t need to summarize it out of panic; it was more organized. He left out Slater’s part, though, as promised. By the time Stephen finished, his frown was nearly touching the floor.
Meanwhile, Charles remained smiling, as he should, while Haines remained nonchalant. From another perspective, Stephen appeared to be bantering with Charles, who was having fun with it. Haines, on the other hand, was indifferent... as expected.
"That’s what happened," Stephen huffed, leaning back, looking annoyed and impatient. "I don’t want to do it, alright?"
"You should’ve done it," Charles quipped, earning a look from both Stephen and Haines. "What? I hate the guy!"
"Father, please be quiet." If Atlas were also there, he would be looking at his father with criticism in his eyes. "If he did it, he’d kick me out of my position for having the largest share. Adding Uncle Stephen’s shares, Sofia’s shares, and the Chairman’s... I’d be done for."
Charles frowned deeply and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. I’m sorry."
"Anyway, like I said, these people are terrible," Stephen continued irritably. "The way they contact me, the way they just show up, and how they operate... they terrified me. I’m not safe—not even my family; my wife and daughter are innocent."
"We know that," Haines nodded, squeezing his knee as it ached. "I know they were terrible, cruel people."
Charles glanced at Haines, and despite not seeing what Haines was doing under the table, he knew the latter’s knee was aching. It wasn’t the temperature that caused it, but the memory. This time, Charles’s expression grew solemn as he snapped his eyes to Stephen.