Playtime's Over, CEO: She's Really Done With You-Chapter 432: Returning the Favor

Jasper Ford and Gigi Sutton each went about their own business.

Over on Serena Sterling’s side.

She had just returned to Aeon, only to be blocked by someone.

Desmond Wyatt charged over the moment he saw Serena Sterling.

"Serena!" Desmond Wyatt couldn’t control his shouting.

Raine immediately stepped forward, but Serena patted Raine’s shoulder and came out herself.

"Director Wyatt, is there something you need?" Serena asked with a smile.

"You still have the nerve to ask if I need something?" Desmond Wyatt was so angry he laughed, "You played me for a fool!"

Serena stood still, the cold light in the corridor illuminating her face, making her appear even more composed.

She said, "How did I play you, Director Wyatt?"

"You never intended to give Aether Group shares to Quentin Group. You were creating a smokescreen, you lied to me!" Desmond Wyatt accused, pointing angrily at Serena’s nose.

His voice was loud enough for the people inside Aeon to hear, and they peeked out to see.

"Mr. Sheridan?"

Serena waved them back inside.

"Director Wyatt." Serena smiled, "I never said I would give Aether Group shares to Quentin Group. Just now at Quentin’s, I also made it very clear to Matriarch Quentin that we were discussing other collaborations."

"You!" Desmond Wyatt clenched his fist, his eyes red with anger, looking quite terrifying.

He reprimanded, "Serena, let’s not beat around the bush. You did all this just to trade for shares in the Hawthorne Group. Shame on you!"

Serena laughed.

The smile appeared somewhat cold under the lights.

"You interfered in my marriage with Silas and forced him to swap out, that’s number one."

Serena continued, staring directly into Desmond Wyatt’s angry eyes: "You used the news of my initial investment failure in Aether Group to unite various factions to pressure Silas, attempting to use my failure as leverage to force him to hand over things he worked for years to achieve off the coast, that’s number two."

Serena stepped forward, her pointed high heels crossing into Desmond Wyatt’s safe space, approaching him.

She said, "You made a misjudgment yourself, but you pinned the responsibility on me, even trying to use moral coercion to force me to hand over my shares in Aether Group for free, that’s number three."

"And let’s not forget those defamatory comments you spread about me and the underhanded tricks you played."

"Again and again."

"What goes around comes around."

Serena looked at Desmond Wyatt, whose face was twisted with anger.

She laughed: "Desmond Wyatt, did you really think I, Serena Sterling, am an easy target you can manipulate at will?"

Desmond Wyatt clenched his teeth tightly, glaring at the coolly composed Serena, staring into her deep, black eyes that seemed endless. Inside, his emotions shifted from anger to fear, and finally, to impotent rage.

So he lashed out, "The contract was fraudulent, and it’s invalid! I demand a retraction!"

Serena laughed.

The rumors were spread by Isla Lawson; she had only gone to Quentin Group to discuss a collaboration, nothing more. How could they claim her contract was fraudulent?

Moreover...

"Contracts have to be signed, it’s only a matter of time," Serena said.

"You!"

"Suppose this time I don’t sell, holding onto the shares, what then?"

"In the next financing round, Brandon Huxley, to avoid overly diluting his shares, won’t seek too much funding, and even if a large amount of capital is needed, do you think the Ford Family can’t absorb it?"

As Desmond Wyatt opened his mouth to speak, Serena was one step ahead: "Even if the Ford Family can’t handle it alone, do you think they wouldn’t ally with their own people to invest together?"

With the Ford Group’s influence in Aeston, achieving this would be easy.

Moreover, as one of the three giants in Aeston, the Ford Family is somewhat weaker right now and needs the Aether project even more at this moment.

"So, in the next round, even if Aeon can’t keep up, outsiders won’t get a chance to enter," Serena said with determination, "So, the only way is to trade with me." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Director Wyatt, look at it positively, getting it later is not as good as getting it sooner, getting it sooner puts you in control, and the data reports and dividends will look better too."

It’s merely a matter of timing.

However, Serena needs the Hawthorne Group shares for a reason.

And the sooner she gets them, the better; she can’t wait.

Desmond Wyatt racked his brain but couldn’t come up with a single rebuttal.

Everything was just as Serena said.

The shares could only be obtained from Serena.

There was no solution.

He and his faction simply don’t want to pay this price.

They wanted to get it for free, using morality and marriage as leverage, forcing Serena to hand it over willingly.

Unfortunately, Serena wasn’t buying it.

Silas Hawthorne was also always on Serena’s side, preventing them from playing tricks.

Under the light, the two stared at each other.

One extremely calm, the other with a twisted expression.

Finally, Desmond Wyatt squeezed out a sentence between his teeth, "Alright, alright, Serena Sterling! I really underestimated you!"

Serena smiled: "Thank you for the compliment."

"Don’t get too complacent!" Desmond Wyatt said with hatred, "This is just a small trick, in the Hawthorne Group, you won’t succeed, I’ll be waiting to see you fail!"

Serena lowered her eyes slightly and saw the pen that Desmond Wyatt had dropped in his anger.

She bent down to pick up the pen and looked up at Desmond Wyatt.

Then, she reached to place the pen into the pocket of Desmond Wyatt’s chest.

"Then I’ll be waiting for your tricks in the Hawthorne Group," Serena laughed, "I look forward to it."

With that, she brushed past Desmond Wyatt’s body towards Aeon.

She left only one sentence—"Raine, see the guest out."

The sound echoing in the corridor was that of Serena walking in high heels.

Raine smiled at Desmond Wyatt: "Director Wyatt, please."

Desmond Wyatt snorted coldly and left with his people.

Serena returned to her office.

After sitting down, she rubbed her temples.

The recent flood of strategic thinking made her a bit weary.

Instinctively, she reached to touch the Blue Diamond Necklace around her neck.

Father...

She grasped the necklace tightly.

She had to persist.

After a while of Desmond Wyatt leaving, Raine came in again.

"Serena, Isla Lawson is here," Raine asked, "Do you want to see her?"

Serena waved her off, indicating no encounter.

The current Isla Lawson must be fuming, and she wasn’t a masochist, not wanting to endure Isla Lawson’s wrath.

"Understood," Raine immediately went to handle it.

Then...

The outraged Isla Lawson got even angrier.

She wanted to come and question Serena, to seek an explanation, but she was denied entry!

How dare Serena!

Isla Lawson was furious to the point of explosion.

She still wanted to charge in, but there were two burly security guards beside Raine.

Now all three were looking at her.

Only then did Isla Lawson stomp her foot in frustration, turning around to leave.

All the way to the parking lot, Isla Lawson sat in the parking lot.

She couldn’t just let Serena go like this!

The clip of her previous argument with Jasper Ford had long been spread, and she saw comments and bullet screens mocking her when she watched those fragments.

She, Isla Lawson of the Lawson Group, how dare they comment on her!

It was all because of Serena!

"Buzz buzz buzz..."

Isla Lawson’s phone vibrated.

"What is it?" she answered haphazardly.

"Miss Lawson, I wish to discuss the rumors you spread about Aether’s core technical staff leaving," the voice from the other side came through.