The Retired CEO's Guide To Being Spoiled-Chapter 265: The Preemptive Strike
He cleared his throat, subsequently recounting in a clear and coherent manner to Ethan Caldwell every single detail of the incident this afternoon where he had coincidentally encountered Gabriel Cole at the restaurant. This included mentioning the stealthily taken photograph full of hidden implications that the man had deliberately shown him, as well as his own logical deductions regarding the underlying conspiracy behind that provocative action. After finishing the summary of all the events, Julian Sterling suddenly recalled a highly suspicious point, unable to help but furrow his brows as he asked in return: "But wait, didn’t the bodyguards assigned to protect me report this matter to you?"
Normally, regarding any matters related to his personal safety, especially when it involved a dangerous figure like Gabriel Cole , the bodyguards would almost immediately report to Ethan Caldwell in an instant so that Ethan could grasp the situation.
They had been extremely well-trained and professional, after all. Why did the man’s tone and reaction now sound exactly as if he had absolutely no prior knowledge whatsoever about that particular encounter.
"...I have not had the time to check yet."
On the other end of the line, Ethan Caldwell rubbed his aching temples, letting out a heavy sigh filled with exhaustion: "A slight, unexpected, and troublesome issue suddenly occurred over here, requiring everyone to hold an emergency meeting to handle it. I have only just finished resolving the matter and managed to get my phone back in my hands. The moment I turned on the device and saw the reminder message you sent, I immediately called you back. Fundamentally, I simply haven’t had the time to properly read their reporting messages yet."
Although he did not know if it was truly due to the man being genuinely busy or if Ethan was deliberately saying such things to coax him, proving his prioritized position in Ethan’s heart, that sentence still successfully made Julian Sterling feel significantly happier.
He pursed his lips to hold back a smile, the corners of his eyes curling up slightly, before he suddenly remembered that the two of them were currently on a phone call. How could the man on the other side possibly see his facial expressions, so there was no need to hide. Thus, he relaxed his facial muscles, breaking into a comfortable and bright smile, feeling all the heavy pressure entirely vanish away, his voice naturally becoming tinged with a much more cheerful and relieved color: "So is the situation on your end alright now? Have you finished handling everything?"
"It is fine now. Do you remember me mentioning Harrison Thornton and his daughter?"
"Hmm?" Although he did not understand why Ethan Caldwell would suddenly shift the direction of the conversation toward these two individuals, Julian Sterling still hummed in response, patiently waiting for Ethan to explain.
"The woman in the photograph you just told me about is, in fact, the romantic partner of Harrison Thornton ’s daughter, her name is Thea Lockwood."
"Huh?" The voice of Julian Sterling suddenly raised in pitch, filled with utter surprise and bewilderment: "Wait a minute, just this morning you were saying that you absolutely did not want to be involved with that father and daughter duo in any way. What exactly happened? Why are you all suddenly grouped together in this tangled mess of trouble now?"
"It is not like I wanted things to turn out this way either." At this moment, the man’s intonation on the other end suddenly became gloomy, carrying a hint of helpless lamentation, sounding exactly like a large dog affectionately rubbing its head against Julian Sterling. "The problem is, right after I finished the phone call with you, Harrison Thornton personally sought me out. Out of respect for his face, I had no choice but to receive him and converse. At that time, for some unknown reason, his precious daughter also abruptly appeared, and she even brought along that lover of hers named Thea Lockwood. As a result, everyone ended up having to go together to the restaurant. During the meal, that young woman, Thea Lockwood, was accidentally bumped into forcefully by a passing waiter, losing her balance and nearly tumbling right toward me. Given the situation at that precise moment, acting entirely on natural reflex, I had to reach out a hand to support her just to prevent an accident."
Hearing his explanation, Julian Sterling nodded slowly. It was indeed exactly as Julian Sterling had faintly speculated beforehand. This cheap trick of fabricating a fake scene using misleading camera angles was something that people operating within the entertainment industry constantly utilized all the time to polish their names or manufacture scandals. It was just that there was one extremely unreasonable point...
"Harrison Thornton is a man of high status, if he scheduled a private meeting with you, it surely must have been a meal in a secluded and discreet VIP room, right? How could the images from inside be so easily leaked out to the public? Furthermore, just a moment ago, Gabriel Cole confidently claimed to me that those were coincidentally captured by professional journalists on the hunt."
Ethan Caldwell lightly clicked his tongue, letting out a cold scoff: "Who is to say those people were actually real journalists. Or perhaps they might just be journalists operating directly under the command of a private news agency bearing the name Gabriel Cole."
The man’s voice at this moment was brimming with bitter and caustic sarcasm. After taking a few verbal jabs at his opponent to vent his anger, Ethan finally reined in his mocking attitude, becoming exceptionally serious: "It seems that this time, an effective and highly capable pawn in his hands is most likely going to have to be sacrificed to complete the mission. It is just that currently, I still do not know for certain whether that pawn is someone planted and arranged among my own subordinates, or if it is a close confidant by Harrison Thornton ’s side. I will have my people secretly investigate this matter again right away."
Julian Sterling pondered in silence for a brief moment, his fingers tapping a light rhythm upon the surface of the desk, his gaze flashing with a sharp, calculating glint: "Can you contact and consult Harrison Thornton for his opinion, so that we can take the initiative to publish the news first?"
"Hmm?" Ethan Caldwell was slightly taken aback, not yet able to catch up with Julian’s train of thought.
"What I mean is, since they have already expended so much effort orchestrating this to find an excuse to smear our reputation, then why don’t we launch a preemptive strike first? We can completely block their intended path and entirely reduce all of their calculated efforts into absolutely nothing."
Although Julian Sterling was only speaking in vague implications, given the deep mutual understanding between the two of them, Ethan Caldwell very quickly and immediately grasped exactly what his true intention was: "I just remembered, while we were in the banquet room, the close assistant of Harrison Thornton did hold up a camera to take a few commemorative photos of the entire dining table. Let me call and ask him for those pictures, and then I will send them straight over to Helen Lloyd. You tell our communications department to prepare the content and post the official correction across all platforms a few minutes before the early afternoon begins, right before they even have the chance to release their fabricated news."
In all honesty, deep within the recesses of Julian Sterling ’s thoughts, he fully understood that this method of posting preemptive news might not necessarily be able to completely pacify the public opinion, but at the very least, it was a highly effective move, causing those tabloid outlets preparing to write sensational clickbait headlines to have the vast majority of their power entirely neutralized. At that time, possessing the clear advantage of being one step ahead, they would only need the company’s public opinion steering department to skillfully step in and guide the narrative just a little bit further, and everything would very quickly settle back down into peace.
"However, I believe that everything definitely will not end this easily right here. Since they took all the immense trouble to prepare, they certainly will not solely utilize such a naive plan filled with so many glaring loopholes like this."
