Chapter 997 - 519: Your Unhappiness Is My Greatest Punishment

The entire Hughes Clan is caught in a storm. Not only has Joshua Hughes’s temper chilled the whole building into a large ice cellar, but the Hughes Clan’s business is slowly declining. Rumors unfavorable to the Hughes Clan are pouring in succession, and the stock prices of dozens of listed subsidiaries under Hughes Clan have dropped to varying degrees. People are even speculating whether Joshua Hughes, who made Hughes Clan the most powerful enterprise single-handedly, has reached the end of his talents. There are also rumors that in recent years, Joshua Hughes has lost his sharp judgment due to drinking and indulging in pleasures, and even some highly winnable cases have been snatched by competitors. The shares of Hughes Clan are like dominoes, with the first piece falling, followed by the rest slowly going lower without any sign of recovery.

In the board meeting, everyone’s face has turned extremely ugly. Joshua Hughes hasn’t been to the company for many days, and this is the first time he’s appeared at a board meeting. Previously, his assistant from abroad represented him in two meetings, but he didn’t explain what happened to Joshua Hughes. Today, Joshua Hughes finally came to the company in person.

The atmosphere in the meeting room is so tense it’s like a balloon blown to its limit, ready to explode with just a tiny needle prick.

"Joshua, it’s not that your uncles are trying to use seniority against you. You’ve really disappointed us during this time. Now, what exactly happened to the company? In just a few days, the shares of the subsidiaries have fallen by over twenty percent. You owe us an explanation," the leading shareholder said, sitting upright. Over twenty percent—how much money is that?

"In the ten years since I took over Hughes Clan, how much has the stock price risen? How much dividend is there each year? Uncle, why don’t you calculate that? There’s no such thing as only rising and not falling in this world; ups and downs in the stock market are normal, aren’t they?" The black suit’s metallic buttons emit a cold light. The "H" on it is his identity mark. In the entire board, apart from him and Luis Hughes who count as direct lineage of Hughes Clan, there are several others with the Hughes surname as side branches. But only he can customize the "H" on all the buttons—the symbol of highest power. Joshua Hughes lowered his eyes, his thick eyelashes obscuring his emotions. Everyone felt that Joshua Hughes had changed; although his voice wasn’t loud, it exuded an suffocating coldness. He sat at the center of the conference room, like a sovereign presiding over his realm, his naturally strong aura made people involuntarily submit.

"What if it falls further? At this rate, big brother, in less than ten days, Hughes Clan will lose half of its stock value. What kind of Hughes Clan are you planning to leave for my son eighteen years from now? I’m quite curious." Luis Hughes squinted his long eyes slightly, staring at Joshua Hughes. No special news has come from the old house and that woman is already staying there. Did Joshua Hughes not go out for days to play happily with the newly elected woman? Did they all misjudge? He doesn’t take that woman named Avery Jane seriously after all. Beautiful women are just toys; once played, they’re no match for freshness. Originally, he thought Joshua Hughes might be different from him—but they’re all the same, enjoying new women.

"I hold the most shares. If they fall further, my losses are much larger than yours, Luis Hughes. I needn’t remind you of this, right?" Joshua Hughes’s voice remained equally calm and indifferent, without any changes. However, as he said this, the shareholders obviously breathed a sigh of relief.

"Actually, it’s not much more, just a little bit," Luis Hughes said, putting up his feet, his cold voice filled with displeasure.

"I’ve long said, if you’re confident, you can take this position, but if you have no way, you’d better keep quiet." Joshua Hughes lifted his eyes, which glinted like a beam of light, cold and dazzling, recklessly spreading across the immense conference room......

Luis Hughes almost wanted to pounce on him and bite him to death, best with sharp teeth to slice his throat, but he could not. Too many company secrets are in Joshua Hughes’s hands, and he needs some time to figure it out.

The man sitting at the front looked stern as they swept over those seated. He knew they were all holding back their anger. Joshua Hughes’s lips curled into a cold arc as he lightly said, "Take back every single spy you placed in the Hughes Family. I’ve not been unaware all these years. You think you can hide it from others? Before dawn tomorrow, if there are still your people in the Hughes Family, don’t blame me for being impolite."

Everyone’s face sank even lower, looking at each other. Everyone thought of placing a spy by Joshua Hughes’s side, undetected, unnoticed, from the cook to the gardener, from the maid to the driver, infiltrating more than a hundred people. Joshua Hughes has so many things to deal with every day, thinking he wouldn’t sense it, believing they could better control and grasp his whereabouts, lifestyle habits, etc. However, he knew all along and just didn’t speak? This man is becoming more and more incomprehensible; he was an arrogant person where nobody could restrain him, but he actually let those people hover under his eyelids. Yet when he brought this matter to the forefront, it was like a slap in the face to everyone, embarrassingly to the extreme.

"Joshua, other things are negotiable. Just tell us when will the stock stabilize? And that merger case you’re negotiating recently, do you have confidence in it? These shares are my life’s blood!" One of the oldest shareholders showed a bit of urgency; when would this downturn come to an end?

"It’s my life’s blood, right? What was the value of your shares in Hughes Clan ten years ago, and now how much is it? Dropping twenty percent is just minor." Joshua Hughes didn’t even raise his head, his icy words left no room for face-saving.

"You......" The shareholder was so angry that he almost couldn’t breathe, furiously clutching his chest.

"As I’ve just said, if any of you have dissatisfaction with me, you can hold a vote at the end of the month. If anyone wants to be the president, I’m fine with it. The century-old family rules of Hughes Clan should be updated." Joshua Hughes stood up, pressing his hands on the table, coldly smiling, indeed without sympathy. When it increased at a rate of tens of percentage each year, nobody spoke, now fallen by twenty percent, every one seems close to death, the mere sight of these expressions made him feel disgusted.

With a resolute silhouette, he left the conference room without a shred of reluctance. Only after the door "boom" shut did it seem like a nest exploded inside......

"I’ve long said he’s unreliable, look now, such a big mess, who will clean it up......."

"All the company’s most important confidential files and finances are in his hands, this is going to be major trouble......."

"You said earlier, didn’t you always say Joshua Hughes is highly capable, that Hughes Clan’s shares could last multiple generations, now you’re still saying these things......"

Everyone was left bewildered by the words Joshua Hughes threw down. Someone has to steer the big ship Hughes Clan, and apart from Joshua Hughes, it certainly would be Luis Hughes. Because they, the brothers, held the most shares. As for other people, not to mention whether they have the ability to sail this super aircraft carrier, even if they could, they wouldn’t receive enough votes to support them.

"Luis Hughes, you better say something?"

"Yes, second son, what exactly should we do now? You’d better talk to the first son......."

-----------------------------------Separator--------------------------------------

Longing is a kind of medicine, no cure.......

The office seems still filled with her scent when she was here, faintly, a soft fragrance. It’s as if he can still see her sitting on the sofa waiting for him to finish work. Joshua Hughes took a deep breath, wanting to calm down the freshly bleeding wound inside him, but there was no way he could. Such wounds only grow larger, causing him day and night of pain........

The black-clad bodyguard stood before him, his heart pounding fiercely. She said he shouldn’t interfere in her life by any means, shouldn’t investigate her; she said many things not to be done, she used her life as a curse to force him to promise. But he couldn’t just do nothing. If there was retribution, then let it all fall on me, it has nothing to do with her. Lucas Yates, if you truly have spirits above, make sure she lives a better life.

"Miss Jane is now living in an old building on XX Road XX Lane in the outskirts of the city. She’s hardly gone out these few days, only bought a dozen packets of instant noodles from the convenience store downstairs." The bodyguard faithfully reported the gathered information. She’s not going out, so naturally there’s not much more to report.

Joshua Hughes’s handsome face was pale. She hardly ever goes out; she eats instant noodles. His chest cavity started surging with that intense sourness and pain.

What exactly to do, handling even the most difficult and thorny things he never felt he couldn’t manage, but now he has no way at all. Avery, are you punishing me? Letting me be so close to you yet disallowing me to do anything for you, just letting me watch you live in a shabby house, leading a hard life, do you realize this is the most terrifying punishment for me.

Offering handovers of kingdoms, just wanting to win your little smile, but this world is already under my feet, yet you’re not by my side, this is such a terrifying feeling.

Now he seems to have everything, but he knows well that he has nothing at all now; the moment he loses Avery Jane, it’s like the entire world has been hollowed out from him.

What else can he do? If he goes to her, then she won’t meet a good end, how could he dare?