Chapter 699
700
Johnny swept his gaze over the two of them. “You may return to your work now.”
Silvia nodded. “Yes, thank you, Mr. Oconnor.”
As Silvia turned away, Miles shot her a venomous glare. He looked up and suddenly met Aria’s eyes. Flustered, he quickly
lowered his head. “Ms. Saxon.”
Silvia practically skipped out of the office. “Aria, you’re at the company today!”
Aria gave a slight nod. “Yes, I have something to discuss with Mr. Oconnor.”
Silvia said, “Alright then, I’ll leave you two to it. I’ll get back to work now.”
Aria nodded. “Sure.”
Silvia thought to herself, ‘I’m so glad I came to Mr. Oconnor’s office to report the issue. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have run into Aria.”
Catching sight of her smile, Miles sneered, “Silvia, don’t tell me you actually think sucking up to Aria will make you a real heiress?”
If the Saxon family truly valued Silvia, she’d be working at the Saxon Group, the family business, not here at the Stars Group. In Miles’s eyes, Silvia had already been cast aside by the Saxon family.
Think what you will, Mr. Qureshi.” Silvia ignored him, quickening her pace as she walked away.
Johnny’s eyes nearly popped out of his head after he finished reading the contract. “Wait, he’s just handing you the Cole Group, no, Phosphor Group, for free? Is Mr. Gallagher your suitor or something? Is he so head-over-heels in love he’s lost his mind?”
Johnny thought, ‘Who in their right mind would just hand over a major corporation like that? Not even my own parents would go this far.’
“This has nothing to do with feelings,” Aria said bluntly. “What’s your take on this?”
“What do I think?” Johnny’s eyes practically widened with excitement. “Are you kidding? Of course, you should take this deal!
Johnny stared at Aria in disbelief. “You’re not seriously thinking of refusing, are you?” He thought, ‘If she dares to refuse, I’d wring her neck. Aria looked at him and gave a knowing smile.
Johnny’s internal alarm bells suddenly blared. “Wait a minute… You’re not seriously thinking of making me take over, are you?”
He shot up from his seat. “No way in hell! Where would I find the energy for that? Why don’t you just be the boss yourself?”
Two years ago, Aria would have thought it was a great idea. But at that moment, she had gotten used to an easy life. She really didn’t want to go back to all that stress and hard work.
She had considered giving it to Caleb, so she wouldn’t have to get involved with the Saxon Group. But Caleb was about to take over the Saxon Group, so he simply didn’t have the bandwidth for anything else.
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Aria grinned and said, “Making you manage two companies at once? I’m not that heartless.
“I’m planning to bring a few top executives from the Stars Group onto the board of directors. With the controlling stake secured, choosing a chairman will be easy.”
After two years at Phosphor Group, she knew exactly who she could rely on. She already had someone in mind for chairman.
Johnny raised an eyebrow. “Are you poaching from your own company now?”
Aria smiled. “It’s a win-win.”
Johnny smirked, “If Liam finds out you’re taking over the Cole Group, he’ll be absolutely livid.”
He thought, ‘Not only did he lose his own company, but then it ended up in the hands of his ex-wife, Aria, of all people!
Aria said dismissively, “He’s just nobody. He can’t stir up any trouble. I’m saving Phosphor Group for Pearl.” Pearl had a keen interest in management and economics.
Johnny’s eye twitched. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to poach Silvia too?”
“If she’s willing to help Pearl,” Aria gave Johnny a knowing look. “What, can’t bear to part with her?”