Chapter 1049
Over the phone, Silas’s voice sounded decidedly cold. “She finally sold them to you?”
“Yes!” Jasmine couldn’t hide her elation. “InnoCore is completely severed from Winrich. You can proceed with your investment now.”
Back when she had first approached Silas, his single condition was that InnoCore had to cut all ties with Winrich before he would even consider providing funding.
That was why she had spent the better part of six months scheming to wrest control of the shares away from Noreen.
And the second she succeeded, she ran straight to him to seal the deal.
Silas let out a dry chuckle. “I think you’ve misunderstood something.”
Jasmine froze, a spike of panic in her voice. “What do you mean? I did exactly what you asked.”
“And what exactly did I ask?” Silas countered lazily.
Now Jasmine was truly panicking. “You said it yourself! You promised that if I severed the company from Winrich, you would invest…”
Silas casually interrupted before she could finish. “Verbal promises mean nothing in business. You’ve been in this industry for years. Don’t tell me you haven’t learned that yet?”
Jasmine took a sharp breath, but she couldn’t suppress her rising terror and fury. Her voice grew shrill. “Silas, are you playing me?”
“No, no, no. Strategic partnerships require the perfect alignment of timing and circumstance. I did see potential in InnoCore back then.”
He let out a contemptuous laugh. “But now? It’s completely worthless.”
Because losing Noreen meant losing its core competitive edge.
Why would he ever invest in a hollow shell?
Silas hung up just as Jasmine was about to lose her mind.
Right then, Yolande knocked and bounded into the room, beaming brightly. “Can we go now?”
Silas checked his watch. “It’s still early.”
Catching her eager excitement, he laughed and affectionately ruffled her hair. “Are you really in that much of a hurry?”
“Of course!” Yolande eagerly held up the birthday present she had prepared. “Do you think Noreen will like my gift?”
He smiled gently. “I’m sure she will.”
…
By the time Jasmine arrived at the InterContinental Hotel, her expression was incredibly grim.
Having been completely played by Silas, she was practically seething with rage.
But she didn’t dare show up to
Crystal’s party wearing a scowl and
risk offending fiem so she was
forced to swallow her fury and
plášter on a fake smile.
Crystal was dressed to the nines in a lavish haute couture gown and dripping in custom jewelry.
She had gone to extravagant lengths to project an aura of absolute superiority and elevated status.
She wanted to remind everyone that even after her divorce from Dylan, she was still the untouchable, elite Miss Chelsea.
When Jasmine walked in, Crystal asked casually, “How’s the situation over there?” She was obviously referring to Noreen’s birthday party.
Jasmine put on a sickeningly sweet smile. “I took a peek on my way in. It’s completely deserted. You can’t even compare it to the turnout you have tonight.”
Crystal’s smile widened
triumphantly. “Makes sense. If I were
her, I would have just canceled the
whole thing to save myself the embarrassment.” fo FindNovel.net
Jasmine nodded along eagerly.
About ten minutes later, guests started filtering in, but Crystal had zero interest in mingling.
She hadn’t forgotten the true purpose of hosting this lavish event.
Using the excuse of greeting her parents at the entrance, she deliberately strutted
past the banquet hall where Noreen’s party was being held.
The entrance… was indeed entirely empty.
Just as Jasmine had reported, it was desolate and pathetic.
At the sight, a smug grin spread across her face as she lifted her chin and
sauntered past the doors with exaggerated confidence.