Chapter 108.2

Chapter 108.2

Gordon Lowell had clawed his way from the slums to the top of the pyramid, using his cunning and his good looks to ensnare Alice Lowell and leverage her as his stepping stone. He had always been shamelessly devoted to his own ambition.

That ambition had been his driving force, but no matter how fine his suits or how polished his manners, there was always a trace of desperation about him. Because of it, high society never truly accepted him.

James Lowell, however, was different. He had attended private schools from a young age and gone on to a respectable Ivy League university, surrounded by the children of the elite.

Unlike his two brothers, who had barely scraped through community college before settling for jobs at Lowell Department Store, James was intelligent and capable. After graduation, he joined a major investment bank and climbed fast, following the perfect elite trajectory.

He was the one thing Gordon Lowell could boast about: the son who had achieved what the father never could.

‘And he’s the one who helped his father drive a knife into my mother’s back.’

André tossed the manila envelope onto the table in front of him.

[Read it. You’ll find it interesting.]

James studied André and the envelope with a guarded expression before finally pulling it toward him. As he opened it, several photographs slipped out and scattered across the table.

His face twisted in disgust.

[What the hell is this—]

[Look closer. See who it is.]

James picked up one of the photos. The color drained from his face as he examined it. Swallowing hard, he flipped the picture over and set it back on the table, then asked calmly,

[It’s a private matter. Why are you showing this to me?]

[Check the documents too. Proof of Gordon and Joseph Lowell’s embezzlement and breach of trust.]

James’s gaze dropped to the papers in his hands. His fingers trembled slightly as he turned the pages.

[Every dollar used to buy the Picasso painting bribed from the Collins family, every cent funneled into the shell company in the Bahamas—it’s all there.]

The blood drained from James’s face entirely. He might not have been directly involved, but it was clear he knew at least part of it.

André spoke again, his expression cold and unreadable.

[Using the company jet for personal trips is one thing, but paying escorts with company funds? That crossed the line. And the bigger problem is that one of those escorts secretly took photos. Given who they were dealing with, she probably figured she could use them someday. If this leaks to the tabloids… it’ll be a humiliating, filthy scandal.]

James lifted his head from the papers.

[…I don’t understand. Why show this to me now? It’s not out of goodwill. Is this blackmail? You’d get better results pulling a stunt like this at the shareholders’ meeting.]

In truth, André had only received the materials that very morning, so there hadn’t been time for any “stunt.” But James didn’t need to know that.

With just four days left before the shareholders’ meeting, André had decided there was no time to go through official channels. A formal audit would take at least a month or two to conclude.

His goal was simple: to resolve this as quickly as possible. Once the meeting was over and everything was settled… he planned to take a leave of absence

Even if André revealed the evidence at the shareholders’ meeting, it might be enough to bring down Gordon and Joseph Lowell. However, it wouldn’t stop the hostile takeover itself. After all, the entity behind the acquisition was Mars Investment, where James Lowell served as managing director.

That was why André needed to meet James before the meeting.

To make an offer disguised as a threat.

His voice came out cold as ice.

[I’m here to make you a generous offer. Not blackmail, but greenmail; I’ll buy your shares at a premium in exchange for backing off the hostile takeover.]

[…Go on.]

James leaned back in his chair, rubbing the stiffness from his face.

[I plan to separate the department store division from the Lafayette–Lowell Group. You know what that means for the equity distribution better than anyone.]

André’s words made James snap his head up in shock, but André drove the point home before he could speak.

[Transfer all the shares that Mars Investment and your family acquired in the Lafayette–Lowell Group to me. In return, I’ll give your company a portion of my department store shares. You walk away from the takeover. That’s your payout.]