After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 338

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The head of the bodyguards quickly relayed the message to Old Mr. Lawrence, “Old Mr. Lawrence, the guards at

the entrance said Jeffrey and Ms. Jensen just left.”

“What?” Old Mr. Lawrence sounded surprised.

Is it because of that wine that got spilled on him earlier?” Old Mr. Lawrence wondered.

I didn’t do it on purpose. Con, he’s the CEO of the Hanson Group-he can’t be that stingy, can he?’ Old Mr.

Lawrence thought.

“Should we stop them?” the head of the bodyguards asked.

“No,” Old Mr. Lawrence said, his face serious and his expression somber. “We didn’t treat them right, so

honestly, it’s no surprise he'd walk out if he wasn’t pleased.”

Just then, Ryan's phone buzzed with a message from Rebecca.

Rebecca: [Mr. Guzman, I'm heading out with Jeffrey. Talk soon!]

And Jeffrey sent: [The spotlight’s yours now-go wild. I'm on standby if you need backup.]

Ryan was hit with a storm of feelings all at once.

He'd originally resented Jeffrey for basically stealing Rebecca away, but now he couldn't even bring himself to

stay angry. For Rebecca to get her shares, Jeffrey was willing to let Ryan use him as a pawn-clearly, the guy

genuinely cared about her.

Ryan: [The Guzmans aren’t ones to mess with.]

still, out of kindness, Ryan shot Jeffrey a quick warning.

Sfolks might back down, not wanting to tick off Jeffrey, but Miles and his side wouldn't miss the chance to

kick up a fuss. God knows what kind of stunt they'll pull next.

When it comes to getting his hands on those shares, Miles wouldn't hesitate to cross any line.

Jeffrey replied nonchalantly: [Is Stephen really that difficult to handle?]

Ryan paused.

‘Well, not really, Ryan thought.

[Just go all out, don’t hold back,] Jeffrey messaged again. [I'll take care of the rest.]

“Old Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Guzman,” Gregory's voice suddenly cut through the air. He stood beside them in a sharp

suit, looking every bit the gentleman and the professional. “Mr. Hanson and Ms. Jensen have smatters to

attend to, so they askedto csay goodbye on their behalf.”

11:20 Wed, Oct 15

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Chapter 338

Ryan replied, “Alright.”

Gregory gave a polite smile and strode off with purpose.

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As they watched Gregory's figure fade into the distance, everyone felt a sudden, heavy weight settle in their

chests.

Normally, ticking off Jeffrey wouldn't be a big deal-they’d always had Ryan to shield them. But now that they'd

just crossed him because of Rebecca getting her shares, things weren't looking so good...

“Really got an attitude,” Miles spoke up, his tone mild, almost teasing. “Stephen and Ryan are kind of his seniors,

and he didn’t even bother to say goodbye before leaving. Just because he’s the CEO of the Hanson Group, does

he think he’s above basic manners?”

The others nodded, echoing his words.

Miles glanced at Old Mr. Lawrence and asked, “Do you really think Jeffrey and Rebecca will end up together?”

Old Mr. Lawrence simply looked up, keeping silent.

Miles swept his gaze around the room. “Look at his attitude-and they're not even married yet. If he really does

marry Rebecca and hands the shares to her, do you think the Guzman family would still mean anything to him?”

That remark sank in.

Everyone finally started to get it.

“Yeah, if those shares really get transferred, what's stopping him from taking over the entire Guzman Group?”

someone muttered.

“With the way Jeffrey operates, honestly, that’s not out of the question,” another person added.

“Sure, marrying into the Hanson family is a big deal and all, but with Jeffrey acting all high and mighty, maybe

we should drop it after all,” someone else chimed in.

With Miles stirring the pot, his crew started blowing things way out of proportion. The fence-sitters began to get

shaky, and soon, all eyes turned to Ryan, waiting to see what he'd do.

“Ryan, what do you think?” someone asked.

“Are you still set on handing the shares over to Rebecca?” another person pressed.

“With everyone going on like this, has anyone even stopped to think about what actually happened right before

he left?” Ryan said evenly, his tone steady as he decided to go along with Jeffrey’s plan. A new gravity

settled onto his face.

The room fell silent, everyone exchanging bewildered looks.

Old Mr. Lawrence raised his brows, obviously puzzled by the sudden turn.

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Chapter 338

Most of the crowd just looked utterly lost.

They genuinely had no idea how everything had suddenly taken such a serious turn.

“Con, it was just a glass of wine on his suit. What's the big deal?”

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“Before that happened, what were you all talking to him about?” Ryan pressed, his eyes on the crowd.

Everyone glanced at each other.

Just the usual small talk, business bragging.

You know, someone even asked if those divorce rumors were real.

After a few rounds, people got bolder and started joking around, asking Jeffrey what exactly made him fall for

Rebecca.

“Con, it was just regular dinner banter,” someone admitted, finally recalling. “We always talk like that at

these gatherings-nobody meant anything by it.”

Most of them liked to flaunt their image as loving husbands and family men.

But let's be real-the moment the excitement faded, that whole ‘good guy act’ went out the window.

Seriously, you think a CEO like him would genuinely catch feelings? Not a chance.

“You don’t think he actually... for real?” someone faltered, uncertainty all over their face.

“Really? You think so?” Ryan retorted, keeping his tone cool.

“Ryan, just give it to us straight,” someone blurted out, a bit panicked. “Is Jeffrey just with Rebecca for business,

or does he actually care about her?”

Ryan shot back, “What do you think?”

Everyone glanced at each other, confusion written all over their faces.

‘Could it actually be real love?’ they couldn't help wondering.

‘Would the Hanson family even allow him to pull something like that?‘ one of them thought.

“Let's be real-tonight’s dinner was about welcoming Rebecca, introducing her to everyone,” Ryan said, his tone

icy and sharp. “But from the minute you all walked in, you had eyes only for Jeffrey, and barely even tried to hide

how you looked down on Rebecca. If someone you actually cared about got put through that, would you have

just smiled and pretended nothing happened while you finished your meal?”

Everyone went silent.

‘Hell no,’ they all thought.

Honestly, if it were them, they would've blown up on the spot-and that would've been considered polite.

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Chapter 338

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“The only reason Jeffrey didn’t lose his temper with you right then and there was out of respect for Rebecca- he

didn’t want her welcoming dinner to turn into a mess,” Ryan's tone was sharp as a knife. “And as for the Guzman

family getting swallowed up? If | completely washed my hands of it-no shares, no interference- who here really

thinks they could stop Jeffrey if he decided to cfor us?”

The moment Ryan said that, the whole place fell into utter silence.

Everyone froze, not a single sound coming from anyone.

It dawned on them, almost with a chill-Miles had manipulated their thinking without them even realizing it.

With Jeffrey’s kind of power, if Ryan and his successor ever just gave up and bailed, there was absolutely no way

any of them could compete. The Guzman Group wouldn't just end up in his pocket; if he went on the offensive,

they'd get wiped out so badly, they wouldn't even have their underwear left.

“We really dropped the ball this time. Maybe we should invite him out to dinner and try to patch things up,”

someone muttered sheepishly.

“Honestly, it's so rare to catch him at these things that we ended up totally ignoring Rebecca by accident,”

another person explained, sounding a little embarrassed.

“Let’s be real-Jeffrey probably couldn’t care less about the whole Guzman family. If Rebecca wanted it, he could

set her up with something ten times bigger.”

“He’s not really mad about tonight's mess, right?” someone asked, a note of worry in their voice.

“If Jeffrey really blocks Rebecca from inheriting those shares, what are we gonna do? Just hand Guzman'’s future

over to Miles’s kids-is that supposed to be our plan?” another person sputtered, not quite believing it himself.

“If Jeffrey thinks his kid's fit to take over, then mine's just as qualified-don’t count my family out,” someone

retorted, unwilling to budge.

Miles gritted his teeth, face turning stormy as he was left speechless with frustration.

‘What exactly are they trying to say here?’ Miles scowled inwardly, his irritation growing.

“Oh, please. If it's those guys taking over, I'd honestly rather leave it to whoever Ryan's been grooming,”

someone snorted, waving it off.

“Ryan, we really dropped the ball today. Could you put in a good word for us with Rebecca? Tell her not to take us

old-timers too seriously,” someone else added a bit sheepishly.

Everyone started tossing their own opinions around, but by the end, it was all about who could protect their own

interests.

With the way things looked for the Guzman family right now, if they wanted their legacy to last, having Rebecca

take over the shares-with Jeffrey backing her up-was hands down the safest bet.