Chapter 241 - 239: Just Call Me Brother from Now On

Felix Lawson was already overweight and had high blood pressure, and after hearing what Paul Hudson said, he nearly fainted from anger.

He had assumed the matter had died a quiet death after the failed test. After all, when the chairman had given him the assignment, he had said, "If the test fails, just reject them outright. You don’t need to report back on any follow-up." So he hadn’t paid any more attention to it.

But as it turned out, Paul Hudson had never even met with them.

’How could one person make such a colossal mess?’

"Chairman, I’m sorry." Paul Hudson mustered his courage, ready to take all the blame. "It’s all my fault. I handled it poorly. Please give me another chance. I’ll contact them immediately and reschedule."

Ultimately, this matter didn’t have much to do with Supervisor Lawson; Paul Hudson was the one primarily responsible. Besides, Supervisor Lawson was his brother-in-law, and he couldn’t let his mistake drag his supervisor down with him.

’As long as he isn’t affected, even if I get disciplined, I’ll definitely be able to climb back up in the future,’ Paul Hudson thought.

Hearing this, Felix Lawson quickly added, "Chairman, I’m also responsible for this. If I had just followed up with one more question, this might not have happened today."

’I can’t just let Paul take all the blame. If we both take some of the heat, maybe we can both be saved,’ Felix Lawson thought.

Unfortunately, what they thought didn’t matter. What mattered was what Conrad Goodman thought.

After listening to the two of them, Conrad Goodman’s feelings could no longer be described as mere annoyance. It was pure rage.

If Cecilia Sterling’s project hadn’t found another partner, there might still be room to salvage the situation. But she had already reached a strategic partnership with the Jennings Group. So who would bear the Goodman Group’s losses?

Conrad Goodman looked at them coldly and said, "You’ve lost your chance. They’ve already partnered with the Jennings Group. Why else did you think I was so angry?"

"You know better than I do how much of an impact a cutting-edge technology can have on AI products. With the project lost to a competitor, who will bear the losses the Goodman Group has suffered?"

"Will you bear them? Can you afford to?!"

Conrad Goodman practically roared the last sentence. The shout seemed to vent some of his pent-up emotion. He waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away flies. "Get out and file your resignation with HR. The Goodman Group doesn’t need negligent, arrogant employees like you."

With that one sentence, the final ultimatum was delivered. Both Felix Lawson and Paul Hudson were dumbfounded. In the end, neither of them was spared.

The severity of the situation was far beyond what they could handle. The losses this incident caused the Goodman Group were unimaginable; just firing them was, in a way, Conrad Goodman being merciful.

Meanwhile, Cecilia Sterling had just finished her business at the industrial park and gotten back to her car when her phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number, but the area code was from Lorcain. Cecilia hesitated for a moment before swiping to answer. "Hello."

"Is this Cecilia Sterling?"

"It is. Who is this?"

The person on the other end paused noticeably before speaking again. "It’s Mr. Goodman."

Cecilia was taken aback for a second, then quickly realized who it was. Her tone warmed up. "Mr. Goodman! Why the sudden call?"

Conrad Goodman’s anger hadn’t completely subsided, but now he had to humbly apologize to Cecilia. "It’s not so sudden. Cecilia, I wanted to apologize to you—to apologize for the Goodman Group’s previous arrogance."

A great man knows when to yield and when to stand firm. Although Conrad Goodman held a high position, he wouldn’t deny his own mistakes just to save face.

This time, the Goodman Group was in the wrong.

The moment Cecilia heard his words, she understood. She chuckled softly. "Mr. Goodman, you’re being too serious. I’m not angry with you. I know it wasn’t your intention."

"But I must apologize for it," Conrad Goodman said earnestly. "I only found out about this today. But regardless, the Goodman Group’s mistake is my mistake. I’ve already fired the employees responsible for the matter."

Cecilia had no objections to this. If her own employees had made such a mistake, she wouldn’t have been lenient either.

"Can I invite you over for dinner again?" Conrad Goodman abruptly asked.

Cecilia was slightly taken aback and asked subconsciously, "Uh, today?"

"Is that possible?"

"I’m sorry, Mr. Goodman, I can’t today. I have plans tonight. How about tomorrow night?"

"Of course." Conrad Goodman agreed without hesitation. "Tomorrow it is, then. At my home, if that’s alright?"

"Okay, I’ll be there on time tomorrow evening."

After hanging up, Cecilia gave a helpless smile. She could feel the sincerity in Mr. Goodman’s apology. His inviting her over for dinner again was likely still about the project.

She wasn’t one to hold a grudge against the entire Goodman Group because of a couple of clueless employees. The project had already signed contracts with nearly ten companies; adding one more wouldn’t be a problem. And at the end of the day, for Estelle’s sake, she wouldn’t make things difficult for the Goodman Group.

She drove to the business club where she was having dinner with Jeb and happened to run right into him in the underground garage.

He was dressed in a black Zhongshan suit and was still wearing his black sunglasses, followed by four underlings in suits. His presence was formidable.

"Cecilia!"

"Jeb!"

They both called out at the same time. Cecilia walked forward to greet him first. "The traffic was terrible. I was afraid I’d be late."

Wesley Yates remained expressionless as ever, only saying softly, "No rush."

After speaking, he frowned slightly. "You lot, greet her."

Before Cecilia could react, the four large men behind Jeb bowed their heads in unison and said, "Cecilia!"

Cecilia smiled and nodded, then entered the elevator with Wesley Yates.

"Cecilia, there’s someone who wants to see you today. Normally, I never arrange this kind of thing, but this person pulled a bunch of strings, found a friend of mine I’m on good terms with, and pleaded their case to me. So I reluctantly set up this meeting."

As he spoke, Wesley Yates turned his head to look at Cecilia and asked, "This meeting does have a purpose. You’re not mad at me, are you, Cecilia?"

"Jeb, don’t say that," Cecilia said. "No matter who I’m meeting today, I came to have dinner with you. I should have been the one to invite you out after I got back from the Spring Festival."

Cecilia knew that Wesley Yates was a man who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He had previously helped her resolve her problems without a second thought and at great cost, and in her heart, she had already accepted him as a brother.

Cecilia’s words were very pleasing to Wesley Yates. As the elevator doors opened, he suddenly said, "From now on, just call me Brother. ’Jeb’ is what people in the underworld call me."

Hearing this, Cecilia smiled and nodded. "Got it, Brother."

When they arrived at the private room, a waiter slowly pushed the door open. Cecilia and Wesley Yates walked in one after the other. People were already seated at the round table inside, and they all instinctively stood up when they saw Wesley Yates enter.

Cecilia glanced over and was also taken aback.

’Isn’t that Henry Marshall and his father?’