Chapter 3

Hearing this, James smirked coldly. He used to think John was something special, but now he couldn't even get a meeting with a chairman's assistant.

James decided that from now on, John wouldn't even be allowed to step foot in Apex Global Enterprises!

With that thought, James said icily, "From now on, Apex Global Enterprises is cutting all ties with the Williams family. If I find out they're still doing business with us, you're fired." Nora's face turned serious at his words.

No need to ask, she knew the Williams family must have pissed off James.

She nodded and said, "Mr. Smith, don't worry. I'll end our partnership with them right away and make an announcement!" James looked at her with a bit more admiration. She must have realized the Williams family had crossed him and was making sure they had no chance to rise again in Emerald City. No wonder she climbed the ranks so quickly; she was sharp!

Thinking of this, James nodded and added, "Oh, and make sure to kick them out with a broom! Trash needs to be swept away!" Meanwhile, John and Ava were waiting in the reception room for Nora, clueless about what was happening. They were still eagerly anticipating further cooperation with Apex Global Enterprises.

But instead of Nora, a group of janitors led by one of her subordinates stormed in.

John, confused, asked boldly, "Excuse me, when will Ms. Adams be available to see us?" The assistant snorted, "We just got orders from Ms. Adams. Apex Global Enterprises doesn't deal with trash! All our business with you is canceled!" John stood up, disbelief written all over his face. Just as he was feeling puzzled, the assistant waved his hand, and the janitors, holding brooms, rushed towards them.

"Make sure to sweep the trash out of the company!" the assistant said, looking at John with disgust. John found these words eerily familiar. Not long ago, he had said James would be swept out of Apex Global Enterprises like trash.

But he never expected that he would be the one getting swept out! And all business cooperation would be terminated.

The Williams family had reached their current status mainly by relying on Apex Global Enterprises' business. Without it, they would be like a tree losing its roots, destined to fall.

At that moment, John shouted, "You must be lying! I want to see Ms. Adams!" The assistant's face showed even more disdain. "Do you deserve it? Now I'm officially telling you, you're banned from Apex Global Enterprises forever!"

John felt dizzy. Sick with panic, he shouted again, "You must be lying! The Williams family and Apex Global Enterprises have never had any issues, why suddenly terminate all cooperation?"

Hearing this, the assistant didn't waste any more words and turned to the janitors, saying, "Get this trash out of here. Do you all want to be fired?" The janitors didn't hesitate and started swinging their brooms at John and Ava.

One janitor, seeing that John wouldn't budge, said, "Stubborn trash, can't even be swept away. Let me get a bucket of water!"

With that, she went to fetch water.

At first, John gritted his teeth and refused to leave, but when he saw the janitor coming at him with a full bucket of water, he instinctively dodged, still getting most of his body soaked. His once well-tailored suit now clung to him in a sorry state. There was no trace of John's previous pride.

And it wasn't over yet. Just as he was being driven out of Apex Global Enterprises in disgrace, his phone suddenly vibrated.

John pulled out his wet phone from his pocket. Although it was waterproof, it was still a bit unresponsive.

He fumbled to answer the call and heard an angry voice on the other end. "You idiot, I never cared what you did outside! But this time, you've really screwed up!"

John felt extremely wronged and said, "Dad, I didn't do anything this time. I just came to see Ms. Adams, but I didn't even get to see her." His father, Nash Williams, barked through the phone, "Apex Global Enterprises said they won't work with us because we're morally corrupt, like trash! And they've spread the word. Now, not only Apex Global Enterprises, but other companies also want to cut ties with us! Get home immediately!"

With that, the call was abruptly ended.

John paused for a moment, then he carefully recalled the familiar words he had heard earlier, and suddenly, he thought of someone. He asked Ava beside him, "Ava, does James know anyone at Apex Global Enterprises?"

Ava, also in a sorry state, immediately denied it. "No way, that useless James has been living off my sister Sophia all these years. There's no way he knows anyone at Apex Global Enterprises!"

She continued, "Think about it, if James really knew someone at Apex Global Enterprises, would he still be bullied by us?"

That made sense!

John nodded. Thinking of Nash's harsh words on the phone, he let out a sigh.

"My dad told me to go home, I have to go!" he said, then quickly left Apex Global Enterprises. Within an hour, the news that the Williams family had been cut off by Apex Global Enterprises spread like wildfire.

No one knew the exact reason, but they all knew that any family abandoned by Apex Global Enterprises was doomed. Many companies directly paid breach of contract fees to terminate their deals with the Williams family. The once glorious Williams family became trash that no one respected in less than a day.

At this moment, James learned about what had happened below, a smile appeared on his lips, and he said to Nora in front of him, "I've heard you're reliable, and now it seems to be true!"

Nora immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to James. "It's my honor to work for you, Mr. Smith. As long as you don't mind me!"

Nora humbled herself in front of James.

James nodded. "As long as you do a good job, I can double your salary!"

Even though he had never managed a company before, he knew that good rewards would keep employees motivated.

As expected, Nora's smile became even more genuine at his words.

James glanced at the contract in front of him and remembered what Sophia had said last night. One of the reasons Mia had arranged the engagement between Ava and John was to facilitate cooperation between the Williams family and Apex Global Enterprises.

But now that the Williams family had no ties with Apex Global Enterprises, Mia would likely look for a way to break off the engagement in the future.

However, based on James' understanding of Mia, she wouldn't act immediately, and nor would she abandon her plan to cooperate with Apex Global Enterprises.

Thinking back to all the times he had been humiliated by the Brown family over the years, and how Sophia had always stood up to protect him, James made up his mind. Now that he had taken over Apex Global Enterprises, he would definitely help Sophia!

With this in mind, he focused on the documents in front of him. "I don't need to review these documents for now."

Hearing this, Nora looked a bit puzzled.

These were all the latest projects of Apex Global Enterprises, which would determine the company's profits for the next six months to a year. Why would the new chairman say such a thing?

While Nora was still confused, James spoke calmly, "Since Apex Global Enterprises has a new chairman, the previous rules need to be changed!" He looked at Nora seriously and continued, "As far as I know, the company's projects are outsourced to others. Many of these contractors have been working with us for a long time. There's a risk of corruption!"

Nora looked a bit bewildered and asked, "Mr. Smith, how do you know there's corruption?" As the chairman's assistant, she believed her management had no flaws.

James smiled, "Well, it's like a supermarket. The displayed price is never the purchase price. The supermarket makes money, and so do the purchasers. Gradually, the prices get higher, and in the end, it's Apex Global Enterprises that pays." This phenomenon was something James had noticed because of his previous position at the bottom.

Nora understood and asked, "So, Mr. Smith, are you saying that someone is taking kickbacks?"

This issue existed in almost every company. If it wasn't particularly serious, it usually wasn't pursued.

"Whether or not it's happening, since Apex Global Enterprises has a new chairman, all the contractors need to be replaced!" As James said, he closed the contracts in his hand. "From now on, we will only choose partners who offer good quality at a low price!"

Hearing this, Nora relaxed her expression in understanding. "I'll arrange it right away!"

Soon, the news that Apex Global Enterprises had a new chairman spread.

For such a powerful group to change chairman so quickly indicated that the new chairman was very powerful and capable of buying Apex Global Enterprises at its peak.

So everyone was curious about the new chairman.

But after asking around, they only knew that the new chairman's name was James. Everything else was very mysterious.

While everyone was speculating about the new chairman's identity, another explosive piece of news came out.

They couldn't help but sigh, "Just because of a new chairman, all current contractors will be replaced?"

When the Brown family heard this, they finally understood why the Williams family had suddenly lost their cooperation with Apex Global Enterprises. That was because those who had previously laughed at the Williams family were now facing the same situation.

But this news also gave many people hope.

Apex Global Enterprises covered seventy percent of the business in Silverlight City. Being able to cooperate with them, even on a small project, was enough to elevate a family to the top tier in Silverlight City.

So when the Brown family received this news, they were immediately excited.

"The vacancies left by Apex Global Enterprises this time are huge. Our Brown family's business capabilities are definitely not inferior to the Williams family. If we can secure cooperation with Apex Global Enterprises, our Brown family will surely become a top family in Silverlight City!" Mia said to the butler beside her.

The butler nodded. "Mrs. Brown, you're right. But how to secure cooperation with Apex Global Enterprises is indeed something to consider."

Mia already had a plan.

The Brown family had many descendants. If someone could successfully secure cooperation with Apex Global Enterprises this time, she could promote them. To gain favor, they would surely strive to secure the contract.

Thinking of this, she said, "Gather all the Brown family members first!"

This time, she would use the full strength of the Brown family to seize this opportunity.

Soon after leaving Apex Global Enterprises, James received a call from Sophia. She said, "Grandma said that Apex Global Enterprises has many vacancies now and wants us to have a chance to cooperate. But she said we shouldn't rush, so she's gathering everyone to discuss it."

Hearing this, James wasn't surprised. After all, it was him who created this opportunity. After all, it was better to bring in new blood than to get familiar with the previous contractors.

"Okay, I'll come after I finish grocery shopping!" James agreed decisively. He still needed to help Sophia gain some face!

Sophia frowned when she heard James was grocery shopping. She wanted him to come quickly, but James hung up too fast.

She didn't call back but drove to the Brown family.

Meanwhile, all the Brown family members who received the news had rushed to the Brown Mansion. They knew that if they did well this time, they could become the head of the Brown family in the future!

Although the Brown family wasn't a top family in Silverlight City, it was still a large family with wealth far beyond ordinary people.

As everyone gathered and exchanged ideas, Sophia arrived.

"Isn't this Sophia? Why did you come alone?" Ava, still upset from earlier, deliberately mocked.

"James said he'd come after grocery shopping!" Sophia's expression didn't change, and she even had a faint smile.

Hearing this, Ava rolled her eyes disdainfully. "What an ignorant fool! He doesn't even know what comes first."

With that, she gave a satirical smile and continued, "Of course, he sure enjoys his role as a househusband."

Laughter erupted around them.