Chapter 162

Beckett's Home. Upon returning home, Beckett promptly shut his phone off. Even as Stanton was frantically making calls like a madman, he put himself on a selective hearing mode, pretending to not hear anything. What the eyes don't see the heart won't grieve over. "Mr. Beach..." Madeleine was hesitating to voice out her thoughts. "It's after hours now." Beckett pointed at his wristwatch. With her head lowered, Madeleine gathered up the courage to express her concern. "Beckett... Have you thought of an escape plan?" "Do you have any good ideas?" Beckett gave a light laugh. "You need to plan an exit strategy and prepare for the worst-case scenario. If Stanton gets desperate and reclaims the shares that should rightfully belong to you and gives them to Clinton..." Madeleine asked him to prepare for the worst. "Zhan’s Group, it is what it is today, because of me." Beckett had absolute confidence in himself. If Stanton didn’t believe him, he could give it a try. "As for the escape plan..." Beckett remained silent for a long while before he spoke again. "Since I've promised to take care of you, I will absolutely not let you fall into the mire again." What he promised Madeleine, he would definitely fulfill. His rose, must bloom again. And he has the absolute capital and ability, to make her bloom again. Madeleine shook her head; she wasn't worried about herself. Seeing Beckett cease his words, she knew he must have his own way of coping but was just inconvenient to say it now. "Can I make braised pork ribs?" Madeleine asked softly. "I'm not picky with food." Beckett removed his wristwatch, loosened his tie, and went to the study to watch Chris studying. Madeleine was taken aback. Not picky? Carl took an entire day to tell her how picky Mr. Beach was... Why is he suddenly not picky? ... Beach Group. With a somber face, Clinton entered the office, the atmosphere filled with tension. "Young Mr. Beach," Liu Yecheng entered the office when no one was around. "You wanted to see me..." "Did you see the news about my mother?" Clinton was out to confront Liu Yecheng. "For this matter, you don't need to bother yourself. My father will settle it soon. Now, you only need to concentrate on striving for the position of vice president," Clinton spoke again. "Yes, sir," Liu Yecheng quickly echoed. It was clear; Ruby had some leverage against Liu Yecheng. "Mr. Beach, when do you plan to take action?" Asked Liu Yecheng. "Beckett is confident in his abilities, but sadly, he has made too many enemies, and too many higher-ups in the company are dissatisfied with him. Now, almost everyone is watching him closely; any small mistake will be blown out of proportion..." Clinton leaned against the table. "Although the desert project is remote, it is the most important project of the department this year. The project base in the northwest hasn't been approved yet. Once Beckett's project plan is leaked..." "Mr. Beach, are you planning to sabotage Beach family computer?" Liu Yecheng took a deep breath and asked. "That's not your concern." Clinton said, full of confidence. He had a competent hacker by his side. Hacking into Beckett's computer, stealing company secrets, no problem. "Mr. Beach, stealing trade secrets is illegal..." Liu Yecheng reminded Clinton not to end up losing everything for a little gain. "I know the consequences." Liu Yecheng nodded, "The priority at the moment is the position of vice president. I'm on the fast track to get it. Eighty percent of the people from the project and investment departments are on my side. It's impossible for Beckett to fire me and choose someone else." Firing him would be wishful thinking. "Moreover, Beckett is trying every means to please me through his assistant, hoping to win me over, unbeknownst to him, I've long been on your side and your lady's." Liu Yecheng smiled as he spoke. Clinton nodded. "You're doing well." Beckett will eventually pay the price for his arrogance and pride! "Once you claim the position of vice president and solidify our allies, you can kick Beckett out." Clinton smirked. "He thought that by exposing my mother's scandal, he could guilt trip my father? In reality, he is gradually getting out of my father's control, as long as I can convince my father to reclaim his shares... he will be nothing." "You're right." Liu Yecheng chuckled. "I've always had faith in you. If you take Beckett's place, you will surely do no worse than him. These years, he has always been a step ahead, leaving you no room to shine." "In my opinion, you're no worse off than Beckett." Clinton snorted. "What's rightfully mine, I must claim back." This included both the shares and Madeleine. After Liu Yecheng left the office, Alex called Clinton. With an annoyed rub of his brow, Clinton answered the phone. "Your mother, did she put sulfuric acid in the water? Was she trying to hurt Madeleine?" The serious tone and the questioning nature of Alex's voice were quite obvious. "Does your mother have a death wish?" "Mr. George, this is a misunderstanding," responded Clinton with a stern face. "A misunderstanding?" Alex sneered. "Are you taking me for a fool?" "Clinton...tell your mother to stop pulling tricks. If she dares to touch a single hair on Madeleine's head, she'll have to bear the consequences." Alex threatened Clinton. Clinton rubbed his brows again. "Beckett personally took Madeleine home, claiming she's his girlfriend." "Is that all he's capable of?" The tone of Alex's voice was very low, clearly suppressing his anger. "Madeleine's biological mother is due to be released from prison soon," Clinton took a deep breath. "I know her weak spot." "You better not make me wait too long," Alex urged Clinton to push Madeleine into a corner yet again. By then, when he would reappear, Madeleine would certainly stay obediently by his side. A butterfly with its wings broken cannot fly, it can only beg for protection from its master, praying not to be abandoned. Now, he was waiting for Madeleine to come to him for help a second time. Since he was able to succeed once, he could surely succeed a second time. Madeleine must be his. ... Inside Liu Yecheng's office. Madeleine brought some fruit that she'd washed and passed it to Liu Yecheng. "CEO Liu, these are cherries I bought from the Old Street district. They are very sweet." "How thoughtful of you, Assistant Su," Liu Yecheng replied with a bright smile, standing up to accept the fruit. "Why, it's not often that the CEO's assistant has to go fruit shopping for me." "Please, don't mention it. Like I told you, whatever you need, don't hesitate to ask." Madeleine responded politely, with a pleasing smile. Early this morning, Liu Yecheng had suddenly added Madeleine to the work group. He specifically asked her if she passed by the Old Street and requested her to bring back some fruit. This sly old fox was clearly testing Madeleine. As Beckett's personal assistant, the way Madeleine treated him was an indication of how Beckett himself felt. It was indeed inappropriate for the CEO's assistant to be buying fruit for a project manager. However, Madeleine had agreed, very readily at that, and even wore a pleasing smile on her face. She didn't ask for reimbursement for the cost of the fruit either. "These cherries aren't cheap, are they?" Liu Yecheng asked, implying more than just the cost of the cherries. "Director Liu, please eat, this small amount of money is nothing. When you become the deputy director, just put in a good word for me to Director Zhan," Madeleine hurriedly waved her hand. In reality, she was really hurt over the money spent on cherries. Ninety-nine yuan per pound, she bought three hundred yuan worth. Three hundred yuan! It would take a long time to collect enough bottles and cans to sell for three hundred yuan. "Su, working with Director Zhan, how much do you make in a month?" Liu Yecheng was pushing it a bit. Purposely moving closer to Madeleine, he made some provocative remarks as a way to test her. "With such a good figure, how much do you spend on maintenance? Is that salary... enough?" Madeleine knew that Liu Yecheng was intentionally probing her. Only if she didn't resist, he would let his guard down and become more reckless. "Of course... it's not quite enough," Madeleine sighed, her palms were sweaty. She felt sick.