The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 1881

Wynter looked at the gold-eyed goldfish in her hand.

Before setting off, Cleo had approached her with a solemn expression and said, "A long time ago, Mr. Quinnell Senior sent some trusted individuals to develop in Havenia, but we've lost contact with them since then. Some may have already passed.

"However, if any are still alive, they'll recognize the gold-eyed goldfish and know that Mr. Quinnell Senior's descendant has arrived. That will make things smoother for you in Havenia.

"Havenia is different from the mainland. Though the distance isn't huge, the historical complexities mean we have to acknowledge the differences."

A strategist like Gordon, so patriotic and visionary, was truly rare. Even Wynter hadn't expected that Gordon had once sent Chamber of Commerce members to expand into Havenia.

The people Gordon had dispatched must have been exceptional in ability, but above all else, their integrity was unquestionable.

...

Meanwhile, in Havenia, Wolf emerged from the basement where Antoine had been waiting for him at the entrance.

"Did you get anything out of him?" Antoine asked as Wolf approached.

Wolf nodded. "He said the Wendell Corporation is planning to target you."

Antoine frowned. The Wendell Corporation wasn't even a real competitor in his eyes. After all, acquiring them would barely cost him anything.

He turned to Wolf. "Are you sure that's what he said? This sounds like a bluff. It seems like I can't let him off the hook."

Wolf shook his head. "No. He claims the Wendell Corporation has covert backing from several overseas forces this time. He's also part of their group. They planted him here as a mole years ago, waiting to strike a fatal blow when you're most vulnerable."

Antoine fell silent, deep in thought. Secret foreign support was something he could never tolerate. Overseas entities had approached him before, but he'd always refused outright.

What he despised most were those who thrived domestically in Cascadia only to badmouth the country abroad. To him, such treachery was unforgivable. How was that any different from a betrayal?

Antoine shared Gordon's temperament, which was why he had devoted decades of loyalty to him, even missing the chance to see him one last time.

At the memory, Antoine's eyes briefly welled with tears, but he quickly turned away, pulling out a tissue to wipe them dry and recompose himself.

Wolf scratched his head, confused by Antoine's sudden emotion.

Turning back to him, Antoine said firmly, "Well done, Wolf. Leave the rest to me."

He summoned his bodyguards to head straight to the corporation. Even with foreign forces behind the Wendell Corporation, Antoine felt no fear. Striking first would catch them off guard, and even if they were prepared, he remained undaunted.

"Failure isn't the worst outcome. What's truly terrifying is losing your confidence and backbone." Gordon's words echoed in Antoine's mind.

...

In an upscale restaurant's private room, several men drank and dined together.

The older man among them raised his glass, toasting each person in turn. "Gentlemen, I, Freddie Wendell, owe everything to your support. Once we take down the Chamberlain Corporation, the rest of Havenia's conglomerates will fall like dominoes!"

He drained his glass in one gulp while the others merely sipped their drinks.

A blond, blue-eyed middle-aged man, Jordin Iggy, spoke in broken Cascadian. "Mr. Wendell, while your corporation is at best average in Havenia, we appreciate your ambition. Ambition fuels progress."

His gaze sharpened as he continued, "But ambition can choke you if it's too grand. Your path depends on your choices. We can elevate you to Havenia's top empire or reduce it to ash overnight."

Freddie Wendell, the Wendell Corporation's chairman, forced a smile. "My apologies for overstepping earlier. Let me punish myself with another drink." He downed a second glass.

Jordin's expression softened slightly. "You've got grit, Mr. Wendell. Do you know why we picked your corporation?"

"Why?" Freddie genuinely wondered. After all, Havenia had far larger players than his middling firm.

"Because you have one quality we value. You're like a rabid lapdog, and it allows us to chain you tightly. We point, and you maul," Jordin replied mockingly.

Freddie could only chuckle. "You're absolutely right. I am your rabid lapdog."

"Great! Self-awareness suits you." Jordin slapped a folder on the table. "These are your citizenship approval papers. Consider your new nationality confirmed. Your mission is to acquire every major corporation in Havenia. Funds are of no concern."

Freddie's eyes gleamed as he scanned the documents. "Thank you. Rest assured that with sufficient capital, I'll devour them all!"

At that moment, someone knocked on the private room's door. Freddie stood to open it, hissing at his subordinate, "Can't you see I'm occupied? What's so urgent?"

The man panted as he replied, "Mr. Wendell, there's an emergency. We couldn't contact the mole we planted in the Chamberlain Corporation. He was supposed to meet our contact at the cafe today to pass intel, but no one showed."

"What?" Freddie's drunken haze evaporated. "Are you certain you didn't see him?"

Had Antoine uncovered the spy he'd worked so hard to embed? The last operation, kidnapping Ingrid, had been handled through proxies. No traces should lead back to him.

A call buzzed urgently. Freddie answered the phone to panicked shouts. "Mr. Wendell! Our stock is under attack! We've lost tens of millions in seconds!"

Freddie staggered, nearly collapsing before his aide caught him. Wheeling toward Jordin, he croaked, "Our corporation's being targeted, and the cash flow's collapsing! You have to help me!"

Jordin chuckled. "Do you call this a crisis?" He dialed a number. "Transfer a billion to Havenia's Wendell Corporation account, now."

Within minutes, Freddie's phone chimed with the deposit notification. He quickly thanked Jordin, "Thank you. Without you, we'd have already gone bankrupt."

Jordin merely lifted an eyebrow. "A billion is merely pocket change. Keep proving me your worth, and I'll give you more. But I'm disappointed—you're getting hit before we even start. How pathetic."

With that, he strode out with his entourage, leaving Freddie and his men.

Freddie gritted his teeth. "This attack has the Chamberlain Corporation written all over it. They'll regret crossing me!"

He immediately called his corporate team, barking orders, "Stabilize our stock! Flood the market with capital. Let the Chamberlain Corporation pour their money in, then lock them in a financial chokehold!"

His phone buzzed again. Recognizing the caller ID, Freddie answered with a sneer.

Antoine's voice cut through. "Your schemes are exposed, Freddie. Surrender now if you want mercy."

Freddie laughed coldly. "I know you've already pulled out my mole. Otherwise, you wouldn't have known about my plan this early. But it doesn't matter—I have money. Let's see how long the Chamberlain Corporation lasts.

Wolf turned his head and noticed Antoine's grim expression. He walked over and asked, "Mr. Antoine, are you upset?"

Antoine replied in a low voice, "Not exactly. I just tried to strike first to see if we could bring down the Wendell Corporation's stock. But his side moved just as fast and pulled out a billion in an instant. I'm worried they might have another billion waiting."

Wolf nodded. "Mm, this… doesn't seem that hard."

Antoine assumed Wolf was just trying to comfort him and chuckled. "The business world is a battlefield. It's not that simple."

Wolf pouted, looking serious. "Mr. Antoine, really, it's not that hard."

Seeing Wolf's determined expression, Antoine couldn't help but ask, "Then do you have a better idea?"

Wolf thought for a moment. "I don't know how to explain it, but I can do it!"

Antoine studied Wolf, and a strange feeling came over him. Thinking back, in every situation where Wolf had been present, nothing had ever failed. "Alright, I will show you around."

With that, he led Wolf to an office. When the door opened, they saw a flurry of activity inside. There were rows of high-end computers, and everyone's fingers were flying across keyboards.

The moment the team noticed Antoine, they quickly stood to greet him.

Antoine waved his hand. "No need for that. Right now, your only job is to bring down the Wendell Corporation at all costs."

"Understood!"

They responded in unison, though privately, their confidence wasn't sky-high. Facing a local Havenia corporation wouldn't have been a problem, but this one had overseas backing. Money wasn't everything, but with enough of it, the game changed entirely.

As everyone returned to work, Wolf slowly walked behind them, observing their operations. With each person he passed, he shook his head slightly, as if unimpressed.

By the time he reached the last person, there was still no spark of brilliance in what he saw.

Antoine approached Wolf and whispered, "What's wrong?"

Not wanting to discourage the others, Wolf whispered back, "Mr. Antoine, they don't seem… very good."

Antoine gave him a puzzled look. These people had been with the corporation since its founding, and he knew their skills well. Yet, here was Wolf, claiming they weren't up to par.

One of the nearby team members, sharp-eared, turned to Wolf. "What do you know to say we're not good?"

The moment those words were spoken, the rest of the team turned to stare at Wolf.

"What? Did you say we're no good?"

"Ask Mr. Chamberlain! Our skills have never been questioned!"

"If you think we're no good, why don't you try it, then?"

Wolf scratched his head. "Fine. I'll do it. All of you, step out."