Chapter 181: Are You An Idiot?
Halfway through the journey, Luca was pulled out of the video he was watching by the sudden ringing of his phone.
An unknown number.
He answered without much interest.
"Mr. Luca Hale, this is Mr. Rodgers."
The moment he heard the name, the man’s identity surfaced in his mind.
Rodgers was the president of Sapphire-Vanguard Group and Lady Francine Luiz’s younger brother. When Luca had investigated Francine, he’d naturally come across some background information on him as well.
"What do you want?" he asked calmly.
A cold chuckle came from the other end.
"Mr. Hale, you’re quite ruthless. You had my sister killed, yet you couldn’t even spare an apology."
Luca almost laughed.
He knew perfectly well this wasn’t a grieving brother seeking justice.
When Francine died, the Rodgers family had probably celebrated behind closed doors.
With her gone, the shares she owned would legally pass to Dexter.
But Dexter was already in deep trouble. As far as Rodgers was concerned, those shares would end up in his hands sooner or later anyway.
Even if Dexter inherited them first...
So what?
He was nothing more than a useless playboy who spent his days chasing women. Someone like that would never be able to protect such valuable assets.
Rodgers had no proof linking Luca to Francine’s death.
He didn’t need any.
All he wanted was to plant a seed of doubt.
As long as Luca had been involved, even slightly, he believed the pressure alone would make him compromise.
For a brief second, Luca was genuinely speechless.
Then he shook his head with a mocking smile.
’No wonder they’re siblings.’
’Their intelligence really is on the same level.’
Did this idiot honestly think a few empty threats would scare him?
Wishful thinking.
Too lazy to waste another second, Luca replied with only one word.
"Dumbass"
Rodgers exploded with rage.
Still, he forced himself to continue.
"Luca Hale! Help Sapphire-Vanguard enter the New Orleans market, and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened."
In his mind, Luca was already the mastermind.
The calm response...
...was nothing more than bluffing.
Luca finally understood what this call was really about.
At the same time, he couldn’t help wondering how someone like Rodgers had become president of Sapphire-Vanguard Group.
Did the Rodgers family never evaluate their successors?
Could someone this foolish really call himself a businessman?
’Looks like Sapphire-Vanguard won’t last much longer.’
’Maybe I should sell my shares before the company crashes and takes my money with it.’
His patience finally ran out.
His brows drew together as his voice turned ice cold.
"Mr. Rodgers."
"Is your brain full of shit?"
"The only reason I haven’t bothered dealing with you is because you’re not worth my time."
"But if you keep barking nonsense..."
"...I’ll personally let you enjoy the same peaceful retirement Gordon Luiz did."
Without waiting for another word, Luca ended the call.
He had no intention of letting someone like Rodgers ruin his mood.
...
Listening to the disconnected tone, Rodgers’ face turned red with rage.
He hurled his phone onto the floor with all his strength.
Crash!
The shattered pieces scattered across the office.
Just then, his assistant pushed the door open.
The broken phone slid right to his feet, making him instinctively step back.
"M-Mr. Rodgers..."
He had absolutely no desire to report bad news while his boss was in such a temper.
Unfortunately...
This matter couldn’t wait.
"Speak!"
Taking a deep breath, the assistant steadied himself.
"Last night, someone quietly acquired a large number of Sapphire-Vanguard shares."
"They now own ten percent of the company."
"What?"
Rodgers shot to his feet.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
If he didn’t trust this assistant completely, he would’ve thought someone was playing a prank.
Ten percent...
Acquired overnight?
How much capital would that require?
And what kind of confidence did someone need to pull off something like that?
"Who is it?"
His voice became noticeably more urgent.
Anyone capable of quietly purchasing such a large stake was definitely no ordinary investor.
More importantly...
They were a potential threat.
He had to find out exactly who they were.
The assistant hesitated before answering.
"It’s... Luca Hale."
"The president of Hale-Viv Conglomerate."
"What did you say?"
Rodgers thought he’d misheard.
"Who?"
The assistant swallowed nervously.
"It’s Luca Hale."
"The president of Hale-Viv Conglomerate."
Crash!
The teacup slipped from Rodgers’ trembling fingers and shattered across the floor.
His entire body froze.
Luca...
How could it possibly be him?
Only moments ago, he’d called to threaten Luca, planning to use Sapphire-Vanguard’s future expansion into New Orleans as leverage.
And now...
The very same man had become one of the company’s largest shareholders.
Ten percent wasn’t enough for complete control.
But it was already an influence no one could ignore.
Thinking back to Gordon Luiz’s fate, Rodgers suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine.
According to everything he’d investigated, Luca had quietly planted people throughout Gordon’s company until, before Gordon even realized what was happening, his own empire was no longer his.
What about Sapphire-Vanguard?
Had Luca already started doing the same thing?
The sudden appearance of this mysterious shareholder felt like a deafening alarm bell ringing inside his head.
’I have to investigate.’
’I need to find every shareholder connected to him.’
’Every single one.’
’I also have to buy back every loose share on the market before he gets them.’
At that moment, Rodgers had become a frightened bird.
His panic was destined to throw Sapphire-Vanguard’s upper management into complete chaos.
...
Luca, naturally, had no idea what was happening inside Rodgers’ office.
By then, Naomi had already climbed into the car.
She leaned gently against his shoulder while their fingers intertwined.
The two quietly closed their eyes together, pretending to nap.
As the privacy partition slowly rose, Phoebe, sitting in the front passenger seat, caught the affectionate scene in the rearview mirror.
A smile couldn’t help appearing on her lips.
"Mr. Hale and Miss Monroe are so sweet."
She giggled softly.
"And when he carried Miss Monroe into the car just now..."
"...he looked incredibly handsome."
Gideon glanced sideways at her, his expression oddly meaningful.
"And what about Mr. Hale and Miss Vivienne?"
"Aren’t they sweet too?"
"Uh..."
Phoebe pursed her lips, suddenly unsure how to answer.
Before she could think of a reply, Gideon continued.
"And don’t forget Silverbrook."
"There’s another lady there waiting for him."
"Sir Gideon..."
Phoebe laughed.
"Are you... jealous?"
"Jealous?"
Gideon immediately shook his head.
"How could I be?"
"I’m far too old for that."
Jealous?
He wasn’t just jealous.
He was downright envious.
Back in his younger days, he’d been considered the most handsome man in several nearby villages.
Yet somehow...
He’d ended up marrying someone completely unsuitable.
’It’s all that matchmaker’s fault.’
’She kept saying women who could bear children were the greatest blessing.’
Young and inexperienced, he’d believed every word.
In the end...
Someone else got the happiness.
He was left raising the child.
Fortunately, he’d eventually walked away before sinking any deeper.
’Young people really should learn from my mistakes.’
Phoebe noticed the complicated look on his face and couldn’t help laughing.
Then a thought suddenly crossed her mind.
She’d never even experienced love herself.
Thinking about it...
She seemed to be the only pitiful person in the car who had never been in a relationship.