Ch 452 - Sabotage

The man squeezed Wesley's arm and forcibly pushed him away from the table.

The guests murmured and looked at each other sadly. "Well, to be honest, we really are ignorant," the investment baker was saying, hurt over Wesley's words.

"I don't want to hear any more about this," Ethan suddenly blurted from the other side of the table. Like Celia, he was thinking darkly about her secretary. How had she let these people get in?

The man looked into Ethan's eyes. They were as wild and angry as a violent sea. The man shrank in his seat and looked down, flushed. He didn't dare to say more.

Alex got up and went to the bathroom. He entered the hall and turned a corner, spotting Wesley and the man who had taken him away. They were standing just outside the bathroom, and Alex noted that Wesley's face was wet. Maybe he's just washed it, Alex wondered.

The man lit a cigar and waved it in Wesley's face. "You almost leaked the secret just now," he hissed.

"It's okay," Wesley slurred. "These people have never heard of the Ambrose family. How could they know what I was talking about? I just can't bear to see them like that, entitled and superior. They need to be knocked down a few pegs!"

"Just keep your mouth shut," the man muttered. "Now, do you have all that information about the Ambroses and how their company has grown so quickly over the past few years? We need evidence of the tax evasion, and any other shady transactions they have conducted."

"Don't worry. It's been five years since I was promoted to CFO by Nathan. I'm his confidant and know everything."

"Are you sure you can handle this?"

Wesley snorted. "I have been working hard for five years and still haven't received the respect I'm due. Lincoln doesn't like me and has tried to get me fired several times. Not to mention Gideon and Justin, whom I have never gotten along with. For the right price, I would happily sell out the Ambrose family."

"Don't worry about the money. I have already contacted Dominic. You make the report, using your real name, and fifteen million dollars will be in your account soon after." The man took a puff of his cigar and continued. "The Ambrose family has been in control for too long, and there are many people who want to take them down, not just the Mitchells. However, they don't have the name or resources to publicly expose the Ambrose family. So, we'll support from behind the scenes. At this time, it's wiser for you to cast light on these dark dealings."

Wesley nodded slowly before a confused look crossed his face. "Mr. Mitchell," he started, "I heard that your older brother and Aiden work for the mayor. Apparently, they are good friends. If that's the case, why do you want to ruin the Ambrose family?"

An attack against the Ambroses didn't make sense to Wesley. As far as he had known, there had never been any hatred between the families, and any interactions between the two had been cordial.

The question was naïve though, and the Mr. Mitchell couldn't help but laugh. The Ambroses and Mitchells were two powerful families in Baltimore. The city only had room for one. How could they be expected to just shake hands and make peace, dividing all the power and money between them?

He took the cigar from his mouth. His face was hard to see in the smoke. "You don't understand," he said. "From our perspective, the existence of the Ambrose Group has hindered our expansion. This isn't personal. It's business. A commercial empire can't have two kings. This city isn't big enough to accommodate the two families. You'll understand later."

Hearing this, Alex finally understood everything. He had come to the dinner in the hope of hearing about his family, and purely by accident he had stumbled on an important figure in the family selling them out to the Mitchells.

Various thoughts went around Alex's head. Was this the latest in a series of attempts to discredit and ruin the Ambrose family? With all the focus on the Ambroses' rapid development over the last few years, no one had noticed that the Mitchell family had been closely catching up with them.

Listening to what this young Mr. Mitchell had just said, it also appeared that they weren't the only ones coming for the Ambrose family. If they didn't have the resources to take on the Ambroses publicly, they must have joined forces with others. Fighting the Mitchells back wouldn't be simple. It would be more like a struggle of life and death.

Wesley has been Nathan's employee and confidant for years, but Grandfather doesn't like him, Alex thought. Maybe he found some bad things about him, so he wanted to replace him. And his instinct was right. As soon as the Mitchell family offered to pay Wesley, he immediately betrayed my family. 

Alex also couldn't help but scoff at how generous the Mitchell family was. They were going to give Wesley fifteen million dollars, while his annual salary was less than one million dollars a year. Of course he was open to the opportunity to make a fortune, especially if the money was coming from Dominic Mitchell, the richest man in Baltimore.

He listened to the rest of their conversation, contemplating what to do. He decided that he wouldn't immediately tell anyone about Wesley's betrayal. It wasn't a priority when there were other dangers out there, circling the Ambroses. He was no longer a young boy living in the shadow of his family. He was the leader of a generation of powerful allies. The Mitchell family was sure to win this time, but they weren't aware of Alex's existence.

It would only be a small victory in the end. Even if Wesley was eventually found out and dealt with by the family, the real threat was still the Mitchells. As soon as DominiCorp and Dominic Mitchell were eliminated, all the Ambroses' problems would disappear.

Yes, eliminated. As bleak as it sounded, Alex would need to eliminate them, because the Mitchells weren't an ordinary family. If he wanted to get rid of them once and for all, they would need to be destroyed completely.

"I want to see how you plan to dismantle my family first, then I can determine how I'll crush you. Just make sure you are not too vicious, or you'll encounter unexpected disasters," Alex mumbled solemnly.

He returned to the banquet and calmly picked up a glass of red wine, as still and quiet as a mountain. Wesley returned to the table too, but Alex refused to look at him, and sat quietly while Wesley continued to make a fool of himself.

Wesley's outburst was soon forgotten, and everyone was relaxed and happy once more. The banquet lasted until midnight. Celia and Ethan offered to take Alex back home, but he declined, wishing to be alone. He walked in the cool, late night, enjoying the silence and solitude as he thought about what to do next.

The streetlights flickered on and off, but the quiet was being disturbed by the subtle sound of footsteps coming from behind. Alex listened closely, then looked back to see that Celia and Ethan were quietly following him. They were not too far behind either. Alex had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed them until they had almost caught up to him.

He was puzzled and waved them away, but they continued to follow him.

"Hello! Mr. Alex!" Celia called. Her face was slightly red as she sped up a little to walk by his side. "I know that it's late and I shouldn't have disturbed you, but I just wanted to offer you once again the position as a training instructor in the military academy. We would greatly appreciate your instruction and talent."

"I already told you, I'm not interested," Alex said bluntly. The only reason he had helped them the first time was to protect Heidi. Now she was safe, so he had done his job. This time, he would not agree. 

But Celia and Ethan still stubbornly followed behind.

Alex reluctantly smiled. The farther they went along the road, the more silent it was, the only sounds being their footsteps.

"There's something wrong here," Celia commented quietly.

"Yeah, it's so quiet," Ethan replied. "I have never walked on this road before. I can't believe there are still so many people out here this late at night."

"That's because they're here for us," Alex's voice floated faintly back to them.

Celia and Ethan were puzzled. Ethan asked, "What do you mean, they're here for us?"