Such a necklace as the "Dawn Light" was enough to make countless women fantasize all day long while staring at pictures.
Tess Radcliffe's eyes flashed with a gleam; she had finally caught an opportunity to humiliate her sister.
Quella Radcliffe was not only beautiful when they were children but also had better academic achievements and social skills than any of them.
The praise she received was tremendous, making the other Radcliffe girls very envious.
Now that she had fallen on hard times, everyone was kickin her while she was down.
"Really now! Quella, where did you get that?"
Many people began taking out their phones to compare pictures of the Dawn Light.
"Oh my! Quella, when did you become so rich?"
Tess Radcliffe sneered and moved in for a closer look.
Without a second thought, it had to be a counterfeit!
The Dawn Light was so expensive that even Tess Radcliffe had looked at fakes.
If there hadn't been only one in Gonzalez City, she would have already bought a fake to show off.
The call attracted everyone's attention to the necklace around Quella Radcliffe's neck.
"Sis, let us have a look."
Soon, a crowd had formed around Quella Radcliffe.
Quella Radcliffe wanted to die of embarrassment; how could she face work after losing face in front of so many people.
"Julius Reed, you've really done me in! Out of all the things you could buy, why did it have to be a fake!"
Quella Radcliffe's face turned red as she stole a glance and saw Julius Reed looking at her with a carefree smile.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
"It's a gift from my Julius, it must resemble the real thing quite a bit!"
Quella Radcliffe forced an awkward smile.
"How could it be! That's clearly the Dawn Light! Surely our Quella wouldn't stoop to vanity and buy a counterfeit, right?"
Tess Radcliffe took the opportunity to add insult to injury.
"I heard that the Dawn Light has a hidden QR code on the crystal that lets you verify its authenticity with just a scan."
Calvin Leopold kindly reminded from the side.
Together, the couple thoroughly pushed Quella Radcliffe into the fire pit.
"Right! I know about this too! Let's scan it and see. If it's a fake, it's not a big deal, who would blame you for ending up with a good-for-nothing husband!"
The Radcliffe girls each took out their phones, scanning the large crystal on the necklace.
"Just wait and see her get embarrassed."
Tess Radcliffe pursed her lips in amusement, but shouted out, "Even if it's a fake, it's no big deal. Who doesn't want the Dawn Light? If you can't afford the real thing, getting a fake to satisfy your craving is fine too!"
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.
Quella Radcliffe closed her eyes, prepared to be ridiculed by everyone, while she internally cursed Julius Reed to no end.
She decided that she would make Julius Reed sleep on the sofa that night.
"Holy crap! Sis, did you win the lottery?"
"My God, the mysterious buyer wasn't really Julius Reed, was it? Where did he get all that money!"
"Sister, let me borrow it to take a photo, I want to post it on my social network."
A few young ladies quickly came over, crowding around Quella Radcliffe.
"What? It's real? How is that possible!"
Tess Radcliffe hurriedly came down and took a scan.
The result left her dumbfounded.
Not just her, even Quella Radcliffe herself couldn't believe it.
She took out her phone to scan it, too shocked to speak.
The unique interface on the screen identified the necklace as a limited edition of the Dawn Light.
Numbered 07.
"Where did you get so much money!" Tess Radcliffe asked angrily.
"Yeah, over ten million! Sis, what have you been doing?"
The questioning came rapidly.
Quella Radcliffe looked at Julius Reed, wondering if he could have done something illegal?
If he had, she felt like she would die of frustration.
"Julius Reed, you better not have done anything foolish!" she thought to herself.
Putting on such an expensive gift, Quella Radcliffe's heart swelled with emotion.
Especially seeing the envy in the eyes of others, it was the first time she felt happiness as a woman.
"Bought a lottery ticket, won over ten million, just enough to buy Quella a necklace," Julius Reed said with a nonchalant smile.
"Oh! I get it now!"
Tess Radcliffe had an epiphany.
"Julius Reed, you really do seem comfortable wearing those green hats!"
With that said, the crowd once again began to murmur amongst themselves.
Everyone speculated that the mysterious buyer must have had an affair with Quella Radcliffe, who, after all, was the belle of Gonzalez City three years ago.
Countless men had pursued her.
Even after marrying Julius Reed, many had not given up hope.
"Such a tough break for brother Julius!"
Calvin Leopold gave Julius Reed a meaningful look, a sneer flickered across his face.
It was not easy being cheated on and having to cover for the cheater.
He even felt a bit of sympathy.
But that's just how cruel the world can be, the incapable can only endure.
"Stop talking, the representative from Titan Group has arrived!"
Following a shout, the crowd instantly fell silent.
Quella Radcliffe, her face ashen with anger from these words, noticed Julius Reed seemed utterly unfazed by the gossip and rumors.
He remained calm as if he completely disregarded the slander.
"Welcome Mr. Cook to the Radcliffe Group!"
After the call.
A middle-aged man stepped out from a black Rolls-Royce.
Seeing the representative from Titan Group, the Radcliffe family displayed obsequious smiles.
But the man who stepped out of the car didn't pay them any attention at all.
A second-tier family was nothing in the eyes of Titan Group.
Even the Radcliffe Family couldn't understand why Titan Group would seek a partnership with them.
It seemed like free money! With so many major companies in Gonzalez City, why choose them?
There must be something off!
The family had discussed it all night and still couldn't figure out the reason.
But with money to be made, who cared!
Titan Group was a major financial backer!
Under the guidance of Zade Radcliffe, the group proceeded to the Radcliffe Group's conference room.
The meeting room suddenly became eerily silent.
Julius Reed could be considered the least significant member of the Radcliffe Family, yet Sky Reed actually asked him for his opinion?
Was this some kind of joke?
"Mr. Reed, this man is our Radcliffe Family's son-in-law. For the past three years, apart from cooking and washing clothes, he has done nothing else."
Thinking that Sky Reed was uninformed, Otis Radcliffe explained with a smile.
"If you were thinking of starting a restaurant or a laundry service, maybe you could ask him. But when it comes to business management, he is even less qualified than our group's cleaning lady."
Laughter erupted in the meeting room, with everyone showing scorn in their eyes.
Quella Radcliffe turned a steely shade of pale, standing up and saying, "Regardless, Julius Reed is still a member of the Radcliffe Family! Otis, he is, after all, your brother-in-law. Is it necessary to shame him repeatedly like this?"
Since last night, her feelings about Julius Reed had changed somewhat.
Although it wasn't to the extent of liking him, she no longer despised him.
"Quella, did I not state the facts? Moreover, I'm the general manager, please mind your tone!"
Otis Radcliffe, having been previously embarrassed, finally found an opportunity for retort.
He looked at Sky Reed and earnestly said, "Mr. Reed, please rest assured, I will devote my utmost effort to ensure this cooperation is successfully completed!"
In everyone's eyes, it was a foregone conclusion that Otis Radcliffe would become the project manager.
Even Otis Radcliffe believed this to be true.
So, when he spoke, he already considered himself as the project manager.
"I can only cook and do laundry?"
Just at that moment, Julius Reed turned his body to face Otis Radcliffe.
"Perhaps, you also know how to live off a woman?"
Otis Radcliffe's remark once again drew laughter.
"Fine, today I will explain to you why you are not fit to be the project manager."
Julius Reed took an envelope out of his pocket and slowly opened it in front of everyone.
"Half a month ago, you embezzled nine hundred thousand in the name of overtime pay. The workers didn't get a dime, and out of that nine hundred thousand, seven hundred thousand went into your pocket."
"Two months ago, you claimed to be on a business trip and took five hundred thousand from the company, only to go on a vacation to Lancas City with your mistress."
"Three months ago, you took a kickback of one million three hundred thousand in a raw material procurement deal!"
With each statement, he laid a document on the table.
"You're talking nonsense!"
Otis Radcliffe's face drastically changed.
He had been very discreet with these activities; how could anyone know?
And it looked as though the other side had come prepared.
"Don't be hasty, there's more!"
Julius Reed took out a stack of papers and gently shook them.
"Shut up! Julius Reed, I never imagined you, an ungrateful wretch, would slander the Radcliffe Family! We've supported you for three years!"
Zade Radcliffe quickly scolded him, then explained to Sky Reed, "This man is malicious at heart, he must have taken someone else's money to ruin our cooperation!"
Zade Radcliffe was somewhat aware of Otis Radcliffe's corruption.
But as his favorite grandson, he had turned a blind eye.
Now, with Julius Reed airing these matters in such an important meeting, it was tantamount to pushing the entire Radcliffe Group into the fire!
But the other members of the Radcliffe Family were not so calm.
They, too, were greedy for money but usually only dared to pocket small amounts.
Otis Radcliffe, blatantly embezzling millions, was something the others didn't dare to do.
"Damn it! I embezzle a few tens of thousands and still have to be so careful, but this Otis kid doesn't even blink an eye over millions!"
"Exactly, that time I urgently needed to buy a car, I took one hundred thousand from the company and nearly got killed by grandfather for it!"
"Otis is a Radcliffe, are we not? Why does the one with the highest salary become the greediest?"
A single stone stirred a thousand ripples.
An angry sentiment started to swell within the Radcliffe Clan.
"Silence!"
Zade Radcliffe shouted, glaring at the other family members: "Do you also believe the words of Julius Reed, an outsider?"
Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control, the old patriarch had to stand up and speak.
"Julius Reed, you heartless and ungrateful cur, what benefits have you received from others to slander the Radcliffe Family like this?"
Otis Radcliffe pointed at Quella Radcliffe, furiously saying, "You two absolutely can't stay in the company, I propose we fire Quella Radcliffe!"
He was keen to use this opportunity to eliminate dissent.
"On what grounds are you firing me!"
Quella Radcliffe stood up, asking coldly, "Over these years, I have devoted myself to the company's service. Have I ever wronged the company in any way?"
The atmosphere instantly tensed, and the whole meeting room was filled with a volatile air.
"Silence!"
Sky Reed tapped the table with his pen, impatiently saying, "I don't have time to listen to your family's petty squabbles! Right now, deciding the project manager is crucial! Otherwise, I'll consider another company."
"Six months ago, Otis Radcliffe borrowed the pretext of giving gifts to misappropriate three million from the company. In fact, greasing palms cost him less than one million, the remaining two million plus went straight into his pocket."
Julius Reed slapped a piece of paper down on the table and continued, "Eight months ago..."
"Shut up! If you spout any more nonsense, don't blame me for kicking you out!"
A chill ran down Otis Radcliffe's spine.
Every single penny he had embezzled was pointed out in explicit detail.
How had these matters, which were supposed to be very meticulous, been exposed?
And by Julius Reed, no less—a good-for-nothing who loafed around at home all day!
"Ah! Let him continue talking. Choosing a project leader—character is key! I certainly don't want Titan Group's money to end up in someone's personal pockets!"
Sky Reed raised his hand, signaling Otis not to speak anymore.
"You continue."
He looked at Julius with a gentle nod of affirmation.
This scared Otis badly, and he hurriedly looked to Zade Radcliffe, seeking help from his grandfather.
"Let's do this! Words alone carry no proof; you could accuse me of framing someone. I hope to invite a third-party institution to audit the accounts and see who is really lying."
Julius folded the envelope again, looking at Zade Radcliffe: "Old man, you wouldn't refuse, would you?"
Once the accounts were audited, many bad debts of the Radcliffe Group would be exposed.
Almost everyone within the family had embezzled at some point.
If an investigation were truly conducted, the company would certainly collapse!
Even if it was money from their own family, they would still end up eating prison food.
Therefore, the entire Radcliffe Clan was panicking.
"Julius, what's your suggestion?"
Zade Radcliffe's mouth trembled, but he could only suppress the fury in his heart.
A little impatience spoils great plans!
"What I mean is that Quella Radcliffe should be the project leader."
Julius smiled faintly, betraying no emotion.
He didn't want Sky to directly appoint someone, so he had already sent someone to investigate Otis's embezzlement within the Radcliffe Group last night.
"Me?"
Quella was somewhat taken aback.
They had always been bullied in the Radcliffe Family. How could she possibly become the project leader?
"Yes, you!"
Julius nodded, looking at Sky: "This is my wife, talented and outstanding, with first-rate management abilities. Within the entire group, she is the only one who has never taken a penny for herself."
"If so, indeed her character is commendable! Promoting the virtuous without avoiding relatives is fine, speak freely."
Sky continuously took notes with his fountain pen.
"Wife, stand up and state your position! Haven't you always wanted to manage the company and showcase your talents?"
Julius looked at Quella: "Gold should not be buried!"
"All right!"
Quella stood up and began to share her views on the cooperation between the two sides.
At first, everyone was dismissive.
But by the end, they had to admire Quella Radcliffe's talent.
The news of Titan Group's partnership with the Radcliffe Group was only known to everyone since last night.
Yet Quella had already set up significant plans for the cooperation between the two parties.
"Very well said!"
The more Sky listened, the more satisfied he became.
Of course, when he came, Boss Cook had already instructed that all these matters would follow Julius's preference.
"Does anyone else have any objections?"
Julius shook the envelope in his hand: "If no one has any objections, I'll just toss this stuff. It's probably written by someone else trying to frame Manager Otis."
"Definitely!"
Zade Radcliffe nodded, looking at Sky: "Quella is indeed the most suitable candidate, it was just my oversight that almost buried a talent."
"What about the rest of you?"
Sky looked at the members of the Radcliffe Clan.
Now that Julius was threatening with an audit, who would dare to disagree?
"We all support Quella as the project leader."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"In that case, I'll go back and report to Boss Cook."
Sky stood up and said with a slight smile, "Farewell!"
"We appreciate the effort, Mr. Reed!"
Zade Radcliffe hurriedly stood up to personally escort him out of the meeting room.
Inside the meeting room, only Otis Radcliffe, ashen-faced, and the calm Julius remained.
"Feels good, doesn't it?"
Julius gave him a glance, stretched lazily, and strode away.
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