Chapter 228 Are You


    Interested


    The yacht spanned 126 meters. Its three-tiered decks rose cleanly above the


    waves.


    The top deck was expansive. Ethan and the others settled into plush sofas arranged in a wide cirde. Each leaned back with ease, and their arms were draped along the cushions, a disy of dominance.


    Across from them, Jade sat alone.


    Except for Denis, the men looked cold. Jayceon and Ernst upied adjacent seats, their legs crossed with practiced ease. When Ernst pulled out his cigarette case, he offered cigarettes to Jayceon and Ethan, ignoring


    Denis.


    As the smoke drifted upward, the three men''s eyes settled on Jade.


    This trio had bonded since childhood. Denis was not part of their circle. He didn''t like them, either. Even if Ernst had offered him a cigarette, he wouldn''t have epted it.


    "Do you really have to do that?” Denis snapped, nostrils ring. “Smoking in ady''s presence is very rude." Ethan''s icy re sliced through Denis like a de. No words were needed. The warning in his eyes was enough


    to shut him up.


    Among the four, Denis was the shortest in height, least powerful, and poorest in looks. He seethed with frustration, but there was nothing he could do about it.


    Still, this meeting gave him a sliver of hope. If he could win Jade''s favor, his family''s status might be elevated His family would be the second powerful one in the four great families. When that happened, Ernst and Jayceon wouldn''t dare look down on him.


    "Miss Hewitt," he said with a smile, "what kind of business are you proposing? The Wagner family is more than willing to back any venture you bring to the table."


    Jayceon didn''t bother hiding his disgust. "You''re pathetic."


    "What did you just say?" Denis said, his face red with rage.


    Jayceon scoffed, "You heard me the first time."


    Ernst let out a cold chuckle and added fuel to the fire. "Why stop there? If you want to curry favor with Hewitt that bad, you might as well propose to her right now."


    Denis shot to his feet, fists clenched. Then, he took a step forward, ready to hit Ernst.


    "Enough." Jade quickly stopped them. "Gentlemen, let''s move on to real business."


    At her cue, some people wheeled in a small table. There were crystalline substances, multicolored pills, and


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    18.15


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    white powder on the table.


    The men knew exactly what they were looking at.


    Jade watched them carefully. Ethan''s frown deepened, his displeasure obvious. Ernst lifted an eyebrow and


    looked at her with hostility. Jayceon chuckled coldly, his soundced with disdain. Only Denis nodded faintly, his eyes even showing a hint of excitement.


    Once the staff had left, a man in a white suit entered the room and greeted Jade respectfully.


    It was Viper.


    None of the four men looked surprised. Viper, one of Shirie''s top gang leaders, was well-known for his ties to international syndicates. His presence here wasn''t unexpected.


    Ethan had long figured out who had been pulling Viper''s strings.


    Viper took a seat beside Jade, and his gaze swept across the room like he owned the ce. He viewed the four men not as equals but as subordinates. There was no politeness in his voice.


    “There''s a business deal on the table. It''ll pull in at least thirty billion a year. Are you interested?"


    He scanned the men''s faces with a condescending gaze, noticing that Ethan focused solely on his cigar, ignoring his words. Jayceon leaned back in his seat, clearly unimpressed. Ernst kept his lips sealed, offering no reaction. Only Denis spoke up. "Drug business is risky. Viper, why aren''t you running it yourself? From what I hear, your resources are solid, and your profits are already high. Why pass such a good opportunity to us?"


    Jayceon exhaled a slow smoke ring and arrogantly said, "So this is the big business you''re pitching? Count me out. I am not interested."


    Jade''s smile faded, and she bluntly said, "You''re in a power struggle with your brother, aren''t you? From what I''ve gathered, Jayceon, your odds don''t look good. If you cooperate with me, the Hewitt family can help you secure the CEO seat at the Russell Corporation."


    Jayceon''s eyes narrowed. "My family''s affairs are none of your business." Meanwhile, Denis was secretly pleased by Jayceon''s attitude. If the Russell family stayed out of this, that was one lesspetitor for him. He said, “Miss Hewitt, could you answer the questions I just asked?"


    Jade held back a frown. The Wagners, with their lowest status among the four great families, were far from her ideal business partners. What she really wanted was for Ethan to cooperate with her. After all, the Mitchells had military connections.


    Ethan tapped the ash from his cigarette and said calmly, "Denis, Viper''s operation hasn''t exactly been thriving. Many of his men were captured. It looks like hiswork has already copsed. That is probably why he is asking us to do this. He takes us for fools."


    "That''s not the right way to put it. This business deal is lucrative. We can get things from this," Denis said Jade asked Ethan, “Ethan, are you interested? Just imagine what ourbined resources could achieve."


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