Chapter 51 - Chapter 51. Misunderstanding

"Mr. Williams, thanks to your skill, you've given me and my men a new lease on life. From now on, you can count on our loyalty," Marshall said sincerely."There's no need for that. As long as you stay out of my way, we'll be fine," Kevin replied quietly.He really didn't want to have anything to do with the Alliance, now that he knew about its violent and sinister reputation."Before we go, I have some advice for you," Marshall slowly explained, "You have an unusual skill that's highly valued by some very rich and powerful individuals. The ability to make these herbal supplements could draw attention from the wrong people."He continued in a very serious tone, "In order to get their hands on your methods, they would be willing to use any means necessary. You have to think of your family. Make sure that you're well protected. Otherwise, you may end up in the hands of some vile people."Marshall suddenly stopped and said to Kevin ominously, "Mr. Williams, please think about it carefully! I'm a lightweight compared to these bastards."Kevin frowned when he heard this. If Marshall was trying to scare him, he was doing a good job.Kevin had gotten a taste of what was going on behind the scenes in business, politics, and the criminal underworld. He had to do something to keep Lily and their families safe."Thank you for your advice," Kevin said appreciatively."I'm glad you're going to listen to me," Marshall said candidly. "Now I'll take my men to get more of the black fruit for you."After he said this, Marshall headed out the door.Kevin returned to the dining room and saw that Lily, Rachel, and Phoebe were still tied up. "Are you okay?" he asked them anxiously."Kevin, what's going on? Who were those men?" Lily asked curiously."Nothing to worry about. They were looking for the wrong person but I straightened it all out," Kevin said calmly.Before Kevin had a chance to untie the three women, they all heard the sound of the front door opening. It was Truman Anderson, Phoebe's father. He stood in the doorway with a shocked expression on his face. "Kevin, what are you doing here?" Then, as he looked over and saw his daughter and the other two women tied up with belts, Truman became infuriated. "What the hell is going on here?" Truman shouted at the top of his lungs."Truman, this isn't what it looks like," Kevin tried to explain."It's not what it looks like?" Truman thundered. "What the hell do you think it looks like?!"Kevin tried to answer, but he had no idea what to say."How can you do something like this to my daughter?!" Truman yelled as he threw his briefcase at Kevin.Lily wanted to explain that this wasn't Kevin's fault, but Truman wouldn't listen to anyone, he was so furious.Phoebe tried to stand up so she could explain what had happened, but because she had been tied up for so long, her legs had gotten numb. As she tried to get up, she winced and cried out in pain.This only made Truman even angrier.He raised his trembling hand and pointed at Kevin, growling, "I can't believe I trusted you to work in my company."Please, this is all a misunderstanding!" Kevin explained as he helped Truman to sit down on the sofa.Then he immediately went over to the three women and undid the belts that were still tied around their wrists and ankles. Kevin felt that it was hopeless to try to explain, so he just took Lily and Rachel and left the house.Truman was still trying to catch his breath. He turned to his daughter and asked her, "Phoebe, tell me honestly, did Kevin do this?"Dad, what are you talking about? You've really misunderstood what happened!" Phoebe reassured him.After taking a moment to catch his breath and compose himself, Truman finally said, "Phoebe, I only know what I saw."Dad, can you please listen to my explanation?" Phoebe said slowly, "A bunch of hoodlums broke through the front door while we were making lunch. They tied us up and tried to beat up Kevin. He was about to explain the rest to us when you came in. But believe me, it wasn't Kevin's fault!"Truman still wasn't convinced, but he trusted his daughter. "Well, if you say so, but that's not what I saw," his voice trailed off as he tried to accept her explanation."Dad, you still don't believe me?" Phoebe said in an exasperated tone.She stomped her foot on the floor in frustration. Her father had Kevin all wrong. He was a huge help with her appraisals and he even got someone like Drake to back down and leave the store peacefully. Actually, even though she trusted Kevin, there was still something mysterious about him.Truman let out another long sigh. He wasn't sure what to think.*While this was going on, Kevin was driving Lily and Rachel back into the city. He simply didn't understand Truman's reaction when he walked in the house. "I didn't know Truman had such a quick temper," Kevin said to Lily."What are you talking about?" Lily snapped at him. "The whole thing was your fault.""How could it be my fault? I didn't tie you up," Kevin said helplessly.Rachel, who had been very quiet until now, suddenly said, "It's getting late. Just drop me off at the corner up ahead. I'll call for a ride home."Before Kevin could reply, Lily said, "Don't worry, Rachel. It's no trouble at all. Kevin can take you home while I stop by the market to buy some vegetables."Lily then turned to Kevin and asked him," What do you want for dinner? I'm cooking!"Kevin was very shocked to hear her say that. They'd been married for almost three years and he couldn't remember when Lily had ever offered to cook. This put Kevin in a good mood and he quickly headed for the market.When they got there, Kevin said to Lily, "Wait for me here after you're done. I'll pick you up right after I drop Rachel off. It shouldn't be too long." Lily nodded in agreement. Then she said a few words to Rachel and slowly got out of the car and walked into the market.That left Kevin and Rachel alone in the big Porsche sedan.When Lily was there, Rachel always felt a little more at ease. But when she was alone with Kevin, she immediately clammed up, unsure how to act."Don't be too nervous, I'm not that scary," Kevin said with a smile as he pulled out of the parking lot."I'm not nervous!" Rachel replied quickly. But she really was anxious.Ever since she found out about Kevin's true identity, every time she thought about how she'd always treated him she felt a little ashamed and regretted her actions.Kevin glanced at her in the rearview mirror. He had an idea what she was thinking, "Don't worry about the past. You and Lily are good friends and you were just protecting her because you thought she was suffering with me."No I didn't!" Rachel replied so quietly he could barely hear her."I know you're good for Lily, so I want to give you some great news," Kevin said with a grin. Then he continued, "I'm getting ready to open the biggest hotel in Chicago and I've decided to ask you to be the vice president."Really?" Rachel replied excitedly. "Of course it's true. But I need to know soon, so please don't take too long to decide," Kevin said very casually.He'd already made an agreement with Mitchell Cook. The two of them were going to join forces and go into the food and beverage industry in Chicago."Just don't disappoint me. And if you accept my offer, I'll give you three times the industry standard," Kevin added.Rachel was dumbfounded and stammered, "Am I dreaming? You really want me to be the vice president?"There's only one condition. I want you to help me keep an eye on Lily. If any man tries to get close to her, you must let me know immediately," Kevin said very seriously."I won't let you down," Rachel replied excitedly.*At that very moment, at the Jones mansion, Grandma Jones was sitting with the top members of the family. She looked despondent."I called everyone here today to discuss something that's very important for our future," Grandma Jones said weakly, "Lily now has a controlling share in our company. Does anyone have an idea what we can do about this?"Grandma Jones had been miserable ever since Tyler gave Lily sixty percent of the company shares. Lily had instantly replaced her as the most important member of the family. But what could Grandma do about it?Jason was the first to offer an opinion, "Grandma, I feel that Lily simply doesn't have the expertise to control so many shares."The rest of them agreed with Jason. Some of them even wondered if Oliver and Lily had somehow colluded with Tyler Dawn to grab a controlling interest in the family corporation. But they also thought it was better to have the shares in the hands of a member of the family, and not under the control of an outsider. Even so, hardly anyone spoke up in Lily's defense."That's water under the bridge," Grandma Jones said gloomily, "What we need to figure out is how to make Lily hand over the shares."When she said this, the entire room fell silent.Suddenly, Jason's eyes lit up. He slowly stood up and said, "Grandma, I have an idea, but I'm afraid you won't agree."What idea do you have? Tell me!" Grandma Jones's face brightened. Maybe she had been right to put her trust in Jason. He always seemed to come up with a solution."Grandma, you can talk to Lily nicely and ask her to give you some of her shares," Jason said with an evil smile."Even if she gave me ten percent, she would still have half the shares!" Grandma Jones said hopelessly.Jason said, "Don't worry. When Lily signs the transfer paperwork, we can slip another document underneath the contract."Before Jason finished speaking, they all knew what he meant. It was devious, but it might work."I guess there's no other way," Grandma Jones sighed.Then Jason added, "Grandma, don't forget that Tyler Dawn gave Lily an import-export company."This was actually what Jason hated the most. He really didn't know why Tyler had been so generous to Lily.Grandma Jones perked up when he said this. If she could get back the company shares, she could start another company, and finally put the Jones family back on top.*Five days later, in the CEO's office of Williams Media, Kevin looked intently at the documents on his desk."Mr. Williams, as soon as the market opens this morning, our company's shares are expected to drop by twenty percent," Ms. Wilson reported with a serious expression."What's behind this?" Kevin asked as he looked at the documents and then at his computer screen."About three days ago, someone started to manipulate the shares of the largest companies in Chicago," Ms. Wilson explained.Kevin sat back slowly in his chair and muttered, "I can't believe they were able to set this up in just a few days. It must have taken a lot of work."Mr. Williams, do you know what happened?" Ms. Wilson asked in surprise.Ever since Kevin took over Williams Media, he hadn't been very active in his role as CEO. He had been busy with a lot of other things, from antique appraisals to herbal supplements. Ms. Wilson helped to keep things going smoothly, as she always did. But she never dared to complain.Nobody had figured out yet who was behind the manipulation of the markets.But Ms. Wilson never thought that Kevin, who was hardly ever in his office, would know anything about the matter."Please go down to the first floor and wait. We'll have a few important visitors stopping by," Kevin said very calmly."Yes, sir!" Since Kevin didn't give any more details than that, Ms. Wilson naturally didn't dare to ask who they were.After she left, Kevin slapped his desk and took out his phone to make a call."Hello, Kevin, what's the matter?" Thomas answered coldly."Uncle Thomas, you know very well what's the matter. There's no point in hiding it," Kevin said coldly.His uncle was silent for a few seconds before he continued, "That's right, Kevin. The Williams family did this!"Why?" Kevin asked him. He really wanted to know the answer."You know perfectly well why we did this, Kevin," Thomas replied coldly, "Your performance lately has made everyone unhappy. Your grandfather thinks that you're getting carried away. You need something to bring you down to earth and keep you from following the wrong path. This is for your own good."How can you even say that? Aren't you afraid that I'll take back the three billion that I lent the family?" Kevin asked him impatiently."Kevin, if you want your money back, I can transfer it to you right now. However, if you want to use it to save Williams Media, it won't work," Thomas said gravely, "This is your grandfather's decision. I advise you to come back and apologize to your family. We can still work this out."It looked like Kevin didn't have any options left.