Chapter 266

John didn't expect all his efforts for the evening to go up in smoke. He should've seen it coming that Mike, that snake, had been getting closer to him. He thought the guy was looking out for him, but he never expected him to be robbing him blind!

John tore the two pieces of paper into shreds. The white confetti mocked his naivete, drifting slowly to the floor.

Mike was wrapping a bandage around his arm in the hospital when he suddenly sneezed.

"Someone must be talking smack about me," Mike rubbed his nose and muttered.

One of Mike's guys laughed, "Maybe some girl is thinking about you?"

Mike shook his head, a smug and mysterious smile spreading across his face, "Nah, I'm pretty sure someone's cursing me."

"Looks like you're on the mend," a voice came from behind Mike.

Mike turned to see Michael standing there.

"Mr. Williams! What brings you here? Are you hurt?" Mike started to get up to greet him, but Michael gently held him down.

"Relax, no need for formalities. Ms. Taylor's dad got hit by a stray bullet and he's in the hospital fighting for his life. Ms. Taylor is with him, and I came over under the pretense of using the bathroom to check on you guys," Michael explained, closing the door behind him and taking a seat nearby.

Mike pulled out the contract signed by John and Jasper from his pocket.

"Mr. Williams, check this out. This is the contract signed by John and Jasper. Jasper really did sell all his shares to John," Mike said, handing over the documents.

Michael glanced at the contracts and grinned. "Nice work, Mike."

Raising an eyebrow, Mike said with a curious look, "Mr. Williams, your nephew offered me a pretty hefty sum to work for him, but I stayed loyal to you!"

"Is that so? Well, I owe you one then. What do you want?" Michael asked with a smile.

"Mr. Williams, you know me, I don't have many hobbies, just a love for money. Of course, it's an honor to work for you, but I'm not going to say no to extra cash," Mike said with a smug grin.

Michael chuckled and transferred money to Mike via his phone.

The notification of the transfer made Mike's eyes light up. "Wow, Mr. Williams, I didn't expect you to be so generous, way more generous than John!"

Michael waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, enough. I have a job for you."

"What job? I'll get it done for sure," Mike responded earnestly, straightening up.

Michael placed the two contracts back in front of Mike. "I want you to sell these contracts back to John."

Mike's face tightened, and he stood still for a moment before asking with a puzzled look, "Mr. Williams, what did you just say? You want me to sell these two contracts back? Then why did I go through all that trouble to steal them in the first place?"

Michael rolled his eyes and said, "It's all part of my next plan! And I'm not asking you to give them back for free. I want you to sell them back. John needs to pay a price to get these contracts."

Michael motioned for Mike to come closer and whispered his plan in his ear.

Mike's eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh, I get it now, Mr. Williams. You're so sneaky!" he said, looking at Michael with admiration.

Michael rolled his eyes again and gave Mike a playful kick. "Now that you get it, go make it happen. And make sure John doesn't catch on! Pull this off, and there's a bonus in it for you," Michael said with a grin as he got up and headed for the door.

Michael wanted to return the two contracts to John to squeeze more benefits out of him.

Even though Michael had the video of the share transfer from Jasper, there was no lawyer present at the time. According to local laws, whether that video could be used as legal evidence would depend on the lawyer's skill. John could also use this against Isabella.

Likewise, Isabella could use the video to accuse John of forging the documents he had. After all, Jasper, lying in the hospital, couldn't say anything.

Both sides had evidence to back their claims of share ownership, but neither could definitively prove they were the rightful owner.

So, the deadlock continued.

John, however, was still in the dark about all this. Michael told Mike to sell the two contracts to John personally, making it seem like Mike was being greedy and getting a few companies out of the deal.

Michael handpicked companies from John's overseas stuff-companies that would fit perfectly with the Isabella family's three. The best part? John could afford to lose them, making it a small price to pay to win Bianca over.

"A smart hunter doesn't take down its prey all at once. Instead, it inflicts small, seemingly insignificant wounds. But enough of those little wounds can bring down even an elephant! Enjoy the gift I've given you, dear nephew," Michael said with a sinister grin.