A Replacement Bride

Chapter 419

Chapter 418 An Imminent Change

"You wish to put our men into the top brass?" Arlo paused for a moment before asking, "Do you have someone in mind, Master Joaquin?"

Joaquin narrowed his eyes, a smile filling them. Airily, he said, "I might have not helped out at the company much, but that doesn't mean I did nothing. Before Grandpa died, he gave me a list of names. Names of people I can trust. I've stayed in touch with some of them over the years."

Arlo was a little shocked, but he was also surprised. "So, you have a lot of allies here?"

"You can say so." Joaquin nodded. "It's all thanks to my father."

That confused Arlo. "What do you mean?"

"Remember how he doubled down on Grandpa's followers right after he took over? He lost a lot of their trust that day, and those people had secretly been my spies. As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in one day. They never did submit to my father because of his behavior. He's too narrow-minded. In fact, he tried to keep all the company's profit in his hands. Also, the relatives he made top brass are useless. They dragged the company down, and a big part of the company doesn't like that, including my spies. However, my father ignored it. He thinks he can do anything just because he's president."

Arlo was reminded of the time John took over the company right after Alexander died. It was… a dark period. He sighed and shook his head. "Never underestimate the will of the people. Your father never did seem to understand that."

Joaquin snickered. "He's an arrogant man. He thinks no one can take him down."

"So…" Arlo hesitated for a moment before he asked, "Master Joaquin, who do you have in mind? The company might be in a state of disarray, but John still has a lot of people on his side. It's not easy taking him down."

A moment of silence ensued as Joaquin tapped his finger against the table. "The one I have in mind is a veteran. Someone who has a sizable number of shares and the power to call the shots. And he must be someone who has a bunch of followers too. He can't take over right away. You can't just replace a company's president out of the blue. It'd be disastrous. We need to take it slow. Get the man to the position of VP so he can 'help' my father with things."

"Help" was just a euphemism, but Arlo knew Joaquin was trying to take power out of his father's hands. If the VP was on their side, John could no longer make all the decisions himself.

Arlo mused over the criteria. "Wait, it can't be…" Reminded of something, his eyes shone. "Donovan?"

Donovan Gallant was Alexander's most trusted ally alongside Arlo. They used to be his lieutenants. After Alexander died, Donovan took John's side and became his confidant. That was why John didn't attack him back when he was trying to shave off some of the veterans' power. On top of that, he gained a lot of shares over the years, gaining status, power, and his own followers.

Thinking Donovan betrayed Alexander, Arlo got into a fight with him and had a falling out. He remembered Donovan giving him a conflicted look, and he said, "I can understand why you won't forgive me, Arlo, but I won't explain myself. Time will prove my integrity. You'll understand why I'm doing this."

Beset by anger, Arlo scoffed at Donovan, but now he knew Donovan was speaking the truth. "Master Joaquin, he's… he's your ally, isn't he?" Arlo looked at Joaquin with anticipation in his eyes, hoping to get an affirmative answer.

Joaquin didn't let him down. He looked into Arlo's eyes, cocked his eyebrow, and nodded. "Yes, he is."

Arlo teared up, and he buzzed with excitement. "I see… I see!" He seemed to be chiding himself. "So, it was all a misunderstanding, I see…"

Joaquin understood how he felt, and he said, "Don't beat yourself up. I told him to keep everything a secret."

Arlo was confused. "Why did you do that, Master Joaquin? Because of that, we've been isolating him all these years. Everyone thought he was a traitor."

Joaquin smiled. "That's what I was gunning for. John is wily. He wouldn't believe Donovan is on his side unless he's isolated and turned into your enemy."

Oh, so that's how it is. "So, you set up a show just for Donovan to gain John's trust."

"Yes. He must've kept a close eye on Donovan for a long time. Only when he was sure Donovan had a falling out with you guys did he believe Donovan took his side for profit. He wouldn't have trusted Donovan otherwise."

I see. Poor Donovan. He was misunderstood for so many years. But I can understand him. "Sometimes we have to pay a price if we want to make something of ourselves. All the insults he's received helped him gain John's trust. And now it's time to reap the rewards."

"Yep." Joaquin poured a cup of tea for himself and blew on it, then he took a sip. "Now's the time to stand up. John probably wouldn't see this coming. The man whom he thinks is a servant is actually a hunter." He placed the cup down and picked the file up, his eyes glinting with cunning. "It's the monthly shareholder meeting tomorrow. Time to act."

Arlo got excited. "You're coming tomorrow, Master Joaquin?"

Joaquin cocked his eyebrow. "Naturally. It's the meat of the show tomorrow. Time for a reshuffle in the company."