Chapter 376: Indirect Kiss (8)

Chapter 376: Chapter 376: Indirect Kiss (8)

Seraphina decided to set the matter aside for now; business was more important. "Mr. Gallagher, how has Jade Pavilion’s strength recovered?"

Felix Gallagher narrowed his eyes. "If you need something, just say it. If it’s something I can do, I’ll definitely help."

"The jewelers in Aethelgard have been expanding rapidly lately, especially Sutton Jewelry. Their main business is also jade jewelry, but they were hit hard by that massive fake jade scandal. The company was nearly forced out of business; in fact, several of the Suttons’ Aethelgard stores shut down completely. But after the case blew over, those stores gradually reopened. By all accounts, the Suttons should have suffered devastating losses. How have they recovered so quickly, in less than a year? And why does it seem like they’re on the verge of surpassing their previous profits?"

This was something Seraphina hadn’t been able to uncover. ’What kind of backing does Sutton Jewelry have?’

"I don’t know what kind of damn luck that old bastard Franklin Sutton had, but right when he was about to go bankrupt, someone injected a massive amount of capital to bail him out. That’s how Sutton Jewelry survived! I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find out who’s backing the Suttons, but I’ve come up with nothing. However, I can confirm one thing: the funds came from overseas! It wasn’t a domestic investor!"

Felix Gallagher grew angry just thinking about it. They could have eliminated a competitor, but someone came out of the woodwork and saved the Suttons, and now they were once again fighting with Jade Pavilion for business! "What’s the matter? Did that old coot Franklin Sutton mess with you?"

"He hasn’t messed with me, but his son has!" Seraphina then explained how she had been barred from enrolling on her first day of school under the pretext of being late. She had done some digging afterward. Her advisor, Taylor Sutton, was from a branch of the Sutton Family, and the family had pulled some strings to get him his position at Aethelgard University. He must have been acting on Kellan Sutton’s orders, trying to stop her from completing her enrollment. ’For Kellan Sutton to put in so much effort on a scheme like this, only Faye Sterling could have that kind of hold over him!’

’Back at Fiona Chapman’s birthday party, Kellan Sutton went to great lengths to cause trouble for me just to help Faye Sterling. To him, Faye is a goddess. I don’t know what kind of inhuman treatment Faye suffered at Martin Quinn’s hands, but her mind has grown darker and more calculating. The old Faye would never have thought to use someone’s feelings to get at me. Yet here she is, quietly going through her medical treatments at the hospital, step by step. Anyone who doesn’t know her would never suspect this was all her doing!’

’I can’t treat Faye Sterling like an eighteen-year-old girl anymore. She’s become profoundly cunning; at this point, nothing she does would surprise me.’

’Dealing with Justin Hale is already taking up all my time. I really don’t have the energy to fend off Faye Sterling’s underhanded attacks as well. But I can’t just let her keep scheming against me! I have to give her a warning, and teach her a lesson.’

"That old bastard Franklin Sutton only has one son, Kellan. It won’t be easy to go after him. The old coot will never let anything happen to his sole heir!" Felix Gallagher said, his expression grave.

"Then I’ll just have to uproot the entire Sutton family and take away Kellan’s protection," Seraphina said, her soft voice filled with unwavering resolve. ’This is something I have to do. And I have to succeed.’

"Jade Pavilion’s current situation isn’t much better than Sutton Jewelry’s. We already suffered a major blow once, and while the massive fake jade scandal didn’t hit us as hard as the Suttons, it was still a significant setback. We’ve only been in recovery for less than two months. If we go head-to-head with the Suttons right now, I’m not entirely confident we’d win." Felix Gallagher wasn’t making excuses; it was simply the truth.

"Mr. Gallagher, you’re overestimating them," Seraphina said with conviction. "I can guarantee you, Sutton Jewelry’s situation isn’t as good as it looks from the outside. What you’re seeing is just a facade." ’If I didn’t know that the Sutton Group was just a paper tiger, practically on the brink of collapse, I wouldn’t be choosing to make a move against them now.’

"A facade? That can’t be right. The Sutton Group’s stock price fluctuates, but it’s all within a normal range. Their financial reports for the last few quarters have been flawless, showing very impressive profits. You could say they’re a company with a very bright future! I once had the same suspicions you do about their operations, but I hired experts, and even they couldn’t find anything amiss in the financial statements! How do you know they’re just a paper tiger?"

Felix Gallagher was stunned. The Sutton Group was arguably Jade Pavilion’s biggest rival in Aethelgard, and he monitored them more closely than anyone. Yet Seraphina somehow knew something he had completely missed.

"Franklin Sutton has repeatedly tried to schedule meetings with Joel Xavier, wanting to partner with Apex Collections on the Timeless Charm brand. At first, Joel Xavier wouldn’t even see him and flatly refused. But he’s persistent, even trying to tempt him with a massive cut of the profits. If Sutton Jewelry wasn’t in dire straits, would Franklin Sutton be this desperate?" Seraphina glanced at her watch. It was almost time for her to head next door.