Chapter 377: Pulling Out Faye Sterling’s Fangs (Part 1)

Chapter 377: Chapter 377: Pulling Out Faye Sterling’s Fangs (Part 1)

Felix Gallagher fell silent. He had fought with Franklin Sutton for over a decade, so he knew the old bastard’s personality like the back of his hand. A man as proud and arrogant as him would only act so subservient and respectful in front of someone more powerful than himself! And yet, Joel Xavier was just the manager of an antique shop. Although Apex Collections was doing very well, it was still just an antique shop—and one that had just started out in Aethelgard, at that.

In terms of either power or financial resources, common sense dictated that it couldn’t compare to Sutton Jewelry. Yet, for the chairman of Sutton Jewelry to repeatedly lower himself and proactively seek out Joel Xavier—that defied logic, and it certainly didn’t fit Franklin Sutton’s personality! It had to be something incredibly urgent, very likely a matter of life and death for The Sutton Group! He couldn’t imagine anything else that would make Franklin Sutton go to such lengths.

"Joel Xavier is a real talent. Where did you find such a capable assistant? He’s not only skilled in business but can also read people. He must be the one who told you all this, right?" Felix Gallagher was filled with more admiration than envy. ’If only I had a few people this useful working for me! Other people’s children can’t wait to join the family business and inherit the empires their fathers built, but my own son had to insist on becoming a doctor, showing no interest in the business world whatsoever!’

’It seems Felix Gallagher knows Apex Collections belongs to me,’ Seraphina thought, ’and that Joel Xavier is just working for me.’ It wasn’t surprising, though. After all, when she had gone to negotiate with Joel Xavier, Wyatt Gallagher had been the one to lead the way and had witnessed the entire process. Wyatt surely wouldn’t keep something so important from his own father.

"Joel Xavier is indeed a treasure, and I’m very lucky to have such a capable person helping me manage Apex Collections," Seraphina admitted openly. "He is the one who told me about this. However, he only suspected The Sutton Group might have problems and had no intention of acting against them. If I hadn’t put my foot down, he would have thought nothing of collaborating with them and letting them produce some of the Ancient Charm Porcelain Ornaments!" Of course, she didn’t forget to slip in a warning for Felix Gallagher.

"Absolutely not! You can’t give the Ancient Charm Porcelain Ornaments to that old bastard!" Felix Gallagher exclaimed. "Seraphina, don’t you worry. As long as Timeless Charm works exclusively with Jade Pavilion, if The Sutton Group truly has internal operational problems, that old bastard won’t be able to hold on for much longer!"

Felix Gallagher quickly protested. The profit margins for Timeless Charm were enormous. The patent rights were in Seraphina Sterling’s hands; she could license them to whomever she pleased. Apex Collections was her own shop, so it was perfectly natural for Timeless Charm to be sold there. That meant nearly all the remaining profit went to Jade Pavilion. If Seraphina were to license Timeless Charm to other jewelers, Jade Pavilion’s profits would plummet. It would be a massive loss for them!

’Just as I thought,’ Seraphina mused, ’Felix Gallagher is an old fox who won’t act without a clear incentive.’ If she hadn’t threatened him with the Timeless Charm license, he would never have said what he did. And even with that threat, his promise was extremely limited. Still, Seraphina had no complaints. This was just how business worked. Everyone was in it for profit. You couldn’t drag yourself down just to help someone else—that wasn’t helping, that was being a fool. In the business world, no matter what, you had to ensure your own security first. As the head of a company, you were responsible for your employees. For Felix Gallagher to promise even this much was already quite impressive.

"I think Joel Xavier’s analysis makes a lot of sense," she continued. "After the fake jade scandal, Sutton Jewelry stopped focusing solely on jade. They’ve been slowly expanding into diamonds, gold, and platinum. But when it comes to those markets, The Sutton Group is a latecomer. The market share was already carved up, with the Chapman Family being the undisputed leader in that field! It’s impossible for The Sutton Group to come from behind and overtake them!"