Dean’s eyes were full of melancholy. He wanted to tell Jasper everything, but he did not know where to start. At this moment, a pair of broad hands fell on Dean’s shoulders.
“It’s alright, just say whatever you need to. I didn’t forget what your step-grandpa told me. I promised to help you inherit the position of the head of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce, so I will definitely do so.” Jasper patted Dean‘s shoulder to reassure him.
“Okay, Mr. Laine, I’m relieved now that I have your word.”
Dean shifted his gaze and thought for a while before slowly opening his mouth.
“Mr. Laine, as you know, there are many people who are in the tea leaves and lumber business within the Haddock Chamber of Commerce. Those people are old, well-capitalized, and hold a certain rank in the Haddock Chamber of Commerce.”
“Yesterday, those old guys approached me and said they wanted me to step down. They even said that we should take turns being the head of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce.”
“They will come to my house this afternoon. I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold them back myself, so I wanted to ask you to help.”
Dean sighed from time to time, his words laced with some anxiety.
“I see. It’s just as I expected.” Jasper also frowned.
“Mr. Laine, are you saying that you knew this day would come?”
“Yeah.” Jasper nodded.
“When your godfather Gale really took charge of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce, he was ruthless and resolute, and only through this was he able to hold down the entire Haddock Chamber of Commerce. Didn’t you also say that Old Master Hurlbutt is the spiritual leader of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce? Now that the leader is gone, the Haddock Chamber of Commerce will become a mess again, which is expected. There will be all kinds of characters in a large group.
“The Haddock Chamber of Commerce is full of businessmen, and what do businessmen value most?” Jasper asked.
“Interests,” Dean answered.
“That’s right. “Whoever holds power in the Haddock Chamber of Commerce will get the most interests and be allocated more resources. Although the Haddock Chamber of Commerce is a non-governmental organization, in terms of size, it is definitely one of the largest groups. Whoever has the right to speak in the Haddock Chamber of Commerce has the opportunity to reap a lot of benefits due to the strings they could pull.”
“Therefore, there will surely be people trying to steal this position away from you,” Jasper kept analyzing, while Dean kept nodding his head.
He understood all this, but he just did not know how to deal with those old men. Therefore, he had invited Jasper over. However, Jasper’s next sentence dismissed what Dean had in mind.
“In truth, I didn’t come here to help you today. What I hope is that you can hold them down yourself, just like Gale did back then.”
The image of Gale flashed through Jasper’s mind again.
“But… ” Dean was not confident. He did not know how to deal with those old foxes in the Haddock Chamber of Commerce.
“But what?”
Of course, Jasper knew that Dean was under pressure, so he smiled and asked.
“I can help you out the first time this happens, but what about the second time? I also have things to do and there are always times when I won’t be around. In the future, if those old foxes keep looking for trouble, you can’t keep asking me to help you deal with them, right?”
“Of course, it’s not that I’m not helping you, but I want to help you in another way… It’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish,” Jasper said lightly.
He did not need to explain everything in detail since Dean would naturally understand what he meant. Upon hearing this, Dean’s wandering eyes gradually became a little more determined. He knew that Jasper was doing this for his own good.
“Don’t feel too burdened. You can think about Old Master Hurlbutt. If he were still alive, he would definitely want you to take charge of this on your own, right? After all, you’re his heir. If you want to gain a steady foothold in the Haddock Chamber of Commerce, you have to depend on yourself.”
After Jasper said that, he went silent. Dean also stayed silent for a long while.
The car was speeding on the road, and after passing several traffic lights, it stopped slowly by the side of the road. Not far away was where Dean lived.
After getting out of the car, Dean said something, “Jasper, thank you. I admit I’m not as good as you…”
“You don’t have to thank me,” Jasper said with a smile.
“Since I’m here, why don’t I stop by your house for a while? While I’m at it, I can meet those old foxes in the afternoon.”
Even though he was saying that, in truth, Jasper understood the difficulty of this matter. After all, Dean was still inexperienced. If he let Dean face so many of those old foxes alone, something bad would definitely happen. After all, in this world, only the strong had the right to speak.
Soon, the two entered the house. Two particularly big and eye-catching lions were placed at the entrance to the living room. After walking into the house, a fragrant scent overwhelmed Jasper, seemingly coming from the few green plants on the balcony.
Jasper was not modest either. After entering the living room, he sat straight down on the sofa. The housekeeper also brought them the food at this time. Jasper smiled when he looked at the sumptuous food. Dean had wasted so much effort to prepare this.
By the time they finished eating, an hour passed. At this moment, Jasper’s phone rang. When he lowered his head to take a look, he saw that it was from Rowan.
“Mr. Laine, I heard you went to Swallow Capital, is that right? Why didn’t you tell me? I wanted to follow you to Swallow Capital to gain some experience,” Rowan said half-jokingly.
Jasper replied with a smile, “You’re so well-informed.”
“You’re hilarious, Mr. Laine. I’m looking for you because I need you. I found out you went to the airport early in the morning after I questioned the staff in the hotel. After some asking around, I found out you went back to Swallow Capital.”
Rowan was smart and nimble. He could figure out where Jasper was after light digging.
“Alright, enough with the nonsense. Did you just say you needed me for something?”
