Chapter 328 Secret Rivalry
Raised by Justin himself, Charlotte was used to being spoiled and willful. It was true that she often burst into tears and kicked up a fuss, but most of the time, she only did so to frighten others into doing what she wanted and rarely cried for real. However, her eyes reddened at this moment as large drops of tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t stop her tears.
Justin immediately panicked. “Charlotte.”
“Sob, sob, sob…” She wept uncontrollably. “I finally waited until Mommy came back. Why are you guys separating again? You don’t love me at all. Sob, sob, sob…”
“I love you, Charlotte.”
“Then, what about Mommy? Doesn’t Mommy love me too?”
He was very reluctant to answer this question, but he could not deny that Rachel loved Charlotte a lot. If not for the child, why else would she choose to remain in the Burton Residence even though she clearly hated him so much?
“She loves you too.”
“Sob, sob… You are liars! If you love me… Sob, sob… Then, why can’t you stay together for my sake?”
Charlotte was still young and did not understand the relationships between adults or the principle that something done by force would not turn out well. In her mind, having a family was a happy and blissful thing. It was something that could be done, so why couldn’t they just do it?
Unable to explain his reasons to her, Justin could only hold her and comfort her. Besides, she no longer heard what he said to her at this point since she was crying her heart out with all her might.
It was hard to say how much time had passed before she became exhausted from crying. There were no more movements from her except for the occasional shudder of her shoulders as she choked back a sob. She was clearly in extreme distress.
He sighed and walked around the room while carrying her in his arms. Just like how it was when she was younger, he patted her back and coaxed her to sleep.
Three days later, in the Hudson Pharmaceuticals’ pharmaceutical factory.
“Chris, it’s not a problem for the workers to work overtime or to produce the medicines that Dillon ordered on time. However, the warehouse is unable to keep up with the supply. The previous batch of new medicine that the factory mass-produced has basically filled up the warehouses.”
Jolly and Rachel were inspecting the pharmaceutical factory together. At the same time, she reported the situation to Rachel while they walked.
Rachel asked, “Are there any other warehouses in the vicinity for rent?”
“Originally, there were. The people below have been discussing this matter. It’s just that these warehouses all belong to the same logistics company. The boss of the logistics company, Mr. Ollie Foster, seems to have had some disputes with Hudson Pharmaceuticals in the past. He has refused to work with us for years.”
“They should know that Hudson Pharmaceuticals has changed hands.”
“While that’s true… According to the report of the person who went there to negotiate, the other party believes that the change was in name only. They claim that we are all the same and refuse to cooperate with us…”
“I’ll visit them myself. Give me the number; I’ll make a call to Mr. Foster and ask him when he’s free.”
“I’ll do it.” Jolly dialed the other party’s number without another word. “Hello? Mr. Foster, it’s me. I have contacted you previously. My name is Jolly, the special assistant of Hudson Pharmaceuticals’ president.”
She was greeted with silence from the other end of the line.
“It’s like this; President Hudson understands that you had some misunderstandings with Hudson Pharmaceuticals before, so she wants to find a time to discuss matters with you. When would be a convenient time for you?”
She waited for Ollie’s response.
“What!?” Jolly’s tone suddenly changed. Rachel glanced at Jolly, not understanding what was going on. She did not know what the other party was saying on the other side of the phone while Jolly’s expression darkened considerably. “I got it. I understand. Thank you.”
After ending the phone call, Jolly exploded in a fit of rage. “Justin, that despicable and shameless man!”
“What’s wrong?”
“According to Mr. Foster, Justin rented out all the vacant warehouses near the factory! There’s not a single one left!”
“Justin did that?”
“Who else could it have been but him?!” Jolly nodded strongly. “He obviously knows that our factory is currently attending to a large number of pharmaceutical sales in order to obtain funds as soon as possible. That’s why he is doing this on purpose! It’s going to rain in two days. The batch of medicines stored outside must be stored into warehouses. Otherwise, the losses will be huge.”
Rachel glanced at the sky. Her hands that were hanging by her sides clenched into fists as she quietly said, “He is giving me a warning not to fight him.”
“How despicable!” Jolly spat in disgust. “Does he think that such trivial means will make you bow to him in defeat? Who is he looking down on? I’ll go and ask my father for help.”
“No need.” Rachel shook her head. “Not only are the Carter Enterprise’s warehouses a distance away, the costs of transporting the goods back and forth are also over our budget. There’s no need for that.”
“It’s still better than letting the medicines go to waste under the rain, right?”
“I have my ways. Don’t worry.” Rachel took the inventory list and retracted her gaze to study the list.
That evening, a plane swept across the sky above the Riverdale Airport and it was already night time when the aircraft landed.
Justin carried Charlotte in his arms. He was greeted by Frankie and Martha, who came to pick him up. Handing the child over to the nanny, he asked Frankie, “How is it going with the warehouses?”
“I did as you instructed. We have rented all the vacant warehouses available for rent in the vicinity of the Hudson Pharmaceuticals’ pharmaceutical factory and signed a two-year lease contract.”
“Good job.” Justin nodded lightly.
“It didn’t take a lot of effort. The boss of the logistics company has had some disputes with Hudson Pharmaceuticals in the past. He actually lost a lot of money over the years because he occupied those places and refused to leave. Hudson Pharmaceuticals is the only pharmaceutical factory in that area after all, so it was basically impossible to find any other tenants if he refused to rent to them. However, President Burton, are you really planning to be so ruthless? Hudson Pharmaceuticals is only just beginning to make a comeback and improve their circumstances. Their inventory turnover is definitely not enough at the moment. Moreover, it’s going to rain in two days.”
“If Rachel does not want those medicines to go to waste in the factory, then she will come to me.”
“Why do you need to go this far? You’re just making a scene. I’m sure President Hudson will not be happy about this.”
Justin glared at Frankie fiercely. Frankie immediately shut his mouth in obedience. Watching his boss enter the car, he retorted in his heart, He is clearly trying to force President Hudson into meeting him but refuses to be straightforward about it. Isn’t he just asking for trouble by doing this?
When they all entered the car, Martha sat in the backseat while carrying Charlotte in her arms. She commented in a quiet whisper, “Sir, Charlotte doesn’t look too good.”
Justin replied, “Don’t worry about her. She should fix that temper of hers.”
Charlotte had barely eaten anything over the past three days, screaming and crying to return to Riverdale. He had to deal with work matters during the day and coax her into eating something when he returned to the hotel at night. It had been very exhausting for him.
Despite saying those words on the surface, he couldn’t bring himself to actually do that. “Frankie.”
Frankie turned around from the front passenger’s seat. “What is it, President Burton?”
“Draft a warehouse rights-sharing agreement and hand it to me tomorrow morning.”
He stiffened slightly. “A rights-sharing agreement?”
“Draw up an agreement for capital injection in the form of intangible assets, including all the warehouses we have leased recently.”
Frankie suddenly returned to his senses and immediately broke into a smile. “Are you planning to inject capital into Hudson Pharmaceuticals? Are you planning to cooperate with President Hudson? I knew you wouldn’t actually confront her. Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“Have I ever mentioned that this rights-sharing agreement is meant for her?”
“You didn’t say that. You didn’t say that at all. I misspoke.” He pretended to slap his mouth, but his face was all smiles. How should I say it? Everything has its vanquisher. Even a decisive man like President Hudson is helpless after meeting a woman like Rachel. Even though she has angered him to the point of driving him mad, he still turned into putty in her hands once he has calmed down.
