Chapter 314

Isabella's always quick to dish out compliments to Carol.

As the CEO, Isabella'd have to clean house, getting rid of the dead weight and making room for fresh talent. She was all about promoting the right people and, if needed, bringing in new blood.

She'd already gone over the list of staff Carol put together and thought it was spot on. These talents could really help turn things around for the company.

"With all this praise, I might just get a promotion tomorrow," Carol joked, grinning.

Isabella nodded earnestly. "If you want, once this task is done, you can get a promotion, and I'll even throw in some company shares."

Carol was stunned, "You're giving me your shares? Nah, wait until you catch your dad and get all his shares, then you can give me some. Better not mess with what you have now, or I might just sell them to Bianca."

Isabella chuckled, knowing Carol was kidding, but she didn't mind. "I trust you wouldn't do that."

"Even though I appreciate you, your charm hasn't reached that level yet," Carol said bluntly.

"Alright, let's drop the shares talk for now. By the way, heard anything about your dad lately?" Carol asked.

Isabella shook her head. "I hired a private detective, but the cops are still on his trail. It's like he vanished. I'm starting to wonder if he's even still in the country or if he's dead."

"That sounds more like a curse than a blessing." Carol shrugged with a smile.

Isabella waved her hand dismissively, "Just thinking about him annoys me. Let's not talk about him. Let's focus on this task. What's your plan?"

Carol pointed to the thick stack of files and grinned, "I'm thinking of giving a decent position and a good salary to the most mediocre person to attract more talent."

Isabella looked intrigued, crossing her arms. "Is it psychology? Make people think if someone like him can get a great position, then why can't I? With that mindset, we can attract more talent?"

Carol nodded. "Exactly, what do you think?"

Isabella clapped her hands. "Great, I believe in you! Can't wait to see you get that promotion and raise."

Meanwhile, Jasper had just gotten off the ship.

Someone handed him a paper bag. "Here's your new ID and some cash. It's enough for a plane ticket. The rest is up to you. Good luck!"

The person glanced at the plastic bottle and bag in Jasper's hand with a look of disgust and left quickly.

Jasper didn't give a damn about the other guy's rude attitude. He'd been holed up in a container for the past two days, peeing in a bottle, puking in a plastic bag, and dealing with his own crap.

He looked like a total mess, like some homeless dude off the street.

Jasper chucked those gross bottles and bags into a trash can, then headed into a convenience store to grab a sandwich and a cup of coffee.

"Finally free. I can live in peace now," Jasper muttered, almost tearing up.

Little did he know, someone had their eyes on him.

Back in Avalonia, a young guy stormed into the police station, slamming Jasper's wanted poster on the desk. "Officer, you need to take this seriously. This guy stole my phone and wallet!"

The cop's face changed when he saw the poster. He immediately reported it.

Soon enough, all four major families got wind of this.

Mason's expression darkened as he listened to Charles's report.

"Did that guy really say that? He reported it ages ago, but the cops didn't take it seriously?" Mason asked, frowning.

Charles nodded with a bitter smile. "Yeah, because that area has a lot of robberies, the local cops didn't pay much attention. The kid didn't expect to get his phone and wallet back. But he stumbled upon Jasper's wanted poster and reported it again. The reward for info on Jasper is worth more than what he lost."

Mason waved his hand, exasperated. "Alright, cut to the chase. Where's Jasper now?"

Charles got serious. "The man said Jasper was calling someone to help him leave the country from a dock. The cops checked his phone records and confirmed the person Jasper called was involved in shady stuff."

"So Jasper's already out of the country?" Mason's brow furrowed even more. If he was, finding him would be a nightmare.

Other the other side, John was fuming.

"Damn it, that bastard played me!" John yelled, smashing the cup in his hand.

John had also gotten the info from the police. When he found out Jasper had contacted someone shady to leave the country, he immediately thought of the contact info he had given Jasper.

The phone records the cops checked confirmed it.

John remembered calling the guy named Joe, who swore he wouldn't help Jasper leave. But the facts showed Joe had lied.

John couldn't reach Joe by phone, so he ordered his guys to bring Joe in.