Ice and Fire

Chapter 940 A Sudden Proposal (Part Two)

As if reading Lawrence's mind, Greg decided not to say a word about Aria. He could tell that it was

what Lawrence wanted for the meantime and he had plans on his own.

Alice sensed the uncharacteristic silence between Lawrence and Greg. She saw their exchanged

glances and immediately realized what was happening. She knew all along what Lawrence's

relationship status was but pretended as if she knew nothing about it out of respect for the young men.

"Oh, Mom, where is Dad and Uncle Derek?" Violet asked Cherry curiously. She was scanning the living

room as soon as she arrived but didn't see Jackson and Derek.

"They are in the study room upstairs, I think," Cherry replied, shrugging her shoulders.

When he heard this, Lawrence folded the newspaper and set it aside. He stood up and walked over to

his mother and said, "Mom, may I steal Greg from you for a few minutes? We'll go and check Dad in

the study room."

"That's a good idea! Greg can now finally meet your Dad," Cherry cheerfully exclaimed. She looked

back at Greg with a comforting smile and said, "Don't be nervous, my child. Just be yourself and you'll

be fine."

"I won't. Thank you," Greg obediently replied though he was starting to get anxious at the thought of

meeting Violet's father.

Then the two young men left the living room and headed upstairs.

No one said a word as they walked their way to the study room. As they reached the study room, they

found the door ajar.

Lawrence knocked twice but didn't wait for a response and helped himself inside the room. He found

his Dad and Uncle chatting freely. When he got their attention, he smiled and said, "Dad, Uncle, I have

Greg here."

After being introduced, Greg came inside the room feeling less nervous than he had been downstairs.

When he saw Jackson, he was relieved to see that he was not as terrifying as he was told. Instead, he

felt that Jackson was a little welcoming. He had met Violet's father when he was a boy. 'I might be

feeling this way because we're now related. Violet is my wife and Lawrence is my friend, ' he thought.

"Dad," Greg greeted respectfully.

Jackson acknowledged Greg and nodded his head and then smiled.

Greg then looked at Derek and addressed him politely, "Uncle Derek."

"Greg, tell me. This is your first time meeting Jackson, isn't it?" Derek teased Greg and then he laughed

like it was an inside joke.

"I believe this isn't the first time. I saw him before but I don't think he remembered it because he was

too young back then," Jackson corrected.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot that time. So, now that he's a grown man, what do you think of him? Does he

live up to your expectation?" Derek asked, laughing hysterically.

Jackson smirked at Derek, and said, "Of course, he does. He is Fred's son after all. Besides, I trust that

Violet is a good judge of character. If she chose Greg as her husband, then I have no doubt that he's

the best husband to my precious daughter." He obviously had high opinion about Greg even before he

met him.

Lawrence and Greg sat down on the couch next to Jackson. The study was the perfect room for a good

chat because of its peaceful ambiance.

"Well, it's a good thing that you're both here. I have some important matters to discuss with you," Derek

said in a serious tone as he looked at Lawrence.

"Sure, Uncle Derek. What is it?" Lawrence politely asked. He noticed his Uncle's sudden seriousness

and tried to give him his undivided attention.

Looking at Lawrence, Derek didn't say a word for a while. Then he sighed in relief and finally said, "I

believe that now is the best time to retire. And with that, I plan on turning over the JS Group to you. You

can merge JS Group and JC Group, if you prefer."

"Uncle," Lawrence stuttered. He was caught in surprise and didn't know what else to respond. JS

Group was established long before JC Group was, and it had accumulated huge assets overtime. JS

Group had a solid foundation and when Jackson and Selina took charge of the company, it became a

leading enterprise as it was today. Lawrence looked at Jackson for a word.

But Jackson didn't make any comment. Derek had already talked about this to him before the two

young men came into the room and Jackson had already given his blessings. Now that his son and

son-in-law were already here, he believed it was the best time to discuss this with them to see what

they had to say.

Greg, on the other hand, had no interest in either the conversation or the family business. He sat there

in silence and waited for Lawrence's response to the offer. Greg had always had faith in Lawrence and

he believed that his brother-in-law could carry JS Group under his wing and take it to the next level.

"Don't worry too much, Lawrence. I had thought about it for a long time before I even made the

decision," Derek said. He waited for Lawrence to response, but when he didn't, Derek continued,

"Alice's studio is stable and already making reasonable profits. Her passion is in designing clothes, so I

decided to give her the freedom to do what she likes. I also talked to Tim and he's only interested in

running his hotels and didn't want anything to do with JS Group. So, I talked to your father and we both

agreed that you're the best successor. Now, JS Group is yours and I hope you can take good care of

it." Derek was quite relieved when he finally said all he wanted.

"Dad, I…" Lawrence stammered. 'Derek has devoted all his time for JS Group. Even though I can

handle this job, I don't know if I should accept this proposal, ' he hesitated.

Noticing his son's hesitant expression, Jackson considered this for a while. He looked at Derek and

suggested, "How about we talk this through with Mond and Wilson?"

"No, there's nothing to discuss about. Lawrence was my first choice and I believe he can do a good job

handling the company," Derek argued. He had made up his mind about handing over the company to

Lawrence.

"Uncle Derek, if I may," Greg finally spoke up. "I think it's best that we give Lawrence some time to

think. In the meantime, why don't you and Dad discuss this with the other uncles to see what they'll

say?"

Jackson considered Greg's advice. "You're right. It's best to let everybody know so they won't be

surprised once we break the news to the press," he mused.

"All right. Then, we'll talk about this again later," Derek agreed. Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Lawrence and Greg heaved a deep sigh of relief. They exchanged discreet glances to express their

thoughts.

"Hey Jackson, have you heard anything from Stephen?" Derek asked abruptly.

This question left Lawrence stunned. He couldn't remember when he last heard this name spoken

within the family. Lawrence quietly sat there and waited for his father's response for he was also

curious as to what happened to Stephen.

For Greg, Stephen was a stranger. He had never heard this name before, so he didn't give much

interest to the topic as much as Lawrence.

"Unfortunately, no. The guy only calls Cherry," Jackson replied.

"So, all this time he keeps in touch with your wife?" Derek exclaimed in disbelief. He couldn't believe

what he just heard. 'How can Jackson just allow him to contact Cherry at his convenience?' he

wondered.

"Yes, they still keep in touch," Jackson nodded in confirmation.