10x Cashback: Your Wealth Is Mine

Chapter 128: One Step At A Time

Jasmine held the steering wheel with one hand while the other held her phone to her ear.

She was moving around incognito and that meant leaving behind her flashy car. She drove the black sedan through the streets of New York, focusing on the road even with the phone in one ear.

It was time to cut Jenny off from her sources of strength. By removing them one after the other, she’d be able to show her mother exactly what Jenny was. An idiot who couldn’t stand on her own.

Her call finally connected, and she heard the voice she’d been expecting on the other end. "This is Amelia Ward."

"Ms. Ward." Jasmine said with a cordial tone, a smile on her face. Old habits die hard and besides, she was trying to sound pleasant to the woman. "This is Jasmine Voss. I believe you know my sister, Jenny."

There was a pause before Amelia answered. She was probably considering what best to say and wondering why Jasmine had called her.

"Yes, I know Jenny." She finally said. "What can I do for you, Ms. Voss?"@@@@

"I’d like to arrange a meeting with you." Jasmine said as she changed lanes. "There are a few matters I think we should discuss. It would be... mutually beneficial."

"I’m not sure that’s necessary." Amelia said, unimpressed. "I’ve already committed to working with Jenny, and my schedule is quite full."

Jasmine smirked as her eyes flicked to her rearview mirror before moving back to the road. She’d expected resistance. And that’s what would make this even sweeter.

"Ms. Ward, I understand your time is valuable, but I wouldn’t be reaching out if this weren’t important." She said. Her eyes flicked to the time on the dashboard. She had to wrap this up as soon as possible.

"As you may know, Apex Investments has hands in a lot of pies in many industries, including those tied closely to Ward Impact Ventures’ interests."

"I’m well aware of Apex’s influence, but my focus is on socially impactful ventures." Amelia replied. "If you’re trying to sway me against Jenny, I’m afraid you’re wasting your time."

Jasmine’s smirk widened. "Ms. Ward, this isn’t about choosing sides. This is about making sure that all parties involved have the same interests. Apex has a responsibility to ensure its partnerships are fruitful and, more importantly, unburdened by unnecessary risks." Read the latest on novelhall.Côm

"What are you suggesting?" Amelia asked immediately, able to sense the hidden meaning in her words. "Are you saying that working with Jenny comes with risks?"

"Of course not." Jasmine said pleasantly in a way that confirmed that it in fact, was true. "I’m just suggesting that it would be in your best interest to hear what I have to say. After all, we wouldn’t want anything to impact the partnership between companies, would we?"

This time, the message was loud and clear.

"Will look like an internal error." Jasmine finished, her tone hard. "Or, if you’re smart about it, an act of sabotage by someone else. Either way, WireFrame will be in disarray, and its value will plummet. That’s all I need."

Charles leaned forward, unable to hide the amusement he was feeling. If not for the little emotion he showed every now and then, she’d have pegged him as a psychopath. Maybe he was and was just good at hiding it.

"She’s right, Fiske." He said. "You’ve got nothing to worry about. As long as you do your job properly."

Fiske swallowed hard, his hands trembling slightly as he reached for the briefcase. He snapped it open and checked, as if to verify that bundles of cash that he’d known was neatly stacked inside were still there.

"Half upfront," Jasmine said, examining her fingernails casually, "the rest after completion."

Fiske stared at the money, his hesitation fighting a losing battle with his greed. After a moment, he nodded. "I’ll do it. But... I’ll need some time. A week, maybe two, to cover my tracks."

"You have one week." Jasmine said flatly. "And if you try to double-cross me, I’ll make sure you regret it."

Fiske paled before nodding vigorously. "Understood. I’ll get it done."

"You’d better." Jasmine sat back, satisfied, as Fiske closed the briefcase and moved to the door. Once he was gone, Charles leaned back in his chair, staring at her with a smirk.

"You certainly know how to motivate people." He murmured.

"I don’t have time for incompetence or cowardice." Jasmine replied. "WireFrame has been Nico’s secret weapon for too long. If we take it out of the equation, he and Jenny lose their biggest advantage."

Charles raised an eyebrow. "And what about Amelia Ward?"

Jasmine’s lips curled into a smile. "One step at a time, Charles. Amelia is a problem for later. For now, I need to cripple WireFrame. Without their data analytics and influence, their entire strategy falls apart."

"And once Nico’s out of the way, Jenny won’t stand a chance." Charles said, raising his glass in a mock toast. "You really do play a ruthless game, Jasmine."

She met his gaze, her voice hard. "Ruthless is what it takes to win, Charles. You of all people should know that."

Charles chuckled, downing the rest of his whiskey. "Touché again. Well, I wish you luck. You’ll need it if Nico Voss figures out what you’re up to."

"He won’t." Jasmine said with absolute confidence. "By the time he realizes what’s happening, it’ll be too late."

"Too late to be stopped."