Chapter 914

Hamilton yanked on his clothes, hands shaking from haste.

No matter how often he clashed with Josh, he would never let McCoy Group fall. That was non-negotiable.

While tugging at his shirt, Hamilton asked, "Joseph,how deep did the stock price sink?"

Joseph's look could have soured milk. Years of storms had toughened him up, but nothing matched today's chaos.

Hamilton fumbled with his buttons and nearly messed them up.

He grabbed his phone off the nightstand only then realizing he'd left it on silent all night. He figured Josh would crawl to him after losing to Daniela, so he had muted it on purpose. Hamilton hadn't silenced his phone in ages, but fate chose that night to strike.

One glance showed over a hundred missed calls. All from his own blood. Josh alone had blown up his line more than sixty times.

Hamilton pressed his lips together, ready to stash the phone and head out when it buzzed again in his palm.

He answered at once.

The voice on the other end trembled, cracked, and sounded like an old man's whimper.

Hamilton was used to that haughty tone. Hearing it break apart left him oddly steady.

Josh yelled, "Hamilton! It's a nightmare here! Get your butt to the company!"

Hamilton's brow creased. He opened his mouth, but Joseph gave a quick shake of his head.

Hamilton held still for a beat, then cleared his throat."| have a few things on my plate. I'll call you back soon."

Hamilton ended the call. Then he turned to Joseph."Tell me what I'm missing here."

Hamilton prided himself on staying ahead, but this storm hit faster than he could brace for.

Joseph explained, "Mr. McCoy, you're no longer running McCoy Group. They cast you aside when things were good, and now that trouble's here, they beg you to fix it. If you go back so easily, what stops them from doing it again later? If you give in just because they snap their fingers, they'll see you care more about McCoy Group than they ever did. They'll use that weakness to corner you next time. Wouldn't it be wiser to sort this out properly and secure your place? One day, you'll hand this power to the next in line. If you set things right now, they won't crumble after you're gone."

Joseph kept going. "All these years you gave up everything for McCoy Group, but what about everyone else in the family? To them, you've always

been a golden goose. Look at Cedric-he wants nothing to do with McCoy Group. So what do you want for yourself in the end? This mess might open your eyes to what really matters to you. Cedric has talent. Even if he doesn't marry the princess, he's sharp enough to keep supporting you. You should treasure people like him. As for the rest of the McCoy family,you must remind them who calls the shots."

Hamilton stayed silent, buried in thought.

After a long while, he slowly loosened his shirt, eyes hard as steel. "You're right, Joseph. I wanted to sacrifice my own children's marriage just to keep McCoy Group steady. But that only works if the company stays under my thumb. Right now, it's better this way. Let them see the truth-McCoy Group can't do without me."

With that, Hamilton turned for his room.Before going in, he told Joseph, "From this point on, my phone stays off. If they come asking, say I'm sick."

This time, he would prove not just anyone could steer the McCoy family. Joseph dipped his head. "Consider it done, Mr.McCoy."

By then, McCoy Group's stock had plunged below the danger line.

Josh shook from head to toe, punching in Hamilton's number.over and over. It connected at first but later went straight to voicemail.

He stormed over to Joseph and demanded answers,only to hear Hamilton was "sick."

"Hamilton is sick?" Josh's eyes narrowed to icy slits as he glared at Joseph. "Yesterday he was laughing at my misery. Now that the company's sinking,he's suddenly too sick to help?"

Josh turned and shouted for all to hear. "How convenient, huh? What's wrong with him anyway? Is he dodging us on purpose? If that's how he wants it,then next time l ask him for anything, I'll be an idiot."

Fury made Josh's voice crack and spit fly.

Kevin calmly wiped his face. "Sorry, but Mr. McCoy really is sick in bed right now. Who'd make up something like that, right?" 。