Heartstrings on Fire novel Chapter 1049

Lately, there's been a whirlwind of drama at the office.

The head honcho of the secretarial pool, Leo, handed in his resignation.

And the new Chairman? Seems like his only move was to pour funds into developing Starling City, snapping up pharmaceutical companies and research teams left and right.

At first, it was all well and good, but recently, the major shareholders started pushing back. They think he's being reckless, that the risk is too high. It's a massive, long-term investment with no clear market returns in sight.

To put it in the words of some shareholders, it's pretty much like throwing money at charity.

Needless to say, it's ruffled some feathers among the big investors.

So, the dissent within the company is pretty loud right now.

There’s even talk of ousting Ryder from his position.

When Jared entered, the secretarial team stood up in surprise, blurting out, "Mr. President..."

Jared cut in, "I'm not your president anymore."

The chief secretary, Hoffman, approached, "Mr. Gray, are you here for the Chairman?"

"Is he in?" Jared asked.

"The Chairman is in his office. Should I announce you?"

"No need. I'll go in myself," said Jared, his voice cool and detached.

He walked straight to the Chairman’s office, not even bothering to knock, just walked right in.

The atmosphere among the secretaries was charged with tension.

The former Chairman, now a director, showing up like this. If there's a showdown between the new and the old, whose side should they take?

Jared had thought Ryder’s reserved nature only changed after he met Agnes.

"Why start smoking?" Jared finally asked, a question he'd never thought to ask before.

Ryder replied, "It was my outlet for stress and frustration. Every time I came home, mom was waiting for you, not me. She’d make your favorite dishes, always asking if you were tired from work, never if I was stressed from school. The first time I smoked was after I got second place in my class. Mom just offhandedly mentioned how you were always first. Uncle, you have no idea how that felt. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t match what came so easily to you. Even being second-best felt meaningless."

"Your mother never cared about the grades," Jared said, trying to offer some solace.

Ryder chuckled bitterly, “Right, she had no expectations for me. It was okay for me not to match up to you, or even if I did surpass you, in her eyes, it was as if I was taking something from you. She didn’t want me to outshine you because all her hopes were pinned on you.”

"You're still holding it against me," Jared noted.

"Uncle, it's all water under the bridge. I may not be a genius like you, nor as exceptional, but mark my words, I will achieve just as much, if not more. Just you wait," Ryder declared with a determined look.

Jared then got to the heart of the matter, "Ryder, do you realize the risk involved in your current investment strategy?"