Ex-wife, Please Come Back novel Chapter 347

Cindy had always stayed by Jacob's side. The company's business was not only his business but also hers. Because of this, she paid as much attention as Jacob did.

It was futile to care in silence. Unfortunately, she had no other means to change it.

Jacob threw a pile of documents on the table and ordered in a stern manner, "Speak!"

"There are employees who don't even bother showing up at all. Even if we've already informed them, they just pretend that they did not hear it, and they still come to work. They reason out that if the company is unable to give a reasonable explanation, this matter will not be over."

Cindy glanced at Jacob nervously, afraid that he would be angry and would start thrashing the table.

Unexpectedly, Jacob looked calm. He just nodded and replied, "The financial department will take the matter into their own hands. They'll remove the people on the list and won't give them a salary for next month. They can come to work, but since the company has already fired them, their work, even if there's any, will no longer be recognized."

Cindy looked at him in disbelief. She had never expected that he could solve such a dilemma in just a few sentences.

"Yes, yes. I'll notify them right away. By the way, Mr. Jacob, is there anything else I can do to help?" She glanced at him, apprehension could be seen on her face. She was really worried about the matter at hand.

Jacob shot her a glum look and pondered for a moment before he said, "Call Mr. James and ask him to come here. I have something to discuss with him."

Cindy nodded in response and then turned to leave. Meanwhile, Jacob rested his head on his hand. He was obviously exhausted due to what was happening recently. As she reached the door, she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. Then, with a sigh, she walked out of the office.

James arrived not long after. He came to the office as soon as he could and waited for Jacob to compose himself.

"What's wrong, Jacob? Why did you ask me to come here? What happened? Haven't you finished dealing with the matter concerning Sara's mother?" James's worried tone calmed Jacob's anxious heart.

"I've already settled that, Uncle. I called you here today because I have something to discuss with you. There seems to be a problem with the company laying off employees. Everyone is expressing their disapproval regarding this matter, but rest assured that it's all within my expectations."

Jacob put his right hand over his chest. Contrary to what he had said, he looked defeated, which made James frown.

"I know, I know. Don't worry. I'm trying my best to deal with this as well, but public outrage is something else. Until now, significant progress hasn't been made yet. Everyone is dissatisfied with the way the company is handling the problem,"

James replied with a frown. This company was his second home, so he knew what the company had been going through. However, knowing the problem and solving it were two different things. He could say that this matter was simple yet very tricky.

"I know, that's why I want to tell you this, Uncle. There's no other way to deal with this. I've already presented myself as the bad guy, so you don't have to get involved. People will only be angry at you if you take part in this,"

Jacob explained with a confident smile. So what if he betrayed many people? In this world, one would either betray or be betrayed. In this case, Jacob chose the former.

"It's doesn't matter. I'm just worried that someone will use this to their advantage and make things more difficult for you. If that happens, the company will be in so much trouble." James heaved a heavy sigh. No matter how great a person is, scandals are always a terrifying thing.

"I know that, Uncle. Actually, I want to ask you to do something for me," Jacob said with a smile. Then, he wrote a note and handed it to James.

James took it and read what Jacob had written with a frown. What his nephew had planned seemed too risky for him to do. Unfortunately, James could not think of a better way.

"Inform the board of directors of this matter. Aren't they dissatisfied with me? The plan I'm proposing may actually be better than reducing staff. Instead, we're going to let them choose."

Jacob smiled calmly, which surprised James.

"It's actually a good idea, but those directors will definitely deem this unacceptable." James crumpled the piece of paper, but his lips were curled into a smile.

Jacob nodded. He had already anticipated this beforehand. "Since they aren't aware of the seriousness of the matter, just tell them. It's not that the company doesn't want those people to live. It's just that there are times when you have no choice but to sacrifice people. Since they're willing to serve their friends and family, I'll give them a chance."

Upon saying that, the corners of Jacob's mouth curled into a sneer. Business is like a battlefield. What Jacob had said was right. Since there was nothing that could be changed, they had no choice but to make a choice.

There were people who would definitely say that Jacob was being unfair. Even so, being fair didn't not mean being right.

James coughed a few times and said, "Okay then. I'll ask Cindy to prepare for the board meeting later. I'll be sure to handle this accordingly. You don't have to say anything in the meeting. Let me do the talking."

Jacob stared at him in disbelief. "No, Uncle. I was the one who planned this. It has nothing to do with you, so let me be the one to announce it."

James stared back into Jacob's eyes. He wanted to argue with his nephew. But seeing Jacob's look of determination, he stopped on second thought.

"Fine. You can speak but only in a polite manner. Although the outcome is the same, you should pay more attention to the way you speak. Don't offend more people,"

James instructed. He knew that Jacob was right all along. Because they could not meet the satisfaction of the directors, James and Jacob had to make them believe that it was the best course of action.

Of course, in order to do that, Jacob had to assure them that he had weighed the pros and cons properly and that he was not acting on impulse.

James left the office after a while. Once alone in the office, Jacob suddenly felt his chest tightened and he had shortness of breath. Because of this, he sat back on his swivel chair and took deep breaths to calm himself down. Then, as if in a daze, he looked up at the ceiling.

'Dad, if you were still here, would you disapprove of my decision? Would you be ashamed of me?'

It suddenly occurred to him that his father must have spent a lot of time and effort into raising a large group of idlers. As for Jacob, he had only raised them for a few years yet he could not stand it anymore.

Michael, his father, raised those people for decades just because of a little blood relationship. People were strange sometimes.

When it came to relationships, they would immediately talk about those who were related to them by blood. On the other hand, when they were not pertaining to the former, they would talk about human nature instead. As a result, everyone was left with no other choice most of the time.

After all fear, slanders, and gossips were terrifying. Nevertheless, Jacob did not care about those. Even if lots of people threw stones at him, he would never raise so many idlers in silence.

He had made up his mind a long time ago. Since he was already resolute and his plan had been finalized, he now had to carry it out. No matter what other people's opinions were and how much they disagreed, he was not afraid, not even a bit.

Since the directors could not offend their friends and family, he decided to give them a chance. Perhaps by then, everyone would want to be the villain.

Jacob actually felt unhappy about it. He felt that his life was rather lonely. He never wanted to be the bad guy. However, it would be better for everyone if he was.

Someone had to be the villain. Jacob clutched his chest with one hand and looked at his watch with the other. It had been 10 minutes since James had left.

For some reason, he felt that time slowly passed since James had gone. What he was about to do was simple, direct, and would not even leave a trace.

At the thought of this, he let out a sigh of relief. Those damn directors better wait for him. As a person of power, Jacob would never allow himself to be looked down on by anyone, even them. As if he had all the time in the world, he picked up the glass of water on the table and took a sip leisurely.

Jacob had finally regained his composure. Unlike a while ago, he now looked so affable as if nothing had happened.