Chapter 4

The Brown family always looked down on James, and with him not around today, they got even bolder.

Sophia's face was a bit sour. She said, "James will be here soon!" She wanted to stand up for her husband.

But then Mia chimed in, "He's just a nobody, not worth waiting for!"

She sat down and continued coldly, "You all know why I called this meeting!" Hearing this, Sophia had no choice but to find a seat.

Next to her, Ava, eager to impress Mia, spoke up, "I know, you want to give us an opportunity!" For them, this was a big chance, not just for the Brown family but for themselves too.

Mia nodded, pleased with Ava's response. She had been a bit unhappy with the Williams family at first.

But after seeing Apex Global Enterprises treating everyone equally, she started to see the Williams family in a better light. After all, they had managed to work with Apex Global Enterprises before, which showed they had some skills.

The Brown family might need the Williams family to snag this opportunity.

So Mia's attitude towards Ava was pretty mild.

Seeing Mia smile at her, Ava felt even more smug. She knew that if she grabbed this chance, everyone in the Brown family would have to listen to her in the future.

While Ava was lost in her thoughts, there was a sound of footsteps at the door.

The next moment, everyone saw James walk in with a bag of groceries, and they all looked disgusted. Ava frowned and said disdainfully, "James, if I were you, I wouldn't have shown up!"

She looked at James and continued, "We need someone who can secure the deal with Apex Global Enterprises. Someone like you, who runs around for discounts every day, wouldn't get it!"

Her tone was mocking, and if it weren't for keeping up appearances, she would have had James thrown out long ago.

James didn't react to Ava's mockery. He smiled, sat down next to Sophia, and said, "Today's steak is really fresh. You've been staying up late for the Brown family's stuff, so I'll make you a big meal later!"

Seeing James ignore her, Ava frowned and said, "How rude!"

Before James could respond, Sophia defended him. "James caring about my health isn't wrong, and Ava, your words are harsh. It's good enough that James didn't argue with you!"

Sophia's words clearly showed she was on James's side.

Ava frowned. "He's not even worth arguing with! My fiancé John's family has worked with Apex Global Enterprises before and will definitely do so again! As long as I'm with him, there will be opportunities! And the first thing I'll do is kick you out of the Brown family!"

Her words were harsh, and Sophia's face turned even more sour. She knew she was at a disadvantage. Most of her siblings had strong spouses who seemed way more capable than James.

And while James was thoughtful, he couldn't really support her in the way she needed. That was a real downside.

Seeing Sophia's self-conscious look, James smiled, "I think since Apex Global Enterprises is making a big change, it means they don't want to stick with their old partners!"

As soon as he said this, Ava's expression shifted. "What are you trying to say? How could you know what Apex Global Enterprises is thinking?" Ava sneered. "Don't think that just because your name is also James, you can consider yourself the new chairman of Apex Global Enterprises! You may share the same name but have different fates!"

James just smirked. He couldn't reveal his true identity now; otherwise, he would definitely let Ava know how foolish she was.

But even though he didn't plan to reveal his identity, he still wanted to help Sophia.

Thinking of this, James confidently said, "I think arguing is pointless. Why don't we just see the results?" He paused and looked at Sophia, smiling as he continued, "I believe my wife Sophia will definitely secure the cooperation with Apex Global Enterprises!"

Hearing this, Ava immediately sneered. "Her? What makes you think she's qualified?"

In Ava's view, among the Brown family members here today, Sophia was the least likely to succeed.

Facing her doubts, James looked at Sophia and said firmly, "Honey, I know you've done a lot of research on Apex Global Enterprises! I believe you can do it!"

Hearing this, Sophia paused. To be honest, she didn't have much confidence herself. But seeing James's confident eyes, she hesitated.

"Sophia, James believes in you so much, shouldn't you say something?" Ava taunted, "Actually, you don't have that confidence yourself, do you?"

Previously, Sophia had no confidence because no one believed in her. But now, looking at James, she suddenly felt a bit of courage.

"I think I can do it!" she said firmly, then turned to Mia. "Grandma, I hope you can give me this opportunity to directly connect with Apex Global Enterprises!"

Mia didn't expect Sophia to make such a bold request.

She frowned, displeased, and didn't reply.

Ava jumped in, "Grandma, since Sophia is so confident, I think it's fair to give her a chance! But this is about the future of our Brown family! If we leave it all to you and something goes wrong, what then?"

Hearing this, Sophia fell silent.

Ava didn't let up and said coldly, "If you fail, you will leave the Brown family forever!"

Sophia's face changed. She had heard this threat before, but she was still a member of the Brown family.

Seeing Sophia's distressed expression, James secretly held her hand. Although they hadn't been very close before, giving Sophia some warmth at this moment made her feel a lot better.

James then turned his gaze to Ava and said, "You say that if Sophia doesn't secure this cooperation, she should leave the Brown family forever. But what if she does secure it?" This question made Ava's face stiffen, and she almost instinctively said, "Impossible!"

In her view, Apex Global Enterprises was the top dog in Silverlight City. Even the Williams family had no real status in front of them. They could terminate cooperation whenever they wanted.

Moreover, the Williams family was still trying every possible way to continue cooperating with Apex Global Enterprises. If even the Williams family was so humble, what chance did the Brown family have?

But in front of so many people, Ava couldn't belittle her own family.

So she changed her wording. "Apex Global Enterprises is the largest company in Silverlight City. Although our Brown family is strong, there are many competitors, and Sophia has no chance of securing the cooperation!"

This statement was acceptable to everyone.

James, however, sneered, "Apex Global Enterprises doesn't choose partners based on background, but on whether they are worth it!" Hearing this, Ava frowned deeply. "What do you think you are? The boss of Apex Global Enterprises? Do you think Apex Global Enterprises will choose partners based on what you say?"

She added with disdain, "Do you, a piece of trash who grew up in an orphanage, know how to run a business?" This was true; James indeed didn't know how to run a business, but he had Nora, the top businesswoman in Silverlight City, to help him. He only needed to give his orders, and Nora would handle everything.

James deliberately asked, "So, you think the Brown family is not worthy of cooperating with Apex Global Enterprises?" Ava's expression changed. "Don't you understand what I'm saying? I said the competitors this time are very strong! So we might not win!"

Hearing this, James raised an eyebrow and said, "Then why do you demand that if Sophia doesn't secure the contract, she must leave the Brown family?" Ava coldly replied, "Because this is a great opportunity. If Sophia fails, she must be punished!"

She looked at James and continued coldly, "Actually, I'm not forcing Sophia to leave the Brown family. I just can't stand you. If Sophia doesn't secure the contract and you voluntarily divorce her, Sophia will still be a member of the Brown family!" In other words, she just wanted to force James to leave.

James remained calm, but Sophia looked at him with concern.

He smiled, "Since you look down on me, how about we make a bet?"

He looked around and added, "If anyone doesn't fulfill the bet, let God punish them!" Hearing this, Ava almost agreed without hesitation. "Sure! What do you want to bet on?"

Facing Ava's question, James smiled slightly. "If I lose, I'll leave the Brown family with Sophia. But if you lose, you have to kneel and apologize to us and slap yourself twice!"

Hearing this, Ava's face changed. She didn't expect James to bet so big this time. If she lost, wouldn't she lose all her dignity?

But thinking of the Brown family's strength, she hesitated for a moment and then agreed. "Okay!"

Hearing Ava agree, James smiled, then deliberately said, "Good, today's bet is witnessed by God. If you break the bet, your fate will be as I said!"

Hearing this, Mia finally couldn't stay calm and spoke up, "God will naturally see this! But I'm afraid some people would rather face a miserable end than fulfill the bet!"

James knew Mia was talking about him. After all, in Mia's eyes, he was just a leech sucking the blood of the Brown family.

He didn't care about Mia's words and said, "Then it's settled!"

With that, he looked at Sophia and continued gently, "Let's go back now. I'll cook the steak for you, or it'll go bad."

Sophia originally wanted to stop James's bet. But since both sides had agreed, she nodded and left with James despite her irritation.

After they left, Ava smiled happily at Mia and said, "Grandma, this time we finally have a chance to get rid of that leech James!"

Mia frowned. "You think we had no chance of cooperating with Apex Global Enterprises, right?"

Ava then realized she had misspoken. After all, Mia still hoped they had a chance to secure the contract.

Seeing Ava's somewhat unpleasant expression, Mia shook her head and let out a sigh. "If we succeed, that's good. If we fail, it's okay too. At least we can get rid of James and have some peace of mind! Otherwise, I always get a headache because of their matters!"

Ava breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Mia didn't hold it against her.

She hesitated and said, "Actually, as long as Sophia is willing to divorce James, we can still keep her in the family!"

Mia snorted coldly, "If it weren't for Andrew liking Sophia, I wouldn't tolerate her staying in the Brown family!"

Hearing this, Ava smiled more wolfishly. In her view, James was digging his own grave this time.

If the Williams family hadn't lost their cooperation with Apex Global Enterprises, she might not have given Sophia this opportunity. However, since the Williams family no longer had cooperation with Apex Global Enterprises, in Ava's view, the Brown family had no chance at all.

Taking this opportunity to kick Sophia out of the Brown family would make her the sole decision-maker in the family. Ava's plan was indeed good.

Meanwhile, after leaving the Brown family with James, Sophia shook off James's hand as soon as they stepped out of the house.

She said angrily, "Why didn't you ask for my opinion when you made a bet with Ava?"

After all, she hadn't agreed to this matter.

James didn't expect Sophia to be angry with him and paused for a moment. Then he said calmly, "Sorry, I made the bet because I believe in you! I don't want you to be looked down upon in the Brown family because of me!"

Hearing James's words, Sophia understood that James did this to protect her. Instantly, all her anger dissipated. She shook her head and let out a sigh. "But I have no confidence in securing the cooperation with Apex Global Enterprises. We might end up being kicked out together!"

Hearing this, James smiled, "We won't! Honey, you will definitely succeed!"

Hearing this, Sophia gave a bitter smile.