Chapter 223 A Change in Management?

Vincent was intrigued by Cassie's comments because he was hoping that Joseph would return to Smith Group. He turned to her, "Cassie, do you think we can convince Joseph to come back to Smith Group?"

"Dad, as long as you sincerely wish for Joseph to come back and hand over Smith Group to him, I think he might be willing," She knew her son's temper, and would not allow Cassie to make the final decision for him but she could possibly persuade him.

Gina's heart was pounding as she focused on Joseph to see his reaction. She clearly knew that Samuel would be removed as president if Joseph agreed, making it difficult for her son to ever regain any status in the family. She quickly stated, "Dad, Joseph now has his own business. He can't take care of Smith Group at all. Besides, he is not willing to come back. You cannot..."

"Joseph, I want to hear your answer," Mr. Smith insisted on asking Joseph not to listen to the others.

Joseph replied, "Grandpa, please allow me to deal with the situation with Samuel right now!"

"You are still rejecting me?" Mr. Smith questioned.

Trying to figure out his grandfather's thoughts, Joseph assumed Vincent had to speak up for Samuel because if Joseph held him accountable still, Vincent could not face him.

"Joseph, I think the whole event is clear. Samuel made the mistake, but I hope you can forgive him this time," His grandfather urged.

The house was still of great importance to Cassie, Kate commented, "But the premise of forgiving him is that Samuel and his entire must leave here!"

"Kate White, you're only an outsider, you don't have the right to speak here!"

"Impossible!" Gina refuted immediately. She had just inherited the old house and was no willing to leave.

"I really don't have the right to speak here, but as a victim, I have the right to punish him. If you are dissatisfied with this, then we have the right to choose a more powerful solution!" She answered with determination.

Cassie was extremely pleased to see Kate standing up for herself.

"Grandpa, I can promise you that I will take over Smith Group, but I have a condition," Joseph knew Samuel's weak point. Instead of punishing him criminally, he would take away what he cared about most.

When Vincent heard Joseph speak his eyes lit up, "What is it? As long as you agree to come back, I can certainly promise you!"

"You quit the board of directors."

"What?" Vincent was very surprised, and the excitement on his face quickly faded.

"Oh no! How can you ask Dad to quit the board of directors? That would mean, the whole company would be yours," Gina wanted to incite tension between the two, "Dad, you heard what he said, right? His real intention is to take away your company and deprive you of any rights!"

"You want to try?" Gina did not fear Cassie and made an aggressive gesture at her.

"Stop!" Vincent ordered.

Jenny had stayed quiet during the entire confrontation but she finally stood up, "Dad, whether you admit to it or not, Smith Group was developed by Joseph. Although Samuel is my nephew as well, his ability is limited. Since he took over, we have not made an advancement, but our performance also declined dramatically. There has been no influence over other companies and there should have been. If we do not make changes, no matter how powerful the company is now, it will be dragged down."

Everyone in the room was silent, looking around at each other. Jenny sighed, "I can understand that you worry about Joseph. Yet, you can see the effort he put into Smith Group over the years. If he has evil intentions, don't you think he would have followed through with them years ago and not now? Plus, he is your grandson, a member of the Smith family. You should feel comfortable enough to hand him the company so that you can finally enjoy retirement!"

Vincent contemplated Jenny's well thought out comment.

"How can you show favoritism to Joseph?" Gina complained, "Samuel just took over Smith Group not long ago. He hasn't had the opportunity to show his full ability. Don't underestimate him. One day…"

"Okay!" Vincent nodded then said to Joseph, "If you really willing to take over Smith Group, I hope you will merge JK Group into it so that you will not be too busy."

Joseph smiled, "Since you are so patriarchal and made this decision on your own, maybe it is better for you to be in charge of the company. Why bother me with it? You must know that you are begging me, not the other way around."

Although the words were a little harsh, they were true and would be a heavy blow to Vincent.

Cassie still hoped that Samuel, Gina, and Brian would move out of the house but she remained calm, understanding that Joseph must have a plan.

"Yes, Dad, now it's you who needs Joseph, rather than him needing you. You always interfere in everything. I think you need to change this bad habit. Since you believe in Joseph, you need to let him do what he wants. Do not restrict or criticize him!" Jenny was Vincent's only biological daughter, so nobody other than Joseph could talk to him like that. Plus, she had no interest in the company so she was able to see both sides.

Every time she spoke though, her father would not react, he just took it into consideration.     

"Okay," Mr. Smith followed her advice and agreed with Joseph. Then he turned to

Joseph to remind him, "I must see growth in Smith Group though!"

"Dad, what about Samuel? How will you… "

"He should shoulder the responsibility for what he did!" Vincent interrupted her and turned to glare at Samuel, saying sternly, "This time I will only kick you out. If this ever happens again, you will have a much worse punishment!"

Hearing this, Gina fell to the floor, with her tears flowing down her face.

"Shameful!" Brian was so angry that he turned his head to the side, unwilling to even look at his son.

Jenny got up and walked to Gina. She told her quietly, "Cassie didn't chase you out as viciously as you did to her. She was very kind to you so you should be grateful and get your belongings out of here as soon as possible.

"You..." Gina wanted to fight with her, but she did not have the confidence.