Chapter 952

In the evening, Brad ran into Daniela.

Carol walked up and said, "Daniela wants you to come to her place for dinner tonight."

Brad blinked in confusion. "Huh? Seriously?"

Carol tilted her head. "What's the problem? You're not free?"

Brad rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I actually made plans to eat with Ethan."

Carol gave a small nod. "That's fine. Bring him along.Hamilton's joining us anyway."

Brad asked, "Is this dinner for something specific?"

Caro shrugged. "Not that I know of. She just said dinner."

He pulled out his phone and texted Ethan. "I'll have someone come get you."

Brad hadn't expected the dinner to be held at Daniela's villa. So when the driver dropped Ethan off there, Ethan was caught completely off guard. He tried calling Brad. The call rang out, and Hamilton was the one who showed up at the door. "Come inside.Everyone's already hee."

Ethan stepped in slowly. Something about Daniela made him uneasy. She looked perfectly at ease,but they could tell she was pulling strings they couldn't see.

As Ethan walked in, he caught voices drifting in from the living room.

"These are your equity shares. You can take them like Jules and Ethan did. But if you do, McCoy Group has nothing to do with you anymore."

He froze for a second. Right then, it hit him. No matter which direction he went, someone was after his money. One path led to Josh. The other led straight to Daniela.

Outwardly,she had acted like this dinner was a friendly gesture. But in truth, it was a setup to talk about shares.

Ethan figured if those shares were going to leave their hands anyway, they might as well stay with family.

He figured Brad would feel the same way.

But then came something he didn't see coming. Brad spoke up. "What if I decide not to take the equity shares?"

Ethan shook his head from where he stood, mentally shouting, "Have you lost it? Daniela will pocket all that money, and there's no taking it back."

He let out a frustrated sigh near the doorway.

Daniela's voice followed. "That's one possibility.Right now,you have about the same number of shares as Hamilton.But let me be clear. The business may carry the McCoy name, but it's no longer the same as before."

Ethan braced himself. Here came the lie. The same line Josh had once fed him.

She went on, "We don't have enough capital. I'm going to add money under my husband's name to offset the losses Josh left behind. I expect the registered capital to hit 300 billion dollars. You're welcome to invest your part too."

Ethan stood still, listening, but scoffed under his breath.

It sounded polished. But wasn't this just another trick to water down what they owned?

At best, Brad would end up with just ten percent of the shares. Back inside, Brad looked unsure.

Daniela said, "Take your time."

He nodded slowly, said he and his family would need to talk things over, then stepped outside with his phone.

Ethan could tell he was calling Lara.

Lara was sharp and wouldn't tolerate anything that cut down their share. Ethan figured Daniela and Brad would clash eventually. Tonight's dinner might not even push through.

He forced a smile and stepped inside.

A few minutes later, Brad came back.

"Daniela, I have a question. Based on what I hold now,how many shares wouldI get in the new McCoy Group?"

The shares had been torn apart. Josh had taken the lion's share. The rest was broken into four parts, and Brad was left with a slice worth less than 30 billion.

By most estimates, they wouldn't even clear ten percent. Brad didn't think they'd come close.

During their last call, Lara had also said that under Daniela's leadership, there wouldn't be much left to offer. To her, the rest of them were just bystanders,waiting for profits they didn't work for.

Ethan folded his arms and fixed his eyes on Daniela.He waited to see how she'd corner Brad.

Josh, their oldest brother, had walked away with nearly 30 billion without a single paper trail.

Would she treat Brad any better than Josh did?

The idea made Ethan scoff quietly, his lips twisting.

Hamilton,sitting nearby,looked uneasy too. His mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

But before he could speak, Daniela said, "Fifteen percent."

Everyone froze.

"You probably don't have the 30 billion needed," she said. "You might be able to bring in 28. But considering what McCoy Group already built up-its reputation, clients, and past investments-| won't shortchange you. I'll give you fifteen percent."

Brad's eyes turned red, his emotions cracking through.He hadn't expected Daniela to be so generous and consider everything so thoroughly, including McCoy Group's reputation, clients, and past investments.

"But there's one more thing," she said.Ethan's head snapped up.

He knew this was it.

It was finally happening.

The catch was coming.