The CEO’s Substitute Lover

Chapter 74: What Are You Being Pretentious About?



Jeffrey Cockey picked up a Freeman Gellings, a child with a temperament very much like his. It’s always tit-for-tat between the two, fighting with each other, but Jeffrey Cockey grew fond of him, so he held a ceremony for him and formally took him in as a righteous son, respecting his origins by not changing his surname.

Jeffrey Cockey deliberately nurtured Freeman Gellings, giving him the best possible education and taking him to company meetings from the age of twelve. Freeman Gellings was so bright and studious that by the age of sixteen he was officially involved in the running of Group Cockey’s business. The business community knew that Freeman Gellings would be the successor to Group Cockey.

Althena Cockey and Freeman Gellings grew up together, but Freeman Gellings was always a little prickly, arrogant and domineering, something Jeffrey Cockey liked but others did not.

Strangely enough, Freeman Gellings was able to put sheath his horns in the presence of Althena Cockey and did what she told him to do.

At an early age, the two lovebirds developed into a relationship.

But Freeman Gellings is Jeffrey Cockey’s adopted son, and they are legally and nominally brother and sister. Their relationship is not to tolerated by the world.

To avoid an irreparable situation, Freeman Gellings was sent to the United States, supposedly to put a stop to their relationship. At home, within Group Cockey Enterprises, Jeffrey Cockey chose Floyd, his department manager, who had been passionately pursuing Althena.

However, Althena fought this idea, even to the point of death. Young people are always light on worldly rituals, they feel that love is supreme. But the old man was different, and during that year Jeffrey Cockey’s health quickly failed.

In the end, Althena Cockey compromised for the sake of her father’s health.

Jeffrey Cockey also felt in his final days that he could not bear to have his adopted son and beloved daughter cut off in this way. In the end, he split his fortune, giving most of it to Freeman Gellings for him to go to the United States and a small portion to stay in the country and go to his daughter.

When Jeffrey Cockey promised Floyd that he will marry Althena, he also asked Floyd to swear that if he betrayed Althena, then all the wealth would go to Althena’s name, no matter how big the business became and how much wealth it had accumulated by then. In exchange, he would change Group Cockey Enterprises to Group Davi Enterprises.

The agreement was given to Freeman Gellings for safekeeping.

On his deathbed, Jeffrey Cockey asked Freeman Gellings to take good care of his sister and not to let her suffer.

Freeman Gellings was devastated to leave, never returning to the country, and never asked for any information about Althena for many years, feeling that this was the only way to do right by her adoptive father and to reassure him.

The year after her marriage Althena gave birth to Tredan Davi, who was barely two years old when she discovered that Floyd had been secretly living with his first love and that the woman was pregnant.

The combination of losing Freeman Gellings and being cheated on by her husband caused her to suffer a nervous breakdown.

This madness lasted for over twenty years.

When Freeman Gellings used to take Althena to Japan, Althena jokingly said that if anything happened to her, she would send a bouquet of cherry blossoms to Freeman so that he would know that she was in danger and that he should come to her rescue.

So, when Bryce from the old house tells him that a young man who looks like Floyd has sent a bouquet of cherry blossoms, Freeman Gellings flew in with his private jet to save her.

When he learned that the woman he has loved all his life was being held in a mental institution, Freeman Gellings wants to shred Floyd into pieces.

When he learns that Althena Cockey’s only wish is a divorce settlement, he rushes into the Davi Family to force Floyd to sign it.

He had met Floyd three times and beaten him up three times, so Floyd trembled at the sight of him, and if he didn’t sign, Freeman Gellings could have put a knife to his neck and turned Althena Cockey from divorced to being widowed, which would have made him even happier.

In Freeman Gellings’ book, his adoptive father and Althena are everything to him.

It is a story that Floyd and Woodrow can’t help but sigh at.

Freeman Gellings sat quietly, even though he hadn’t seen Althena Cockey for over twenty years, it stirred the old feelings in his heart the moment he saw her.

Woodrow thought to himself, “No wonder the rumor is that the owner of Group Gellings is unmarried and childless made people ask who will inherit Group Gellings in the future. So, there was such a story behind it.

“Tredan, now that I’m a free man, I’m going to follow my own heart and go to America with Freeman. You’re grown up and have a sweetheart of your own, and I hope you’ll understand your mother.”

“What does he need to understand?” Freeman Gellings jumped to his feet and Althena Cockey gave him a look that immediately silenced him.

Tredan Davi walked over and sat next to his mother, taking her other hand in his, “Mum, your happiness is all I care about.”

Althena Cockey lifted her other hand and caressed Tredan Davi’s face, “Thank you, Tredan, for understanding us.”

Seeing Althena Cockey’s hand taken away from her own, Freeman Gellings stood up and surrounded them, “Hey, hey, hey,” but there was nothing he could do.

Tredan Davi turned to him and said, “What is there to take? Didn’t you choose the man? Go on, take her!”

Freeman Gellings was stunned by the dislike, then grinned broadly and said to Althena Cockey, “I like it, I like it.”

Althena Cockey looked at the pair of men in front of her, they were the loves of her life.

Freeman Gellings then asked about Tredan Davi and Woodrow about the MMO, to which Woodrow answered truthfully.

When he heard that Grimm Drye had to agree to an engagement with his daughter because he threatened Tredan by using Althena Cockey, Freeman Gellings sneered, “I think he’s tired of living.”

Suddenly thinking of something, he asked Tredan Davi slyly, “Kid, how about you come to America and I’ll give you Group Gellings to play with and see which one of them dares to give you a hard time.”

Tredan Davi froze and Woodrow felt their hearts skip a half beat.

“Freeman, don’t be ridiculous.” Althena Cockey scolded gently.

“Who’s joking? Take him back to America, then I’ll give Group Gellings to him while I take you on a trip around the world.” Freeman Gellings lay it on like it was meant to be.

“Nice try!” Tredan Davi glared at him.

“Hey, brat, you’re not doing it, are you? Tomorrow I’ll make a statement saying I’m giving you Group Gellings.”

“Hey, you’re coming on too strong, you clean up your own mess, don’t call me.” Tredan Davi frowned.

“Hey, don’t you dare call Group Gellings a mess?? Althena, your son called my Group Gellings a mess.” Freeman Gellings turned his face to Althena Cockey.

Althena Cockey laughed heartily when her father was alive, he used to tease Freeman Gellings about his mouth, it was their unique way of spending time together, a scene she hadn’t experienced for decades, relieved that her son was less like Floyd and more like his grandfather.

Freeman Gellings called out through the door, “Lang Carley!”

In response, a man in his thirties came in and called out respectfully, “Boss?”

“You stay, check out their game company, invest in it if you think it’s good, talk to them, not me.”

Lang Carley didn’t even raise an eyebrow as he answered, “Yes, sir!”

“You keep an eye on Floyd, you don’t have to do anything, just come out and scare them with the Group Gellings banner now and then. I want that effect.” Freeman Gellings had a cocky grin on his face.

“Bad company made by bad people, Althena doesn’t want it, so I don’t want it either. Hey, kid, you want it? I’ll give it to you if you want it.” Turning to Tredan Davi, he asks.

Tredan Davi gives him a blank look.

Freeman Gellings wasn’t offended and nodded, “You don’t want Group Gellings too, what do you need that pile for? Lang Carley, look at that Grimm Drye again, I’m not going to let him off the hook.”

“Yes, Boss!”

Woodrow could feel his back getting wet with sweat, was the current business situation going to be shattered starting tomorrow? Luckily Joe’s had always done business properly, nothing messy, and it seemed this Freeman Gellings had a pretty good impression of his eldest uncle.

Grimm Drye is also a man who has made a fool of himself, and the consequences of messing with Tredan Davi may not be something he can afford. I feel for Grimm Drye.

What Tredan Davi and Woodrow have been planning for months was settled overnight.

Freeman Gellings came and went like the wind.

Much to Woodrow’s lamentation.

“Tredan, my heart leaped out of my chest when he said he was going to give you Group Gellings, I thought the sky was falling!”

“What’s it to do with us?” Tredan Davi said blandly.

Woodrow thought about it, “Yeah, your dad’s company, my dad’s company, and that Group Gellings, none of them have anything to do with us, now Steam, on the other hand, is our son!”

Tredan Davi laughed too, Steam was their soon-to-be listed MMO company, and that was their real son.

He remembered what Freeman Gellings had said to him before he got on the plane, “Boy, your mum said you had a girl you loved that you were mad at. Your mum and I parted ways over for 20 years, are you going to follow in her footsteps? You don’t have any favors or rituals to hold you down, so why are you being pretentious? Go after her if you have to!”

Tredan Davi thought silently to himself, “Octavia Gills, wait for me, give me a few months and I’ll come after you.”

Grimm Drye received a call from Blue Mountains Psychiatric Hospital almost the same time as Woodrow.

The man he had sent to track him down told him the men had gone to the Davi Family mansion and then to 68 Maplewood Road.

He felt that something was wrong.

Early in the morning, he went to see the Davi Family.

Last night, after everyone left, Floyd had been pressed by Ottilie and Eddison to the point of impatience and had gone into a rage, followed by some heart trouble, and had gone to the hospital.

Grimm Drye did not see Floyd and was not in a position to ask Eddison and Ottilie further questions. After all, no one but Tredan Davi knew that he had held Althena Cockey hostage.

The Davi Family’s change of heart was not known to outsiders.

A week later, Group Drye’s finance director came to Grimm Drye in a hurry, “Chairman, Swift Bank has stopped lending us, and the Swiss Bank and Bank of America have each sent us a demand note.”

Grimm Drye was startled, “What do you mean?”

The finance director wiped the thin sweat from his forehead and carefully repeated what he had just said.

Grimm Drye was stunned, picked up the phone, and dialed the Swift Bank for Mr. Pearson, who had been helping him with the loan, but Mr. Pearson’s phone was switched off.

When I called his office, the secretary said, “Mr. Pearson is out of town, probably in a meeting, so I can’t get through to him.”

And all day long, Mr. Pearson could not be found.

The Swiss bank and the American bank came to collect the interest on the loans in a business-like manner.

Group Drye Enterprises was in chaos all of a sudden and the crisis soon reached Floyd.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

He had been worried that Freeman Gellings would come after him and his heart never let up from the moment Freeman Gellings left.

When he heard that Group Drye was in a financial crisis, he thought he had misheard; had someone under Freeman Gellings made a mistake? How did Group Gellings come to dominate the world if such a mistake could be made? It must not be.

When Freeman Gellings found out he was doing business with Group Drye and was on the verge of marrying off their son and daughter, he must have hit Group Drye first and then come back to destroy him. It’s highly likely!

This thought alerted Floyd to the fact that he could no longer lie in the hospital bed.

Back at the office, he called a meeting with executives from all departments and branches to sort out all the projects that intersected with the Drye Family.


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