"Got it," Joshua texted back.


    Even now, Jake didn''t quite grasp the purpose behind Joshua''s actions. Wouldn''t sending a few assassins after Leonard be more efficient than spreading rumors?


    Just then, Harold returned, carrying the bag of music box fragments. Seeing Jake''s confused expression, he asked, "What''s with the long face?"


    "Mr. Gardner ordered me to spread unttering pictures of Leonard," Jake said. "I just don''t get it. Leonard is at his weakest right now. Wouldn''t it be better to just eliminate him?"


    As one of Joshua''s most skilled aides, Jake lived by a simple creed: actions speak louder than words. Joshua himself had always favored a direct, sometimes brutal, approach. Why the sudden shift to such a roundabout strategy?


    Harold shot him a look. "What good does it do Mr. Gardner or Ste if Leonard is dead?"<fn0d91> Follow current nov?ls on FindN0vel</fn0d91>


    "Revenge, obviously," Jake replied.


    "And besides revenge?"


    "Besides revenge..." Jake thought for a moment. "I guess not much."


    "You''ve learned Mr. Gardner''s decisiveness, but you haven''t learned his wisdom," Harold said. "Leonard may be wounded, but a cornered lion is still a lion. If we move to kill him now, he''ll fight back with everything he has. A Pyrrhic victory that leaves us both crippled is not Mr. Gardners goal. His aim to neutralize Leonard with minimal losses while extracting maximum benefit. Leonard is, after all, the head of the Lerman family. He wouldn''t have held that position for so long if he were easy to topple. Besides, if he dies, who knows who will take his ce?"


    Jake immediately understood. "You mean... Mr. Gardner wants to install an ally as the new head of the Lerman family?"


    Due to its unique standing, the Gardner family rarely formed alliances with the other major families. Joshua preferred to remain independent and had never pursued partnerships. To hear that he was now aiming to ally with the Lermans was unexpected.


    Then, the realization dawned on Jake. "Is he doing this to pave the way for Ste?"


    Harold nodded. "In business, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Ste can''t stand alone. If she wants to take control of The Williams Group in the future, she will need allies."


    Even Joshua, with all his power, couldn''t secure his position as family head without awork of support. Ste, an outsider who had grown up apart from the family, faced an even steeper climb No matter how capable she was taking control of The Williams Group would be an immense challenge. Her own mother, Nora, had struggled to


    maintain her position even with her father-inw''s backing when Skyler Williams disappeared. Ste might have the founder''s shares, but she had a long, hard road ahead of her.


    Jake knew this was true. "Mr. Gardner is really going to great lengths for her," he mused.


    "Leonard is already sidelined," Harold continued. "With these rumors circting a patriarch who has lost an arm and is nearly disfigured can''t appear in public. The vultures within the Lerman family will use this as an excuse to demand his resignation. His position will be even more precarious. As the saying goes, when two parties fight, it''s always the third that benefits."