Chapter 473 Traitors, All Traitors!
Night had deepened, and the skyscrapers on both sides of Hong Kong had gradually sunk into darkness. Even the traffic on the streets had dwindled.
However, on the thirty-second floor of Jardine House in Central, the lights still blazed brightly, almost blinding in their intensity.
Shards of shattered vases and scattered documents littered the floor, evidence of the storm that had just swept through the office.
Henry Keswick stood grim-faced by the window, his eyes piercing the darkness as if trying to see all the way to Connaught Centre, the headquarters of Jardines Property Group.
His clenched fists trembled slightly, barely containing the rage inside him.
This is simply unbearable! Unforgivable!
"How could this happen?! Seven hundred people! They've stolen over seven hundred of our elite employees!" Henry Keswick roared, turning to face his younger brother Simon Keswick and Jardines Securities' general manager.
Simon's face was ashen, and he said nothing.
Although he was now the current taipan of Jardines Matheson, in front of Henry—the former taipan and the family patriarch—he still lacked the confidence to speak up.
Henry had spent decades building Jardines Matheson into a powerhouse.
Simon owed his current position entirely to Henry's support.
For the past few days, Simon had been busy trying to find a buyer for Jardines Securities.
Yet while he was out searching, their fortress had been ransacked.
Without those seven hundred elite staff, it would be hard for Jardines Securities to function normally.
The consequences were clear: stock collapse, failure to fulfill client obligations, massive lawsuits and penalties.
Now, they would be lucky to sell Jardines Securities for even one hundred million Hong Kong dollars, let alone five or six hundred million.
The general manager, trembling with fear, answered,
"Yes, Mr. Simon, the situation escalated too quickly. Deputy General Manager Allen... he secretly orchestrated everything."
"Allen! That traitor!" Henry Keswick growled through gritted teeth.
He had never imagined that Allen—the Deputy General Manager—would betray him at such a critical time.
"What now? Can we still maintain operations?" Henry demanded.
The general manager hesitated before answering cautiously,
"I'm afraid... it will be very difficult.
Those who left were our backbone.
Without them, our core business has been severely impacted."
Simon's expression darkened further.
This wasn't just a mass resignation—it was a crippling blow to both Jardines Securities and Jardines Matheson.
At that moment, the door burst open.
A middle-aged man in a suit rushed in—it was their legal advisor.
Two hours earlier, he had gone to Connaught Centre to try to negotiate, but judging by his grim face, the results were not promising.
"Mr. Henry, Mr. Simon, I met with Mr. Ma Shimin and Mr. Allen.
Their reply was simple: sue if we want.
They'll cover all the breach penalties for those employees.
Stopping the poaching? Impossible."
"Traitors! They're all traitors!" Henry Keswick roared, grabbing a stack of documents from the shelf and hurling them to the floor.
Ma Shimin, the former executive director of Jardines Matheson.
Allen, the current Deputy General Manager of Jardines Securities.
Together, they had stolen away almost the entire elite force of Jardines Securities.
Without them, how could Jardines Securities possibly operate?
The room fell into a deathly silence, faces grim and despairing.
Henry Keswick paced like a furious lion, gasping for air, his eyes bloodshot.
"We cannot sit here and wait to die!"
He stopped abruptly, turning to Simon.
"Simon, immediately contact all remaining employees.
Offer to match any salary the others were promised.
If we can offer competitive pay, maybe we can convince some to stay."
Simon nodded mechanically.
However, his confidence was completely shaken.
Ever since taking over, the situation at Jardines Matheson had deteriorated rapidly.
Henry Keswick, meanwhile, regretted stepping down.
Looking at Simon now, he could not help but feel intense disappointment.
When Henry had been at the helm, Jardines Matheson stood proudly atop Hong Kong's business world.
Even Wardley Bank had to bow before them.
Now?
They had lost Wharf Holdings, Jardines Property Group, and soon Jardines Securities.
They were being pushed out of Hong Kong entirely.
The greatest mistake, Henry realized now, had been thinking he could pass the baton smoothly.
Before Simon could respond, the legal advisor shook his head and said grimly,
"Mr. Henry, it's impossible."
Henry snapped his gaze toward him.
"Why?"
"All seven hundred employees who jumped ship signed new contracts with Huanyu Investment, with breach penalties ten times higher than before.
If we try to lure them back, we'll face over three hundred million Hong Kong dollars in penalties.
Clearly, they anticipated this," the legal advisor said bitterly.
The room fell silent again.
This was ruthless. Absolutely ruthless.
Henry Keswick's face darkened further, his eyes flashing with cold, murderous light.
Three hundred million...
"They dare... they dare treat Jardines Matheson like this!"
Henry spat out the words in a low growl.
The legal advisor shrugged helplessly.
"Mr. Henry, we're at a severe disadvantage.
Jardines Property Group and Huanyu Investment were fully prepared.
They knew Jardines Securities' elite would be tempted by higher pay."
"Our bigger worry now is the remaining two hundred-plus employees.
If they leave too, Jardines Securities will collapse completely."
Simon looked helplessly at his brother, hoping Henry could find a solution.
But Henry just stood there, fists clenched, staring at the floor, deep in thought.
None of them considered the fact that it was their own fault.
If they hadn't tried to frame Lin Haoran and manipulate public opinion, none of this would have happened.
Initially, Lin Haoran hadn't even cared much about Jardines Securities.
During earlier negotiations, when the Keswicks tried to regain control of Jardines Matheson, Lin Haoran had demanded other assets—but never Jardines Securities.
He knew full well that its lofty market value was based largely on Jardines Matheson's backing.
Without that backing, Jardines Securities was hollow.
Now that the core employees were gone, what was left?
Even if they tried to sell Jardines Securities now, no one would buy it.
While Hong Kong had many financial professionals, true elite talents were already snapped up by the major firms.
Trying to rebuild Jardines Securities by raiding Wardley or Bao Yuan Investment?
Impossible.
Moreover, if Jardines Matheson tried poaching staff now, they would only make more enemies.
It was a dead end.
A complete dead end.
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