Ch. 1161..1170

Life at the Top Chapter 1161

Roy’s expression paled when he heard this.

Standing beside him, Gerry immediately understood that Jasper’s words were actually directed at himself. After all, he had been in working in the industry for a long time.

His expression changed and Gerry smiled wryly at Jasper. “Mr. Laine, this restaurant has quite a few shareholders and Roy is one of them. I may hold more shares than him, but it wouldn’t be right to just fire him.”

“Hmm. You’re right. There’s no such thing as firing a shareholder.” Jasper nodded understandingly.

Roy let out an internal sigh of relief when he heard Jasper’s reply. At the same time, he also lost a bit of respect for the man. ‘Looks like Mr. Laine isn’t all that great. His identity’s just slightly more formidable, but not unimaginably so.’

‘See? Isn’t Jasper also admitting that there’s nothing he can do?’

‘I’ll just need to treat him to a meal after this to apologize. Then, we can all move on from this.’

With that thought, Roy could not help but feel gleeful again.

He looked at Tiffany secretly and his chest burned with desire.

‘Turns out, this Mr. Laine isn’t even that powerful. I’ll give him room to back off then I’ll secretly make this woman mine. There’s nothing he can possibly do anyway once I’ve had a taste of her.’

Roy felt extremely excited when he thought of that, and he felt the urge to pull Tiffany into his arms.

Yet, he did not know that Jasper was aware of every minute change in his expression and gaze.

Scoffing, Jasper said, “Since you can’t fire a shareholder, then you’ll just have to close the restaurant down.”

Roy was stunned when he heard Jasper as he looked at the man confusedly. He wondered if he had imagined the man’s words.

Gerry’s expression turned disgruntled, but he could not refute Jasper.

“Aren’t you going too far, Mr. Laine?” Roy grit his teeth and asked.

“A good number of shareholders invested a total of tens of millions to open this restaurant. What right do you have to close it down just like that?”

“The fact that I own the lot your restaurant currently rents,” Jasper replied calmly.

“No way!” Roy was in disbelief.

“F*cking dumb *ss!” Gerry glared at Roy and scolded, “Forget this shop lot, more than half of Gold Pedestrian Street is Mr. Laine’s property. Who the f*ck do you think you are? Do you know what trouble you’re getting yourself into?”

Jasper ignored the scolding Gerry was giving Roy and continued, “I’ll pass along my instructions later, after which, the JW Real Estate staff in charge of Gold Pedestrian Street’s property will come and terminate the contract with you.”

“We’re not leasing this lot to you anymore, so please close your doors and move out within three days.”

Roy was stricken and he stood dumbly in place. He shouted raspily, “No, no way! We signed a contract!”

Jasper looked at Roy’s desperate expression and answered calmly, “Everything will be in accordance with the contract. I’ll just pay you the compensation for breaching it.”

“No, no. Don’t!” Gerry was terrified. He did not dare to take this money from Jasper. “We’ll close the restaurant immediately. There’s no need to bring up the compensation fee at all, Mr. Laine. I’ll talk to the other shareholders, we can’t possibly take that compensation from you.”

“We’re at fault for this, and I promise that we’ll give you a satisfactory response.”

Gerry glared darkly at Roy as he said this. It was evident that Roy would have to come up with compensation for the shareholder’s losses.

Roy understood what Gerry had in mind and he shuddered. Fear engulfed him.

He was just a businessman with a bit of extra money. There was no comparing him with Gerry and the others. He would go bankrupt in the blink of an eye if he had to compensate them for their losses!

At that thought, Roy exclaimed in terror, “Mr. Laine! Please forgive me, I’m really sorry!”

Life at the Top Chapter 1162

Roy’s tragic pleading did not evoke Jasper’s compassion.

If it were any other person, Roy might bully them badly such that no one would pity them. At the end of the day, people like Roy would only take advantage of others’ kindness.

Hence, it would benefit society to get rid of these people early.

“Enough! Stop shouting!”

Seeing that Jasper remained unaffected by Roy’s pleas, Gerry did not dare to let the man continue. He glared and shouted at Roy, “What’re you still here for? Get lost! There’s no place for you to talk here!”

Roy did not dare to leave. Staying meant he still had a shred of hope, but his life would be over if he left.

Gerry saw through Roy’s intentions and said coldly, “I’ll give you a chance to leave, which you’ll take if you’re smart. Mr. Laine isn’t the kind to kill you off.”

“But if you choose to continue and anger Mr. Laine, then don’t blame me for turning against you, Pearce!” Gerry was truly frantic.

Only he knew the fear he felt toward Jasper.

Getting rid of the Haddock’s Chamber of Commerce’s Waterhoof City branch was one thing, but what terrified Gerry the most was the news he had received.

Norman and his daughter had sold all their property this morning and had taken the earliest flight out of the country.

Others might now know about this, but Gerry was well aware of this piece of information.

He also knew that Norman had contacted the little prince, and the Royal family, to protect his property.

The little prince had stood up for Norman as well. Despite this, Norman had been forced to leave

overnight.

The implications behind this terrified Gerry.

It meant that Jasper had met the little prince and the two had come to a compromise.

There was no way Gerry would know of the exact contents of the meeting, but he could clearly see that Norman did not get the protection he wanted.

Norman and his daughter might not have died, but Jasper had never intended to take their lives in the first place.

Therefore, from what Gerry could see, he believed that Jasper had forcibly made the little prince give in to him.

The terror Gerry felt when he found out that the little prince had stepped aside to give Jasper access to Norman was no less than the respect he had for Jasper.

If Roy continued to yap on and cause Jasper to divert his anger to himself, then Gerry would truly take Roy’s life.

Roy shuddered when he saw the furious glare Gerry gave him. He clenched his jaw and remained quiet. Roy knew that he would not be allowed to live if he completely angered Gerry.

Utter regret filled Roy for being driven by sexual desires, as it had gotten him into real trouble now.

After the emotional rollercoaster he had gone through, Roy looked devastated as he kept his head down as he left.

Gerry turned to Jasper politely after Roy left and said, “This is all a misunderstanding, Mr. Laine. Really. How about this, since we’ve coincidentally met, how about I treat you to a meal, Mr. Laine?”

Jasper glanced at Tiffany and waved him off. “No need. I came here today to have dinner with my sister.”

Gerry was a smart man and he immediately substituted ‘sister’ with ‘lover’. He chuckled and turned to Tiffany, “What a pretty sister you have, Mr. Laine. I didn’t prepare any meeting gift, but here, for you. I hope you like it.”

With that, Gerry pulled out a diamond necklace from his breast pocket

From the exquisite packaging, one could tell that this might have been a gift Gerry had bought to win over a woman.

Tiffany had been in such a situation before, and shook her head with flushed cheeks. Then, she hid behind Jasper.

Jasper replied calmly, “You’re too kind, Mr. Heron. Thank you for the thought, but there’s no need for gifts.”

Gerry let out a sigh of relief when he heard Jasper speak.

He was truly afraid that Jasper would hold today’s events over his head. He would be in great trouble if that were the case.

He might have lost a bustling seafood restaurant today, but the restaurant was not completely his own. He had only invested a little bit of money in it, so he did not care much about the loss.

However, if Jasper made him an enemy, Gerry did not believe he would end up any better than Norman.

It was great that Jasper declined dinner since Gerry had come today to meet another distinguished guest. He would be troubled if Jasper decided to stay.

Gerry was about to say something when a group of people arrived.

These people were currently chatting happily among themselves.

In the middle of the crowd was a handsome man in his twenties, donning a sharp red jacket and wearing a silver shiny earring on his ear.

The group walked over, and Gerry’s expression changed when he saw the young man. He quickly went over to greet him, “Mr. Chavez, you’re here early.”

‘Mr. Chavez?”

Jasper was intrigued when he heard the rare surname, and turned to look at the group of people.

The young man by the title Mr. Chavez replied calmly, “Why? Do I have to tell you what time I arrive too?”

Gerry bowed slightly and quickly smiled. He replied, “Of course not. What I meant was that I could have met you downstairs if I knew the time of your grand arrival, Mr. Chavez.”

At that moment, Mr. Chavez also spotted Jasper.

Despite being the first time the duo met, this Mr. Chavez seemed to recognize Jasper.

“Jasper Laine?” Mr. Chavez arched his brow and asked casually.

From Mr. Chavez’s reaction, Jasper knew that he had guessed the identity of this man correctly.

Prince Chavez, also known as the crown prince.

He was the heir, as well as the most important member, of Clear Seas, an extremely strong company among the country’s capitalist circle.

“Prince Chavez,” Jasper greeted calmly.

Prince chuckled and raised his hand to touch the earring on his left ear as he replied, “I much prefer being referred to as the crown prince.”

“Might as well use Your Highness, then,” Jasper commented.

“Haha,” Prince laughed out loud and said, “I have no qualms with that either.”

Prince’s arrogance could be seen in how he referred to himself.

“The last imperial dynasty ended long ago. There are no crown princes in the country anymore.”

Prince’s gaze turned sinisterly cold upon hearing Jasper’s remark.

“That depends on where we are. As long as I’m around, then there will be a crown prince!”

Jasper shrugged and replied, “This is a modern society where everyone has freedom of speech. You can call yourself a king if you want.

“Of course, but remember not to take it too seriously. It wouldn’t be worth it to get charged with the crime of dividing the country. You’re a law student, Tiff. What is the punishment for such a crime?”

Tiffany was familiar with her curriculum, and she immediately replied, “At least three years jail-time. If the circumstances are severe, the first offense can even be charged with life imprisonment.”

Prince’s smile began to fade upon witnessing Jasper and Tiffany’s coordination. His expression turned sinister as well.

Life at the Top Chapter 1163

Prince stared at Jasper expressionlessly and said coldly, “Looks like rumors were right, Jasper. You are indeed very arrogant.”

“There are many rumors about me but I always thought of myself as humble and cautious. I don’t know when the word ‘arrogant’ began to be associated with me, but perhaps it’s because people don’t know me very well. I’m sure that once they get to know me, they’d find that I’m a really easy person to get along with.”

Prince harrumphed at Jasper’s claim and said, “Cut the nonsense with me. It’s useless.”

“Since you know who I am, Jasper, then I’m sure you know about the situation there too. So, stop playing dumb.”

“I’ll tell you straight up. I have my eyes on the online payment industry.”

Then, Prince smiled and stepped out of his small crowd toward Jasper. Once he got close, Prince grinned wretchedly and said slowly, “You, get lost!”

Beside them, Julian narrowed his eyes at Prince’s taunting words.

All he needed was a glance from Jasper, and Julian would crush Prince’s head without hesitation, crown prince or king.

As far as Julian was concerned, no one was allowed to provoke Jasper.

Yet, Jasper only looked at Prince calmly.

Ever since he started his business, Jasper had been faced with countless enemies.

As he began to climb the ranks, the enemies he had to fight against also gradually grew stronger.

His enemy Fabian had already caused him a multitude of problems even though they had yet to meet.

His so-called ally, the little prince, posed a danger that surpassed anyone he met.

Prince, who stood before him now, was not an easy opponent to deal with either.

Jasper could tell there was a scheming man beneath all his arrogance.

Not that it mattered.

“We shall see, then,” Was all Jasper calmly replied.

Prince laughed out loud, yet his gaze was exceptionally dark.

“No one’s ever dared to steal what Iwanted ever since I was a child. I’ve already got my eyes on the online payment industry, so there’s no way I’d let anyone else touch it. There are plenty of people vying to go against you, Jasper, but I’m not going to sink to their level just to get rid of you together.”

“Still, be smart and back out of the online payment industry. I have nothing against doing something many other people would like to see.”

Prince stared and sneered at Jasper after he finished speaking, then he turned his head away. “Let’s go. It’s dinner time.”

With that, he left arrogantly.

Jasper narrowed his eyes as he watched Prince leave. A spark flickered in his eyes.

“Mr… Mr. Laine?”

Gerry’s cautious tone caused Jasper to look over.

“Not going to serve Prince?” Jasper asked.

Gerry’s expression was dark.

He had used all kinds of contacts and methods to finally seem of slight importance in front of Prince. The man was the distinguished guest he was supposed to be treating to a meal today.

However, after what had just happened, even an idiot could tell that Jasper and Prince were at each other’s throats.

Gerry immediately felt as if he was being grilled over high heat. He did not know which side to join.

He was afraid that Jasper would direct his anger onto him, and terrified that Prince would be able to tell that he and Jasper were acquainted. The latter would get him into grave trouble.

Life at the Top Chapter 1164

“Go ahead. What you choose to invest in is your own business.”

Jasper said calmly, then he ignored Gerry and left with Tiffany and Julian in tow.

Gerry stomped his foot as he watched Jasper leave. He felt the urge to slap himself.

Of all the times, it had to happen now. What a coincidence.

Prince and Jasper just had to become enemies, and the day he decided to treat Prince to dinner, Jasper just had to be there to find out.

Jasper who had no idea of Gerry’s internal turmoil as he soon arrived downstairs.

“Jasper, did I end up causing you trouble again?” Tiffany saw Jasper’s stern expression and asked softly.

Jasper snapped back to reality and smiled. “Not at all. There was some other issue, but it wasn’t your fault… Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?”

“But we agreed that I would treat you,” Tiffany whispered, “But we can do it next time if you’re busy, Jasper.”

“There’s no rush. Work can wait, but we can’t drag on the celebration for your first part-time paycheck. How about this, let’s eat somewhere else.” Jasper smiled.

Tiffany felt conflicted when she saw a gentle smile grace Jasper’s features again.

“Alright.”

All the words she wanted to say were condensed into one.

She was not an idiot. She could tell that the man from just now would pose great trouble for Jasper.

Still, Jasper had chosen to eat with her.

Tiffany told herself internally that this would be the first and last time she acted on a whim.

Julian followed the duo as they shopped around Gold Pedestrian Street, then went to a restaurant on the beach with a nice view and atmosphere.

It was not a cheap place to dine in. The three were frugal, yet they had ended up spending more than 400 Somer Dollars altogether.

Jasper had a small smile on his face as he watched Tiffany pull out money for the bill excitedly. Being considerate of the girl’s self-esteem, Jasper did not try to help her pay for it.

The dinner came as a product of her desire to thank him, and it meant more than 400 Somer Dollars to her. Hence, Jasper did not do anything to kill the mood.

After dinner, Jasper had Julian drive Tiffany back to school. Jasper sent her to the entrance of her dorm before he walked out of Hoofmorn University.

Once he got into the car, Jasper’ s smile instantly vanished and he immediately called Hudson and Wayne.

Jasper did not say much and only told them one thing over the phone.

He had to pack their luggage and make their way to the airport immediately, where his private plane would bring them over to Waterhoof City overnight.

After that, the first private Gulfstream airplane parked in Nauritus City International Airport immediately departed upon receiving Jasper’s instruction.

Its first stop was to pick Hudson up from the further distanced Cavern City, then it went to Hervey City to pick Wayne up. It was already two-thirty in the morning by the time the airplane arrived at Waterhoof City International Airport.

After that, Hudson and Wayne rushed over to the hotel from the airport, looking exhausted from the flight. It was three-fifty in the morning when they arrived.

On the other hand, Jasper was still wide awake.

In the study of Jasper’s hotel room, he shook Wayne and Hudson’s hands before everyone took their seats.

Jasper smiled and said, “Sorry for troubling you two into coming overnight.”

Hudson had known Jasper longer, and he replied with a smile, “It wasn’t much trouble, Mr. Laine. But I have to say, that airplane of yours is quite the vehicle. It wasn’t too tiring coming all the way here.”

Wayne, who was currently in his start-up stage, was more realistic and he went asked straightforwardly, “Is something wrong, Mr. Laine? Why did you call us over so suddenly?”

Jasper knocked on the table with his finger and replied, “Since you asked, then I might as well get straight to the point. This is a matter of life and death for Terizone and Abbylon.”

Life at the Top Chapter 1165

Both Hudson’s and Wayne’s expressions changed slightly upon hearing this.

Both of them knew that, considering his character, Jasper would not make a joke about something like this. Not to mention that he had flown both of them over from different cities with his private plane. It would be ridiculous for him to go so far just to make a joke.

Hence, Jasper’s words had to hold significant meaning. Jasper exhaled softly and continued, “It’s to do with payment.”

Payment!

Wayne and Hudson frowned at the mention of this.

Payment methods were the most important aspect of online shopping platforms, so Wayne was no stranger to online payments. He also knew that he could not make his platform into something big no matter how good it was if they did not find a good solution for this problem.

“As things stand, the government has plans to standardize online payment; it will be implemented through policies soon. They’ll most likely try to increase accessibility and standardize market behavior.”

“This implies that the government is aware of the huge effect that online payment may bring, which is why they’re setting a standard in advance.”

“This involves many parties, and we’ve already got competition. If we’re not careful, our opponent will completely seize control of the online payment market. We’ll be in trouble if that happens.”

Hudson seemed fine when he heard Jasper explain this, but Wayne’s expression changed completely.

The main point of an online shopping platform was to have a huge number of products and a quick and convenient shopping method. From signing up on the website to choosing goods to communicating with suppliers, everything came down to paying for the goods.

If someone else were to dominate online payment, then he might as well close his online shopping platform.

“Don’t worry. Since we have the first-mover advantage, it won’t be that easy for competition to get rid of us,” Jasper consoled Wayne.

“But we don’t have much time now, so we have to take control of the online payment industry before the direction of the future has been decided.”

“I’ve thought about this before. We’ll take the online payment technology platform that Terizone Inc and Sena partnered to create, then integrate it with Abbylon’s shopping platform.”

“Then I’ll separate this segment and establish a whole new subsidiary for it. This subsidiary company will only take care of online payments, and it will be the most important company that will connect all of JW’s dot-com enterprises.”

Jasper’s words were not complicated, and since both Wayne and Hudson were experienced businessmen, they immediately understood what he meant.

This meant that all Internet companies under JW in the future would have business with this online payment company.

This company’s importance had instantly outshone any other.

It immediately became JW’s new core.

“JW Capital will own 70% of the new payment company’s shares. For the remaining 30%, I’m planning to split it between Terizone and Abbylon equally. JW Capital will maintain ownership and be the majority shareholder, but I plan to hand management rights over to both of you.”

Wayne and Hudson’s eyes lit up brightly when they heard this.

“I’ve thought about the specifics of management too, and I’ve decided to go with a co-CEO model.”

This co-CEO model meant that two presidents would hold the same level of authority in the company. Both presidents would be in charge of operating and managing the entire company together.

“For this co-CEO model, I’ve taken into account both your own positions and work. Unfortunately, it’s against my principles to allow you two to assume the role of CEO of this new company yourselves. However, the two of you can hand me your recommendations and I’ll personally assign them to the role.”

Jasper glanced at the two men and continued immediately, almost as if he knew what they were thinking.

If Terizone and Abbylon wanted to compete, it had to be through positive and friendly competition. Fighting internally would only result in friction and a waste of JW’s resources. There was no way Jasper would allow both conquerors like Hudson and Wayne to share the same chair.

That was a recipe for trouble.

Things would be much easier to deal with if the duo recommended their own men.

“I… don’t see why not.”

Wayne and Hudson shared a look before nodding and saying. They saw the effort Jasper had put into solving this issue.

This was indeed the best way to avoid conflict

There would of course still be arguments over authority within the new company for a co-CEO model, but that did not matter anymore.

The company’s ultimate authority still laid in Jasper’s hand, while the duo were not unreasonable rookies but rather people who knew their priorities. Conflicts over authority would still exist in the new company, but Jasper’s plan ensured that it would be limited to an acceptable level.

“As I said before, Abbylon and Terizone may both be subsidiaries of JW as its still the majority shareholder, but they are completely different companies. Needless to say, the two of you have completely different interests and demands. You can put your own interests first, but do not strain your relationship too much.”

Jasper was essentially setting a limit to the scale of conflict Abbylon and Terizone’s could have more than a decade into the future when two of them would be giants of the industry.

They could fight, only so long as it was within his pre-determined limits.

“Next, let’s talk about the specific technology bylaws and modus operandi. We have to come up with a realistic and implementable proposal tonight. We never know, I might have to hand this proposal up to the government for reference very soon.”

…

Jasper knew that if the government wanted to devise a better access policy for online payment, that they would definitely ask for his opinion.

After all, he was the only person in the country who was operating an online payment company.

However, he did not expect everything to happen so soon.

The following day, Jasper had not managed to sleep for long after pulling an all-nighter when Vita’s phone call woke him up.

Life at the Top Chapter 1166

Half an hour later, after a simple breakfast Jasper had Julian drive him to ICBS’ Waterhoof City branch’s conference room.

Vita met Jasper outside the conference room.

“How is it? Did I miss anything?” Jasper asked.

Vita quickly replied, “You’re just in time. The conference starts in five minutes.”

“The higher-ups sent a survey team to attend this conference. The main objective of today is to confirm the access policy. I’ve already sorted your ideas and handed them over, so they might ask you a few more questions about it.”

Jasper nodded. He was about to push open the door and enter when Vita lowered his voice and said, “Prince is inside too.”

Jasper arched his brow slightly. “He doesn’t have an online payment company not any relevant experience. What’s he doing inside?”

Vita smiled wryly and replied, “We can’t decline him because of his status. Soha’s vice president’s also inside with him.”

Jasper nodded. He pushed open the conference room door and walked in.

There were not too many people in the conference room, just five to six, but everyone looked stern.

Jasper immediately attracted everyone’s gaze once he entered the room.

Sitting on the left of the conference table was Prince. The man tinkered with the earring on his earlobe and

looked at Jasper neither dark nor brightly. Then, he sneered.

The middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table was very polite as he took the initiative to walk up and shake Jasper’s hand.

“Hello, Mr. Laine. I’m the leader of the survey team, Barnaby Wilcher. You can call me Mr. Wilcher.”

Jasper smiled and shook Mr. Wilcher’s hand. “Mr. Wilcher, please survey to your heart’s content.”

Barnaby laughed out loud and replied, “It’s our job. Well then, let’s begin the conference.”

Under Barnaby’s lead, Jasper sat on his right, coincidentally right opposite Prince.

The conference was about to begin when Prince suddenly said casually, “Wait. Before the conference starts, I have something to say.

“Since there’s no set policy for online payment yet, I think all running businesses should temporarily be put on hold. Only after the policy’s issued should the company be re-reviewed, after which qualifications and licenses can be distributed.”

Everyone looked at Jasper after hearing this.

Even an idiot could tell that Prince was targeting Jasper alone with his words.

This was because Jasper was the only person in the country officially operating an online payment system. Jasper would be forced to suffer a huge loss by putting his online payment system on hold until the policy was enforced, his company’s qualifications were re-reviewed, and a license was distributed to him.

Jasper was expressionless when he replied calmly, “Well then, Mr. Chavez, I wonder if you eat by injecting food into your stomach and waiting for it to digest before you take it out to chew?”

Muffled snorts were heard from the other attendees. They could not help but laugh at the response.

Even Mr. Wilcher, who was hosting the meeting, showed a tint of mirth on the corner of his lips.

Prince was the only one with a pitch-black expression. He stared at Jasper and asked, “What did you say, Jasper?”

“Don’t you know understand what I said?” Jasper asked back.

This conference had been a fight between him and Prince to begin with, and Jasper would not lose.

Admitting defeat meant that there would be a slight change to the policy in the future. One that might result in a huge attack against his properties.

Because of this, Jasper was fully prepared to face off against Prince, both from a logical and emotional perspective.

“Online payment is a concept I first proposed, and with the central bank and the government’s support, it’s proven to be a viable option to adopt. I have no qualms about sharing the fruit of my hard work with you since I had never decided to act illegally and monopolize the country’s market.”

“But this is still a survey conference, after all, one that will decide the policy framework of the online payment industry in the future. So what are you trying to do by requesting that I close my operating platform right off the bat?”

“My partnership is recognized by ICBS, the central bank, and the government. I will change according to the official policy when it’s issued in the future, but I will not put a halt to my business until then.”

Jasper’s words were well-founded and reasonable.

Even Mr. Wilcher nodded slightly in approval.

However, there was no way Prince would give up so easily when he had the intention to cause trouble for Jasper.

“You make it sound so nice, but I heard rumors long ago that your online payment has a turnover of tens of millions everyday. Who knows if you’ve done anything illegal? Would you dare to pull out all your data for us to audit?”

The atmosphere in the conference room changed at that.

Prince did not stop there.

“Do you know how much wealth is involved in a turnover of tens of millions? Do you know how much dirty money you can earn with even a slightly underhanded trick?”

“You think that just because you claim that there’s nothing’s wrong that there won’t be a problem at all?”

“You want to prove your innocence? Sure. The best way to do so would be to share your data with the public and let us investigate it thoroughly.”

Jasper glanced at Prince’s prideful expression and replied calmly, “So you want to investigate me. What happens if there’s nothing wrong, then?”

Prince snorted. “Shouldn’t that be the given? You’d be in grave trouble if there was something wrong. What do you mean, ‘what then’?”

“So you mean I have to immediately reveal all my data to the public and let you flip through all my important trade secrets as you wish. However, if there’s no problem, you’ll just up and leave matter-of-factly, correct?”

Prince grinned. “Exactly. That’s correct. Why, do you not dare to do so?”

“It’s not that I don’t dare.”

Jasper shook his head.

“I’m just really curious how you can be so arrogant.”

“Following your logic, it means that I can enter your house and start digging around. If I find nothing I want, then I’ll just walk out self-righteously. If I find something, then I’ll confiscate it and your entire house. What difference is that from a common bandit?”

“Not to mention that neither of us have any say in whether there’s anything wrong with it or not. All my companies have performed their tax duties and cooperated with tax auditing businesses. There’s never been any problem when it comes to us and paying taxes.”

“But according to what you said, are you telling me that your authority is above the tax department? Or perhaps you think that everyone in the tax department is useless and are not as skilled as you.”

“You want to investigate? Sure. I can open all my data to the public. But what about Clear Seas Industrial’s data? Can I investigate that as well?”

Prince’s expression darkened with every word. Once he heard the last part about investigating Clear Seas’ data, Prince exploded in fury like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

“Who the f*ck do you think you are? How dare you propose investigating Clear Seas Industrial’s accounts? Who gave you the right to say something so treacherous?!”

In comparison to Prince’s fury, Jasper looked much more laid-back. He nodded calmly and said, “Exactly. You just voiced out exactly what I wanted to say.”

Prince narrowed his eyes and glared at Jasper. The conflict between the two seemed even more incendiary than ever before.

Life at the Top Chapter 1167

Prince suddenly smiled and slowly sat back down. He raised his hand to play with his earring and said, “Wow. You’re not a weak opponent at all, Mr. Laine. Very well, then. Let’s start the conference.”

Everyone felt uneasy at the drastic difference in Prince’s attitudes. It was as if he had turned into a completely different person.

Jasper was the only one who frowned slightly as he internally raised Prince’s level of danger toward him.

The impression Prince gave Jasper right now was of an arrogant and insolent man. However, beneath all these emotions hid an even stronger capability to control them.

People like him were very difficult to deal with.

Mr. Wilcher finally found the opportunity to speak. He cleared his throat and said, “Let’s move on from the previous topic. There are two agendas for this conference today.”

“Firstly, about the access review policy plan Mr. Prince Chavez proposed for the online payment industry. It’s a great plan, and after further research, we’ve found that we can use this suggestion as a sort of the blueprint while designing the future policy.”

Prince finally smiled after he heard Mr. Wilcher’s words.

The entire proposal was designed with a professional AI policy research team under Mr. Wilcher.

The proposal ensured that the government’s goals were met while his own interests were kept. As far as Prince was concerned, there was no reason for this proposal to be rejected.

Prince chuckled and said, “I just want to standardize the industry even more. Otherwise, other people might start thinking that just because they came first, that the entire industry now belongs to him. They should at least take a look at themselves first. Wouldn’t you say so, Mr. Laine?”

Prince’s attention was fixed on Jasper the entire time, so he did not realize the awkward smile on Mr. Wilcher’s face.

“Uh, I’m not done yet,” Mr. Wilcher interrupted.

Prince leaned back against the chair and said casually, “It’s alright. There’s no need to praise, to thank, or to give me recognition. I’m just doing my part. Only by brainstorming and working together can we make the best out of the industry.”

Mr. Wilcher’s expression turned even more awkward.

“After a research meeting and taking all aspects into consideration, we’ve decided to use Mr. Jasper Laine’s proposal as the final executed standard that will decide the future direction of the industry’s policies.”

With Mr. Wilcher’s words, the conference room fell pin-drop silent.

Prince’s smile froze on his face and his expression became as dark as a moonless night.

Mr. Wilcher had been speaking about how Prince’s proposal could be used as a blueprint mere moments ago, only to state that they would use Jasper’s suggestion as the final executed standard in the next. The stark contrast in both sentences had the other employees in the room feeling agitated, let alone Prince himself.

Prince’s explosive temper could not be contained anymore, and he turned to glare at Mr. Wilcher. “What did you say?!”

Mr. Wilcher felt awkward, but his identity and status were still somewhat powerful. Hence, he felt displeased when he heard Prince’s interrogative tone.

“Mr. Chavez, I understand where you’re coming from but please correct your attitude. All decisions were made during the research meeting and was not decided by any one person.”

Prince felt like he had been made fun of as he suppressed his fury that was moments away from exploding again. He answered, “Didn’t you say that my proposal would be taken as a blueprint? What the f*ck is Jasper’s proposal?”

Mr. Wilcher sighed and said, “The overall decision of the higher-ups is to carry out the license issuance system. The government will do a comprehensive qualification review before a company can apply, and they will only be issued a license should they pass it. Your idea of a 1 billion Somer Dollar security deposit has also been retained.”

“Mr. Chavez, the biggest difference between Mr. Laine’s and your suggestion is that he proposed that the bank can partner with multiple companies possessing an online payment license, meaning that the industry is open to the public. Mr. Chavez, the scope of your proposal was too narrow.”

“Online payment is new, but it will become a huge industry. No one is allowed to monopolize it.”

Prince’s expression darkened with every word.

When Mr. Wilcher told him unkindly that his scope was too narrow, Prince slammed the table and pointed at Jasper’s nose while scolding, “How dare you f*cking steal my profits, Laine?!”

Jasper looked up and glanced at Prince before he replied calmly, “Didn’t you say it yourself? I’m just doing my part. Only by brainstorming and working together can we make the best out of the industry, no?”

The last thing Prince expected was for Jasper to revoke the most important part of his proposal.

“Are you f*cking crazy?! What good does opening this industry to the public do for you? You’re willing to screw everyone over just to stop me from profiting, huh?”

Prince was infuriated.

“The license qualification review and the 1 billion security deposit means nothing. But you allowing the bank to partner with multiple companies means that you’re completely opening the industry to the public! How f*cking cruel of you, Jasper!”

Life at the Top Chapter 1168

Prince’s anger was only natural.

The man was in a rush to prove himself to his family. He was optimistic about the online payment industry, and he had invested a lot of time and effort to make it come true.

To Prince, this incident was like a trial for him. If he passed, then he would be given more say in the family enterprise. If he failed, then he was to do his part and be an obedient son of his wealthy family.

Prince was indignant.

After paying the price in an immeasurable amount of effort, Prince’s most basic goal was to monopolize and enforce a blockade on the market so that only he alone was allowed to operate it.

The situation had been going great until Jasper suddenly appeared. After Jasper figuratively flipped the dinner table so that no one could eat anything, Prince now hated the man to his very core.

However, it had never occurred to him that Jasper had already stepped foot in this industry before he could. If he wanted to control the entire market, he had to throw Jasper out.

Jasper ignored all of Prince’s scolding and complaints. After all, he had more important things to do than deal with Prince’s disgruntlement.

“Mr. Wilcher. I also brought something this time.”

Jasper then pulled out a stack of papers. Mr. Wilcher looked at it then waved his hand, and someone immediately distributed the papers to everyone.

Prince received a copy as well.

“I’d like to see what tricks he has up his sleeve!”

Prince scoffed and flipped open the document.

He had only taken one look when his pupils constricted.

As the sound of flipping pages sounded filled the conference room, Jasper began to elaborate on his plan.

“I’ll announce the establishment of a whole new company very soon that will continue development of the online payment platform initially run by Terizone Inc. The company will also arrive at an in-depth strategic cooperation agreement with the three companies Terizone, Sena, and Abbylon.”

“This new company will only be in charge of one business, online payment.”

“For this, in addition to the 1 billion Somer Dollar security deposit with the central bank, I will also put in an extra 1 billion specifically for compensation purposes. This way, anyone who uses my online payment business will not have to worry, as any loss of funds will be compensated for in full without failure.”

Prince’s hand shook when he took in the contents of the document.

He knew that this would be the nail in the coffin.

Should Jasper begin to execute this, no one in the country’s online payment industry would be able to defeat Jasper.

Prince passed the document to his team of research consultants that had followed him here, then turned to glare at Jasper with extreme hatred and iciness.

He realized that he had to do everything possible to stop Jasper.

Otherwise, it would be over to him.

In stark contrast to Prince, Mr. Wilcher and the rest became more terrified and satisfied as they read on.

“Mr. Laine, if you don’t mind me asking, is this entire operating concept and framework, as well as what you said just now, true?” Mr. Wilcher asked.

Jasper chuckled. The contents of the document were something he had come up with Hudson and Wayne overnight.

The concept was something he had introduced from the future, it was something that was proven to be feasible as history had proven. Hence, Jasper had no fear that it would fail.

“I wouldn’t make a joke in such a situation. I’ll make my words come true.”

Mr. Wilcher shouted after hearing Jasper’s reply, “Good!”

“We were still worried before about this completely new industry. The government might have come up with a policy and standard, but we’ve never encountered something like this before. There is no relative experience for this overseas either, so we were worried that a problem would arise somewhere along the process.”

“But with you leading the way, Mr. Laine, I’m confident that there won’t be any problem at all.”

“Wait!”

Prince’s voice interrupted Mr. Wilcher’s joyful conversation with Jasper.

Mr. Wilcher frowned irritably as he looked at Prince. He said patiently, “Is there anything you’d like to add, Mr. Chavez?”

Prince sneered and stared at Jasper before saying, “You’re about to establish a new subsidiary, right, Jasper? Great Then I’ll use this setting and opportunity to announce something as well.”

“Soha’s about to launch its own online payment platform too, very soon!”

Prince then stared daggers at Jasper and spat icily, “Since we’ve come to an agreement on the policy, Jasper, let’s decide the true victor on the market. Whoever dies will be forced to pull out from the market. Do you dare to accept my challenge?”

Life at the Top Chapter 1169

Before Jasper could react to Prince’s words, the vice president of Soha sitting beside the latter paled in shock.

‘Since when was Soha about to launch an online payment platform?’

‘As vice president, how do I not know about this?’

‘We have nothing. What are we launching?’

‘We have no product to sell, so there’s no reason for any customer to use a barebones online payment platform! What are we launching it for, then?’

Sitting on his chair, the vice president felt sweat bead and trickle down his forehead. He was frantic.

Yet, Prince showed no signs of interest in this as he glared at Jasper.

“So? Do you dare to take up my challenge or not?”

Jasper merely chuckled in the face of Prince’s aggressive and forceful shouting. The former replied, “I don’t care what you or Soha are going to do. If you think you have the capability then fight for what you want. What’s the point of blowing this into something bigger than it actually is?”

“Good!”

Prince smiled wretchedly and stood up to point at Jasper. He continued, “I’ll commend you for your bravery. But as someone who’s never experienced it for themselves, you’ll never know how terrifying it is to offend me.”

“I don’t need too much effort to get rid of you considering how small your capital is in comparison to mine. If you have a death wish, then I won’t be blamed for being cruel either.”

Mr. Wilcher shook his head at both Prince’s aggression and Jasper’s indifference.

If possible, he truly hoped that these two companies could collaborate and work together to develop this newly emerged industry.

However, from the way things looked now, it seemed like this was a pipe dream.

Not to mention that his identity at this conference was a sensitive one. He represented the government, so no matter how distasteful he found Prince’s arrogance, or how much he appreciated Jasper, he had to remain impartial.

“Alright. Now, let’s move on to the next item on the agenda. Before I do that, let me remind everyone once more that the point of this research conference is to plan for the online payment industry’s future. Please refrain from bringing up topics unrelated to this matter.”

“I would like everyone to try and refrain from adding your own emotions into this conference too, as it will only waste everyone’s time.”

The following discussion was spent with Mr. Wilcher’s research team asking Jasper about how online payments operated, what problems he’s faced or would face in the future, and how to resolve these problems. Overall, this could be considered a scenario where the government was asking for all of Jasper’s opinions in one go.

After all, Jasper was the only person in the entire country and world that was officially running an online payment system. There were similar businesses abroad, but those were of a completely different kind, and there was no way they could invite someone foreign over to conduct an interview.

It was evident that the government had decided to build this online payment industry well. Thus, they decided to resolve all potential problems that could possibly arise.

Naturally, Jasper was glad to help.

Be it within or outside the country, all companies required their respective government’s support if they wanted to grow.

The government planned for the benefit of its people while enterprises only had to worry about profiting, paying taxes, and internal personnel.

The government and enterprises were not enemies. In fact, they were co-dependent and could develop a mutually beneficial relationship.

However, while Jasper and Mr. Wilcher began to benefit from each other, Prince no longer had anything to do with the conference.

Prince might have wanted to enter the industry, but he had no experience in the online payment industry at all before this.

Soha’s vice president was useless in the scenario too, since Soha did not understand the industry either.

Life at the Top Chapter 1170

All they could do was watch as Jasper and Mr. Wilcher grew even closer.

Many people believed that with Prince’s temper, there was no way he would accept being discarded like this.

Surprisingly, Prince did not cause trouble throughout the rest of the conference. It was almost as if he had accepted the role as a bystander.

It was only his sinister gaze sweeping over Jasper from time to time that gave him away. After all, nobody would believe that this quiet man sitting at the conference desk could look as arrogant as he did at the beginning of the conference.

An hour later, the meeting ended.

Outside the conference room, Mr. Wilcher shook Jasper’s hand and said, “Thank you for so many of your suggestions, Mr. Laine. I’ll compile and hand this up as soon as possible. I’m sure that the official document will be issued in no time.”

Jasper smiled and replied, “I’m just doing my part.”

After their chat, Prince also walked out of the conference hall bossily.

He made a beeline for Jasper and snickered.

“I really want to rip your face off so I can send it to you and let you admire it, Jasper. Because it won’t be long before you’ll never get to smile again!”

Prince’s eyes shone with a venomous glint.

“I used to think that you were a prideful ant, but I realized that I was wrong. Rather than prideful, you’re just a scheming ant who has a bit of luck.”

“Not that it matters, since you’ re just an ant at the end of the day. It’d take no effort for me to crush you.”

Prince sneered and lowered his voice to continue, “You’ve never faced Clear Seas Industrial, so you’ll never know how powerful I am. I am the crown prince of Clear Seas Industrial! Just you wait, Jasper. I’ll make sure to kill you!”

Staring at Prince, who was mere inches away from him, Jasper replied calmly, “Let the results do the talking. What use is being ruthless with your words? Do you see me getting affected by them?”

Prince glared at Jasper and replied icily, “You sure have a way with words!”

“But I do hope that you can still joyfully rebut others in the future. Not that you’ll have the chance, though.”

Prince gave Jasper one last sinister look after he finished speaking, as if trying to memorize Jasper’s current expression before he turned his head and left.

Jasper watched Prince’s figure leave calmly.

However, no one seemed to realize that most of Jasper’s attention was not on Prince. Instead, it was focused on Soha’s vice president who stood beside Prince and whom had held an insignificant presence throughout the conference.

Jasper could clearly remember that when Prince first said that Soha was about to launch an online payment platform in the conference room, the vice president looked shocked and helpless. It was almost as if he had been told that aliens had invaded earth.

So why did he look overjoyed and confident now?

Excluding the few minutes Jasper and Mr. Wilcher had spent conversing outside after the conference was over, Jasper and Prince had been in the same venue the entire time.

‘Prince and that vice president were alone in the conference room only for those few minutes.

‘What did they talk about?

‘What was it that turned the vice president from a desperate mess mere moments ago, to an extremely confident man in the next?’

Jasper refused to believe that Prince had simply given the vice president an empty promise to console him.

The man had managed to become Soha’s vice president. Without seeing some tangible benefits, there was no way he would buy into a rich kid’s baseless plan.