Ch. 1881..1890
Life at the Top Chapter 1881
After sending off Robert, Jasper sighed and said, “Why should my generation not work hard if we have a senior like him?”
“You aren’t so bad yourself.”
Mr. McNeal said comfortingly, “Everyone knows how hard you work.”
“I don’t do the things I do so that anyone or everyone sees them. I just do them because I think it’s something I should do.
“Mr. McNeal.”
Jasper gazed solemnly at Mr. McNeal and Mr. Mason as he said seriously, “This time, I swear I’ll make Soros cry all the way back home.”
The previously tense atmosphere lightened up considerably after Jasper said that.
Mr. Mason, Ms. Garcia, and Tony bid their goodbyes and left after discussing some other issues for a while longer.
When Jasper noticed that everyone else had left, and he was left alone with Mr. McNeal, he knew that Mr. McNeal probably had something to discuss with him in private.
Sure enough, Mr. McNeal said, “Jasper, M s. Garcia has brought you your mission from the higher-ups the first time she came around. I want to ask you again now: is there anything you need our support for? Special times call for special measures. All your desires can be satisfied, as long as it does not involve going against our principles.”
Jasper thought for a while before saying, There’s nothing else. The main things I require cannot be provided by Swallow Capital. I’ve mentioned this before. We can’t rely entirely on the officials to support the market this time. Our main power must come from private capital.
“Whereas private capital relies on the results of the economic forum. Fortunately, I’ve been on good terms with everyone before this. Thus, everyone who was convinced to come here is willing to support the market.”
Mr. McNeal had a half-smirk on his face a s he said to Jasper, “Swallow Capital will not make such promises easily. Aren’t you planning to reap some benefits for yourself?”
“There aren’t any benefits.”
Jasper smiled bitterly as he said, “In terms of money, I need the big bucks, but I don’t need the petty cash. If I wantpower, they’ll definitely ask me to give up JW. But I’ve spent so much time building JW from the ground up that it’s like mychild now. Besides, I’m not interested in building a career for myself. In terms of policies, companies like JW are exactlywhat our country needs now, as it receives openly preferential treatment from policies everywhere. There’s nothing elseI desire. “If there really is anything I need, I hope that when all this ends, Swallow Capital will provide me with an opportunity I request. I plan to establish a bank in the country.”
Mr. McNeal was stunned when he heard what Jasper said. “A bank?”
Jasper nodded and said, “Yes, there are some examples of joint venture banks in the country, but banks that are privateequity firms do not exist yet. Additionally, this is a rather sensitive industry, so I have a feeling that Swallow Capital will beput in charge of making the final call regarding this issue when the time comes.
“No one else would even have a chance, but there is room for discussion if it’s you. Having said that, we’ll talk about thatwhen the time comes. The details will depend on the report you pass up to us. After all, this is not something that a fewpeople can decide for you,” Mr. McNeal said.
Jasper smiled and said, “That was my exact reasoning.”
“Alright, now that we’ve got work matters out of the way, let’s discuss private matters,” Mr. McNeal suddenlysaid as he smiled.
Life at the Top Chapter 1882
Private matters?
Jasper was stunned. It was his first time meeting Mr. McNeal, and the two did not share any personal friendship. How could there be anything private to discuss?
Mr. McNeal chuckled but did not explain a s he rose to retrieve a small box from his briefcase. As he handed it to Jasper, he said, “Someone asked me to bring this to you.”
Jasper opened the box and saw a ruby pendant.
The pendant was a bright, vibrant red tha glinted when it caught the light. Obviously, this gemstone was of superbquality that was rarely found. Most impressively, a lifelike phoenix had been carved onto the stone. Theworkmanship was exquisite and dainty, and it was obviously the work of a master.
Jasper did not know much about rubies and was far from becoming an expert in the field. However, even an amateur likehim could tell that the ruby pendant wasextremely valuable.
It was so valuable there was no market price available for it.
“This?” Jasper held the ruby pendant and turned t o look at Mr. McNeal in astonishment.
Mr. McNeal grinned and said, “Adele is my cousin’s niece.”
Jasper immediately understood. “It turns out you’re related to Adele, Mr.
McNeal. That explains a lot.”
It was then that his doubts and unanswered questions were clarified.
Before this, Jasper had always thought Mr. McNeal was a little too enthusiastic andintimate with him.
Although it was evident that Mr. McNealhad come over this time as a gesture ofkindness from Swallow Capital, his mainpurpose was to come to support him.
However, there was still no need to do so much.
Besides, the evident admiration that shone through his choice of words and actions made it clear that he could not even be bothered to hide it anymore. At that point, he might as well announce to the entire world, ‘Jasper Laine is a junior that I admire and support greatly.”
Such proclamations might not seem odd t
o anyone else, but Mr. McNeal was at senior official in the system. The average person would not even be able to get near the position he held in their entire lifetime. Thus, on many occasions, people would pay attention to his every action, and even his every expression so they could try to decipher hidden meanings within them.
That was also why Mr. McNeal’s identity and status meant that he was destined to make sure he did not go overboard when h e took a stand, that he did not show any expressions he was not supposed to show, and not say anything he was not supposed to say. It was because his attitudes would often be interpreted as an official statement by the public.
However, despite that, Mr. McNeal still
showed a great deal of liking and warmth
towards Jasper.
It turns out that Mr. McNeal was a part of the Brown family, and it was his relationship with Adele that made it so that despite Jasper not having come into contact with anyone from the Brown family before, they would make sure to help each other reap the greatest benefits possible whenever possible.
After all, Swallow Capital was also divided into factions. The waters were even murkier here than compared to other places. It was also why Jasper had rarely extended his developments into Swallow City even until now. His entire being showed his reluctance to get overly involved in politics.
However, change happened whether he wanted it or not. His status now meant he had no way of getting rid of fame or fortune completely. Even if he did not get involved with the Brown family, the King brothers, the Combe brothers, and the
Langdon family would all begin trying to get a feel of his attitude.
It did not mean they had to forge an alliance and do anything. Rather, it was to ensure that everyone would work together and get what they needed while taking care of each other, with the prerequisite that Jasper was destined to fly high all the way.
Seemingly sensing how Jasper was not thinking calmly, Mr. McNeal said pleasantly, “You don’t have to put any pressure on yourself. We don’t have to make any promises or bonds. All you have to do is your own thing, and we’ll discuss everything else at a later time. This can be ignored for now.”
Jasper nodded, feeling slightly relieved.
Life at the Top Chapter 1883
To be honest, if it were possible, he did not want to deal with these political families.
For no other reason than because he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the current term was coming to an end, andwhen they elected the president for the following term, these so-called political families would be the first to be attacked.
That president can’t bear having grit in his eyes.
Moreover, it was even scarier because of the Brown family’s unique position.
Those who knew, knew.
“Here’s my card. You can contact me viathe number listed here at any time.”
As Mr. McNeal handed Jasper his card, he said, “But my work is quite demanding, so it’s normal if I can’t be contacted byanyone on the outside when I have emergency meetings that usually span between three to five hours. You can contact Mr. Mason too. He’s worked for me for many years, and I trust him with many things, big and small.”
Jasper understood what he was hinting at and nodded. Ms. Garcia’s pleasant, smiling face flashed through his mind as h e forced himself to put his thoughts to rest and say, “Alright, I understand. Thank you for your care, Mr. McNeal.”
No matter what, a card that gave him a direct connection to the second-in-chief i n finance would be worth thousands wherever he went.
Jasper got up and bid goodbye after sitting for a while longer.
The economic forum would be starting in a few hours, and as the host, he still had a lot of preparatory work. Moreover, Mr. McNeal was a busy man who had traveled a long way to be here. Naturally, he had to ensure Mr. McNeal had some time to rest.
Jasper’s phone rang not long after he left Mr. McNeal’s room..
A wry smile appeared on Jasper’s face when he saw the caller ID. “Hey, did you get my present?”
Adele’s voice sounded cheerful as it rang out from the other end of the line. Jasper said, “I’ve received it. It’s gorgeous. I love it. Thank you.”
Adele huffed lightly and said, “Of course you have to like it. My grandfather gave it t o me as a coming-of-age present.”
When Jasper heard that this ruby pendant was a gift from Grandmaster Brown, he hurriedly said, “It’s such an expensive gift. Is it really alright to give it to me?”
Adele pursed her lips and said, “Didn’t you notice there was a phoenix on it? Who gives girls something with a phoenix on i t? I’ve been nagging my grandfather about this for a really long time, and he’s agreed to give me another one. I felt that this suited you, so I got my uncle to bring i t over for you.”
Jasper sighed and said, “I’m just worried that Mr. McNeal will misunderstand your intentions in doing this.”
Adele’s sharp mind was different from other girls. Even more importantly, she had grown up in intense environments since she was a young child, and was now much more sensitive toward politics and public opinion than the average person.
Thus, she immediately understood what
Jasper meant after he said that.
She replied, “You don’t have to think about that. Who cares about misunderstandings? Just pretend that such things don’t exist. This was a gift from my family, it had nothing to do with me. I hate how these people are constantly plotting against each other, they might as well include themselves in their own calculations. Aren’t they tired o f living like this?”
Jasper rubbed the ruby pendant between his fingers as he said, “They can’t help it is f they’re already in the game. But we’ll take this one step at a time for now…. I’ve got something else going on. Talk later.”
Jasper interrupted himself mid-sentence and hung up the phone before smiling and walking towards Ms. Garcia.
He had booked the entire hotel, and only Mr. McNeal, Ms. Garcia, Mr. Mason, and Tony were staying on this floor. Thus, if M s. Garcia still managed to bump into him i n the corridors at this point, it was obviously planned and not a coincidence.
Life at the Top Chapter 1884
“Ms. Garcia, not resting yet?”.
Jasper spoke first.
Ms. Garcia smiled and said, “There’s something I want to discuss with you privately.”
He recalled what Mr. McNeal had told him. If Mr. Mason was one of his men, then Ms. Garcia was obviously not one of them.
Jasper sighed to himself.
This was why he was unwilling to form connections with these political factions. It was too confusing and torturing.
“Sure. Shall we look for a quiet space?”
Jasper might be thinking that, but obviously, he would not display his thoughts on his face. He smiled warmly as he spoke.
“Let’s talk in my room,” Ms. Garcia offered.
The layout of Ms. Garcia’s room was the same as Mr. McNeal’s. They were both suites that first led to a living room and then extended beyond into two bedrooms, a small study, and a parlor.
Jasper and Ms. Garcia headed straight to the parlor after entering her room.
“Ms. Garcia, how may I help you?”
Jasper cut straight to the chase and asked after sitting down.
When Ms. Garcia noticed the exquisite – looking ruby pendant in Jasper’s hands, she said, “That pendant is beautiful. It looks familiar too.”
Jasper smiled and replied, “Adele asked M r. McNeal to give it to me. She said that it used to be one of Grandmaster Brown’s playthings. I think it’s much too valuable, and I don’t know what to do with it now.”
Ms. Garcia was someone who gave things a lot of thought. When she heard Jasper’s choice of words in his explanation and noticed how he did not hide his ruby pendant but instead openly held it in his
hands, she immediately discarded what she had previously prepared to say.
She replied, “There’s nothing to obsess about over this. You should accept it since i It was a kind gesture. Pushing the gift back and forth would do even more harm to your relationship.”
Jasper nodded and said, “You’re right, M s. Garcia. But friends should be polite and reciprocal too. I should take a look and see which gifts are more suitable so that I won’t always feel like I owe Adele something whenever I meet her in the future.”
Ms. Garcia’s eyes lit up when she heard that.
Jasper had made his intentions clear.
This gift is an olive branch from the Brown family, and it’s terrifying me. However, I can’t refuse the olive branch if they’ve already extended it since it’ll harm our relationship.
However, this is merely a mutually beneficial relationship. If they give me some benefits, I’ll have to return the favor in the future once I get the chance to do so.
That way, no factions or bonds will be formed. Everyone comes and goes as they please. It was the outcome that Ms. Garcia had been hoping to see.
“Yes, I think that’s a good way of dealing with things. Mr. Laine, I didn’t expect you to be so good with relationships, in
addition to doing business.”
Jasper smiled wryly and said, “You’re too kind, Ms. Garcia. To be honest, I’m just someone who wants to carry out my responsibilities without any complications. Besides, the storm is about to arrive at this point. It wouldn’t be a good idea to become distracted by anything else.”
Ms. Garcia immediately replied, “You don’t have to worry about that. Friends should be considerate of each other. If the situation is not suitable now, we can hang on for a while longer before further discussion. All friends have the same motive, which is to protect the environment where we live. Friendships are not as complicated and sinister as you think they are. Frankly, everyone’s just trying to accumulate some good karma for themselves.”
“Thank you for your advice, Ms. Garcia. I’m enlightened.”
Jasper felt slightly more relaxed.
It was the best outcome he could have hoped for.
Ms. Garcia merely asked him a few questions about work and made small talk after that.
The two did not engage in another battle o f wits.
They were all intellectuals here, and there were many matters where indirect words were enough for them to understand the other’s stance and takeaways. After all, would not be wise to be too open or upfront about such things.
Because it would be easy to end up becoming the less gracious one.
For Ms. Garcia, she would have completed
her mission as long as she confirmed Jasper had not formed any strong bonds with the Brown family.
Just like some other people, she was unwilling to watch Jasper be set up to become the benchmark for the nextgeneration whilst also having ties that were too deep with political families.
That was what her boss was most unwilling to see.
People in power hated faction-forming, because once facions formed, things. would no longer be done in everyone’sbest interest. Jasper’s identity and position were sensitive, and he could not get involved in matters as others did.
The other reason behind Ms. Garcia’s actions was that she wanted to confirm Jasper’s stance.
Luckily, Jasper had given her a satisfactory answer. She believed that her people would be satisfied too.
Jasper did not stay back after leaving Ms. Garcia’s room and returned straight to his room instead.
The opening time for the economic forum was approaching. He did not have the extra time to fuss about such matters.
While Jasper rested, turbulence brewed in the outside world because of this
economic forum. The country’s stock markets were finally able to catch a break since they would have a holiday for the next two days. They took advantage of the time to calculate what the country’s domestic financial loss would be over just these two trading days. The number they got shocked them greatly.
Amidst these massive losses, the people’s hopes for this economic forum only grew.
They knew that this economic forum held the capital needed to save this disaster.
This was a matter of great importance. Before the economic forum officially began, those attending the forum could not stop themselves from using their networks to contact others to obtain information.
This situation reached its peak upon the arrival of Lord Alvarado, Simson, Moses, and company.
They became the center of everyone’s attention the minute they arrived. “Little Prince, do we have any news
regarding the actions JW is going to take against Wall Street? Will it affect our progress in the United States?”
The president of Helix Group was a Waterhoof City local who was on good terms with the royal family. Now that hehad caught sight of the little prince, he did not hesitate to ask his questions.. Helix Group was an industrial group thatproduced everyday products, and they had just gone public after exp riencing countless struggles three months ago.However, before they could reap their rewards from getting listed on the stock market, the Wall Street capital came andcaused their stock price to plummet steeply.
It caused Helix Group to suffer huge losses, and the president felt extremely aggrieved over this.
The little prince glanced at him beforesaying, “We will definitely take action There’s no way we’re going to let these foreigners walk all over us and take our hard-earned money away. But we haven’t decided on the details of what we’re going to do yet. News should be arriving soon.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1885
The president had a devastated expression on his face as he said, “Little Prince, our losses are massive. Not only d o we have book losses, but even more importantly, our upstream and downstream supply chain shave also suffered losses as a result of these attacks.
“We can’t sell our products if the raw materials are out of stock, and we’ve already reduced the factories’ production by a third. And this is after we, the strong ones, made advanced preparations. If this goes on, the smaller companies and factories are all going to close down.
“If one link in the industry goes down,
it’ll deliver a blow to the entire industry,”
His words resonated with many people
around him.
What he had said out loud was the dilemma everyone was in now.
The people here belonged to powerful companies in their respectful industries.
They would not have been qualified to attend the economic forum if they did not have the required talent.
However, if even they had felt how powerful this attack was, there was no doubt that the smaller companies that were far less resilient and powerful than them had too.
A slight increase in force would be enough to uproot them entirely.
Modern companies were intimately interdependent as industries were all closely linked. A single industry chain might be formed by countless corporations both big and small.
Large corporations had plans of their own, while smaller corporations also had tricks up their sleeves. They had long since formed a mutually beneficial relationship, such that these large corporations would not last long if the smaller corporations all collapsed.
A frosty expression appeared on the little prince’s face when he saw how the people around him reacted in response.
If individual companies like them were already bracing themselves for the storm, there was no doubt that the royal family, who had deep roots in all sorts of industries, had even higher levels of sensitivity.
While on the way here, he had already heard from the family that several of their industries had already run into some trouble.
Some of these difficulties were due to losses in the financial market, but even more of them were because of problems that arose and caused a chain reaction in the upstream and downstream supply chains they were linked to.
For example, A Company provided materials for B Company to manufacture into products for C Company, who then sold the products to the average consumer.
That was an example of a supply chain.
If problems arose in their middleman, B Company, A Company could not sell their materials while C Company could not produce the end product.
Thus, B Company’s problems would beprojected onto A Company and CCompany.
This was only the simplest form of amodern supply chain. They were usuallymuch more complicated in actual practice.
Most of the Royal family’s businesses
were in the upper-middle reaches of the
supply chains.
Based on the current feedback from hisfamily, the little prince already had thefeeling that his family, which used tooperate like a massive, well-oiledmachine, was now starting to move withless agility because the parts had started to rust.
It was only the beginning. If the conditioncontinued worsening, the parts would notonly rust, they would beginmalfunctioning and become detachedfrom the rest of the machine.
As he thought of this, the little princesighed and said, “Everyone, I understandhow you’re feeling now. To be honest, theRoyal family is not doing much betterthan you are now. However, the problem is that this is not a difficulty that just one o r several of you face. Rather, we’re all stuck in a similar situation.
“Thus, we can’t rely on just one person or several people to solve this problem. We have to count on each other and gather our resources to tide over this difficult time.”
The little prince’s statements were superficial and formal, but at least it was a – statement. It helped those in closer contact with the Royal family feel slightly less resentful.
The little prince observed the situation in silence before he smiled and said, “I believe that everyone here has heard how Swallow Capital has purposely sent someone over to act as the economic forum’s special guest today.”
Sure enough, he managed to pique everyone’s interest with that sentence.
Life at the Top Chapter 1886
“I’ve also received the news as well.”
The little prince did not keep them in suspense as he immediately said, “The people from Swallow Capital have arrived and are at Shangri-La Hotel right now. The main star is the second-in-command in finance. I believe that everyone can feel a little more relieved now, right?”
In Somerland, no one commanded more respect than a superior did when they made an appearance.
Not to mention that he was a second-in command of a legitimate department. It meant that Swallow Capital was in support of everyone here.
The venue’s atmosphere immediately lightened up.
The little prince waved his hands and said, “Alright, I’ve only just arrived, and I came over in advance because I guessed you guys would be worried. Now that I’ve told you the news, please settle down and wait for the cars that will be sent over to escort you to Pearl Tower right before the economic forum begins. I’ll be leaving now as I still have a lot to attend to,”
Respectful -sounding murmurs rose as the little prince hurriedly left to head towards the Shangri-La Hotel,
The others were already at Jasper’s room when the little prince arrived.
The little prince looked up and noticed that Lord Alvarado, Moses, and Simson were all staring at him.
“Why are you looking at me? Your eyes are as large as light bulbs.”
The irritable little prince said snappishly a s he flopped onto the couch, grabbed a drink, and chugged down severalmouthfuls before saying, “Dmn it, I’ve been so anxious about all this sht lately. These Americans are out to break ourbackbone.”
“By the way, the person from Raydon is not coming.”
The little prince looked up at Jasper and said, “They said they’re farmers and can’t be bothered getting mixed up in ouraffairs.” “Raydon? Farmers? The Habers family?”
Lord Alvarado asked as he frowned. The little prince nodded and said irritably, “F*cking hell, if Jasper hadn’t explicitlysaid to invite them, I couldn’t be bothered with that bunch. They’re so cocky. Why don’t they come and show off inWaterhoof City if they’re really that capable?”
“You know Channing Habers, right? You were on pretty good terms with that son o fab*tch several years ago.
Lord Alvarado nodded and replied, “I know him. He’s a pretty idiotic guy.” “That’s him. I don’t know what got intohim this time, but not only did he show no one any respect, he hung up the phone o n me too. He said something about how w e southern barbarians have no right to meddle in Raydon’s affairs.”
Lord Alvarado laughed at the indignant expression on the little prince’s face and said, “True, that’s what the idiot’spersonality is like. But since when did he have a say in matters as important as this?”
“I bet he’s gotten recognition from his family.”
Jasper massaged the space between his eyebrows.
Raydon province had fertile black soil that stretched for miles and was considered the largest agricultural area in Somerland. The Habers family owned a large business that mainly produced grains and owned several hundred thousand acres of land.
“It doesn’t matter if they don’t want to come.”
Jasper chuckled and said, “You don’t need to be mad, Little Prince. I can guarantee they’ll come crying and begging you after the forum. You can treat them however you please then.”
The little prince whooped when he heard that and said, “Jasper, you’re boasting. People from Raydon have always had alousy temper, and they couldn’t care less about respecting you when their stubbornness takes over. Are you sure ofthis?”
Life at the Top Chapter 1887
The little prince had just finished speaking when his phone rang.
The little prince first looked down and then looked back up at Jasper and said, ” It’s from that idiot Channing.”
Jasper did not think too much about it as h e reached his hand out and said, “Let me answer it.”
The little prince grinned and said, ” Alright, since you insist. Have a taste of how arrogant this Raydon idiot is.”
The little prince had already handed his phone over to Jasper when he finished speaking.
Jasper answered the phone and put it in speaker mode so that everyone could listen in. Then, he said, “Hello, I’m Jasper Laine.”
The person on the other end of the line was visibly shocked. Then, a young man’s voice said, “Jasper Laine? I’ve never heard that name before. Isn’t this the little prince’s phone number? Ask him to answer the phone.”
Jasper was about to speak again when he heard a conversation happening on the other end of the line. Then, the person speaking to him changed to a middle aged man’s voice.
“Good day, Mr. Laine. I’m Weston Habers from Grandland Corporation, Channing’s father. There was a misunderstanding just now because my son didn’t know who you were. Please don’t hold it against him.”
Jasper narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “Mr. Habers, I was hoping you would attend the economic forum.”
“That’s exactly why I asked my son to make this phone call because I wanted to offer the little prince an explanation. It’s even better that you’ve answered the phone yourself, Mr. Laine. I’ll explain it to you myself.
“I have no intention to attend this so called economic forum. Isn’t it entirely self-voluntary? I don’t suppose you can force me to attend, right?”
When Lord Alvarado heard the fake cheerfulness in Weston’s voice, he leaned towards the little prince with a sulky expression on his face and whispered, The older one is even denser than the younger one.”
“How could the older one reared such an idiotic youngster if he wasn’t dense?” Little Prince said with a huff.
However, Jasper ignored their mutterings and replied calmly, “Of course, it’s entirely self-voluntary. No one will force you to attend if you don’t want to, Mr. Habers. However, I personally hope that you can still participate, as Wall Street is currently planning to launch a sneak attack on the domestic financial market…”
Before Jasper could finish speaking, Weston interrupted him and said, “Mr. Laine, I have no time or interest to listen t o this stuff. What does the stock market have to do with us? Grandland Corporation is not a publicly listed company. All we do is sell food. We don’t want to get involved with you guys.”
Jasper, who had not been interrupted in a long time, said calmly, “But the price of grain on the futures market is something that concerns you, right?”
Weston laughed and said, “Yes, itconcerns me a little, but aren’t the prices.rising now? It’s good news for usfarmers.”
Jasper immediately understood when heheard that.
Weston was an idiot. At the very most, hewas an idiot who had taken advantage ofthe dividends accumulated over time andused them to make something of himself.There was no point in trying to talk senseinto an idiot.
“Alright, I see what you mean, Mr.Habers. So be it.”
Jasper did not bother waiting to see ifWeston had anything to say before hehung up the phone.
Jasper had a dark look on his face as hestood and said, “Everyone, please wait forme. I need to take care of something, andI’ll be right back.”
Little Prince asked cheerfully, “Are you somad that you need a place to vent?”
Jasper replied exasperatedly, “Vent? I’verun out of patience. I don’t think I can wait until the forum ends before I cause trouble for the Habers family. If they can’t be bothered with anything, then I’ll teach them a lesson for being so short-sighted about the future.”
Lord Alvarado watched Jasper walk out the door before leaning forth and asking curiously, “Does Jasper have a way of teaching the Habers family a lesson in such a short time?”
“It’s not realistic, is it? The Habers family are virtually unreachable. They’ve isolated themselves in Raydon and don’t partake in anything besides planting crops. It’s difficult for their family to get into any scandals, and it’s even harder for someone else to mess with their family.. Jasper wouldn’t have the necessary tactics, right?”
The little prince huffed before saying, ” Haven’t you gotten a feel of Jasper’s personality yet? Those who offend him don’t know what’s coming until it arrives. Jasper must be confident in himself if he’s said this. All we need to do is sit back and wait for the show to begin. Let’s not talk. about the Habers family’s other faults.
Even I want to mess with them when I see that ignorant and gloating attitude.”
Simson and Moses listened nervously. When they exchanged glances, they saw the look of relief in each other’s eyes.
Thank God Jasper had not been upset
when they tried to act smart and pull
some tricks out of their sleeves.
Jasper raced towards Mr. McNeal’s room.
He did not waste much time in explaining the gist of the entire situation to Mr. McNeal, who did not say much and only told him he knew what to do after he finished listening.
However, as Jasper left, he looked out the corner of his eye and caught sight of Mr. McNeal furrowing his brows together in annoyance as he scrolled through his contacts…
It’s done.
In Somerland, not even the most niche industries could afford to offend the officials.
The agricultural industry was a very niche
and isolated industry that rarely needed t o form a supply chain with any other industries. They could dominate the market on their own.
This was why the Habers family could afford to not take anyone else into consideration. Most importantly, as Wall Street continued raising the prices on the futures market, it was a given that food prices would have a massive rise so long a s the market did not collapse.
This huge benefit was the reason behind the Habers family’s arrogance toward anyone and everyone.
However, the problem was he could ignore the little prince.
He could ignore Jasper too.
What about the officials?
Jasper’s lips curled upwards into a satisfied grin as he walked back to his room.
“Alright, the forum will start in about two hours. I gathered everyone here before that because I have something to inform you in advance about…”
While Jasper began talking to the little prince and the others about matters. regarding the economic forum, Mr. McNeal made a phone call to the Ministry of Agriculture in Swallow Capital.
Several minutes later, the Ministry of Agriculture made a direct call to Raydon’s Department of Food and Drug Administration. At the same time, Mr. McNeal made a second phone call to the magistrate’s office at Raydon.
Then, the key leader at Raydon’s Department of Food and Drug Administration immediately headed toward the Raydon magistrate’s office. The two parties had a short discussion before coming to a decision.
They would launch a comprehensive review of Raydon’s largest privately owned crop-growing and marketing company, Grandland Corporation. All other activities would be halted for the entire duration of the review.
In simpler terms, it meant that they were seizing the company.
Every man had to be held accountable for the country’s greatness!
The order had just left Raydon’s magistrate’s office when the Habers family, who were in charge of Greatland Corporation, received the news.
With that, the family that had spent countless years establishing themselves i n Raydon immediately flew into a frenzy.
Life at the Top Chapter 1888
“Dad, our company has been seized for review!?”
It was slightly later when Channing heard the news. He raced over to Weston’s office and barged in with this question.
Just then, Weston was having an emergency meeting with several of Channing’s uncles.
Weston had a gloomy expression on his face as he said, “It’s been seized. I just got the news that people from the taxation department and Department of Food and Drug Administration have arrived at the company’s headquarters. Nearly all our land has been sealed off.”
The muscles on Weston’s face twitched as he spoke. He had never had something like this happen during the many years he had been in charge of the Habers family business.
“How’s that possible? What about our friends and contacts i those departments? What did they say?”Channing asked frantically.
As the heir, he knew perfectly well that his privilege and power came from his family. He would also be in trouble if hisfamily’s business ran into difficulties. It concerned every aspect of his life, so of course he was frantic.
Weston’s face was a pale shade of green as he said, “It’s no use. No one is of any use because the order came right from the province magistrate’s office. No one can do anything about it. Who would dare go to the provincial magistrate and help put in a good word for us?”
“That doesn’t make sense. We didn’t offend anyone…”
Channing was in the middle of hissentence wh en his gaze met Weston’s. A name flashed through the father andson’s minds. “Jasper Laine!”
Channing yelled out those two words in astonishment.
“But we just ended’ our phone call a short hile ago. Does he hold that much power!?”
“He needed just half an hour to contact the magistrate and use his power to mess with us!?”
Channing’s dismayed exclamations caused the look on Weston’s face to turn even uglier.
Just then, Weston’s phone rang.
“It’s from a friend who works in Swallow Capital. I asked him to look into
something a while ago. Let me take this first.”
Everyone in the office held their breath and stared at Weston when they heard what he said. No one dared make a sound.
“Mr. Haddow, it’s me, Weston,” Weston immediately said after answering the phone.
He had not expected the person on the other end of the line to be in an even greater panic than him.
“Weston, what are you doing? How could you have offended Swallow Capital now?”
Weston was at a total loss as he said, “Mr. Haddow, you know how I am. I’ve always stayed in Raydon and had no ties with Swallow Capital except for you. How could I have offended Swallow Capital? Besides, how could a small family like mine have the guts to throw our weight around in a place like Swallow Capital?”
“You won’t admit it even to me?”
The person on the other end of the line sounded visibly angered as he said, went around asking about you and got so frightened I broke into a cold sweat. Tell m e, you aren’t attending the economic forum at Waterhoof City today, right?”
Weston said indignantly, “I’m not attending. It’s got nothing to do with me anyway. Come on, am I a criminal just because I refuse to attend a forum?”
“God, it wouldn’t have been an issue if you didn’t attend, but you shouldn’t have been so final with your words. Not to mention, you said them to Jasper Laine. D o you know what kind of person he is?”
Mr. Haddow sighed and said, “On paper, this economic forum hosted by Jasper Laine will discuss private capital, but in reality, it’s got a lot of support from the
officials. Do you know who’s attending? M r. McNeal himself from the Ministry of Finance is attending it with his people.
Weston exclaimed, “How’s that possible? Jasper is just a businessman…”
“He’s indeed a businessman, but haven’t you taken a look at who he works for now? He works for the country!
“Now, Swallow Capital is counting on Jasper to step up and take the lead!”
Mr. Haddow said ruefully, “The current situation is that the West wants to launch a sneak attack on the domestic financial market and bring down Somerland’s economic development. If you take this into account, Jasper is suited to be a leader in private capital. He’s hosting this economic forum to resolve this matter.
“But look at what you did. You refused to get involved in this matter just because grain prices were rising. That can be ignored, but look at the attitude you showed Jasper, as well as the way you spoke to him. Do you know how you’re acting?
“If they’re nice, you’ll be called selfish. If they decide to exaggerate things, you’ll be a double-faced traitor!”
It was not just Weston, the entirety of theHabers family felt a layer of cold sweatform on their foreheads when they heardthat. Panicked expressions appeared ontheir faces.
“Mr. Haddow, you know what sort of person I am. I did not have that intention !” Weston hurriedly explained.
“So what if I know? The problem lies with what the higher-ups think!”
“You’ve got a bounty on your head now.The higher-ups think you’re ignoring thegreater good for personal gain, and Mr.McNeal is coming over to conduct theinvestigation into the Habers familyhimself and find out if you have anyoffshore capital. Mr. Habers, you have to b e honest with me. Do you?”
Mr. Haddow’s voice on the other end of the line turned solemn as he arranged his features into a serious expression.
He had already decided that if the Habers family showed even the slightest hint of having offshore capital, he would cut ties with the Habers family immediately.
He did not have the guts to get involved in something that was such a big deal.
Weston immediately said, “Mr. Haddow, I swear on my entire family’s life that the Habers family has zero offshore capital!”
Mr. Haddow felt slightly more at ease when he heard that, and sighed before saying, “That’s good. At least it won’t be a s serious as anticipated. But more trouble i s probably coming your way since there’s a bounty hanging over your head now.’
“Mr. Haddow, you have to help me,” Weston said frantically.
Mr. Haddow laughed bitterly and said, Help you? What means do I have to help you? You have to address the root cause of the problem. Go to whoever caused you to get into this trouble in the first place and ask them for help.
“Listen to me. You must go to Jasper Laine immediately. If he’s willing to not hold it against you, the Habers family might come out the other end unscathed. I f not, you’re on your own.”
Mr. Haddow hung up after saying that. Weston felt as if he had been wrung inside out as he put his phone down. He glanced a t Channing and said, “Find a way to get in touch with Jasper Laine immediately.”
Channing looked near to tears as he wailed, “But I don’t have his number. I only got in touch with him because I called then little prince.”
“Then call the little…”
Weston did not finish his sentence before changing his mind and saying, “No, go to Waterhoof City immediately! We can’t afford to waste even another second!”
Life at the Top Chapter 1889
Channing had an indignant expression on his face as he said, “But will we make it if we leave now? Will Jasper Laine pay any attention to us?”
Weston gritted his teeth and said, “We have to go even if we won’t make it in time -and agree to whatever conditions Jasper offers. This matter takes the Habers family’s survival into account. We absolutely cannot be sloppy!”
Weston had never felt this much regret in his life.
He should not have been so greedy to reap temporary benefits that he treated Jasper with such arrogance.
Now, he could not care less about the vengeance Jasper felt. All he worried about now was how low he would have to stoop before earning Jasper’s forgiveness.
Mr. Haddow had been clear just now. If Jasper was not in agreement, it would be hopeless for the Habers family.
Weston felt even more regret when he thought of that.
“I shouldn’t have done that!” Weston sighed bitterly and dragged Channing along with him.
Channing hurriedly said, “Dad, why don’t I contact the little prince now and see what he says? Perhaps he can help put in a good word for us.”
Stunned, Weston said, “Alright, we’ll head over to the airport now. You start contacting him now.”
Channing nodded. Feelings of hope surged in him as he dialled little prince’s number.
Just then, at Waterhoof City. The little prince was just about to get up and leave for the venue at Pearl Towerwith Jasper and the others.
He grinned when he saw the caller ID. “It’s Channing.”
“You can answer it,” Jasper said.
The little prince immediately answered the phone and put it in speaker mode.
Channing’s voice immediately rang out. “May I know if this is the little prince?”
That voice was completely different from the arrogant one previously heard, as flattery oozed from every word.
“Yes,” the little prince said calmly.
It was necessary to adjust your tone accordingly during such times, and that had always been the way little princetreated others.
Heirs like them never had a good temper. Not to mention that the little prince was annoyed at Channing for embarrassinghim.
Channing was also a rich heir, so there was no way he did not hear the anger in little prince’s voice.
He forced himself to suppress his temper and squeezed a smile onto his face as he said,“Little Prince, I was wondering if you could help put in a good word for me t o Mr. Laine? Just let him know that we’ve understood that we’re at fault now and that we’re on our way to Waterhoof City. We know that we must apologize to Mr. Laine in person, and we’re willing to carry out any orders he gives us.
“Little Prince, please, you must help me. I’ll be indebted to you forever.”
When Channing finished speaking, everyone, including the little prince, gazed at Jasper like he was a god.
Never would they have imagined that the Habers family would come to them with their tails between their legs shortly after Jasper said he was going to teach them a lesson.
How on earth had he done that? Not even the little prince and Lord Alvarado, who were also experts at
playing tricks and manipulating others, could make sense of it. However, that did not stop the little
prince’s mood from improving massively. “You fool, you’re begging for forgiveness now? What were you doing before that?” “You refused to attend when I invited you, but you’re snivelling and squeezing your way in now? What sort of place do you think this is?
“And you’re asking me to put in a good word for you? F*ck off!”
The little prince hung up the phone after h e finished.
“Hahaha, that was f*cking amazing!”
The little prince grinned at Jasper and said, “I’ve got to tip my hat to you for this one. That idiot Channing has alwaysthrown his weight around because he knew his family was so isolated in Raydon that no one could do anything to him..He’s always been arrogant, but he’s a sniveling btch now. It’s fcking amazing!”
Lord Alvarado gazed at Jasper curiouslyand asked, “How did you do it?”
“It had nothing to do with me.”
Jasper chuckled and said, “He lives in asecluded area, but it’s not that difficult toreach him anymore. Did they think they’dstill be invincible if they actually angered a
nofficial?”
Both Simson and Moses felt the back of their necks go cold when they heard that.
Jasper had never thought that Habers family was a force to be reckoned with.
If Jasper hadn’t worried that these bad apples would spoil the entire bunch by creating a bad atmosphere that incitedpanic within everyone else, he would not even have bothered dealing with them.
Since the Habers family were coming to beg for forgiveness now, Jasper would set that issue aside.
The time of the event was nearing as the group rode to Pearl Tower.
This Waterhoof City landmark was much quieter than usual now. The usual tourists from all parts of the world had beenreplaced with security guards wearing matching uniforms.
Several reporters had not entered the venue yet, as they were hoping for a chance to meet the bigwigs on their way in.
Jasper and company were, without a doubt, the largest bigwigs of the day. The reporters dashed forward when they caught sight of Jasper.
The security guards immediately formed a circle around Jasper and the others. They were about to shoo the reporters away when Jasper halted his steps.
Reporters were otherwise known as uncrowned kings. They had a love-hate relationship with superstars, but they never dared offend them.
However, this also depended on the kind o f person it was.
Few reporters dared act recklessly when Jasper was concerned.
It was because Jasper did not rely on their reporting for his income, and he was already well-respected enough within the community. Thus, these reporters felt an innate fear whenever they met Jasper.
However, Jasper’s behavior today was amicable.
“Thank you for waiting here, guys, but I really have a lot to do. Let’s make a deal.
We’ll do three questions. That way, you can return with something to show while I can head on upstairs and finalize my matters.”
A warm feeling washed over the reporters when they heard what Jasper said.
No wonder he’s the country’s model entrepreneur. His poise and manners were vastly different from those who became rich overnight.
“Mr. Laine, what’s the topic of discussion of this economic forum? Does it have anything to do with the massive change in the domestic financial market recently?”. A reporter acted quickly and became the first to ask a question.
“Strictly speaking, these are two questions. But I’ll answer both at the same time.”
Jasper quickly drafted an answer before saying, “The reason behind me hosting this economic forum is so that I can provide a platform for everyone to have a n accurate view of our country’s current economic development. This is so that we can gather all our industries and muster our greatest strengths to help the business environment in our country become more organized and formal.
“As for the recent changes in the domestic financial market, it has indeed been included as a topic for our discussion. As I said, we need a formal business environment, not some ambitious capitalists who will step on everything that needs to be discussed.”
Jasper’s statement sounded very formal, but there was no doubt his ferocious spirit was packaged within it.
Life at the Top Chapter 1890
A glint appeared in the reporters’ eyes when they heard what Jasper said.
Although they could not change the words
spoken by a major figure like Jasper, they were allowed to weigh in with their
opinions. They would have an attention -grabbing title once they added in their opinions.
Thus, the reporters let their questionsflow freely.
Coupled with the fact there was no host to maintain order, the mess meant that anything could happen.
Jasper even heard a brave reporter ask if h e was considering launching a speculative attack on the United States…
F*cking hell, anyone with even an ounce o f financial knowledge would know it was impossible to launch a speculative attack on United State dollars. It was such an ignorant question that Jasper decided toignore it.
“Mr. Laine, I heard a rumor that there will be some official guests attending this economic forum. Is this true?
“Why would official guests attend an economic forum regarding private capital? Does this mean there’s an ulteriormotive behind this economic forum? “Moreover, we’ve noticed that this economic forum is branded as the first ofits kind in the country. Does this mean that a second and third forum will be held at set times and frequency in the future?” Jasper finally heard a question he was interested in answering amidst
everything that was directed at him.
Jasper glanced at the good-looking reporter,who blushed from excitement when she noticed Jasper paying attention t o her, and said, “Firstly, I can say withconfidence that we have invited government officials to this economicforum. After all, we need proper adviceand guidance from officials if we want to bring order to our markets. Thus, it’s not surprising that we’ve extended a formalinvitation to these officials to be our special guests. They’ve been very supportive of us all this while.
“As for the ulterior motives you speak of, I’m not sure what you mean by that, but I can assure you that everything is perfectly just and honorable. There aren’t any conspiracies going on.
“We need to observe the markets and determine if it’s a suitable time to host an economic forum, but I hope that it will become normalized, as we greatly need such platforms that allow people to converse freely with each other. We’ll host a second and third one in the future i f we get the chance to do so, but we need t o have a great start first. I hope today will provide us with that golden opportunity.”
“Mr. Laine, what is your opinion on Half the-Harbor Langdon merging and acquiring Layman, and then filing for bankruptcy just half a month later?”
Jasper grinned when he heard those questions.
Jasper’s grin had a knowing look to it as if he were saying “if you know, you know”.
News traveled so quickly throughdifferent forms of media now that it was n o longer a secret that Half-the-HarborLangdon and his son had stabbed JW Foundation in the back. Thus, everyon had guessed that Jasper and Joe had long since cut ties with each other.
This could also be observed from howJasper launched numerous attacks on theUnited States’ financial market whereasJoe had gone on to merge and acquire Layman.
“It’s a shame.”
That was how Jasper decided to answer that question as several pairs of eyes stared back at him hungrily.
“From a technical point of view, it’s obvious that this was a failed investment ofn Mr. Joe Langdon’s part. However, sinceit’s his money, no one has the right to comment on how he wants to use it.”
It was easy to read what he meant by that. Who cares what a rich idiot like him doesw ith his money?
Whereas him saying it was a shame could be read as him finding it hilarious. “Alright guys, your three questions have been answered. Do forgive me for having limited time for you. I’ll try my best to answer more questions and quench your curiosity if I have the chance to do so in the future, but I really have to go now.”
Jasper raised his arms apologetically as he walked towards Pearl Tower while surrounded by his group of people.