Ch. 291..300
Returning from the Dead Chapter 291
Lance was a good kid. When he saw Solomon, who had been helping them, stand there idly, he immediately rushed over to help him with the luggage.
Solomon gritted his teeth, but he managed to swallow his fury in the end.
“It’s fine. I can carry the bag myself. Lennie, I have to go to Mr. Rind’s place with your cousin tomorrow. Will you be okay with staying here a little and rest?”
“Sure, Solomon. Please take care of Sha in my place.”
Lance sweetly agreed to it after hearing that suggestion.
Solomon grinned in satisfaction after hearing that. He took his luggage and went to his room.
I was worried that the kid would want to tag along. Andy is not an ordinary guy, and he will surely be upset if I bring that many people over.
The most important bit, however, was that Solomon wanted to spend some alone time with the lady. He had been waiting and planning for so long, so how could he ever let that opportunity slip out of his hands?
That night, all three of them slept well.
The next morning.
As expected, Solomon saw that Sasha was up early and was helping the lady of the house with making breakfast. The two women were mingling well together.
“Nancy, you’re up early,” commented Solomon.
He was delighted to see that scene, so he headed over to the dining table right away.
Sasha grinned at him. She replied, “Yeah, we’re going to visit Mr. Rind today, right? That’s why I got up early. Have you freshened up? If so, come and have breakfast.”
“Okay, coming,” said Solomon. His eyes were brimming with happiness as he walked over and pulled out a chair to sit down.
He thought that Sasha would sit down and have breakfast with him as well, but she suddenly put her cutlery down. She stared impatiently at the room on the second floor.
“Why hasn’t Lance come for breakfast? It’s late.”
“Huh?” blurted Solomon. His expression shifted a little before he said, “Maybe he’s still sleeping? How about we count him out today? We’ll drop by Mr. Rind’s place first, and we’ll take Lance with us after we become a part of Wall Street.”
“No, that won’t do. Mr. Rind is an important and powerful figure, so I must take Lance along. That way, Lance can learn more from the side.”
After saying her piece, Sasha walked to the stairs and shouted toward the room. She said, “It’s time to wake up, Lance. We’re going out after we have our breakfast.”
Solomon was completely speechless.
He had just taken a bite of his toast, and hearing those words almost made him choke on it.
Darn it, I just can’t catch a break!
In the end, all three of them left the house together.
Perhaps it was because it was the first time Lance met a powerful figure, but the young recent graduate showed signs of being under tremendous stress. He kept holding on to his cousin the entire way over.
“Don’t worry. There’s a first time for everything. You’ve already decided to fight along my side, so be brave, okay?”
“Okay.”
The young man actually had a great voice when he tried to stay calm like that. He sounded like an adult and had a deep, magnetic voice that could swoon young ladies.
Solomon was in the front seat and driving the car. He was ever so jealous, but there was absolutely nothing he could do.
The three of them reached the house of the renowned Wall Street titan, Andy Rind, soon after.
That was a villa that was several times more luxurious than Raymond’s place. It had Erihalian designs. Gold-trimmed roses donned the entire corridor, and exquisite plants filled the front lawn.
Sasha had expected the man to be rich, but she was still flabbergasted when she saw how luxurious his place was.
“Hi, we are here to visit Mr. Rind.”
Solomon became more respectful when he came. He handed over his name card as well as a token that Andy entrusted him with some time ago. Solomon watched as the bodyguard had the token delivered over.
Sasha suddenly became suspicious when she saw that from the other side.
“Solomon, how did you know Mr. Rind? Aren’t you a lawyer?”
“Huh?” blurted the man. His expression shifted slightly before he answered, “Oh, it is because of that that I know him.”
“What?”
“Yeah, that is a little confusing. Let me explain. I have a friend who hired me to handle a finance-related case some time ago, and that case got me a little famous. That is how I ended up meeting Mr. Rind.”
After regaining his composure, Solomon spoke calmly, like he was sharing the simplest story of all times.
Sasha finally understood what was going on.
That makes sense. There are a lot of financial dispute cases.
The three of them waited for about ten minutes before the bodyguard returned and informed, “Okay, you may all enter now. Andy is waiting for you in the garden.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Solomon was instantly thankful.
He took Sasha and Lance into the house.
That was when Sasha saw that the place was so luxurious that it was practically impossible to describe. She even noticed that the pebbles on the floor were not ordinary rocks.
They’re glittering a little… almost like they’re crystals. Holy cr*p! Yep, investment is definitely the way to make money.
Upon seeing everything, Sasha became more certain of her future path.
They walked for another ten minutes or so before they finally saw a place that resembled a garden. Sasha was delighted and was about to pick up her pace when she suddenly heard a dog barking. Woof! Woof!
He has a dog?
Sasha immediately got scared.
She instinctively turned around, but to her surprise, a silhouette dashed over as quickly as lightning.
Returning from the Dead Chapter 292
“Watch out!” warned Solomon. He was leading the way, but he saw what was happening, so he immediately turned around to rescue Sasha.
At that crucial moment, however, it was another arm that grabbed Sasha and pulled her away from danger. After ensuring her safety, he mercilessly kicked the dog over.
Woof!
The dog whimpered on the ground after being kicked.
Sasha was stunned in place.
Even Solomon was staring in astonishment. He couldn’t react for quite some time.
This weak-looking fella is actually that skilled a fighter?
“Sha…”
Lance seemed to have noticed that he did something wrong. He let go of Sasha’s hand right after he kicked the dog away, then he fearfully stood at her side with his head down.
He looked like a kid who had just been caught doing something bad.
Sasha swallowed hard.
She thought that something was off as well, but she instinctively wanted to protect her family. Hence, her first reaction was to shield her baby cousin.
“It’s fine. I’m okay. Don’t worry,” cooed Sasha before she took the initiative to stroke his slightly trembling shoulders and offered some comfort.
Lance finally stopped panicking.
He had his head down and fearfully snuck a peek at the dog before he started explaining himself, “There were a lot of dogs near the house I grew up in. They tended to bite others a lot, so I developed a habit of kicking them whenever they misbehaved.”
Sasha’s eyes glowed after hearing that. Any suspicion she previously had faltered.
“Yes, you are right. I forgot that you grew up in a village, and many villagers had dogs. I’m so sorry, Solomon. Lennie didn’t hold back just now and kicked the dog. We won’t be in trouble, will we?”
Solomon was stuck.
They had already gotten things to that state, so what else could he said?
However, he believed in Lance’s words when the latter claim that kicking the dog was a habit developed from growing up in a village.
He might’ve moved quickly just now, but there was no real technique in his kick. It is obvious that he only reacted that way because he does it all the time.
In the end, Solomon didn’t keep that incident in mind.
Still, when he met up with Andy in the garden, Solomon became proactive and gave Andy a magnificent gift as compensation for kicking his dog.
“We are so sorry, Mr. Rind, for causing so much trouble as soon as we drop by. If you don’t mind, I am willing to provide you with free legal counsel for two years to make up for it.”
“Really?”
The mixed-blood who had been flirting with a young woman was instantly delighted after hearing what Solomon said.
Sasha stared quietly from the side.
She didn’t actually like the guy, and that had been true ever since they first met.
He might be a Wall Street titan, but his aura didn’t suggest that he was a powerful businessman. Instead, he had a thick golden necklace around his neck and had dozens of terrifying tattoos all over him. That violent aura he exuded wasn’t that of a powerful man in Wall Street.
Instead, he looked like he was a gangster.
“Ms. Nancy, you’re finally here. I prayed to the stars and the moon above to meet you here.”
After exchanging some pleasantries with Solomon, Andy immediately shifted his attention to Sasha.
All he saw was a beautiful woman standing quietly at the side. She looked calm, her facial features were delicate, and her skin looked as smooth as porcelain. His eyes instantly glowed.
Sasha couldn’t help but feel disgusted after seeing that.
“Those are such kind words, Mr. Rind. I am the one who is truly delighted to meet you. I have been praying for a chance to collaborate with you.”
“Good, but Ms. Nancy, you don’t need to be so polite. You’re Solomon’s friend, so that makes you my friend, too. Come, take a seat. Let’s discuss the matter further.”
After saying his piece, the lustful man reached out to pull Sasha to him.
Sasha didn’t know what to do.
Solomon was pretty fast at that moment. Before Andy could touch Sasha, Solomon strategically shielded her and acted like he was just moving absent mindedly.
“Mr. Rind is right. Nancy, please go and retrieve the exquisite tea leaves I got as a gift. Let’s brew Mr. Rind a nice cup of tea, so we can discuss the matter in length.”
“Okay.”
Sasha was extremely appreciative of that. She immediately turned around to retrieve the tea.
Lance was well-behaved and smart at that moment. When he saw his cousin approaching him, he opened the bag and the gift box for her. He asked, “Sha, is that Mr. Rind?”
“Yeah. Don’t get too close, okay? Just observe everything from here.”
“Understood,” replied Lance like a good boy after hearing Sasha’s advise.
Only then did Sasha go back with the tea leaves.
Since Solomon was the one to make the introduction, Andy was quick to grant Sasha an opportunity to work with him. Andy still needed to see if Sasha actually had what it took to do the job, so he laid a condition.
“I heard about your story and how you collaborated with the Leonard family. However, those could be rumors, and I only work with people who are actually talented. If you don’t mind, Ms. Nancy, please demonstrate your strength right here and right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“The stock market had just begun operating, and I have been monitoring the shares of a subsidiary under Hayes Corporation. It has been rising steadily. If you can turn things around and make the share price fall right now, then you would have proven that you really are talented and worthy of this job.”
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Sasha never thought that the Wall Street titan would make such harsh demands as a test.
He actually wants me to go after Hayes Corporation? He must be nuts!
Hayes Corporation’s foundation was strong, and its share price was steady. There was no way a person could make it budge. Moreover, even if she ignored all that… That man and I are not on good terms now. He might actually kill me if I rock the share price.
Sasha was so angry that her knuckles were turning pale.
Solomon caught that, so he quickly eased the tension for Sasha. He commented, “Mr. Rind, isn’t that a little too harsh? Hayes Corporation isn’t just a small, random company. It’s a multinational corporation!”
“And that is exactly why I am asking her to go after the corporation. Ms. Nancy, do you know what my first major achievement in the finance industry is?”
“What is that?”
“I went after Hayes Corporation and made two hundred million from that war.”
The fat, middle-aged man actually put two fingers up and started bragging to Sasha.
Sasha was shocked.Hayes Corporation actually lost against this man?
When did that happen? Was it when my man was in-charge?
Rumor had it that Sebastian had it hard when he first started working in Hayes Corporation. Many older shareholders refused to accept him as their leader, and that made it difficult for him to make any decision at all. Is that all because this assh*le attacked him?
Sasha was instantly infuriated.
She might claim that Sebastian was a scum, and that she had cut all ties with the Hayes, but hearing that news didn’t bring her any joy.
Instead, it got her angry.
Who gives this assh*le the right to bully Sebastian?
Sasha sat down and turned on the laptop that was already prepped for her. As she did so, she asked, “Mr. Rind, will anything go as long as that share’s price goes down?”
“Of course.”
“And what if my method accidentally alerted the authorities? I heard that Hayes corporation’s system is extremely powerful, and they might catch us if we play dirty like this,” reminded Sasha out of kindness.
Andy, however, acted like a proud peacock and shrugged. He reassured, “Don’t worry, you can work however you like. No one has ever traced anything back to my system.”
Sasha actually began working on it after hearing those words.
Going after a subsidiary of a multinational corporation and making its shares price falls drastically… That truly was a difficult task because most investors would do their homework. They would look into the entities supporting that company, and Hayes Corporation was, without a doubt, one of the most powerful entities in the world.
To make matters worse, the corporation itself would be actively trying to stabilize the share price, so it would be extremely difficult for Sasha to attack it.
Still, the task being extremely difficult didn’t mean that it was impossible. Sasha began working via a fake account. Within a minute, she gathered a huge amount of funds. No one knew where the money came from.
At the same moment, the finance department in Hayes Corporation was alarmed.
“Mr. Scott, something terrible happened. The company’s share price is fluctuating. Is the president back yet? This matter is very urgent!”
“What?” blurted Luke, who was buried in a mountain of paperwork. Hearing that got him to spring up immediately.
“What fluctuation are we talking about here?”
“It’s about the new company we just acquired. Someone suddenly sold its shares in large quantities for no reason at all. That behavior is out of the norm, and if that keeps going, the share price will fall!”
“What the f*ck?”
Luke hung up immediately after and turned on the computer.
As reported, when he looked into the stock market, he saw that the subsidiary’s share prices were falling even though it had been performing well earlier.
Holy cr*p!
Luke panicked. He quickly got on his phone to make a call.
Beep! Beep!
It took over ten seconds before someone pick up. The guy on the other end of the line spoke calmly, and he sounded relaxed.
“What?”
“Mr. Hayes, what have you been doing over the past few days? Something grave happened to the company. The shares of the subsidiary we acquired are being sold in large quantities. If things keep progressing this way, the share price will surely fall!” reported Luke.
He was on the verge of crying when he heard how relaxed Sebastian sounded.
Unfortunately, the man on the other side of the line wasn’t worried at all.
Luke didn’t know if he was hallucinating, but it sounded like his boss was happy to receive the news.
“Just let it fall then.”
“Wait, what did you just say?” asked Luke. He thought he misheard it, so he repeated, “Did you say to let the share price fall? Mr. Hayes, did you hear me wrong earlier? That is the share price of our subsidiary. You’re just going to let it fall?”
“You didn’t mishear. Inform the relevant departments and tell them to ignore the matter. Just let the share price fall and investigate the matter afterward.”
Luke couldn’t speak.
Mr. Hayes must’ve gone crazy.
He acted crazy and has gone missing for over two weeks, and now, he’s letting the share price of his own company fall…
Luke was understandably disappointed after ending the call. He dragged his feet for quite a while before he told the relevant departments to ignore it.
Two hours later, in Andy’s villa in Moranta. Solomon and Andy were both astonished when they saw how Hayes Corporation’s share price was actually falling.
Andy worried about things getting out of hand, so he ordered Sasha to stop. If he hadn’t, that company’s share price might just fall all the way to zero.
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F*ck, this is too cool!
Andy became excited on the spot, and he sprang up before saying, “Ms. Nancy, you have truly impressed me. Now, I have no doubt about your skills. Do you know how much money they lost today?”
Sasha grinned calmly and answered, “Given the initial share price, they probably lost over a billion today.”
“Yes, that is exactly right. They lost a billion today! Ms. Nancy, you really are something else. You are even more powerful than I was when I was younger. I will definitely work with you!”
The Wall Street titan stumbled upon a rare talent, and he was so happy that he immediately agreed to let Sasha join their ranks.
Sasha secretly sighed a breath of relief after hearing all that.
Finally, I got in.
After that, Sasha was officially invited into the villa where Andy threw her a grand welcoming party.
He even invited all of his partners to the party.
Naturally, those were people who controlled the finance industry from behind the scenes, so there were more than fifty people in that room.
“What’s wrong, Sha? You don’t seem happy.”
Sasha had a glass of wine with her and was exchanging pleasantries with the others. She later bumped into Lance, who had walked over to check how she was doing.
Sasha frowned at that moment and replied, “I’m waiting for some news.”
“What news?”
“I’m waiting for news from Hayes Corporation. I made them lose a fortune today, so why didn’t they do anything?”
Lance was stunned. He asked, “Sha, do you want them to react to it? But… that won’t benefit us at all. If the authorities discovered the truth and come knocking, Andy will have to pay double of what he earned. He might even have to go to jail. What shall we do then?”
Sasha didn’t reply.
She was conflicted and didn’t know what she should say.
Lance was right. They would not benefit at all if Andy were to fall.
So why am I thinking about all this? Am I still hung up on that guy even after everything we’ve been through?
No, that can’t be! Haven’t I suffered enough? Haven’t I given enough? What is a mere billion compared to that? I shouldn’t even frown if he goes bankrupt and dies in a sea of debt!
Sasha calmed down quickly when she thought of that.
It didn’t take long before Solomon headed over to introduce her to the others and build a rapport. She had her glass of wine with her before she followed him along.
Lance stood there quietly and just stared at her.
No one noticed that when the lady turned around, the young man’s gaze turned grim suddenly. He stared at the woman as his dark brown eyes glowed with an icy aura.
It only lasted for a brief moment, but it was obvious.
That night, Sasha went back drunk. When she was taken to her room, she saw her debtor sitting inside with his legs crossed. I did something bad today, so is this karma? F*ck!
Sasha was so scared that she fell onto the floor.
This has to be my imagination!
She reached for her forehead and wiped the cold sweat. She told herself that she must be hallucinating. Yes, I had too much to drink earlier, so I must be seeing things.
However, just as she was going to get up, she saw the man in the leather shoe walking towards her.
“Did you have fun today?”
“Huh?”
“You made a billion today, so are you in a good mood?”
The man hovered over her, and it was as if he was a tall tower that was casting a shadow over her. The darkness could swallow her whole, and it was terrifying.
Sasha moved back a little. Her drunken, red face had turned pale from the fear. She said, “I-I didn’t mean to harm your company. I had no choice because I had to get in.”
“And?”
“A-and…”
Sasha had more to say, but the man suddenly picked her up from the floor and pulled her into his embrace.
Sasha couldn’t speak.
“Go on and finish the story. Why did you suddenly stop? What happened after that?”
The man finally got her in his arms, and his handsome face was inches from hers. The only thing between them at the moment was his warm breath and an aura so strong and domineering that it could consume everything.
Sasha became even more at a loss for words.
She was stuck in the man’s arms, and her heart was beating wildly. The effect of alcohol and his ridiculously handsome face finally got her to lose the last shred of sanity inside her.
“T-then I waited for you to come and nab me. Why didn’t you do so?”
“Nab you?”
“That’s right. I have avenged you. He bullied you, so I made him pay you back!”
She must be really drunk. Why else would she wave her tiny fists in front of me and claim that she was avenging me? Sasha’s eyes shone with innocence at that moment.
She was also not as harsh nor as distant as she was when she was sober.
Sebastian’s heart melted and his mind went fuzzy.
He ignored everything and pulled her closer to him. Soft kisses rained down on her before anyone knew it.
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He couldn’t find the words to describe the feeling.
The woman’s stubbornness had irked him in the past. However, without his realizing, she had also grown on him.
A tinge of regret bubbled in his heart. It took Sebastian twenty years to understand this.
Regardless if it was her own wishful thinking or the fact that she had barged into his life without his permission, he felt an immense guilt towards her.
I treated her like trash even after she made so many sacrifices for me without complaining. Instead of taking revenge on my father and me for the pain we caused her, she defended me like a fool. I’m such a…
In the heat of the moment, Sebastian fiercely kissed the woman before him.
He was very gentle the entire night. As much as he wanted to unleash his love through his actions, he held himself back and treated her with the utmost care.
Of course, there were pockets of exceptions there.
The next day, Solomon woke up early in the morning.
He had already worked things out with Andy so that Sasha could report directly to the other man. However, this meant that he might not be able to spend much time alone with her in the future.
Therefore, he postponed the appointment for a day and took her out to play instead.
Much to his surprise, when he went over to her place, he found Sasha’s bedroom door tightly shut. Lance was standing outside like a statue for some unknown reason.
“Lance, what are you doing here? What’s wrong with Sasha?” Solomon asked in concern.
Turning around to find Solomon there, his expression dimmed slightly, and he muttered, “Nothing…”
Despite what he said, the dark eye bags were a giveaway that he had not slept the entire night. He was also yawning constantly.
What has he been up to?
Puzzled, Solomon ignored him and reached out for Sasha’s door to let himself in.
Yet Lance stopped him. “Don’t go in. Last night, there was a lot of noise coming from her room.”
Noise?
Solomon’s expression changed. “Noise? What happened to Sasha?”
Letting out another yawn, Lance shrugged. “I don’t know either. Her bed was creaking the entire night, and I could not get a moment of peace. She probably kept tossing and turning because she was not used to the bed.”
Being the innocent person he was, Lance assumed that was the only plausible explanation.
On the other hand, Solomon went pale as soon as he heard that.
Not used to the bed?
How is that possible? She slept fitfully two nights ago, so why would she suddenly have trouble sleeping last night?
Besides, if her bed was creaking…
A series of images appeared in Solomon’s head almost instantaneously as his face turned red. He was so close to kicking the door down.
Sebastian!
How dare you come all the way here to make trouble?
“Soloman, are you okay? You don’t look well. Do you want to get some rest?” Lance offered, noticing the change in Solomon’s demeanor.
“No need!” the latter snapped.
Shortly after, he glared at the door as though he had seen something disgusting. Then he left with a grim face.
Meanwhile, Lance quietly watched until the agitated man’s silhouette vanished and he let out yet another yawn before heading back to his room to catch up on his sleep.
By the time the siblings got out of bed, it was almost two in the afternoon.
“Ouch…”
Sasha got out of bed and fell back promptly. She felt so sore that she could not stand straight.
Gosh, what is wrong with me?
She was so drunk last night that she could barely remember what had happened.
It was not until she saw the hickeys covering her body accompanied with a pain in a distinct area that she finally recalled some parts of the night.
Instantly, she exploded with rage.
“Sebastian, you are a bastard!”
“Sasha? What’s wrong? Are you awake?”
Coincidentally, Lance had gotten out of his room not long ago and was knocking on her door.
She covered her mouth in embarrassment and went to her bathroom to wash up.
Minutes later, she emerged feeling more orientated than before.
“Lennie, what is it?”
“Andy called. He wants to meet up to discuss a good money-making opportunity.”
Lance, who was standing outside the door, looked more radiant after having a good nap.
A pair of black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, and his short black hair peeked out from under his khaki wool beanie. At a glance, many would be envious of his youthful looks.
Ah, it’s good to be young.
Sasha scratched her head. “Okay, sure. I’ll get changed.” Then she turned back to Lance. “What about Soloman?”
“I don’t know. He came over to look for you in the morning, but after I told him you were still asleep, he left. I haven’t seen him since.”
Soloman came to look for me this morning?
Slightly anxious, Sasha scrambled to ask, “Really? Did you tell him anything else?”
Her cousin thought before he responded, “Nothing much. I told him you had too much to drink last night and were still asleep. What’s wrong? Should I have said otherwise?”
“No, of course not. There’s nothing else to tell.” Sasha was quick to deny. “I’ll go get changed now!”
She slammed her door shut, leaving Lance standing staring at her door suspiciously. Deciding that it was nothing, he headed back to his room to get ready too.
He was about to strip out of his pyjamas when a new message flashed across the screen of his phone.
It was from Luke.
Mr. Hayes, if you don’t come back now, the bunch of old geezers will destroy the company.
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Together, Sasha and Lance headed out to look for Andy.
When they arrived at his house, they saw several familiar faces from the party last night, waiting in the front yard.
“It seems like something big is going to happen,” Sasha muttered to Lance, who was standing beside her.
He nodded in agreement.
Instead of speaking his mind as usual, he stood behind her politely.
Before Sasha could question his odd behaviour, she heard someone calling her. ”Ms. Nancy, you are here! Please join us.” The guests enthusiastically gestured for her to go over.
Being from the finance industry and under Andy’s wing, they naturally formed a group when they saw each other.
Sasha walked towards them and politely greeted, “Have you waited long?”
“No. We just arrived.” One of them shook their head before he suddenly probed, “By the way, Nancy, do you know which project we will be working on this time?”
Unfortunately, Sasha was unaware. Even if Andy held her in high-esteem, he would never reveal such information to her.
She shook her head in response. “No, I haven’t. Do all of you know?”
With a mysterious smile, a man by the name of Pete chuckled. “A little. Do you know about Sky Precision in Jetroina?”
Crap!
The moment Sasha heard it, she felt her throat going dry.
Of course, she knew about Sky Precision. It was the top precision manufacturing company in the world that dabbled in machinery, digital electronics, and anything related to technology.
Andy is quite something. He asked me to make a move on Hayes Corporation, and today he wants to zoom in on Jetroina.
He is insane!
One person gasped, “Woah, Sky Precision? That’s great! If we seal the deal successfully with such this major client, we will rake in at least fifty million in revenue, right?”
“Of course!”
Everyone was getting excited by the prospect.
A vast company like Sky Precision had a diverse variety of portfolio. With the opportunity to earn more, they were overjoyed.
Sasha stood there thinking about how much sense it made. If the project became official, she would be more than happy to be part of it.
Andy finally came out ten minutes later. Dressed in a leather suit, he also donned a top hat and a pair of leather shoes. Immediately, he requested for his assistant to distribute a laptop to each guest.
“Hello everybody, I shall go straight to the point. Today, we have a project with Sky Precision. You can look through your duties after you receive your laptops like always.”
“It is really Sky Precision…”
The crowd started buzzing among themselves after his announcement.
Since they had to turn on the laptop to look through their responsibilities, Sasha passed her bag to Lance when she received hers.
Then she sat down in an empty chair to open it up.
“Futures?”
“Yes, Nancy. It is the first time you are participating in a project, so this is an opportunity for you to dip your toes in the water first. We have gold futures. Based on Sky Precision’s needs, we could trade on futures since they have substantial capital.”
Andy explained when he walked over and saw the disappointment written across Sasha’s face.
Sasha bit the inside of her cheeks.
Futures are not physical goods. They are derivative contracts involving financial products, such as bonds or stocks. A buy will receive the purchase only at a later date.
This old fox is being wary of me.
“It looks like we can’t make much money this time. Why are we buying into this? It is not a long-term investment or a specific stipulation from Sky Precision?”
She could not help but burst out when she spotted Andy.
Meanwhile, Lance was silent the entire time.
In fact, he stared blankly at the two as though he did not understand the conversation at all.
Sasha felt worse when she saw his expression.
“Why aren’t you saying a word? Don’t you understand these terms as a finance student? Last night, you were so eloquent with your analysis on how Hayes Corporation would threaten our foothold.”
Her cousin faltered for a split second before he finally forced himself to speak up. “I… was only afraid… to affect your judgement.”
“There is no need to be scared. We are family; we can discuss anything when we encounter difficulties. It’s perfectly okay even if you say something wrong,” Sasha chided.
A long while later, Lance finally nodded stiffly and whipped out his phone.
With the project details settled, everyone headed off to take care of their respective duties. Sasha finally had her chance to work as an official Wall Street financial trader after much difficulty.
By the time Sebastian got to his office, it was late.
Yet, the top level of his company was still brightly lit as his employees heard he would be returning. There were also several people waiting in the meeting room.
They looked like they were preparing for a trial.
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Sebastian walked into his office and headed straight to the coffee machine to make himself a cup before he settled on a couch to catch his breath. He did not seem bothered about what was going on in the meeting room.
The strenuous activity from last night took up a lot of his energy.
On the other hand, Luke was pacing outside the office impatiently. His knees almost buckled when he saw how relaxed his boss looked.
“Mr. Hayes, why are you still sipping on your coffee leisurely? You don’t have time for that! The shareholders are in the meeting room. Even Mr. Hayes Sr. is here.”
“What?”
The last line grabbed Sebastian’s attention.
They got Dad to come over too?
These old blokes must have nothing better to do! They are only itching to create more trouble.
Sebastian pursed his lips and finally set his coffee mug down on the table before reluctantly trudging to the meeting room next door.
Bang!
He could already sense the tense atmosphere from the outside with sounds of things being thrown across the room.
“Frederick, the company is not owned by your son alone. He has cost us a billion in the blink of an eye, and he did not even seek consent before he made that decision!”
“Exactly! It’s a billion in losses, not merely a hundred thousand. Mr. Hayes, with all due respect, have you considered how we feel? We allowed him to take this position to help us profit, not thoughtlessly squander our money away.”
“You…”
Frederick had not stepped into the company in a long while. He couldn’t find the words to rebuke the angry shareholders’ accusations.
Sebastian had enough of the chaos and decided to enter the meeting room.
Click!
Immediately, the room went silent when they saw the person standing at the door.
No one dared to mess with him at Hayes Corporation, including the shareholders.
Sebastian did not speak as he took in the group’s reaction. Instead, he walked towards the head of the table and pulled out the chair that was rightfully his.
Like the perfect gentleman, he sat elegantly and glanced around the room with indifference.
When did he become such a calm person?
Luke was getting goosebumps as he watched the scene unfold.
“Speak up. Why aren’t you talking anymore? Please continue.” Sebastian stated after a long pause. There was a ghost of a smile on his face, scaring everyone else in the room.
It was common for these shareholders to act like that. When he was not around, they would think highly of themselves and insist on their ways.
However, when Sebastian was present, their courage seemed to have dissipated.
“Sebastian, we don’t mean to be rude, but we deserve an explanation regarding the loss,” one courageous shareholder spoke up.
“I have to report to you when it’s merely a billion? How about the time when I raked in tens and hundreds of billions? At that time, I didn’t see you making such a big commotion as you are doing now. Do you want to review the ledgers? We can most certainly do that!”
Sebastian straightened himself.
As the rest of the shareholders watched him, they collectively felt a chill down their spine.
“No, we don’t mean it in that way. We only want to understand why you did not stop our company’s share prices from plunging because we could have completely averted the crisis by acting earlier.”
As expected, their attitude towards him changed drastically. They stooped down to please him almost instantaneously.
Noticing their change in reaction, Sebastian sneered, “I’m the person who is in charge of the company. But I can’t even have the room to make losses. How are you so sure that I did not do that to profit more in future?”
His words were harsh, and no one dared to speak up in the room.
After all, in the last few years under his leadership, he did increase their revenue by a few folds. Many times, he did not play according to the books too.
Therefore, no one could argue with him when he brought up that point.
In the end, the shareholders could only leave in despair. Frederick watched them empty the room and turned to his son. “Do you have an actual project?”
Resting his legs on the conference table, Sebastian blew a smoke ring and shrugged. “Nope.”
“Nope?” Frederick’s eyes widened in shock. “Why did you say that earlier, then? How dare you lie to them? Don’t you know how hard it is to deal with that bunch?”
“Ah, that was your era. Under me, those old blokes wouldn’t even dare to raise their voices.”
Sebastian was crude, even to his father.
However, one could not deny that there was some truth in his words. The shareholders loved to complain, but if Sebastian resigned, they would likely panic. Besides, no one else could manage the Hayes Corporation better than him.
Frederick sighed in defeat and asked after a short pause. “What have you done with the billion?”
Raising his brows, Sebastian did not bother to hide his intentions either. “I gave it to your daughter-in-law. Didn’t you want me to win her back?”
Within minutes, Frederick’s mouth hung open.
“Are you talking about Sasha? You found her?”
“Yes.”
“What is she doing? Why do you have to spend so much money on her? Did she agree to come back? Otherwise, did you give her the money to break up with her…”
As Frederick rambled on, he could only come to that conclusion.
The moment those words were out of his mouth, joy faded from his face, replaced by a look of disappointment.
Sebastian glanced at him.
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Sebastian had been suspicious of how Frederick acted around Sasha for a while, especially with the history of his outrageous actions.
Looking at his father’s reaction, he felt more defensive.
“No, she wants to revive the Wand family, and I helped to pave the way.”
“Really?” Frederick seemed surprised. “That is good. If the Wand family manage to stand up on their feet again, she might not hate us as much as before.”
That was apt. What were we hoping for, anyway? We have to make up for our past mistakes by helping the Wand family so that Sasha will return.
After all, the three children need their mother.
By the time Sebastian returned to Royal Court One, the three children were asleep. Instinctively, he went to his daughter’s room to see the sweetheart he got back recently.
After the paternal test, he realized this child was his. It only made him feel more guilty.
The woman was with his child under his nose for almost six months. Unfortunately, he did not know the truth and even used the child to humiliate her at that time.
A man as blind as me doesn’t deserve to be a father at all.
Sitting on the child’s pink bed, he watched his daughter sleep peacefully under her covers. He could not help but bend down to leave a kiss on her cute, chubby cheek.
“Mommy, are you back?”
The little girl sleepily mumbled when she felt the kiss on her cheek.
It had been a month since she last saw her mother.
Suddenly, Sebastian felt suffocated as he recalled the events in Clear. In the small dark yard, the words that the lady left rang in his ears. “I don’t want her. She is all yours!”
It was a stab to his heart. Even breathing was painful.
Sasha, what will it take for you to return? Don’t you know how much the children miss you?
“Daddy, are you back?”
A small figure appeared by the bedroom door. His voice jolted Sebastian out of his painful memory.
The little boy stood at the entrance when he spotted his father, looking smaller than ever. His sad expression was void of the mischief that usually hung on his face.
Sebastian regained his senses. He immediately calmed himself down and suppressed the tears that were about to spill.
“Yes, I’m home. Matt, why are you still awake? Come over here.” Opening his arms, he gestured for his child to walk to him for a hug.
Matteo obediently shuffled to him.
Without hesitation, he threw himself into his father’s embrace and allowed the sturdy arms to circle him. At that moment, he felt protected and warm.
He did not only have a mother, but he also had a father. It was a long time ago since the three of them last spent time together.
Comfortably leaning on the older man’s arm, Matteo whispered, “Daddy, were you looking for Mommy?”
It caught Sebastian by surprise.
How did he know?
“I know you are looking for Mommy. I’m sure you won’t abandon her, right?”
“Of course,” Sebastian replied in a solemn tone.
Still wrapped in the hug, his son smiled.
Afterwards, Matteo fished out something from the pocket of his pyjamas and handed it to his father.
“This is for you. It is a list of places where Mommy lived with her friends abroad over the years. You must work hard to bring her back. Otherwise, you will be a widower.”
“Widower?” Sebastian froze.
“It is a term for old men who lost their wives but still carry the burden of looking after their children. It will be difficult for you to remarry,” Matteo explained as he saw how bewildered his father looked.
Sebastian’s face fell.
How am I old?
I am not even thirty years old.
Also, why would it be difficult for me to remarry? If my wife leaves, I can definitely look for another woman to replace her.
Given my wealth and looks, I’m sure there will be plenty of women out there who will be more than willing to throw themselves at me.
Sebastian was unhappy with how his son termed him.
The sensible boy continued to analyze things for him. “Well, you do have the money and looks. I’m sure there will be many ladies waiting in line to be our stepmother. However, have you thought about how things will work once you remarry? Don’t you think the relationship between our stepmother and us and her in-laws will be a bother?”
Sebastian remained silent.
After a few seconds, he realized his child was right.
Who the hell told him such things?
Over the next few days, Sebastian was occupied with the company’s affairs. The shareholders obediently retreated to their homes without stirring more trouble after his return.
Everyone but Patrick Young.
“Patrick Young, I have already asked the company’s securities department. They found out that the transaction regarding a large number of shares was closed overseas. Given our ability, it is impossible to track who was responsible for it. We have already reported the information to the banking regulators.”
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That’s right! Hayes Corporation could have turned the tide and maybe even gained a billion! Why did Sebastian veto that? I wonder what his motive is?”
It was a quiet afternoon, and a few minor shareholders were gathered in the garden of a villa, discussing Sebastian’s decision.
“Don’t say that! Mr. Hayes must have his own reasons for making that decision,” Patrick chided. He was the villa owner and had a bigger shareholding compared to the rest.
“Why? Don’t forget he is not quite right up there, Mr. Young. Who knows what he is up to?” One of the aggrieved men retorted, pointing to his head to indicate Sebastian’s rumored mental problem.
Patrick’s face fell, and he warned, “Mind your words! Don’t go around spreading unverified rumors!”
Although he defended Sebastian, he was actually a two-faced, cunning man.
It would not be easy to oust the president in a direct confrontation, so he used other underhanded means to achieve his aim.
After the other men left, Patrick went back to his study, and his secretary followed closely.
When they were alone, the secretary couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Young, will the new successor of Hayes Corporation really give us what we want if we managed to oust Sebastian?”
“Of course! Otherwise, he can kiss Hayes Corporation goodbye!” Patrick laughed confidently as he happily picked up his golf bag and headed out.
Meanwhile, over at Wall Street in Moranta, Sasha was in distress.
She had only closed one contract worth a few hundred thousand that day, and that was to be executed six months later. At the rate she was going, she would be in financial trouble soon.
Sasha was in a sullen mood when she got back to her temporary accommodation, a place that belonged to Solomon’s friend.
Lance had left her alone and kept to himself for the past few days. It was only when he realized she had no plans to leave the place that he approached her for a discussion.
“Sha, shall we move out?”
“Huh? Move? Where to?” Sasha asked him in return.
“It may not be nice for us to stay here when Solomon is not in. Since we have no plans to leave Moranta soon, it would be better to find our own place. What do you think?” Lance reasoned.
“Oh, you are right! It slipped my mind. Sure! Could you help look around for it?” Sasha agreed.
“Okay.” He immediately turned to leave.
Sasha was preoccupied with her own thoughts, so it took her a while to realize her mistake. Lance was not familiar with the place and the language there. She should not have given him the task of looking for their accommodation.
About an hour later, her cousin came back with the good news that he had found them an apartment.
“How did you manage that? I thought you couldn’t speak the language here?” Sasha asked in disbelief.
Lance’s expression changed briefly. “I… Erm… we communicated in writing since I could read,” he stammered.
I see!
Sasha accepted his explanation, and they moved into the apartment immediately.
Solomon heard about that in the evening. He called to ask her about it, followed by an explanation that he went away for just a couple of days to settle some matters in Clear, but he would be back soon.
Sasha did not want him to feel bad, so she made up an excuse. “I found a place closer to Wall Street. Since I am working with Mr. Rind now, that would be a more convenient location for me.”
“Oh, alright then. By the way, I heard you’re working with him on the Jetroina project. Is it true that he hasn’t been giving you many lucrative leads after assigning you to handle some futures contracts?” Solomon asked.
Feeling aggrieved about that, so she took the opportunity to grouch, “It’s true! I think he is not too happy with my stand and doesn’t trust me yet.”
“Your stand about making money the legal way?”
“Yes. Those who went with me were earning millions after being allocated the hottest financing projects!” she complained in frustration.
It was indeed easier and faster to earn big money in investment banking.
On the other end of the phone, as Solomon was talking to Sasha, he was flipping through the file on the Jetroina project. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he suggested, “How about you contact the person in charge of the Jetroina project directly?”
“What? Contact him directly?”
“Yes. The lead might have come from Andy, but if you close the deal and share your earnings with him, I am sure he would not object to it. What do you think about that?”
His proposal for her to bypass her boss and negotiate with Sky Precision directly was tempting.
Just then, Lance came in with a bowl of dessert for Sasha. She ended her call with Solomon and casually sought her cousin’s opinion. “Lennie, Solomon said we should bypass Mr. Rind and negotiate with Sky Precision directly. What do you think?”
“No way! That is inappropriate.”
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“Sha, we are now working under Andy. He will be mad if he finds out you bypass him to negotiate directly with Sky Precision.”
“But isn’t it the same if we close the deal and split the earnings with him?”
“How is that the same? An egoist control freak like him would definitely not be happy with that. What matters more to him is submission and obedience from his subordinates, not money.” Lance was stern, quite unlike his usual self.
Moreover, his reasoning and analysis were way too sophisticated, beyond what a normal college kid could come up with.
He spoke as though he was an experienced expert in such matters. How could that be? Did I hear him wrong?
His rebuttal left Sasha speechless.
Seeing her reaction, he realized his unusual behavior had stunned her, so he changed his tone and explained, “I… Sha, don’t get mad. I might sound a little harsh, but I have heard about such things from my friends. I am just worried for you.”
Sasha stared at him for a few seconds. She decided he was telling the truth and dismissed her own suspicion.
“It’s okay. I’ll think about it again. You’d better head off to bed,” she said.
That very night, she tossed and turned in bed, torn between Solomon’s attractive proposal and Lance’s very rational analysis.
Unexpectedly, like a magician, Solomon appeared out of the blue right in front of her the next morning. For a moment, his stunning features and warm smile dazzled Sasha.He had specially flown back from Clear to accompany her to meet the person in charge of the Jetroina project. He seemed to have read her mind and knew she was hesitant.
“Morning, Nancy. I knew you would be undecided, so let me accompany you there.”
Sasha was grateful for his concern. His presence gave her assurance and eased her worry.
Bang!Just as she was about to take up his offer, the door upstairs burst open. Lance came out and greeted them with a sharp look.
“Oh Lance, you are up? Perfect timing! Solomon is here, so maybe we can give it a try. What do you say?” His stony expression gave her the shudders, and she tried to appease him with a conciliatory tone.
However, her cousin was definitely not his usual obedient self that morning. His face darkened further upon hearing her, and he stormed back into his room, slapping the door hard behind him.
Both Solomon and Sasha were dumbstruck as they wondered what was wrong with him.
After she recovered from her shock, Sasha hurriedly turned to Solomon with an apology. “I am really sorry about that. He was against the idea because he was worried I would offend Andy by doing so.”
Fly into such a rage just because he was worried for his cousin?
Solomon’s eyes narrowed in doubt. He stared fixedly at the door for a long time, highly concerned as the Lance he knew would never behave with such anger and disdain. His menacing stare was frightening.
On the other hand, Sasha did not read too much into the episode. Lance had warned her about the issue the night before, so she could understand his anger over her decision to go ahead.
As Lance was in a wrathful mood, she decided to go ahead without him. Just as she was about to leave, her cousin came out of his room and whined, “I am coming along too!” He stood there with a pained look in his big, soulful eyes.
“Huh?”
The huge change in his attitude astonished Sasha. He had been very unpredictable in the past few days, raging like a bull one moment and then meek as a lamb the next.
She wanted to be firm with him, but when she saw his disappointed bowed head and lowered eyes, she softened. “Okay, go get changed. I will wait for you.” She relented, ruffling his hair.
Lance immediately broke into a wide grin and ran back into his room to change.
Solomon, who was watching them from the hall, was perplexed. What he just witnessed was the usual behavior of Lance. However, he felt something was not quite right. It was bothering him because he could not single out exactly what was wrong.