Ch. 1771..1780

Chapter 1771

Mrs. Quimbey smiled and said, ‘You’re so busy. Your mother and I were just casually strolling around.”

Fiona looked at her son with a bit of coldness in her gaze. How could she not notice that her son was trying to please his mother-in-law?

She raised this son for nothing! Lance took them to his office.

Before he could say anything, he watched as his mother wandered around his office, looking left and right. Fiona even went to the lounge and bathroom to check carefully as if she was looking for something.

Yvette’s mother just had an embarrassed look on her face.

Lance was helpless and asked, “Mom, what are you looking for?”

Fiona asked, “Where’s Yvette? Why are you not together?”

Lance rubbed his temples. “She has her own office now, so of course, she won’t be in my wardrobe...”

He gritted his teeth a little and looked at Fiona. She even checked under the wardrobe and everywhere that could hide someone.

Was she looking for Yvette or a mistress?

This was too humiliating, especially in front of Yvette’s mother.

Fiona flipped her hair back and calmly walked over to take a seat.

“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?” Lance was speechless.

Mrs. Quimbey smiled and asked, “hat girl didn’t give you any trouble, did she?”

Lance sent a message to Yvette to tell her that their mothers were here while he answered Mrs. Quimbey’s question.

“Of course not! Yvette has a strong foundation and works very well. She’s also a quick learner. That’s all because you taught her well in the first place.”

While praising Yvette, Lance did not forget to flatter his mother-in-law.

Mrs. Quimbey was very satisfied with his words. Who wouldn’t like to hear praises about their daughter?

Although Mrs. Quimbey knew that those words were probably exaggerated, she was happy to see that Lance was defending Yvette, which meant that the relationship between the two of them was very stable.

Mrs. Quimbey laughed. “I know what she’s capable of. But you guys are really reckless. I just heard them say that Yvette was the new vice president. How could she be the vice president?”

The door opened just as Mrs. Quimbey finished her sentence.

Yvette ran in excitedly. “Why can’t I be the vice president?!”

Although she said that, she still ran behind her mother and hugged her tightly from behind.

“Mommy! I miss you so much! You’re lucky that I have time now. Next time, you’ll have to make an appointment when you want to see me!”

Mrs. Quimbey laughed helplessly. “Great! I don’t want to see you anyway.”

Yvette grunted pretentiously and went over to lie on Fiona’s back. She complained like a kid.

“Did you hear what my mom just said? She said she doesn’t want to see me, but she probably secretly cried by herself several times already!”

Fiona found that Yvette was really cute. She promised to be a good mother-in-law when they got married.

The standard of a good mother-in-law was to maintain proper boundaries and not to meddle in the children’s affairs.

However, Fiona did not expect that Yvette did not have any sense of boundaries toward her at all. Yvette would hug her and act pampered whenever she wanted without a bit of detachment.

Fiona was flattered by this.

She felt like Yvette was just like her daughter. Fiona put her arm around Yvette’s shoulder. “Yeah, your mom’s just stubborn. Don’t you know by now?”

Mrs. Quimbey rolled her eyes at them and laughed lightly.

“Don’t even flatter yourself. I’m so busy, so how would I still have time to think about you?”

Lance always knew that Yvette was very lovable, so after seeing her and Fiona looking more like mother- daughter when they were together, he was already used to it.

He smiled before answering Mrs. Quimbey’s question with a straight face.

“There’s a reason why Yvette was chosen to be the vice president. Firstly, I need a person I can trust in this position. Secondly, her ability is most suitable for this position. Whether it’s for the company or her personal development, it’s a win-win situation. It’s not a random decision. Besides, a board meeting has been held, and this decision was unanimously agreed upon.”

Chapter 1772

Lance’s words gave Mrs. Quimbey a piece of mind, which allowed her tense heart to settle a little.

Mrs. Quimbey originally thought that Yvette would not be able to do the job and that her status would make the employees unhappy.

However, when she heard what Lance said, she thought that she had been overthinking it.

Since it was beneficial to both parties, what was there to worry about?

This remark made Yvette blush in embarrassment.

Lance was a really good liar. Clearly, Yvette was the one who asked for this position, yet Lance made it sound so grand as if Yvette was forced to take up the position.

Besides, those things that happened at the board meeting were still fresh in Yvette’s mind. Those people did not unanimously agree on that decision. Instead, the voice of the opposition was suppressed.

However, this was also good.

Yvette looked at Lance with delighted eyes.

When Lance looked up, he met Yvette’s gaze. Yvette seized the opportunity to wink at him and raised her eyebrows. Lance was stunned. He then lowered his head to continue talking to Mrs. Quimbey with a warm voice.

When Fiona saw this scene, she could not help but feel elated.

Things between the children seemed to be better than everyone imagined.

Who said that love could not be forced? This couple in front of her just looks so in love!

They chatted and laughed for a while. Lance then took them out for dinner.

Lance was supposed to meet a client, but since Mrs. Quimbey was there, he could not be absent. He was very thorough and postponed the dinner party with the client.

They ate dinner happily. It was never boring or awkward with Yvette around.

At 9:00 pm, Mrs. Quimbey rejected their offer to go for karaoke since she needed her beauty sleep.

Fiona still had something to say and held Yvette’s hand. “If he dares to make you angry, don’t go easy on him and just do as you please. I certainly won’t feel heartbroken if you beat him up! If you’re bored, you can come to me. I’ll be here for you anytime.”

Yvette happily nodded her head. “Thanks, Mom. I think that you’re the most reasonable one in the whole family! If not for you, I wouldn’t be so nice to him!”

Lance was speechless.

Fiona had an understanding expression and looked at Yvette even more dotingly.

Lance first sent Yvette home. Fiona then wanted Lance to go home to get a copy of the project proposal that he previously left at home. Lance believed her and went to get it.

Midway, Fiona called her driver to pick her up and asked Lance to park the car on the side of the road.

Lance was a bit puzzled. “Aren’t we going home?”

Fiona sneered. “Do you really think that I want you to drive me back?”

Lance nodded his head. Otherwise, what else? Fiona speechlessly took a deep breath.

“When we went to the office today, we heard a lot about you two.”

Lance frowned.

Fiona immediately said, “It’s not that we deliberately want to pry into your private lives. Once we entered the building, everyone was blatantly gossiping about you two doing it in the office... Of course, I understand that you’re both young and have urges, but you should at least think about Yvette. How difficult is it for a girl to make a career for herself? If she’s tied to these rumors, she won’t be admired for her skills even if she has great achievements.”

Fiona said unceremoniously. She knew what kind of person her son was. Lance would not care about what people say.

However, even if he did not care about himself, he could not neglect that little cutie Yvette!

Thus, Fiona had to warn him. Lance held back. He felt a little lost and helplessly answered, ”Mom, it’s all a misunderstanding. There’s no such thing. We were just hugging...“

Chapter 1773

Even Lance did not take the initiative, it was all because of that male assistant, who only knew how to mess things up and spread gossip.

Fiona laughed dryly and did not believe her son at all. “I’m just telling you, so you just need to listen.”

She coughed and pushed the door open to get off. “

Alright, you can go back. Don’t make her wait too long!”

Of course, Lance could not dump his mother at the roadside alone. He helplessly said, “I’ll take you home.”

Fiona firmly refused. “No!”

As the stalemate went on, a Porsche came over from not far away. Fiona smiled.

“My driver’s here. You can go back.”

Lance helplessly watched as his mother got into the car that drove away before he turned around and went home.

After some thought, too many things happened today. However...

Lance sent a message to the company’s HR when he parked at the garage.

That night, his male secretary received a transfer notice. He was demoted as the President’s assistant to the logistics department.

Lance wanted that eyesore gone.

After Yvette went home, she very much enjoyed her time alone.

It felt like she had gone back to the time before she got married. It was simply amazing!

Yvette called Nicole while she was taking a bath, and Nicole took a while to pick up.

“Ms. Quimbey, now that you’re no longer an alarm clock, you decide to call at night?”

Yvette snorted coldly. “If not? I’m now a vice president! I’m very busy!”

Nicole was shocked for a moment.

“Really? So suddenly? When did this happen?”

Although Yvette did not want to show off, she needed to share her pleasant mood with someone, so she must let her best friend know about it.

“Today! I found that Lance is actually quite reliable...”

Yvette happily told Nicole about everything that happened.

Nicole agreed with Yvette. Lance was indeed quite reliable. He was much more reliable than she imagined.

“I thought that Lance was quite dull and didn’t expect him to be so tactful!”

Yvette laughed. “Yeah, he’s very tactful. He just needs a little hint to get it, so it saves me a lot of trouble!”

That was why Yvette always felt like she found a treasure.

Nicole knew that Yvette was happy and unconsciously curled her lips. “Well then, congratulations!”

‘Thank you! As you know, I’ve only come this far because of my good luck.”

It was not because of her strength.

Nicole laughed. As soon as she looked up, she saw Clayton coming out with a fruit platter, then he placed it in front of her.

She took a look and signaled to him that she did not have time to eat.

Clayton simply picked up the fruit with a fork and fed it to her mouth. He then mouthed, “Open your mouth...”

Nicole subconsciously opened her mouth, and the cherry went into her mouth.

She chewed a few times. Just as soon as she lowered her head, Clayton placed his hand next to her mouth, allowing her to spit the core into his hand.

There was no hint of disgust.

This series of actions was very familiar and fluid. It was a common scene these days that Nicole completely got used to it.

Clayton was extremely attentive.

The two of them looked at each other and their eyes were glued to the others’.

As soon as Clayton got close to Nicole, he kissed her as a reward for eating fruit.

Yvette heard that Nicole was not speaking over the phone and paused. “What are you doing?”

Nicole swallowed the fruit. “Nothing... Continue...” Yvette had her doubts.

“Clayton’s at home?” Nicole responded.

“Yes, he’s right next to me. Do you want to talk to him?”

Yvette wrinkled her eyebrows as Clayton’s voice rang out without the slightest surprise. “Congratulations, Ms. Quimbey!”

Chapter 1774

Yvette paused. Her tone subconsciously rose. “Clayton was by your side the whole time?!”

Did a third party hear what she just said? Nicole laughed. “No, he just came over.”

Yvette breathed a sigh of relief. “How are you feeling lately? Is the baby alright?”

Speaking of the baby, Nicole smiled and touched her belly.

“Not bad. There’s not much reaction, so it doesn’t affect me going to work to make money!”

Yvette chattered on for a long time until she heard a loud commotion at the door.

She guessed that Lance was back, so she hurriedly hung up the phone.

Before Nicole could react to it, her phone was taken away by Clayton.

“You don’t need to look. Mr. Sheldon probably came back, so Ms. Quimbey won’t call again.”

Nicole clapped her hands. She thought the same thing.

That girl always forgot about her friends when she saw a guy.

Clayton stroked her hair and smiled with his eyes.

“I made some soup for you. Should I bring it over to you?”

Nicole gulped. “Forget it. It‘s too late now. I’ll feel guilty for eating at this hour.”

Clayton hesitated slightly. He knew her worries and tried to change the topic.

After Nicole read some documents, Clayton came over with a bowl of soup.

“It’s still warm. Just have a little taste. It’ll be the same as not eating, so you won‘t gain weight.”

Nicole now has a professional nutritionist to counsel her on her pregnancy diet. Moreover, with Clayton willingly being involved in everything, they did not have a maid at home.

Clayton would only get the maid to relieve him temporarily when he was too busy to get away.

However, Nicole did not care about this because the attention given to her by Clayton and the Stanton

family did make her worry about being neglected at all.

At first, Nicole thought that Clayton was only so attentive and considerate because she was pregnant.

Although Clayton never ignored any of her little things either before she was pregnant, pregnant women tend to overthink things and focus on unnecessary things.

Gradually, there were days when Nicole was not feeling well. There were also several types of medications that she could not take, so when she could not sleep all night, she would cry in pain.

Clayton secretly went to the doctor to get some medicine.

Before going to bed, Clayton had to coax her to take the medicine, but Nicole noticed.

“What if this medication causes complications for the baby and I give birth to a little fool?”

Nicole was really aggrieved and in pain. She felt so uncomfortable and regretted getting pregnant. Why did she have to get married so early?

Although to outsiders, Nicole was still so beautiful and dazzling, she always felt that she was not spontaneous and free anymore.

Clayton gently coaxed her.

“It’s okay. So what if the baby’s a little dumb? I don’t want you to keep suffering...”

Only then did Nicole realize that Clayton’s eyes were bloodshot.

Nicole forgot that the few nights when she could not sleep, Clayton stayed up with her to massage her and bring her water. He was even more tired than she was.

The good thing was that after that period, her team of nutritionists paid more attention to her health and did not dare to be careless at all.

Now that Nicole thought about it, she felt very puzzled.

Why did she have to feel torn about whether Clayton loved her or the baby?

Nicole should be loving the baby along with Clayton.

Before bed, Nicole nestled in Clayton’s arms. Clayton made sure that she was in a comfortable position and patted her back, then began to tell her a bedtime story.

They did not know when this habit started, but Clayton would randomly make up stories, and each little story was different.

Occasionally, there would be incidents where the logic did not make sense, but Nicole still listened with great interest.

Chapter 1775

Clayton’s voice was extraordinarily soothing late at night and had the effect of a lullaby.

Unknowingly, Nicole fell asleep.

Clayton saw that Nicole was sleeping soundly. After a while, he quietly got out of bed and went to the study to deal with some company affairs.

The next day.

The weather suddenly turned cold. When Nicole got up, the sky outside was still a bit gloomy.

Clayton knew her habits and did not force her to recuperate at home. Nicole enjoyed going to work too much, even though she often did not do much work when she was at the office.

Early in the morning, Clayton made breakfast and woke Nicole up with a warm voice. Nicole squinted her eyes and did not want to get up. She just nestled her head on his chest.

Since he could not touch her like he wanted to early in the morning, Clayton felt uncomfortable.

Clayton restrained himself and woke her up. His voice was low and hoarse.

“Come on, get up! Stop fooling around.”

After Nicole successfully aroused a certain part of his body, she felt satisfied and wanted to wash up.

As a result, Clayton pulled her back to the bed, lowered his gaze, and looked at her deeply.

“If you really don’t wanna get up, why don’t you call in sick today?”

Nicole touched his abs which felt so firm and nice to the touch. This was hers, so she could touch him whenever she wanted to.

While touching him, she shook her head with great difficulty.

“No, I can’t be lazy!”

Nicole looked so witty like a little she-devil and was simply challenging Clayton’s willpower.

Clayton took a deep breath and lowered his head to kiss her.

Nicole saw that Clayton was about to lose control and regretted teasing him so early in the morning.

Finally, she could only helplessly beg for mercy. She really could not be late today because there was an important meeting in the morning. Since Kai was away on business, Nicole had to be there.

Clayton’s eyes were bloodshot. He wiped the corner of her lips with his thumb and looked at her with a doting and sympathetic gaze. How did he manage to marry such a dainty little lady?

However, this way, she would learn her lesson.

Clayton got up and carried Nicole to the bathroom. She had barely any strength, so he helped her to wash u

p and was just short of helping her change her clothes. Nicole then kicked him out.

Finally, Clayton sent her to work. When he was kissing her goodbye, he saw Logan waiting for her at the door.

Logan rushed to meet her when he saw her getting out of the car.

“President...”

They ensured that Nicole always had someone by her side, no matter at work or out of work. There would always be someone there to protect her.

Nicole also did not refuse. Anyway, she did not hate those people, so there was no harm in having more attention.

Once Clayton left, Logan looked at Nicole and paused. He looked hesitant.

He did not know what to say.

Nicole gave him a look. “Just spit it out!”

Logan pursed his lips and took a clean mask from his pocket.

“Why don’t you wear this first?”

Nicole frowned and took it over. “Why?”

Logan then took out a round makeup mirror from his pocket and handed it to her.

“Take a look for yourself.”

Logan thought, ‘It was just a goodbye kiss and just a short few hours of separation... Did they need to be so intense?’

Nicole’s lips were bright and red, slightly swollen with blood. Who could not see what was going on?

Logan was too embarrassed to look at Nicole again as he was afraid that she would think that he was frivolous.

Nicole saw her own lips, froze for a moment, immediately took out the mask, and put it on.

While putting it on and walking, she weakly explained.

“I may be allergic to something. That’s why my lips are like this. Don’t think too much...”

Logan said, "Yes, President. I didn’t think much about it.”

‘Haha, that’s not true. It’s all excuses! I saw it with my own eyes, so why would I still need to use my imagination?’ Logan thought.

Nicole looked at Logan in anger. He was so perfunctory, so he was probably already imagining things.

At once, Nicole felt a surge of anger and could not help but speed up her pace. She was walking like she was flying.

Logan immediately caught up to her.

Chapter 1776

Everyone passing by did not even get the chance to say hello since Nicole and Logan were running away one after the other.

Luckily, they came in time and did not delay the meeting.

Nicole went in with a mask. The others were all seated. The project director gave her the new proposal.

“President, I‘ve already told President Kai about this project, but he didn’t agree with our competition plan. If we don’t prepare in advance, according to our opponent’s development, they will likely become a threat to us!”

It could be seen that this director was very eager for this project.

A team of fresh college graduates had set up a new company.

This small startup became a thorn in their side at this moment.

The reason was that as soon as the website they designed went online, it attracted a lot of traffic. In just six months, this startup became the object of everyone’s competition for investment and acquisition.

However, these graduates were smart. They only accepted high investments but not acquisitions.

They were not blinded by the small profits and immediate vested interests.

According to their current progression, they would certainly have a bright future.

However, their project collided with Stanton Corporation’s long-term investment. Stanton Corporation prepared for this project for two years. Once the time was right, they planned to go online, which would certainly go viral.

At this juncture, this startup suddenly appeared and launched this ahead of schedule, stealing all the limelight from Stanton Corporation.

This meant that all preparations Stanton Corporation had done in the previous two years were all wasted.

Their superiority was beaten by the startup’s fast innovation. Thus, their project could only be abandoned before it was even launched.

Nicole knew about this, and so did Kai. Kai intended to give up the project.

After all, someone launched it first, and their traffic was unstoppable. If Stanton Corporation released a similar website at this time, the effect would not be great. Rather, it would be counterproductive.

They thought of the worst possible outcome — plagiarism, stealing traffic, stealing newcomers’ works

This would cause a huge blow to a corporation that valued its reputation.

Nicole was aware, so she had been hesitating about this matter for some time recently on whether to give up or not.

It was a pity to just give up like this. Since they invested a lot of money in this project, that money would be lost if they just gave up.

However, not giving up might cause a negative chain reaction.

There was a heated discussion with all sorts of opinions in the meeting.

Aside from those who were in the project department, everyone else advocated abandoning this project.

They preferred to preserve the whole group and not take any risks.

However, the project team was not willing to do that because they had been working on this project for two years.

“President, we can’t just give up like this! Even if we’re late to the game, they still don’t have a registered trademark. We’ve done all the preparation work two years ago, so we can explain to the public then.”

“Why would the public listen to you about this? Don’t do pointless work...”

“Yes, it’s not too late to cut our losses now.”

Nicole listened quietly and looked to the silent Tucker on the side.

Tucker came back from his post in J&L Corporation three months ago. His growth was rapid, so Nicole did not stint on talent and gave him better treatment and a higher position.

“Tucker, how’s the investigation of this matter going?”

As soon as Nicole spoke, everyone consciously stopped arguing.

Tucker sat upright and looked at her with a straight face.

“President, I’ve sent some people to find out about Z Technologies. The general manager of Z Technologies, Luke Youngblood, and his team are mostly fresh graduates. Luke Youngblood graduated from a domestic university and went abroad for further studies. When he returned, he founded Z Technologies. According to my understanding, they’re short of money, but they also know that they’re holding onto a treasure that can generate money. Many angel investors previously offered to get a share in their startup but were rejected.”

 

Chapter 1777

At the meeting.

The person sitting next to Tucker could not help but snort coldly.

“He really thinks too highly of himself and doesn’t want money? Is he trying to get rich with a single step? He doesn’t know how the world works!”

“Yes, I don’t think we should give him the money. Let’s just see how he can go on without money. Perhaps in less than a month, they’ll have to declare bankruptcy!”

“Tucker, how did you arrange your people to work there? Are you sure that this is the real situation?”

Seeing that everyone was going to bicker again, Nicole rubbed her temples. Her tone turned slightly cold.

“He’s not done yet, so you guys can discuss it later.”

Everyone looked at each other, pursed their lips, and shut up.

Although they were upset, they did not dare to say anything. The people present occupied important positions in the company and had to respect Nicole, so they certainly did not dare to oppose.

As for the other shareholders, Nicole made them flustered as soon as she just joined the office. In front of Floyd Stanton, those shareholders were still somewhat respected, but in front of Nicole, they were nothing.

They could not help it because Nicole was the Stanton family’s baby.

Tucker cleared his throat, looked at everyone, and continued to speak.

“It’s evident that Luke Youngblood intends to get a huge investment but wants to give less report on his operations. He only intends to sell 10% of their shares, so the investor would not have any say in major decisions.”

After that, everyone’s expression changed.

Nicole wrinkled her eyebrows slightly. 100s of their shares with no say in decisions.

Luke Youngblood was really confident in his company, huh?

“These youngsters who just started their own business see themselves as the next richest person in the world, so they don’t want to give up too much in the beginning. This is expected...”

Nicole spoke lightly, glanced at Tucker, then adjourned the meeting. Afterward, she stood up and left.

Everyone still had not yet returned to their senses when Nicole was already gone from the conference room.

However, it was rare that they did not continue discussing. They could tell that Nicole was quite angry.

Logan went into the office with Nicole, then Tucker followed suit.

Nicole poured herself a cup of fruit tea, took a sip, and put it down. She then slowly calmed down.

Tucker sat across the table. His face was quite tense.

“President, should we still continue this acquisition? The people we sent have all been discovered. If we send more people there, Luke Youngblood will just raise the price since he’ll know how much we want it. Then, we’ll lose the initiative.”

Of course, Nicole understood this reasoning. An investor who took the initiative to negotiate too many times would only give the other party more confidence.

It would be very unfavorable for negotiation.

However, the acquisition of Z Technologies was the most beneficial to Stanton Corporation. This was the only way to get Z Technologies in the bag and allow Stanton Corporation’s project to be launched smoothly so as not to attract the public’s criticism.

The biggest problem now was how to acquire them.

Logan poured a cup of coffee for Tucker, who hurriedly got up to thank him. Logan patted his shoulder, smiled, and sat on the side.

Nicole took a deep breath. “How many partners do they have in total? Do they all have a say?”

Tucker replied, “Including Luke Youngblood, there are three of them. They all have a say, but they pretty much listen to Luke Youngblood. The other two people are more inclined toward technology. By the way, I heard that Luke Youngblood and his girlfriend are getting married soon.”

Nicole nodded. The girlfriend did not participate in the company’s affairs, indicating that she did not play an important role.

She looked at the computer screen in front of her and slid her fingers around. She looked at Logan and said, “ Make an appointment with Luke Youngblood to have a meal together.”

Logan nodded. ‘Yes, President.”

Chapter 1778

Tucker knitted his brows and was somewhat confused. “President, if you go in person, won’t it be too grand.”

Nicole laughed. “That’s one aspect, but it can also be interpreted as an ultimatum.”

Of course, this would not be the last time they interacted. It was just giving Luke Youngblood some psychological pressure.

Tucker sighed with relief and nodded. "Then shall I accompany you?”

Nicole shook her head, picked up the fruit tea, and took a sip.

“No need.”

Nicole just wanted to meet this fresh graduate. Naturally, she would not bring more people with her as it would give that youngster an illusion that he was too important.

Logan successfully made an appointment with Luke Youngblood. They would meet at Z Technologies’ office.

Nicole changed into a more casual dress and a pair of soft-soled sneakers before she went. Clayton bought her these shoes from somewhere and said that they would be more comfortable to wear while shopping.

Nicole did not wear it much, but this time, it felt very comfortable like she was stepping on a cloud.

Logan saw Nicole taking her time to admire herself and those shoes in the office mirror and did not know if he should rush her for a moment.

He saw that she even took out her phone and took a few pictures of her shoes. She probably sent them to someone and started to type messages on her phone.

Of course, Nicole sent the picture to Clayton. Clayton’s response was quick. [Going out?]

Nicole replied. [Yeah, to talk about an acquisition. Aren’t you very experienced in acquisitions? Do you want to pass on some tips?]

Clayton hesitated for a long time. [Why don’t I go with you?]

He did not know how to teach her for a while.

Nicole refused. [That’s not necessary. It’s a business secret, so I’m forbidden to leak any news.]

Clayton replied. [... ]

When Nicole made money, she certainly remembered about trade secrets.

Nicole put down her phone, picked up her bag, and walked out.

“Let’s go.”

Logan breathed a sigh of relief and immediately followed.

The driver was waiting downstairs. Since Nicole was pregnant, she rarely went out personally to talk

business. This time, it was a rather exceptional situation.

When she arrived at the office building, it looked a little old. She knew this place, which was in the outer ring of the city center. It was once quite prosperous, but with the development of the city center, this place gradually declined.

However, the rental and market value of this area was very high. Many entrepreneurs liked to start earning their first bucket of money here.

Logan was walking behind her with a briefcase. He saw that she was walking very fast and could not help but feel a little worried.

“President, walk slowly. Please take care of your body.”

Nicole turned back and shot him a cold glare, then took a step forward.

When they got to the elevator, Logan could not help but speak.

“Your pregnancy hasn’t been announced yet, so later when they bring you coffee, you have to hold back your urge to drink it!”

Logan had been working for Nicole for so long, so he naturally knew about Nicole’s love for coffee.

However, after she got pregnant, she stopped drinking coffee.

Thinking about Clayton’s instructions, Logan must keep an eye on Nicole at all times and must not be careless.

Logan was even more afraid to take it lightly. Nicole clicked her tongue. “Why are you so naggy?” Logan spoke weakly.

‘these are special circumstances. I’m afraid that you’ll forget.”

Nicole rolled her eyes and did not want to argue with him.

Once she got out of the elevator, the hallway was cramped, narrow, and dark. They could barely see where they were going.

Luckily, the lights were sound-activated. Logan stomped his feet, and the place lit up.

They walked further and saw a neater and brighter reception. Only then did they feel slightly more comfortable.

There was a beautiful young lady at the front desk. When she saw Nicole and Logan walking over, her eyes lit up.

“Are you Ms. Stanton?”

Chapter 1779

Nicole wore sunglasses and nodded. “This way please...”

Nicole and Logan followed the lady.

Logan was not too happy. After all, with Nicole’s identity, Luke Youngblood did not come out to receive them and let his receptionist lead them over.

Luke Youngblood was really putting on airs.

However, Nicole’s face was indifferent as she walked inside.

The receptionist glanced back at Nicole from time to time, wanting to take a closer look but also worried about offending her.

Nicole noticed the curious gaze from the front and smiled at her in a friendly way.

The receptionist shuddered and immediately turned back, not daring to peek again.

Nicole was speechless and thought, ‘Am I that scary?’

Once they turned a corner, they arrived at an office door. The receptionist coughed.

“Ms. Stanton, our general manager, Mr. Youngblood, is waiting for you inside. Please come in.”

Nicole nodded and subconsciously swept a glance outside. A few workstations occupied the main area. They looked clean-cut and did not look like the stereotypical programmer.

However, everyone was busy with their own things and kept their heads down. They did not even notice her.

They sure were professional!

Nicole thought so and had a good feeling in her heart. This way, Nicole did not mind taking out more money.

When she pushed the door open, Luke Youngblood stood up and walked over to greet her.

“Ms. Stanton, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Nicole raised her eyebrows and smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

Luke was not quite the same as she imagined. He did not look serious and old-fashioned, but tall, thin, pale, and quite youthful and handsome.

He did not look like a clueless fresh graduate. He looked mature and stable like a veteran in the business world.

He looked like he was not easy to deal with. This was Nicole’s first instinct.

However, that made sense. Otherwise, how could Z Technologies become such a hotcake in just a few months that investors wanted to get a cut?

The office was not big, but it was clean and tidy. There was not much fancy stuff, and everything was in simple clear gray tones. It was very much to a man’s preferences.

They sat on the sofa, and the receptionist just now brought over three cups of coffee.

Nicole raised her eyebrows. The receptionist was also responsible for a secretary’s work?

Soon, Luke’s face was sullen as he asked the receptionist to leave. The lady looked at Nicole reluctantly and dawdled out.

Luke was a bit speechless and explained to Nicole.

“Sorry, she’s my girlfriend. She knows that a female customer is here today, so she...”

Nicole nodded with a look of understanding. “I understand.”

So that was Luke’s girlfriend. No wonder...

Logan took out the prepared documents and handed them to Luke.

Only then did Nicole speak with a straight face.

“Mr. Youngblood, I believe that you’ve been in contact with our company before. You can bring up whatever conditions that you’re not satisfied with.”

Luke sullenly looked at the document in front of him and pursed his lips.

“The conditions you gave are more generous than everyone else, but 51 Oz of our shares is too much. That’s absolutely impossible.”

Nicole smiled and saw his firm look of refusal. This was an expected reaction.

“51% of shares in exchange for a lump sum of 8200 million. This is equivalent to Stanton Corporation

taking on all the risks. You don’t need to bear any risk, so you’re not at a loss...”

Luke curled his lips and looked stubborn. He shook his head.

“When I lose the controlling stake, I’ll be put in a passive position, so what’s the point of keeping this company?”

Once the other party had more shares than Luke, sooner or later, the company would land up in their hands.

The purpose of his business venture was not to do all this work for the benefit of others.

Chapter 1780

Nicole was silent for a while. She looked out the window where the sun was shining and felt her heart calming down.

Luke Youngblood, who was sitting opposite her, refused to relent. He was certain that his popular startup was a hotcake that everyone would want.

The highest bidder would get it.

Of course, Luke would choose the one that was most beneficial to him.

Nicole wanted to drink the coffee in front of her but held back in the next second.

She looked through the window at the workstations outside. The people outside were not like they were when Nicole first came in. They were not calm and composed. Instead, they had gathered together in discussion and looked very enthusiastic as they stared in the direction of Luke’s office.

Nicole was momentarily in deep thought.

Suddenly, Nicole turned her head to look at Luke.

“Mr. Youngblood, are you really sure that you will succeed when this project goes to market?”

Luke froze.

Nicole smiled and looked down. She pondered for a moment before speaking.

“As far as I know, this project has already been registered. Even though you’re smart enough to release it online first to get an advantage, you won’t be able to pass the relevant department’s audit. There are many troublesome procedures and even lawsuits that’ll be filed down the road, and these situations won’t be favorable for you.”

Luke’s face changed. His gaze flickered slightly.

No one noticed this, and only Nicole did, which indicated that Stanton Corporation’s vetting procedures were more standardized and strict than others.

Usually, they would only solve this kind of problem after getting the investment when the problem arises.

That was because most investors would only see the immediate benefits and rarely thought about the long run.

However, Nicole was surprisingly different.

Luke had underestimated her.

Luke pursed his lips and pondered. “I believe that this matter will be solved. I’ll hire a lawyer to handle it.”

He had planned to wait for the investors to give him the money, hire the best lawyer to fight for the lawsuit, or pay a settlement with the other party. This was simply not worth mentioning compared to the whole project.

Nicole smiled. Her gaze flickered.

“You can’t solve it, Mr. Youngblood. To tell you the truth, Stanton Corporation started the series of procedures for this project two years ago.”

Luke looked shaken, and his face was slightly pale. “Stanton Corporation...”

Luke had thought that this project could fetch such a high price because of its unlimited prospects. Besides Stanton Corporation, other investors also gave them a great offer, but they requested even more shares.

Some even asked for 80%.

He was leaning toward Stanton Corporation because they offered a one-time payment of $200 million. It was not a payment done in phases. However, Stanton Corporation asked for 51% of the shares.

This requirement was not excessive in the market. On the contrary, he picked up a bargain.

However, Luke had confidence in his project. Since the other party was Stanton Corporation, he felt that he could still ask for more and get better terms.

Therefore, he refused all negotiators that Stanton Corporation sent over firmly, full of self-confidence. He also did not refuse to meet other investors because he wanted to create a false impression to Stanton Corporation that he would sign with others at any time.

Soon, Logan, Nicole’s assistant, personally reached out to Luke to call for an appointment. Luke then thought that his purpose would soon be achieved.

Nicole was in a rush. Indeed, she could not wait.

However, the news she brought made him choke.

Luke’s voice was cold and harsh. “Ms. Stanton, are you kidding me?”

He was the first to launch this project, so he did not even bother to investigate which company was behind the formalities.

If it was anyone else, Luke would have the confidence to defeat them.

Coincidentally, the other party was Stanton Corporation.

Nicole smiled very gently without any coldness. “Do you think that I’d joke with you?”