Malcolm was evidently prepared. Before Jasper could speak, Malcolm first gave his stance on the matter.
“To be frank, Mr. Laine, I came to meet you in hopes to change my career. As you know, I’m facing a small issue working with P&G, and I think that a change in my working environment might give me insight into my problems.”
This was the result of leaving a good impression. Malcolm would not have been so quick to speak if otherwise.
Jasper smiled. “My thoughts on the matter exactly, Mr. Malibu. You want a new job and I want a capable COO.”
“Not a CEO? Malcolm frowned and asked. This was not what he understood at the beginning.
Honestly speaking, Malcolm was slightly looking down on Jasper’s company. After all, as far as he was concerned, a modernized private enterprise did not exist in Somerland.
Even if there was, it was incomparable to P&G.
He was already the head of one of Procter and Gamble’s larger departments and there was no reason for him to accept anything less than the role of CEO of another company.
Why would he accept the position of COO?
“Mr. Malibu, my company is still in its initial stages and while there is quite an amount of funds, it has only just been established. I’ll take on the position of the company’s CEO, but that will not hinder your authority as the COO,” Jasper explained.
Malcolm shook his head and declined. “I’m sorry, Mr. Laine. I thought you would give me the position of COO, or I wouldn’t have come tonight. Thank you for hosting us. It’s getting late, I should return and rest.”
Malcolm then got up and moved to leave.
Jasper tilted his head down to drink his coffee. He narrowed his eyes slightly but did not call the man back.
This moment was key to the game Jasper and Malcolm were playing. If Jasper agreed to Malcolm’s whims, then he would be put at a disadvantage for the rest of the negotiation process.
Plus, Jasper refused to allow a professional manager to boss him around in his own company.
This was his company, so he had to have the final word.
Seeing how the negotiation was taking a turn for the worse, Wendy immediately thought of a plan and turned to Kelly, “Are you leaving already, Mrs. Kelly? It’s a shame, I was thinking of inviting you to the zoo. We have two large pandas there, a gift from the Criucia Province last year.”
Mrs. Kelly was surprised and she turned to tell Malcolm, “Can’t you be a little more patient, dearest?”
Malcolm could not help but smile wryly at how his wife was completely at Wendy’s mercy.
“I’d like to know about your company’s current situation, Mr. Laine,” Malcolm told Jasper who chose to sit down patiently in the end.
Jasper smiled and put the cup of coffee down. Then, he spoke loudly, “JW Capital is my parent company, and under it are a few holding as well as wholly-owned subsidiaries. Among which are two companies in the dot-com industry, two in the media and entertainment, one in real estate, and one in electronics.”
Malcolm’s frown deepened as he heard this. He could not help but feel like Jasper was bluffing.
“Pardon my bluntness, Mr. Laine, but you said that you were still in the initial stages of entrepreneurship? Involving your company in so many different industries at the same time makes your company really susceptible to crashing. This is a time where you should focus only on one industry.
“To be frank, I’ve seen many outstanding entrepreneurs who have ended their careers prematurely because they started branching out to other industries. It’s not easy to work in multiple industries, let alone like you, Mr. Laine, dabbling in so many industries at the very beginning. You’re not going to be able to do well in any of those industries.
“If I have to guess… the companies in the other industries you dabble in must all be small, right, Mr. Laine? Or perhaps, they’re just empty shells?”
Malcolm was direct. He was a little pissed about how Jasper got him to take a step back through his wife, so there was no reason for him to back down on a chance to offend Jasper.
However, in face of Malcolm’s words, Jasper only gave a mysterious smile as he sat before him.
