Steven laughed upon hearing Jasper’s words. He pointed at the courtyard and asked, “What do you think about this courtyard? If you like it, I’ll give it to you as a gift.”
“This gift is worth at least ten million. You’re too generous, Mr. Monty,” Jasper said.
Although he said that the courtyard was worth a lot, he was actually expressing his veiled refusal.
Was this man trying to dispel enmity with a single courtyard? How could Jasper possibly allow that to happen?
Steven took the hint and said, “This is just a gift. Monty Group took some wrong turns when Conrad took over. It will now return to its right path.
“Diversification is not entirely impossible, but we can’t give up on Monty Group’s fundamentals in pursuit of diversification. Monty Group will only be involved in the mineral industry and will not venture into other fields anymore.”
If the courtyard was only the lead-in that no one cared about, then what Steven just said was invaluable.
Monty Group would not venture into other industries for at least three years.
In Southeast Province today, there were only two and a half local companies that were capable of contending.
Jasper’s JW Consortium counted as one.
Monty Group counted as one.
Schuler Group counted as half.
The Southeast Province market was huge, covering an area of 110,000 square kilometers with nine prefecture-level cities, 20 administrative counties, and 60 million people.
At the same time, it was quite small too. After all, there were only so few that could catch JW and Monty Group’s eye. Moreover, only one leader was allowed in each industry.
Jasper laughed. “You understand the principles of right and wrong so well. It would be disrespectful of me as a junior if I continue to shilly-shally.”
Hearing Jasper addressing himself as the junior now made Steven chuckle inwardly.
Steven stood up and stretched out his hand toward Jasper, saying, “Congratulations to the two of us, then.”
“Congratulations on what?” Jasper took Steven’s hand and asked curiously.
“On having a new friend and one less enemy.”
Steven watched as Jasper entered the car and left. Standing at the door, Steven’s smile faded gradually.
“He’s not arrogant from success nor dismayed by failure. He looks unconcerned and casual yet can take up huge responsibilities. At the same time, he knows when to advance and retreat. This kid is extremely unpredictable… Conrad has indeed lost to a worthy competitor.”
Standing beside Steven, Mr. Whitlock asked, “Are you really going to give this courtyard to Jasper, Mr. Steven? This is your favorite place.”
Waving his hands, Steven said, “I’ve given what I’ve given. These are all materialistic things. What’s wrong? Do you think it’s a pity to leave this place, Mr. Whitlock?”
Mr. Whitlock chuckled and said, “If this is what you want, Mr. Steven, then I have nothing to feel pity about.”
“You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs. I don’t know if I’ve made the right decision today, but I’m buying three years’ time for Conrad. Hopefully, he understands,” Steven said calmly.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Steven. Mr. Conrad is wise. Even though his confidence has taken a huge hit after going through several failures, he’s showing progress. I believe that he’ll not let you down,” Mr. Whitlock said to console him.
Steven laughed and said, “Thanks for the kind words. Let’s go. We should head back and inform the servants to clean up this place before transferring the ownership to Jasper. We’re not coming back here anymore.”
…
Southface River Tower. In JW Investment Company’s office.
Wendy was assigning work to her subordinates.
“Mr. Ardolf, this is an extremely important case so you must follow closely with your team. Investigate the other party’s background, and other relevant works must also be done without fail. Besides, we’re tight on time, so I can only give you one week at most.”
The middle-aged man who was called Mr. Ardolf let out a wry smile. “Ms. Schuler, that’s a huge challenge for me. I can finish the job because that’s my responsibility, but one week is simply too short. I need at least half a month to get some results.”
Wendy, who was sitting behind the desk, frowned. She closed the folder and looked up at Mr. Ardolf. “Half a month to get some results? If it’s going to take such a long time, don’t you think it’s better if I get someone else to do this job?”
Mr. Ardolf could tell that Wendy was displeased and dared not say anything else.
Everyone in the company knew that the boss would not normally interfere. If anything happened, they would only discuss it with the CFO, Chief Financial Officer Wendy Schuler, and the COO, Chief Operating Officer Malcolm Malibu. Between them, Wendy was the lady boss, so she would have the final say in the company.
The lady boss was usually easy to talk to and unbelievably gentle. Though when work was involved, she would not show due respect for anyone’s feelings. During this period of time, there had been senior executives who cried after getting criticized by her. There were some who even got dismissed.
“The company spent so much money to hire you because we acknowledge your ability. If you can’t complete the tasks that the company requires you to do in time, then that means that the company has made a mistake in hiring you. We’ve overestimated you.
“For employees who fail to meet the expectations for their position and the money they’re earning, the company will have no choice but to act in accordance with the rules and regulations. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Upon hearing what Wendy said, Mr. Ardolf responded loudly, “I understand! Don’t worry, Ms. Schuler, I’ll get it done within a week even if it means that I have to work overtime. One week from now, I’ll send all the information to you so you can have a look.”
“Go on then,” Wendy said indifferently.
Mr. Ardolf breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to leave when he saw the big boss Jasper standing at the door with a grin.
Of course, the big boss was not smiling at him. Even so, Mr. Ardolf still had chills as he greeted him carefully and with infinite admiration, “Hello, Mr. Laine.”
“Mm. Hello.” Jasper waved his hand. “You can go out now.”
When Mr. Adolf left, Wendy stood up from behind the desk with a look of surprise and greeted Jasper, “What brings you here?”
Jasper took Wendy’s hands with a smile, saying, “If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known that we have an iron-fisted queen in the company.”
