“So what do you have in mind?”
Jose looked at Wayne and asked sternly, “Are you planning on partnering with Jasper and removing Softwin from the list of shareholders? Then working with Jasper to create an online shopping platform for individuals?
“I’m going to be blunt with you, Mr. Marlon, if you want Abbylon to make it big, then you need to watch out for the enterprise’s reputation at the very beginning.
“We’ve just got Softwin’s investment and now we’re suddenly changing our mind and working with Jasper against Softwin. If news of this gets out, no one is going to want to partner with Abbylon anymore.”
Waynes smiled softly and said, “Both Softwin and Jasper’s JW are huge figures to Abbylon. We can’t afford to offend either of them, nor can we carelessly choose one party to side with.
“I’ve thought about it, and the best thing to do now is to let them fight amongst themselves.
“Abbylon being so weak puts us at a great disadvantage, such that we’re completely defenseless against titans like Softwin or JW.
“But our advantage lie in the fact that both of these companies want us. Look at Jasper, why do you think he wants to remove Softwin? Because Softwin’s a Sunriser investment bank?
“Don’t be naive. I dare say that even if one of Somerland’s wealthiest investors had invested in us instead of them, Jasper would still have come up with a plan to get rid of them because his interests require it. That’s just the kind of person he is.
“Therefore, the situation here is that both Jasper and Softwin want to own Abbylon completely. This works for us, so we’re going to secretly leak information to both parties. Let them fight amongst themselves, and we’ll partner with whoever wins.”
Jose looked contemplative after hearing Wayne speak.
After a long while, he slowly said, “You’re treading a fine line here, Mr. Marlon. The slightest mistake and we’ll end up offending both huge companies. By then, we’ll truly be screwed.”
“That won’t happen,” Wayne said confidently, “There are no personal feelings in business, only benefits. The same rule applies to Myles and Jasper.”
“But what about you?” Jose asked.
“Me?”
Wayne rubbed his neck and replied slowly, “I only want Abbylon to grow, but before that, we’ve got to think about how to keep it afloat. Nothing else even crossed my mind.”
Jose stared intently at an average-looking Wayne. Suddenly, it dawned on him that this person he admired and was willing to follow was not just a charismatic entrepreneur, but a crafty businessman as well.
Perhaps this characteristic was what kept him alive and kicking in this society where only the strong survive.
…
It was already afternoon when Jasper awoke.
It had been a long time since Jasper had slept so comfortably and soundlessly. Getting out of bed, Jasper took a bath and walked downstairs energetically.
“Mr. Laine,” Tiffany greeted Jasper obediently.
Jasper smiled when he saw Tiffany wearing an apron around her waist and gloves on her hands as she did the chores. “You don’t have to do this. All you need to do is cook. You don’t need to wash the dishes either, as we have specific people for that.”
Tiffany replied while blushing, “But I have nothing to do all day if I don’t do this, and I feel bad. It’s like I’m getting a place to live, food to eat, and paid for doing nothing. I’d feel better if I helped out like this.”
“Do you want to study something?” Jasper asked.
Tiffany was stunned and she tilted her head confusedly. “Study? Is there something I’m not doing right?
“That’s not what I meant,” Jasper waved her off. “What I wanted to ask, is do you want to go back to school and study?”
