Whitney knew Ludwik had been waiting for this day for a long time.
He was prepared, calculating each move with Parker to corner Bryce into a dead end.
He was the silent force behind the scenes, the mastermind at the top of the pyramid, biding his time to swoop in for the victory.
She couldn't help but admire him a little.
Her lips moved but she didn't speak, just letting a small smile escape.
The efforts she and Tiana had put in over the past two weeks were finally about to pay off.
"Tiana, let's get going." Whitney grabbed her briefcase, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked out.
-
The Sheldon Group building.
The afternoon sun was a bit gloomy.
Bryce hurried to the entrance, his long strides taking him directly towards the Sheldon Group's finance department...
Suddenly, a group of shareholders blocked his way.
"Mr. Evans, what's the meaning of this gathering?"
Bryce looked around, seeing no sign of them stepping aside, his expression growing darker by the second.
He was desperate to recover the three hundred billion, aware that these stubborn old men had probably caught wind of the Lutz Group's product launch failure and the ensuing compensations and breaches. These greedy old foxes were experts at deserting a sinking ship—yesterday's praises could easily turn into today's mockery.
"Mr. Lutz, what's going on with your company's product?" Mr. Evans asked, rubbing his hands together nonchalantly.
"Is that recording of Chairman Phineas siding with Ludwik true?"
Bryce's face went from bad to worse.
Mr. Evans glanced around, then whispered to a few other board members, "It's more or less confirmed. Looks like Chairman Phineas has really been in Ludwik's camp from the start, never giving the Patrick Group or the Lutz Group a chance... So, this means..."
"What does this mean?" Bryce snapped, the mention of 'Ludwik' igniting his already frayed nerves.
He scoffed, "The Lutz Group just had a minor product issue, exploited by Ludwik, that sneaky little rat. It's not the end of the world, I'm already handling it!
And as for you shareholders, what's your angle? Hoping for the Lutz Group to fail?
Don't forget, when Whitney played her games to keep me out of the Sheldon Group, you were all for it.
Now, the Sheldon Group and I are in the same boat.
What affects one will affect the other. If the Lutz Group goes down, the Sheldon Group won't fare any better.
If I were you, I'd smarten up and not bother me. Better yet, help me navigate through this storm. It'll only benefit our Sky-Surprise Inn project!"
The shareholders were taken aback.
But clearly, someone had already warned them against Bryce's tactics. Mr. Evans and Mr. Liam weren't buying it this time.
Mr. Liam scoffed, "Don't try to scare us, Bryce. Your Lutz Group has little to do with us at the Sheldon Group.
And helping you deal with the Lutz Group's product breach? Who do you think you are?
We're just worried that with you in charge of the Sky-Surprise Inn and this scandal hanging over your head, it might spell trouble for the project!"
"That's none of your business. Hudson authorized me as the lead, and I've invested five hundred billion. Sky-Surprise Inn is mine."
Above all, Bryce needed to keep a firm grip on the Sky-Surprise Inn project to turn things around.
The most important thing was to get the money back and plug the gaping hole in the bank loan.
He ordered his secretary to get rid of the old men blocking his way!
"How dare you push us?" Mr. Liam and Mr. Evans, both portly figures, stood blocking the company entrance, refusing to let Bryce pass.
After a bit of back-and-forth, Bryce, sharp as ever, sensed something was off.
Were they purposely holding him back?
Buying time?
He looked up at the company's upper floors, his expression suddenly changing.
Was it Whitney?
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