She was a high-achieving expert who returned from overseas. She was also an authoritative figure in the country’s AI field which was what caused her to think so highly of herself. However, Rachel failed to take note that the person before her was Anthony Featherstone, a fighter who was about to enter the arena.
His face turned icy cold when he felt her aggressiveness. Then, he got up and walked towards her, stopping when there was only about a fist’s distance between them. He looked down at her with darkened eyes and his voice was cold as he said, “If one more word comes from your mouth, I will do as you wish and just make the whole of the R&D Department disappear.”
He could definitely do it.
The woman knew very well how ruthless Anthony was. She swallowed her saliva anxiously and avoided eye contact with him. In the end, she retrieved her folder and left hurriedly.
I couldn’t help but sigh as I watched her leave in such an upset state. He was actually quite gentlemanly with her but she didn’t know her place. If she had spoken properly, Anthony wouldn’t have been so ruthless.
Both of them were just looking out for the company so it was hard to say who was in the wrong. Rachel had innate intelligence and I was worried that Anthony would actually proceed with his ruthless acts so I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Are you serious? Are you really going to disband the R&D Department?”
His face softened upon hearing my voice and he sat back down beside me. After picking up his fork, he answered as he continued eating, “How is that possible? We’ve already invested several billion into that department. None of them can think about leaving if I don’t see the results I want.”
I smiled at that. Anthony had sharp-tongued but a soft heart. “Then, why didn’t you tell Rachel the truth earlier?”
He paused for a moment before looking at me. “I have made it clear to her, a technical staff like her has no right to information like this.”
“Then, what about me?” I put down my fork and crossed my arms on the table. I gave him a flattering smile and continued, “As a shareholder of Featherstone Corporation, may I ask why you’re neglecting your own R&D Department and bought over a foreign robotics company? Can you explain why you did that, Mr. Featherstone?”
I had gotten news of this on Facebook and was originally going to ask him about it. However, Rachel managed to disrupt the atmosphere with her unfriendliness.
Anthony snorted and he didn’t even look up as he said sarcastically, “The R&D Department receives an investment every two months. And each time, the amount they get is nearly ten million. They are basically burning cash. When have I not invest such a huge sum of money in them? But what happened in the end? A year has already passed but they still haven’t made any progress. The people in the R&D Department are too comfortable with their situation now. Now that I’ve cut down on their budget, it should give them a little pressure.”
Pfft! I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Alright, I understand now. Mr. Featherstone doesn’t want to be taken advantage of anymore. But what does this have to do with acquiring Eisen Corporation?”
When he heard my question, Anthony’s face turned grim and he started to discuss the pros and cons of it.
It turned out that those people who despised him in K City had never stopped what they were doing. Not only did they sabotage the Featherstone Corporation’s projects, but they also gradually attacked the commodity trading chain under the company.
Featherstone Corporation had been in K City for a few months now but they still couldn’t get a hold of their own large warehouse. Many of their products, including building materials could only be located in J City. It was extremely unfavorable for their international trade in the network of international commodity trading.
Dartan’s robots were always in the lead and Eisen Corporation was a company that specialized in the research on robots. However, they weren’t good at management and it resulted in them operating at a loss. Anthony got involved with them because he wanted to use this to his advantage. He could possess the core technologies of Eisen Corporation and build a logistic network of his own. Robots could be used to identify and deliver goods and they could completely get out of K City’s restrictions.
“But it won’t be easy to get there. Dartan’s government is worried that once this is possible, there would be an irreversible outflow of technology. That’s why they have been encouraging local companies to try and acquire Eisen Corporation. Investors from other countries have already emptied their hedge funds. To both foreigners and the local companies, this acquisition doesn’t look too good. The worst case scenario will be that the Eisen Corporation’s stocks that I hold will eventually become a pile of worthless rubbish.”
This was all just a gamble. Even I couldn’t help but frown upon hearing that so it wasn’t surprising that Anthony didn’t want to reveal this to Rachel.
Once everything was successful, Featherstone Corporation would be able to gain a strong foothold in K City. She was only focused on the AI field, so even if she knew the truth, she would never have understood the big picture.
However, appeasing the R&D department was still a big deal. After Anthony went back to the company, I had personally called Rachel.
She was probably still mad at Anthony as she only answered after hanging up on me twice.
“What do you want, Mrs. Featherstone?” Rachel’s tone was not pleasant.
“Don’t be so hostile towards me. I mean no harm.”
“Spit it out,” she said.
Her hot temper made me feel rather uncomfortable but I took in a deep breath and tried to calm myself. “Do you know that I’ve been preparing for my bar exam recently, Ms. Zimmer?”
“What?” Rachel was stunned. I bet she didn’t expect me to tell her that. “Why would I wanna know stuff about you?”
“True. But I have a feeling that fate brought us together, and that’s why I wanna tell you.” I must’ve hung around too much with Anthony and somehow became shameless. “Last year, I was supposed to enroll in a law school. Unfortunately, too many things got in the way, and I missed the entrance exam. The Featherstone Corporation will only grow bigger in K City, and dealings involving laws and contracts will increase. That’s why I was thinking of obtaining a practicing certificate so that I could be Anthony’s right hand.”
On the other end of the line, there was a moment of silence. “So, you called me just to tell me how lovey-dovey you two are? Sienna, have you forgotten something? I’m married and have absolutely no interest in Anthony. What are you trying to do here?” She sounded annoyed.
“Of course not,” I chuckled, trying to let her taste her own medicine. “Ms. Zimmer, haven’t you always thought that you and Anthony would make a better pair since I was nowhere as pretty and capable as you?”
“Can you stop beating around the bush? Are you trying to settle a score here?” Rachel probed.
“Please don’t get me wrong. What I meant was, you’re right,” I composed myself and added with an earnest tone, “and that was why I wanted to obtain a lawyer’s practicing license so I could match up to Anthony and help him as much as possible. On the same note, I hope that Ms. Zimmer understands how much Anthony had invested in the R&D Department and what he expects from it. You get what I mean, don’t you?
Rachel was all about personal interests and gains. As the cream of the crop in AI technology, she’d do anything to defend her dignity. It’d been a while since someone talked to her about whether the quality of the products met the standard. I need to let her see that they hadn’t been up to par lately.
She needed to be brought back down to earth. There was another pause. It showed that she pinned her ears back.
As the saying goes, if you lie down with dogs, you’ll end up with fleas. Thanks to Emery, I became more decisive. “We believe in you and the R&D Department, but we’re doing business here. If the profits didn’t hit the mark, as the boss cum investor, we will have no choice but to put these losses to an end. Be on your toes, Ms. Zimmer.”
I then hung up.
Honestly, it was unlucky for anyone to have Anthony as their boss. All he cared about was the final result. He’d never look into the process and put effort into deciphering any issues that occurred along the way. As long as the targets weren’t met, the parties involved would be struck off from his list.
Yes, Rachel was a valuable asset. But that didn’t mean that she was the only AI technology genius in this whole wide world. On the contrary, it was the Featherstone Corporation that’d endowed her the respect and status she currently held. I trusted that she knew what was best for her.
It had been a week since Anthony tried to acquire Eisen Corporation. Featherstone Corporation had gained 5% shares through share transfer. But with the meddling of Dartan’s government, Dartan’s top air- conditioner manufacturing company showed its interest in acquiring it too. With that, they became a competitor that had the edge over Featherstone Corporation in the aspects of market positioning and policies.
Anthony and Joseph decided to head over to Dartan, in the hope of winning the acquisition.
Three days after Anthony and Joseph had left, the Facebook account of a news channel in Dartan announced that the country’s homegrown air-conditioner manufacturing company was in the final stage of acquiring Eisen Corporation. Anthony sounded enervated when he gave me a call in the evening.
“I supposed it wasn’t smooth sailing?” I asked.
“Yeah…” He let out a deep sigh. “I’m working things out on the other side. There might be a chance of turning the tables.”
“And what would that be?”
“You’ll get the details later on. It’s not the right time to talk about it yet. How are you feeling these couple of days? Any pregnancy sickness?” He curtly changed the topic.
Perhaps he needed some good news to counterbalance the bad ones that had been troubling the company recently. I was stunned momentarily before telling him that I had been fairly well and things were as usual. I felt sorry for him, though.
“Fine.” was how he responded to feign indifference. “I thought your life would be upside down without me by your side. It seems like I’m overthinking.”
“Yes, Mr. Featherstone. You’ve overestimated yourself.” I went with the flow and trifled with his ego.
It seemed like my swagger had made him chuckle.
It was odd, but at least he’s chuckling, meaning things weren’t that bad. The acquisition of Eisen Corporation would bring in almost ten billion. Without it, it’d be an uphill climb for Featherstone Corporation to launch other massive projects due to restricted cash flow.
Anthony then went on with what he wanted to say. “I’ll be back in a week the most. Before I get back, stay at home and the baby comes first, understood?”
Professor Zidd had been reminding me about the same thing again and again. Of course, I’d never forget that. “I know, I know. And how about you? Are you planning to bring back a few pretty ladies from Dartan?”
“Haha. I can smell jealousy, Sienna. Hahaha…” he teased and laughed hard.
“You’re overthinking again. It’s the pretty ladies that I care about, not you. Bye!”
I guessed I was slightly vexed. After hanging up, I threw the phone aside. My peripheral vision caught sun rays peeking through the curtains. I got up and drew them open.
I looked down and noticed that the number of bodyguards around the villa had doubled. The surveillance was watertight to the extent where every possible point of entry was guarded.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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