The secretary's words left both Gideon and his son, Wind, dumbfounded.They had naturally heard of Schulz Group's reputation. After all, the Schulz family was one of the strongest families in Oskia, and they were an absolute top-tier presence in the country.In contrast, although it was called a group, Violet Group hadn't even made it to the Growth Enterprise Market. Not to mention being listed in Yorkshire Hill, they could only barely be considered a well-known enterprise in Pu'er City.Even in their wildest dreams, they wouldn't dare to imagine being acquired by a top-notch family like the Schulz Group. After all, the difference in their status was too vast. The assets of Schulz Group were a thousand times greater than those of Violet Group.Therefore, Gideon had an incredulous expression as he asked his secretary, “Are you kidding me? Schulz Group wants to discuss an acquisition with us?”The secretary looked aggrieved as he said, “Chairman, how could I joke with you? She did s
The secretary had a bright idea and said, “Chairman, since you're in a bad mood, why don’t you have a video conference with them so you can give them a good scolding to vent your frustration?”Gideon, equally fed up, grinned and said, “Okay! Arrange the video conference, then! I swear I'm going to teach those scammers a lesson today!”The secretary immediately responded, “Please wait a moment, Chairman. I'll call them back right away!”With that said, he pulled out his phone and stepped outside.Wind stretched lazily and grumbled, “I've figured out the tricks of those scammers from Myanmar a long time ago. They either trick you into joining a Tencent or NetEase meeting and then control your computer remotely, or they will try to convince you to open some online financial platform, and they will then sneakily lend out money and transfer it away. Dad, mark my words, it's definitely one of these schemes.”Gideon snorted coldly and said, “I'm already pissed off. No matter what their t
Gideon also knew for sure that the other party was genuine. Judging from the other party’s temperament and the tone of their speech, it couldn't be fake. This made him feel a bit flattered and uneasy, and he became restless.When Sophie's secretary, Shenny, saw that he was silent for a while, she tried asking him, “Mr. Levatt, can you hear me speaking?”Only then did Gideon return to his senses and hastily said, “Yes, yes! You’re Miss Coop, right? Hello, it’s nice to meet you!”Shenny nodded gently and said with a smile, “Mr. Levatt, I won't beat around the bush. The reason we contacted you this time is that our chairman is interested in acquiring Violet Group. So, I want to inquire if you have any intention to sell your business, Mr. Levatt. If yes, we can start discussing the specific acquisition matters directly.”Gideon had long been hoping for a successor to take over his struggling business so he could cash out and retire peacefully. He never imagined that the country's top f
Gideon understood that the other party's worth, influence, background, and confidence far exceeded his own. So, although he felt a bit regretful, there wasn't any negative emotion to speak of.However, he was still curious and asked, “Miss Schulz, why would a big company like Schulz Group be interested in acquiring a small company like ours?”Sophie smiled and replied, “Mr. Levatt, there's no need to underestimate yourself. The size of a company isn't the only measure of its value. As for why Schulz Group wants to acquire Violet Group, to be honest, it's mainly because my grandfather enjoys Pu'er tea. With frequent safety issues in the food industry nowadays, as his granddaughter, I want to acquire a source company to ensure he can drink the safest Pu'er tea. Besides, it's not much money anyway, so it’s really just for peace of mind.”Gideon was dumbfounded after hearing this. He thought to himself, “Damn it, this is what real wealthy people do. They like Pu'er tea, so they just buy
Sophie’s words immediately caused Gideon to break out in a cold sweat. He did not doubt the authenticity of Sophie’s words because for him, he really could not think of any special significance that Violet Group would have for Sophie. In his opinion, if he missed the opportunity for Sophie’s acquisition, he might just end up working until he was seventy years old and then pass the business on to his son. Even Gideon himself did not know what his company would look like when he turned seventy. He had no idea whether the scale of the entire group and his entire family's industries would grow or shrink in a few years.However, one thing he was very clear about was that if he sold the company now and got five hundred million dollars in cash, after transferring the equity and deducting the tax calculated at 20%, he would still have five hundred and sixty million dollars left.These five hundred and sixty million dollars would be enough to ensure that he and his descendants could live
So, just as he got into the car and was ready to go home after work, he hung up Gideon's call and immediately headed to the main gate of the base to wait. At the same time, Charlie also received a call from Sophie. As soon as the call was connected, Sophie respectfully said, “Mr. Wade, Violet Group has received my intention money, and the acquisition has been finalized. The final transaction price is seven hundred million dollars. I've already informed the person in charge of the base and told him your car license plate number. You can head there directly. He'll be waiting for you at the gate and will follow your orders.”Charlie was surprised by Sophie's efficiency. In his opinion, it was rare for a girl to handle things so efficiently. Therefore, he said to Sophie, “Thank you for your hard work, Miss Schulz. Consider this money owed to you. However, the situation is special now, so I won't transfer the money to you for the time being. After I finish my urgent matters, I'll figur
Although Charlie didn't understand tea leaves, he could still grasp Vera's special attachment to the Mother of Pu'er Tea. To him, the Mother of Pu'er Tea was a kind of spiritual anchor for Vera, which spanned three centuries. Therefore, he understood why Vera longed to recreate the taste of the Mother of Pu'er Tea someday.Thus, he said to Vera, “Once the handover at Mount Twint is complete, you can consider this place your breeding ground. You can utilize your experience to see if you can breed better tea varieties.”Vera nodded and said, “Breeding is a complicated matter. I don't really understand scientific breeding, but with traditional breeding, it might take at least ten years or more to see results.”Charlie reassured her, “It’s okay. If you manage to breed it, it'll be a blessing for all tea enthusiasts, but even if you can't, you've already tasted the Mother of Pu'er Tea, and its taste will always remain in your memory.”Vera smiled slightly and said, “Mmhmm. You're righ
At this moment, the security guard stepped into the middle of the road and stopped Charlie's car, saying, “Young man, why are you back again? Didn't I tell you before that you need to make an appointment with the group first?”Jeevan was surprised to see the security guard approaching the guests and implying that they had been there before. He quickly went up to the security guard and pulled him aside, then asked Charlie, “Hello, Sir, are you the expert sent by Schulz Group?”Charlie pointed to Vera, who was beside him, and said with a smile, “I'm not the expert. This lady here is the real expert.”The security guard looked puzzled and said, “Young man, when did you two become experts?”Jeevan hurriedly said, “Mr. Dmitri, why are you talking to the guests like that? These distinguished guests are here to guide and inspect our work. You shouldn't interfere. Open the gate quickly!”Although Mr. Dmitri was surprised, Jeevan's authority made him comply, and he quickly opened the gat
"What?!" Jacob exclaimed excitedly, suddenly on his feet. "That prick is really going to start a business in Aurous Hill? What, did he get sick of living the good life elsewhere?"In Jacob's mind, there were only two reasons why Raymond had returned to Aurous Hill.The first was that he had gotten so rich that he had come back to open a shop on Antique Street, to salvage some dignity after he had been fired from Vintage Deluxe. The other was the complete opposite—he had screwed up elsewhere too and had no choice but to return to Aurous Hill to make a living.If it was the former, he certainly wouldn't have hope for his revenge.But that was not the case if it was the latter!Meanwhile, Zachary replied, "Truth be told, I haven't seen the man in the flesh. But judging from my tip, he definitely wasn't doing well elsewhere, since the business he's planning now that he's back is quite modest."Jacob immediately laughed. "Hahaha! I see… He must have messed up out there and had no ch
Claire pursed her lips, grumbling, "Like you said, I won't tell Mom for the sake of peace. But you know very well that you shouldn't do that ever again!"Jacob nodded repeatedly as he promised. "Don't worry—I'll never do it again."As he finished, his phone rang on the table, and he looked down to see that it was Zacahary."That's weird," he murmured in surprise. "He's been hiding from me for the longest time, but he's calling me now?"Charlie was surprised too.After Zachary left Antique Street and started helping Don Albert's more unsavory business, he shouldn't have any reason to contact Jacob.So, why call him now?Jacob was confused too, but he ultimately answered the call.On the other end of the call, Zachary greeted him respectfully, "Mr. Wilson? It's me—Zachary. Do you still remember me?""Nonsense," Jacob snorted. "Why wouldn't I remember you after we've spoken so many times? I also couldn't reach out to you when I had all that good stuff before, but you're contactin
Meanwhile, at Thomson's First, the family of four was peacefully having dinner for the first time.While Charlie and Claire never argued, Jacob and Elaine were always either bickering or dissing each other, leaving the air around the table tense and awkward.But this time, neither of them argued, and they didn't seem to despise each other.The table was not just peaceful either—Elaine was a lot less bossy, even helping put food on Jacob's plate, having him try this and that, almost as if she was suddenly the best of wives.Jacob used to regard Elaine with disdain in every way, constantly lamenting how a great man like him didn't have a good wife.But with him being the way he was now, he utterly resigned to himself.It made sense that Matilda wouldn't be interested in him given his current state, and it was amazing that Elaine willingly stayed with him. That was why he no longer regarded Elaine with unconcealed disgust and disdain like before and was instead gentle and emotiona
Mick was left gritting his teeth. "Shit, that's true. It's going to be hard to pull the wool over Raymond's eyes—it has to be the best to actually trick him."Then, he sighed. "If there's someone who can do that, it'd be Zachary Evans! The man was a God back in the day!"The employee nodded. "Well, it's true that his replicas were impeccable… But the man has made it big time working for Don Albert, and we won't be able to ask for his help!"Mick shook his head. "No, it's fine. We're quite close—let me call him right now."With that, he whipped out his phone to make the call.While Zachary used to be humble in Mick's presence before, Zachary was now way above him on the pecking order.Afraid of being remotely disrespectful, he promptly greeted Zachary politely as soon as the latter answered, "Hello, Zachary! It's me, Mick Crane!" "Uh-huh," Zachary replied noncommittally before asking in curiosity, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"Ever since Zachary had started working for Don A
Raymond may have worked abroad for years and was a veteran in antiques, but he was still lacking when it came to reading between the lines.Taking Mick's words at face value, he promptly shook his head, "No, you really shouldn't. I wasn't planning to come back here to work, so you mustn't mention me to Ms. Moore either."And unlike Mick, he really meant what he said, while Mick was saying the complete opposite of what he was thinking.Naturally, Mick didn't believe Raymond, even presuming that Raymond was a liar like himself.The more Raymond said he didn't want to return to Vintage Deluxe, the more he thought he was.Hence, he asked despite knowing the answer, "Well, what are you planning to do now that you've returned to Aurous Hill?""It's been years of traveling for me, so I was just getting a little tired," Raymond admitted. "I'm planning to set up a small business in Aurous Hill, most likely here in Antique Street. That's why I'm visiting—do be neighborly when I set up shop
Meanwhile, Raymond had no idea that he was being targeted as soon as he returned to Antique Street.He had reached the middle where rows of three-floored buildings stood, the largest on the street, and where Vintage Deluxe was. It was not closed yet as tradition on Antique Street was for stalls to open in the morning and close in the afternoon. In comparison, shops opened later and closed later.With the difference of two to three hours, they could afford to have customers who had lower purchasing power or were just window shopping to stroll through the outdoor stalls. Then, when they were gone, customers with actual purchasing power would come on their own time.As Raymond arrived outside Vintage Deluxe, Mick just finished his meeting with his employees, summing up, "So, does anyone have anything to do tonight?"They all shook their heads, answering as one, "No!!!"Mick nodded. "If there's nothing else, stay back for overtime. Ask for some spicy crayfish and beer for dinner."
However, Raymond had accomplished the assignment Curtis had given him years ago, so he had no intention of staying at Aurous Hill and remained unrepentant despite Jasmine's pressure. That was why he could ask to resign without hesitation, even urging her to let him go despite the pain.That was why Mick was now worried that Raymond would return to reclaim his position as manager."Keep an eye on him for me," he told Trippy. "Tell me if anything comes up right away—I will make it worth your while.""Alright!" Trippy agreed to it. "Don't worry—I'll call right away if anything comes up."Once Trippy hung up, Mick gathered the handful of Vintage Deluxe employees.They were all his close allies he had groomed after he took over Vintage Deluxe. Even if Mick hadn't been succeeding in his business, he was succeeding in building his own forces. Anyone who didn't obey his orders had since been removed, and the remaining ones were basically his co-conspirators, embezzling a considerable am
As it turned out, the bean counters of the Moore Group had been suggesting that Jasmine axe Deluxe Vintage and other antique-related businesses.After all, Aurous Hill was hardly the heart of the nation's antique business—not even a hub, and Vintage Deluxe wouldn't grow on such soil.Moreover, their revenue wasn't optimistic.While the business wasn't exactly falling off after Mick took charge, the lack of experience amongst the management team meant they were struggling to break even.And for the bean counters, keeping Vintage Deluxe meant no profits—even net losses in the immediate future. Right now, they might still be able to package it nicely and sell it off, and selling a fixed asset coupled with brand value would more or less turn a profit. But once Vintage Deluxe started incurring losses and the brand value diminished in turn, it would be reduced to zero completely.In other words, the value of Vintage Deluxe was on a springboard—sell it anytime now, and the value would be
The Mr. Crane from the other end of the call was Mick Crane—the current manager of Vintage Deluxe, and a man whom all of Antique Street fawned over.Mick was the assistant manager to Raymond back then, and his skill in the antique trade was at best moderate. However, thanks to his friendly personality, he had managed to secure himself many decent connections down Antique Street.As such, once Jasmine had fired Raymond, Mick had taken over his position as caretaker manager. She was also aware that Mick didn't have the skills to do well as a manager, and her plan had always been to keep him as a caretaker before she found someone better.As her ties with Charlie had strengthened and he had started helping her, her position in her family had skyrocketed. However, that also meant she couldn't watch over most of Vintage Deluxe's operations.Now that she was the head of the Moore family and the leader of a dynasty worth billions, a small business like Vintage Deluxe was even less signifi