Chapitre 305: Ch 305 - The Deal
Reginald had accepted.
David, and the rest of the senior executives who had stayed loyal, were dumbfounded.
Reginald had founded the Fidelity Group. How could he give it up? That was not how the Drake family worked.
"Dad, what are you doing?" David asked anxiously. He couldn't understand what his father was doing.
"Uncle Reg, you can't give in to the Pattersons," said one of David's cousins.
"We believe that the Fidelity Group can survive the crisis," said another.
"Even if the Fidelity Group is going to go bankrupt, we can't sell it to bullies like Colin and Noah," another agreed.
They were all imploring Reginald to change his decision.
They were all young people without much experience, but Reginald had run the business for many years. He thought more deeply about their situation and used his experience to consider more factors than the others. If he had any other choices, he would have taken them. He was willing to give up because he could see there was no other way.
Reginald wanted David and the others to understand his decision. He looked at them and said earnestly, "The Fidelity Group is an important enterprise in D.C. It doesn't only belong to the Drake family, but the whole of D.C. Many people rely on it for their livelihoods. If the group fails or goes bankrupt, more than 9,800 workers will be affected. Including their families, at least 30,000 people will suffer.
"The success of the Fidelity Group is inseparable from the prosperity of the people of D.C. At this difficult time, we must not just consider ourselves and ignore the people of D.C. Therefore, above all else, the Fidelity Group must survive.
"Now that the future of the group is in my hands, but I can't save it. The Patterson family has the wealth and ambition to buy it and make it prosperous again. For the sake of the people of D.C., I must hand it over to them."
After listening to Reginald's words, David and others were silent. They understood what he had said. He was right, and they had nothing more to say. However, they remained very angry at the thought that the Fidelity Group would fall into the hands of the Patterson family.
After listening to Reginald's sincere and humble words, the reporters on the scene were deeply moved. They judged him to be a very wise and considerate man with a lot of integrity. It made perfect sense to them that he had built up such a successful business enterprise.
"Good. You've made the right decision. I really do admire you," Colin said with a smile. Taking a folder from his assistant, he handed it to Reginald and said, "I've drawn up a purchase contract in advance. Please check it. If you have no objections, sign it, and I will transfer five billion dollars to your account immediately."
Reginald opened the document and saw that the Fidelity Group and the rest of his assets in D.C. were listed inside. He laughed bitterly as he realized that the Patterson family were intent on driving the Drake family out of D.C.
But he had no choice. He had to sign it.
He picked up a pen and went to sign his name on the document.
David and the others wanted to stop him, but they understood that they couldn't.
Colin and Noah, and Nathan who were watching everything through a micro camera, were all feeling satisfied.
Suddenly, a voice came from the door. "Wait, please."
Lindsey looked at the door of the meeting room, and her heart leapt as she saw Alex stride in.
When they saw Alex, several people in the room shivered. At David and Leona's wedding, he was the one who had beaten the martial arts fighter. They also knew that Ken Stokes and the Drake family in Chicago took orders from him. He was a bit of a mystery to them and they were a little fearful of him.
None of them knew much about the Ambrose family, or that Alex had been banished from it.
When Colin saw Alex walk in, he was shocked and naturally wondered what he was doing there.
However, Colin had witnessed Alex's expulsion from his family, and he knew that he did not need to be afraid of him. He was just a nobody now that he didn't have the support of his family.
"Alex Ambrose," Reginald whispered, and suddenly he felt a glimmer of hope.
"Mr. Ambrose, I haven't seen you for a while. What are you doing now?" Colin asked innocently. He thought that Nathan, who was listening in, might also want to know what Alex was doing. He didn't realize that Nathan had witnessed Alex beating Damon Walker in the underground boxing ring two days previously.
"I'm a security guard at Johns Hopkins now," Alex told him. He noticed that Colin's attitude was completely different from when he met him at Richmond University.
"Don't talk to him. Make Reginald sign the document immediately," Nathan shouted through the Bluetooth headset. His voice was loud and impatient, and it made Colin's headache. However, he did as Nathan instructed. He looked at Reginald and said, "Please sign the document now."
Alex noticed Colin's panicked expression and guessed that Nathan was monitoring everything and somehow communicating with him. "Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked innocently.
He walked up to Colin and said, "You talk about cooperation and yet you're forcing Mr. Drake to sign without giving him sufficient time to look into his options. Are you so sure that this is what he really wants to do?"
Noah looked at Alex and said with disgust, "What are you even doing here? This is nothing to do with you. Leave now and stop trying to interfere with our business."
Alex guessed that the short man was Noah Freeman who Lindsey had told him about. He didn't say a word, but quietly picked up a pen from the conference table, and with a finger flick, shot the cap of the pen at Noah's calf.
"Ouch," Noah cried out as it hit his lower leg and he lost his balance. His body shook and with a bang, his forehead hit the edge of the conference table.
"Who did that?" he roared. He knew that someone was trying to hurt him but he didn't know who had done it or exactly what they had done.
The young people laughed and started to ridicule him.
"I don't think anyone did anything to hurt you. It's your guilty conscience," said one.
"Yes, it's retribution," agreed another.
"You really think someone's going to bother with you?" asked another.
People had been feeling disgusted with Noah since the beginning of the meeting and they were very happy to see him suffering.
"Alex, I have no other options," Reginald told Alex bitterly.
"Alex, please help our family. It's Colin and Noah who are plotting to destroy us," David said. Then he told Alex that now he was there, his family had some hope that their business could be saved.
"Mr. Drake, if you tell me now that you don't want to sell, I can help you to protect the Fidelity Group," Alex told Reginald. He waited for an honest reply.
Reginald saw the determination in Alex's eyes, and he responded humbly, "I honestly don't want to sell it, and I would do anything to save it."
David and the others were becoming very excited. In their hearts, they were starting to have hope.
"Good. Then I promise you that the Fidelity Group will not be acquired by these men," Alex said with a smile.
Colin sneered, "Alex, are you kidding? Now you're ordering me not to buy it? Oh, how ridiculous." He thought, Now, that Alex is just an ordinary man, what can he do to stop me?
Alex didn't pay attention to Colin, but he looked at the reporters in the conference room. They all had bated breath, waiting to see what happened next.
What Alex had to say next involved the Ambrose family and their affairs couldn't be publicized. He knew that he had to get the reporters out of the room.
He said politely to them, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask all the reporters to leave for a moment. We need to talk about some confidential matters."
"Why? We journalists have the right to report what's happening. The people of D.C. need first-hand information from us," one of them retorted.
"Yes, we had to cross a lot of hurdles to get in here. We're not leaving," said another.
"What qualifications do you have as a security guard to tell us what to do? We refuse to go," another said arrogantly.
The reporters then looked away from Alex and stayed where they were.
Alex smiled and thought, It seems that politeness doesn't work when dealing with reporters. He reached for a blade from his bag and moved over to the most arrogant reporter. Stealthily, he cut off the reporter's belt. Suddenly, the man's pants fell revealing two fat white legs and a pair of red underwear.
All the other reporters seized the opportunity to take photos and post them on the Internet. They knew that the public would find them hilarious.
The reporter quickly raised his pants and pointed at Alex. "I know you did that," he shouted. He had noticed Alex moving behind him in the instant before his pants fell. It must have been him.
Alex looked around the reporters and said, "If you don't leave now, maybe all your pants will fall down like this guy."
The reporters, especially some of the women, instantly stopped laughing. If something similar happened to them, and photos of it were posted on the Internet, it would seriously damage their reputations. If the reputations of their companies were damaged as a result, they would also lose their jobs.
They slowly realized that they had no choice, and a few of the older reporters took the lead and walked out of the conference room. Gradually all the others followed them.
Alex went to the door and closed it behind them.
"Mr. Ambrose, what are you planning?" Colin asked impatiently. If it hadn't been for Alex's arrival, Reginald would already have signed the contract.
"I know you're listening in and controlling everything that's happening here," Alex shouted at Colin. He was looking at him but seemed to be talking to someone else. The others looked at him curiously. When Nathan saw Alex on the screen, his eyes filled with hatred and his heart filled with rage.
Colin smiled and said, "Did I just call you Mr. Ambrose? Sorry, I forgot your current situation. You're no longer part of the Ambrose family, but just a security guard. With that in mind, do you still think that you can stop Nathan from buying the Fidelity Group? How ridiculous,"
He continued, "The Fidelity Group makes money for the Ambrose family. I don't understand why you would want to stop this deal and damage your own family's business. Does the head of your family know what you're trying to do?"
Alex smiled back and said to Nathan, "If you still want your puppet to buy the Fidelity Group, I will report what you're doing back to the owner. I hope that you have a clear understanding about the consequences of your actions?"
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone