บท 207: The Marriage Partnership
When Gray and Sato finished walking the garden path, they arrived at Gray's parents home. Melanie headed downstairs to welcome the two. The first thing she did was to ask the care takers to heat up the herbal medicine for Sato. Today had been a long and tiring day for the young man. Sato took the time to rest by leaning on Gray's shoulder. The atmosphere in the living room was quiet, but cozy.
Knowing to not disturb the mood in the room, she went back upstairs to talk with her husband. Alex's study room was in the rightmost room on the second floor. She headed inside to see Alex busy working on his computer. Regardless of that, she asked her husband, "So when are you going to start interacting with your future son in law?"
Alex knew that this question was going to come out of his wife's mouth any day. He had been hoping that such a topic would never come along. Just thinking about it already made the middle aged man's head hurt. "Can I just never talk to him?"
"Alex… Dear…" Moving around the work desk and standing behind her husband, Melanie gave him a shoulder message. "What is stopping you from accepting Sato as Gray's lover?"
"Many things."
"What things?"
"Just…Thinking that my oldest son is gay, it just doesn't fit right with me." The excuse that Alex gave sounded very forced.
"Huh?" Melanie quickly picked up on it, "Alex Tobion. I have been married with you for over three decades. Do you think I cannot pick up when you are lying straight at my face?"
"I…"
"Spit it out."
Alex sighed before telling the truth, "Do you remember the World Meeting that was organised five years back?"
"Yes. The one where the leaders of every country had gathered for a meeting? You had went to the meeting too correct?"
"Yes. I had went to that meeting. The major powerhouses of every industry had went to the meeting too, including the two big family."
"That is expected. After all, just like us, they control many industries around the world."
"So, five years ago, the Lee family's head had approached me for a meeting. Of course, there was no way I could say no to that."
"What happened then?" Melanie had a frown on her face. Alex had not once told her that he had a meeting with one of the big two before.
"The Lees suggested a partnership with our family. The partnership was under the terms that Gray had to marry their daughter who was of similar age to our son."
"A partnership.."
"Yes. As you know, our Hayfield Limited group and Gale Foundation are coincidentally competitors with the Lee Family's companies. Their Zhong Xing Housing Group and TJR Mobile are 2nd in the Real Estate industry and 3rd in the Car industry. Comparably, Hayfield is now 5th in Real Estate and Gale is 1st for Cars. If we were to have a successful merger, both of our family's power will grow significantly."
Melanie listened to Alex's proposal with a frown on her face. Indeed, as her husband had suggested, such a partnership between them and the Lee Family would indeed benefit the both of them. As they were both powerhouses, they were bound to clash eventually on the stock market. However, now that they were suggesting a merger, such a problem would disappear and both sides will mutually gain benefits. The only problem now was…
"Is that why you were so adamant on Gray not being together with Sato?"
"Yes." Since everything was out there for Melanie to see, Alex had nothing to hide anymore.
"And you are willing to use your son as a pawn in your business tactics? Your very own son?" Melanie's tone was angry.
"If that is what it takes to run a whole industry…"
"Alex… Think this through properly. You are staking all of this on the fact that Gray would be willing to marry into their family. Not only that, when has our family ever been so money hungry? We are financially stable and sufficient. What we have now can support this family for many generations to come, much less ours."
Alex did not reply and just listened to what his wife had said. He had obviously considered this already, but moreover, there was something else that was causing his grievance. "When the Lee head proposed to me this partnership, he had given me five years to think about it. His daughter was receiving her pHd this year and so, now was the perfect time for her to consider having a family. What the Lee head had said to me was, 'If you do not take up this partnership, you have to understand that there is one other family that has equal standings to the both of us. You should know what I mean by that, correct?'"
"Isn't this more of a blackmail than it is a proposal?" Melanie's face darkened. Anyone could see that the Lee family was saying that if the Tobion family did not accept their marriage partnership, they would suggest a partnership with the Tabola family, who has the same standing as the both of them. This would mean that the one on the losing end would obviously be the Tobion family.
"This is why I am so adamant about Gray being together with that boy. It is not because that I hate that young man. I had search up his background and academic track record and from what I can see, Sato Takahashi is definitely a once in a century genius. He also had never done anything shady and has a great likeable personality. If I was not forced into such a situation by the goddamn Lee's, I would be more than happy for my son and him to be together." Alex said his honest opinion to Melanie.
Hearing all of this, the middle-aged lady knew that what her husband was saying was true. If the Lee and Tabola family had a partnership, the industries that they were in control of would strengthen deeply. After all, their financial pool would have increased significantly.
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