Reuben was looking out the window at the river at this time as he smiled faintly and said, “Mr. Hashimoto, I just heard my sister saying that her collaboration and partnership negotiation with you does not seem to be going well at all.”Kazumi laughed before he said, “Your sister seems to be overthinking it a little. She wants to collaborate with Nippon Steel, but she also wants a 51% controlling stake in our partnership. How could that be possible? Even if I were to collaborate with anyone, Mr. Moore, the terms that you offered me are so much better compared to hers!”Reuben laughed as he said, “Of course. Women are always so petty when they do things, so it is often difficult to please them. As long as Mr. Moore is willing to work together with me, I will give 51% of the shares to Nippon Steel at that time. After that, I will also give Mr. Hashimoto 9% of the shares out of the 49% that I have in private!”Kazumi replied excitedly, “Mr. Moore, you are truly magnanimous! If that is
Kazumi’s attitude had changed slightly compared to yesterday.He did not reject Jasmine’s proposal as simply as he had done yesterday. Instead, he started beating around the bush with Jasmine.He gave very ambiguous replies on many matters, and he neither agreed nor refused on all these points. This kind of attitude where he would neither listen to reason nor yield to force made Jasmine feel very helpless.Both parties continued their negotiations from morning until evening. Jasmine had already adjusted the profit-sharing portion for Nippon Steel to 65% for the first five years, but Mr. Hashimoto still refused to agree on her proposal.At this point, Jasmine truly had no other choice but to unveil her trump card as she said, “Mr. Hashimoto, it seems that both of us are unwilling to give ground when it comes to the controlling interest. I wonder what you will think of this proposal, then? Each of us will hold 50% of the shares, and under any circumstances, each of us will have 50% o
Jasmine was very upset at this time.She truly did not expect Nippon Steel to be so difficult to deal with.Moreover, she was placed in a very passive position throughout the entire negotiation process. She had already prepared and come up with so many plans, and she had even brought up her final trump card. However, it seemed as though she had failed to finalize their collaboration.Jasmine could not help but feel a strong sense of frustration deep down in her heart at this time.She also had a hunch that it would be very difficult for her to get the result that she wanted and was aiming for in this negotiation.Perhaps she would really have to return without any success this time.Jasmine told her family about her assumption on the way back to the hotel.Although Lord Moore was a little disappointed, he continued encouraging her as he sent a message: [Jasmine, you shouldn’t put too much stress and pressure on yourself in regards to the collaboration with Nippon Steel this time
Jasmine was a little surprised, and she could not help but wonder, ‘Why is Mr. Hashimoto calling me so late at night?! Could it be… could it be that they have already come up with a result for the collaboration and partnership?!’As she thought about this, Jasmine could not help but feel a little nervous. She hurriedly answered the phone as she asked, “Mr. Hashimoto, it is already so late at night. Is there a reason why you are calling me at this time?”Kazumi smiled and said, “Miss Moore, I have already given our chairman feedback on your final proposal for our collaboration today. He acknowledges your sincerity, and he asked me to inform you that we should sign the contract tonight because we should take resolute and effective measures to solve this complicated problem in an instant!”Jasmine did not expect that she would finally be able to hear the news that she had been anxiously anticipating. So, she asked in surprise, “Mr. Hashimoto, are you telling me the truth?!”Kazumi lau
The vehicle that Jasmine was in quickly drove out of downtown Tokyo and continued toward the mountainous areas in the western suburbs of Tokyo.Although there were many mountainous terrains in Japan, the capital of Tokyo was located in the Kanto Plain. Hence, the entire Tokyo was located on flat terrains, and there were almost no peaks in the city. There were only mountainous areas near the Nishitama District after heading west for dozens of kilometers.The mountainous areas were mostly filled with winding roads, but the conditions of the roads were all very good. Jasmine’s commercial vehicle continued driving on a winding road with many twists and turns with a gradually increasing altitude.As they were in the mountainous areas and since it was already late at night, there were almost no other cars driving along the winding road which was dozens of kilometers long. If anyone were to look down from the sky, only the car that Jasmine was in could be seen with its lights on as it circ
The sudden impact of the collision knocked the car’s entire engine compartment directly through the front seat!The driver and Jasmine’s other assistant, who was sitting in the co-driver seat, died in an instant!Jasmine was seated in the middle row in the car, and her seat belt was buckled. So, at the moment of the collision, Jasmine was held firmly in her seat thanks to the seat belt.However, due to the great inertia during the impact, four of Jasmine’s ribs broke!Zahra, who was sitting next to Jasmine, did not have such good luck!She had slacked a little when she got into the car, and she had felt that there was no need for her to buckle her seat belt since she was sitting at the back of the car. Thus, Zahra flew out of her seat during the collision, and her body slammed directly on the back of the co-driver seat!At this moment, Zahra’s head was injured, and she was badly battered. Zahra instantly lost consciousness and fell into a coma.Jasmine felt a terrible pain in he
As the car rolled and tumbled off the cliff, Jasmine was already feeling extremely nervous.However, Jasmine became even soberer and alert at this critical moment of life and death.Her brain was spinning very fast at this moment, and many things suddenly came to her mind.Because of the extreme speed of the thoughts that were filling Jasmine’s mind, it seemed as though time had slowed down.When the car finally hit the cliffside boulder, Jasmine felt as though her whole body had been completely destroyed by the violent impact of the collision.Fortunately, she was still seated inside the luxury car seat in the car. This kind of seat was very safe and comfortable. The most important thing was that the parts that her body was in contact with were very soft.The soft parts of the seat could greatly alleviate the huge impact of the collision on her body. This was similar to putting eggs inside a box that was wrapped in cotton. The safety factor could be greatly increased.However,
This was similar to a city that was plunged into darkness due to a power outage. As soon as the power supply was suddenly restored, the entire city was instantly re-lit!Just as Jasmine’s body was rapidly recovering, the car that she was seated in finally fell to the bottom of the valley.At this time, the car was already in a terrible state, and it was completely damaged.The entire front of the car had completely collapsed through the front seats. The car windows were all shattered, and the rocks and stones along the path had also cut countless hideous holes through the metal car body.The car was also completely deformed, and it looked like a can that had been stepped on after the endless rolling!However, Jasmine’s consciousness was constantly recovering. Her broken ribs, leg bones, arms, as well as her bodily wounds, damaged brain, and internal organs were all quickly regaining their vitality.Jasmine regained her mobility after a brief moment.She tried to unfasten her sea
However, Jimmy realized something important even as he sighed in relief. "Wait, Mr. Wade… I know I should settle things in the family Stateside, but won't I be arrested upon arrival?""That's Julien's department," Charlie chuckled and turned toward the man. "Tell your butler not to send the evidence to the feds. If it has reached them already, ask to have it back and tell the feds they saw nothing."Julien promptly nodded. "I'll text him right now. You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Wade."Jimmy remained worried. "But sir, I think Nate's not going to let this slide. The man is cunning—he deliberately dug a pit so we'd fall into it, and he gathered all the dirt he could on us to be used as leverage when necessary."Charlie shook his head. "That's no big deal. Julien can make sure that you're fine even if the feds get the evidence."Julien nodded nearby. "Don't worry, Mr. Wade. The decision remains in your hands, either way. Just say the word, and it's 25 to life… otherwise, not e
The fact that Jimmy was a partner in Ares LLP already meant he had skill, while Matilda had herself been retired for years and definitely had lost her touch a little. So, having someone like Jimmy who had stayed on the frontlines all this while would definitely be no issue.And in turn, it was a good thing for Jimmy as it was better than the kennels either way.Charlie then asked Jimmy pointedly, "You say you're interested, but are you sincere about it?"Jimmy nodded without hesitation. "Yes, absolutely!""No regrets? We're talking about ten years here.""None, absolutely none!""Do you know what to say if anyone asks?""Yes, of course! I chose to further my career here in Oskia, and it was absolutely voluntary! That's what I'd say even if my family asked!"Charlie nodded. "Good. Then, you will have two weeks. Go home and set your affairs in order and report in for work afterward.""No problem!" Jimmy nodded repeatedly, actually surprised and grateful that Charlie would let hi
And yet, Julien was suddenly clapping his hands, and exclaiming excitedly, "Yes, right! We should get his wife and son over too for a happy reunion!"He then paused and quickly corrected himself, "Wait, no! I mean, they should each be caged with one empty cage separating each of their cages. They can see each other and talk, but there will be no touching. How dare he flex on me—I gotta teach him a lesson to remember!"Jimmy dropped limply on his rump, and Matilda beckoned for Paul to help him up while turning toward Julien as she pursed her lips. "Please, Mr. Rothschild… Even if you don't accept his apology, don't bring his family into this. It's against Oskian tradition—you'd insult your family's name!"Julien shrugged, not hesitating to retort, "What do your traditions have to do with me? If I mean to hurt him, forget his family—I'll drag his dogs over too!"Seeing that Julien was so furious, Charlie decided to stop him, or he might actually go through with it."That's enough, J
Holding up a thumb at Charlie, Julien exclaimed in approval, "You're right, my friend! That's far more exciting than having him jailed!"Just hearing that he would be sent to a kennel, Jimmy knew nothing would come of it—even if he didn't know the details, it was so obvious that Julien was thrilled by the very idea!Turning nervously toward Charlie, he was sobbing as he asked, "Mr. Wade…? What's this about a kennel…?"Julien chuckled coolly even before Charlie said a word. "A kennel is where you keep dogs, of course. Though there are literal dogs and metaphorical dogs, and you are the latter."Oh, don't worry. It's a really nice place where you get your own cage, and you'll be fed every day. You don't even have to work, so just sit tight and keep eating until the day you die."Jimmy's soul left his body in that instant.He was going to be locked in a cage?! That was way worse than being locked up and sent to jail! Where was the humanity around here?!Even as the thought struck h
Matilda was actually caught off guard by Jimmy's pleas, and even Paul found it hard to watch.Turning to Charlie, he said, "Please, Mr. Wade—my uncle can be a little despicable, but he is my father's brother. Please, let him have a chance to turn over a new leaf, seeing that he's earnestly repenting."While Paul spoke with Charlie, Jimmy was still confused and wondered why Paul would plead his case with Charlie instead of Julien. If there was anyone Paul should ask, it was Yolden since he was Julien's friend. So, why would he ask some young man instead of Yolden?That was when Charlie asked in curiosity, "You want to let him off? After he tried to take away your parents' legacy?"Paul smiled awkwardly. "I mean, I know the guy. He made sure to travel all this way to make a scene because he had nothing legal that could help him claim Smith Group Corporate Law from us. Otherwise, he'd have already filed the lawsuit in the States. Sure, it's a dirty move, but that's basically a des
As Julien finished, he realized something was wrong and turned toward Charlie before he knew it.Charlie held his gaze in turn, his expression quizzical and amused.Julien cleared his throat right then. "See, there are people who can order me around, but they have my utmost respect. However, a third-rate lawyer like you? Who do you think you are?"That was when Julien's butler called, and he reported respectfully as soon as the call was answered, "Sir, I've spoken with Nate Ellis, the owner of Ares LLC. He has since agreed to fire Jimmy Smith right away as well as disbar him nationwide."Julien asked, "Good. Anything else?""Well, Mr. Ellis also delivered some documents that can be used as evidence against Jimmy Smith, which he claims is enough for a lifetime sentence. If you deem it necessary, we can have it sent to the FBI.""Yes, let's go with that!" Julien replied, his tone satisfied. "And ask the director to handle it personally—I want this prick to never set foot stateside
Jimmy was sweating profusely in fear, but he argued back before he knew it, "That's impossible! Everything you say is bullshit! Gaiman simply thought he had a fair chance of winning and didn't want to pay Ares that much, and I have no idea who he partnered with, and I'm certainly not involved. Don't you try to slander me!"Nate chuckled. "Come on, Jimmy. We're all adults here, so there are things we shouldn't have to be so direct about. Mills Gaiman and your old classmate met in private many times, not to mention the private conferences you three had in secret, discussing your overall strategy and decisive points. Just so you know, Gaiman recorded every conversation, and I have the tapes with me."Jimmy's heart was left pounding as he blurted, "B-Bullshit! That's impossible!""Grow up, Jimmy," Mr.Goodman chuckled. "Every partner in every law firm always strives to rise higher, so I'm going to need as much leverage as I can. Otherwise, I'm not about to let them advance any further, e
Although the ringtone and vibration frequency were the ones Jimmy always used, this call somehow felt more urgent, leaving him exceedingly uneasy.When it abruptly stopped and left a missed call on his log, Nate Ellis soon sent a text: [Answer your damn phone this instant!]Just seeing the text left Jimmy feeling like his throat had gone dry, and as he gulped, it felt like his throat was being ripped, leaving him hurting.Still, he couldn't care less as his boss called again.Having seen the text, Jimmy didn't hesitate this time and promptly answered, watching Julien's smug face as he started tentatively, "Y-Yes, boss...?"Nate immediately yelled at him hysterically, "What the hell did you do?! Why did the Rothschilds call to complain about you?! And the complaint was from their heir apparent, at that! I worked hard for them and always toed the line for years, and I still haven't gotten a chance to meet the man, so how the fuck did you upset him?!"Jimmy's heart sank to rock bott
Fuming, Jimmy snapped at Julien, "If you insist on playing it like that, I will call my boss, and you can talk to him yourself!"Julien chuckled. "That's unnecessary. I've never met him. He would never recognize my voice."Jimmy laughed and nodded despite himself. "Impressive—you can really come up with anything! You don't have his number because he's beneath you, you refuse to call him because he's beneath you, and when I say I'll call him for you, you say he won't recognize your voice. Well, how do you suppose we should sort this out? At least prove you're a Rothschild, or anyone could claim that they are—"Julien held up a hand to stop him. "Then, how about this? I'll ask my butler to talk to your boss."Jimmy laughed even more loudly as if it were the best joke ever. "Hahaha!!! Butler, you say?! You really know how to talk! Alright, I'll wait and see what your 'butler' can do… I mean, what you can do. We'll see whether my boss calls me!"Julien ignored him and whipped out his