Shawn gave her a look, and Sadie clammed up, lowering her head.Shawn said calmly, "She has to succeed."…Zara pored over the files until well past midnight, finally getting a handle on the basics of SAM's business.She could not help but feel that Shawn had not made it easy for her at all. This challenge was incredibly tough.SAM made their mark with handcrafted leather goods—wallets, tote bags, suitcases, and shoes. They managed to carve out their niche in the world of luxury brands.Rofey Group had seen better days. Right now, they were teetering on the edge of the market. They just needed the luxury leather goods sector to complete their empire. If they could just get SAM on board, they would leap right into the big leagues.It would be way quicker and easier than building a brand from the ground up.However, SAM was all about family. The business was handed down through the generations. The board members and the executives were all kin, and they did not take kindly to out

Outside the church, Sadie seemed like she wanted to say something but stopped herself. Zara turned to her and said, "If you want to say something, just say it."Sadie made a face. "Miss, you're too straightforward when you talk."Zara answered, "With stubborn old-school types, being nice and logical won't work. You've got to shake them up a bit.""And if he doesn't get shaken up?"Sadie had never seen anyone negotiate like that. "Making him mad could make buying his company harder later. I thought you were going to have a nice talk with James today.""Do you think I made a mistake?"Sadie hesitated. "I wouldn't say that."Zara grinned. "I'm not your boss, and you're not my employee. You can speak freely. What do you really think?"Sadie bit her lip. "James is just so stubborn. The things you said, Rofey Group already tried to tell him nicely before but he never budged."If Zara thought acting like she was in a TV show by charging in and yelling to show off her unique personali

"How would they know something that specific?" Ophite was just making small talk, sharing a funny story without really caring about it. Then, he moved on to his next shot.Yosef swung his club a few times, but his head was not in the game.He looked up, his keen eyes narrowing in the sunlight. He blurted out. "SAM might not matter to me, but it does to Rofey Group. They wouldn't make such a scene without planning their next move... I'm done here."He handed his club to the caddy and started walking back, peeling off his gloves as he went.Ophite was a mix of frustrated and amused. Yosef said SAM did not matter to him, but he was all set to snatch it away. Even so, he claimed it was not about Shawn.…Yosef had a nose for business. After leaving the golf course, he headed straight back to the office and got Charvi and Samwell on the case.The two secretaries were very skilled. After he slipped back into his suit in the break room and stepped out, they were already there with the

Zara, of course, had a plan."First, we'll have our lawyers talk to them. SAM is suing us for a hostile takeover, claiming we broke the Securities Exchange Act and the Corporations Act. But we haven't done anything wrong."By law, we don't have to disclose if we own less than 5% of the shares. Hedging agreements are just normal business, and buying shares is simply a deal between willing parties."We've done everything by the book, and SAM can't just accuse us because they think they're the underdog. We're not taking the blame for this. We'll fight this lawsuit the right way."Sadie nodded. "Right, the lawyers are on it. SAM's lawsuit is really just a way to stall for time. Every extra day they get is another day for them to come up with a plan."That was just step one. Zara had more up her sleeve. "Now that it's out in the open, let's stop hiding. We'll buy the shares from any SAM shareholders who are willing to sell, and we'll grab up any loose shares on the market too. We'll ta

Those were some bold words.Zara turned to tease him, wanting to say, 'So that's the real you, Mr. Kronos.' However, before she could get the words out, there was a loud bang. It was like something exploded right in her head. Zara jumped in shock. At the same moment, the car spun out of control and smashed into a big tree!Thrown forward by the crash, Zara, who had not buckled up, hit the back of the front seat hard. Her ribs stung with the pain.Shawn, surprised as well, reacted quicker. He grabbed the car door handle and did not get thrown. He looked back just in time.Everything seemed to move in slow motion. He saw a brass-colored bullet zooming toward them, fast and fierce!In the nick of time, Shawn yanked Zara close and shielded her in his arms!The bullet struck the back window, but lucky for them, the car was bulletproof. The window did not break.The cars behind them sped up and formed a protective circle around their car.Zara was dazed, trying to figure out what j