Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
Everyone outside the conference room was confused, and they all started discussing possible reasons for the delay. In the end, only the industry leaders would know what was happening, all… seven of them?
“As you can see, there are only seven leaders sitting here. There is still one very important member who is absent, and the piece they represent is second to H Group. Without them, we are unable to light up the button, which is why this conference cannot begin yet.” Frederick then pointed at the empty seat next to Halston. “The person who will join us shortly is the newest chairman of KCL, someone who has made remarkable contributions to our industry”
Frederick inhaled deeply, then explained, “KCL is fortunate to have quite a skilled research team that constantly brings us many surprises, leading our industry to greater heights… This new chairman is a fellow researcher too, just like their predecessor, Mr. Y. This person is also the genius who invented the renowned G6 chip! Once this chip is officially introduced to the public, it will revolutionize our current industry, potentially changing everyone’s lives!”
Frederick’s words piqued everyone’s interest, and the people there grew more and more curious about the chairman’s identity. They didn’t really mind that the chairman was late, considering how influential the person was, but they were worried that the chairman might not show up at all.
“President Yarrow, everything you just said is practically common knowledge at this point. We’ve been waiting for so long to see who this mysterious KCL chairman is, not to hear about how great they are! We hope this legend can help lead our industry to greater heights!”
“Yeah! We just want to see who this new KCL chairman is! Can’t you use your position as the president to summon them here?!”
Many people were starting to feel impatient, and they started pressuring Frederick.
Frederick was feeling quite anxious as he turned to the crowd. “Calm down, everyone. I’ve already made some calls to the new chairman of KCL. They might be busy at the moment, because they’re not picking up any of my calls…”
“What? Can’t you get anything right, Yarrow? As the president of the Electronics Technology Association, you should at least be able to do this much, right? If you can’t, you should really consider resigning!”
“That’s right, you couldn’t bring over the one you were supposed to invite, and instead ended up inviting not one, but two unwelcome strays! A useless president like you should have resigned long ago!”
Frederick repeatedly dialed the new chairman’s number, feeling so stressed that he was close to tears.
On the other hand, Halston was sitting in the very middle of the conference table, looking remarkably composed. His cold gaze made it seem like he wasn’t involved in this summit at all.
Next to him was Akio Higashino, a legend of Aeos who specialized in artificial intelligence. The man was the third most influential individual in the room, after Halston and the new KCL chairman.
Akio was very ambitious, and wanted to diversify his business to different technological domains. Not only did his company excel in artificial intelligence, they were also researching electronic chips as well. However, they were unable to make a breakthrough in their research, resulting in their inability to produce the electronics they wanted. Hence, they were stuck in third place.
For over a decade, the man had been trying to destroy the partnership between H Group and KCL Group, in hopes of replacing H Group as KCL’s business partner. If his company, Higashino Corp, could sign a contract to work with KCL, he was confident that they would surely surpass KCL in the future.
“Mr. Guajardo, you’re so calm! Could it be that you’ve already signed a contract with KCL in private? If that’s the case, congratulations are in order!” Akio nodded as he naturally flashed Halston a fake smile. Truthfully, he had no idea about the man’s relationship with the new chairman of KCL, and was just trying to pry information out of Halston.
“No, I’m not close to the new chairman,” Halston replied indifferently.
“Oh? You aren’t?” Akio’s eyes lit up, and his lips curved into a grin. “Looks like we’ll be having a fair competition then, Mr. Guajardo. KCL might choose to work with Higashino Corp now, or even someone else entirely.”
“Indeed. As long as the person is genuine about working with them, they’d probably have a chance at signing a contract with KCL,” Halston said honestly. Back then, due to his special relationship with Julian, H Group was the sole company that formed a partnership with KCL Group.
However, now that Julian had been replaced by the new chairman, he wasn’t quite sure if he’d be able to successfully win KCL over.
He had tried to find out about the new chairman’s identity from Julian, but his nephew had no idea who the person was either. This only made Halston even more curious about the person’s identity.
“Oh no, that’s simply too inconsiderate! If Higashino Group were to partner up with KCL, wouldn’t that make us H Group’s biggest threat?” Akio maintained his smile, pretending to be kind.
“Besides, isn’t H Group facing a lot of issues right now? Not only has your primary research team left, but your investors, with the Murphys in the lead, intend on withdrawing their investments as well. If your most important G6 chip project fails, H Group might even face bankruptcy. We’re really worried about you!”
Halston chuckled coldly. “If you’re so worried about us, Mr. Higashino, why don’t you just voluntarily give up on working with KCL?”
“That won’t do!” Akio’s expression shifted instantly. “How could we miss out on such a great opportunity?”
At that moment Frederick’s call had finally gotten through, but the person on the other end of the line gave him a rather odd request.
“Umm…” The president put down his phone and looked at Seraphina, who was in the meeting room outside of the conference. “Miss Murphy, whether the new chairman attends and whether our conference goes successfully… is up to you! We’re counting on you!”
Everyone immediately turned to Seraphina.
“Huh? Is… Is it really up to me?” The woman was stunned. Although the Murphys were the biggest sponsor of the event, the family was actually not familiar with the electronics industry. Seraphina had only been acknowledged because of all the money her family had spent, so she felt a bit insecure attending such an event. However, hearing that she would be the sole reason behind the success of this event, she felt pride bloom in her.
“Yes, Miss Murphy, the newest chairman of KCL, requested you, specifically, to cooperate with them…”
“I’ll do anything for them! It’s an honor for me to be of assistance!” Seraphina was even more excited after hearing that the new chairman had personally requested her. After all, if she managed to befriend this new director, she would become a renowned figure within the technology industry as well. Powerful and rich businessmen would have to put effort into getting on her good side if they wished to work with KCL.
If that happened, Halston would definitely have more respect for her, and rely on her even more.
“Well, uh…” Frederick adjusted his glasses, seemingly awkward. “The new chairman of KCL said they really like Beach City, and wish to have a goddaughter. So, their request is for you to say ‘Daddy, I was wrong, please forgive me just this once and attend this conference!’ in front of all the cameras.”
After hearing this, everyone gasped.
Seraphina’s expression turned stiff. “The chairman is… so funny…”
Six of the seven leaders in the conference room burst out laughing.
Akio even started clapping enthusiastically. “Hahaha, amazing! I like this new chairman, they have spunk! I must get the chance to work with them!”
On the contrary, Halston was the only one who seemed extremely solemn, and he frowned deeply. ‘Why do those words sound so familiar? Could it be that…’
After a few moments of hesitation, Seraphina decided that she should go all out. She stood up from her seat with a bright smile and declared, “It is an absolute honor to be their goddaughter. I’m more than happy to do as they say! Why wouldn’t I cooperate?”
After that, she turned to the cameras and said obediently, “Daddy, I was wrong, please forgive me just this once and attend this conference!”
Seconds later, she started cursing inwardly. ‘Damn that chairman, I’ve never been so humiliated in my entire life! But… I’m doing this to win Halston’s heart, so I’ll bear with it.”‘
Frederick finally let out a sigh of relief. He spoke to the other party over the phone, then turned back to the crowd. “Thank you for your passionate speech, Miss Murphy, the chairman said they are very happy to have a daughter like you. They will enter soon, so let’s welcome them with a round of applause.”
Soon enough, the entire venue was drowned in cheers. Everyone was craning their necks, hoping to catch a glimpse of this mysterious and unique new chairman.
The door to the conference room was opened by the staff, and the new chairman walked in casually. Instantly, the area erupted into chaos.
“Oh my god! Is this some sort of mistake?! What is she doing here?!”
“Impossible! My eyes must be deceiving me!”
Ignoring the people’s doubtful stares, the chairman beamed and nodded. “Hello everyone, I am Flossie Ellsworth, the new chairman of KCL Group. Sorry for the wait.”
Then, she slowly walked towards Halston and sat down next to him.
“What a coincidence, Mr. Guajardo… we meet again.” Flossie nodded at Halston, a prideful smile on her face.
“Indeed. You’ve been planning this for a very long time, haven’t you? What a great performance!” Halston said, raising an eyebrow.
‘Tsk tsk, it really was her!’ Halston didn’t seem shocked in the slightest. Instead, he felt strangely content. ‘Oh, Flossie Ellsworth, of course it’s you. You took quite a huge risk this time, huh? I have to admit that I’m impressed.’
The woman’s status left him feeling much more relieved than before. At the very least, as the ‘new chairman of KCL’, he wouldn’t have to worry about her being taken advantage of. Moreover, her wealth was now enough to give four generations of her family a life of luxury.
“Yarrow, what is the meaning of this? Why is this woman here?! Don’t tell me she really is the new chairman of KCL?”
“Exactly, Yarrow, you have to give us a reasonable explanation. Is KCL Group toying with us elders?!”
The attendees immediately voiced their concerns. They just couldn’t accept the fact that this woman, who they looked down upon, could possess this much power in their industry. They were convinced that it was all a grave mistake, or that KCL Group was playing a prank on them.
Seraphina was also throwing a temper tantrum in the meeting room, and was trying to barge in to confront Flossie. Her rage seemed to have consumed all of her rationality, and her lovely image from before was no more.
“Let me in! If you don’t, my family will hear about this!” However, no matter how much she protested now, she and her entire family had already been ridiculed live on television.
Facing the crowd’s pressure once again, Frederick explained hastily, “Please calm down, everyone. Miss Ellsworth really is the newest chairman of KCL Group, and the one who invented the G6 chip. She was able to become the biggest shareholder in KCL through her own efforts, and has single- handedly pushed the entire industry forward by nearly a decade. It definitely isn’t a stretch to call her our hero, so please, respect and support her!”