“Is this your trump card?”
“A bank loan?”
“And Mr. Jasper, are you unaware that we have one hundred billion dollars in assets? How dare you loan money to the Sharp Group!”
Lilia narrowed her eyes, her voice cold as she questioned him.
Jasper Pearce froze for a moment, then chuckled softly. “I’m not Ms. Sharp’s trump card, nor does she need my loan.
“Ms. Sharp has someone else to rely on. I’m just here to lend a hand.”
His words sent a ripple of surprise through the room, and all eyes turned to Rose.
Jasper cleared his throat lightly and advised, “Ms. Hussain, I’d suggest you think twice before Ms. Sharp makes her announcement.
“You’ve dragged Ms. Woods and numerous other forces into this epic business battle. If you lose, it won’t just be a matter of disgrace and ruin.
“Even Ms. Woods won’t be able to save you.”
“This is my last question: do you truly want to start this war?”
The implications of this battle were colossal, involving countless companies. No matter which side lost, it would deal a massive blow to Niarak’s economy.
The banking system, too, would face unimaginable consequences.
Bad debts would pile up.
Some companies wouldn’t survive, plunging directly into bankruptcy.
Out of consideration for all sides, Jasper Pearce offered his perspective: promote peace, not war.
“Lose? How could I possibly lose?” Lilia sneered, her expression one of absolute arrogance.
Like a queen surveying her domain, she radiated an air of superiority, as though she could crush Rose with a mere gesture.
“Mr. Jasper, I don’t know what kind of benefits Ms. Sharp promised you to help her create this spectacle, nor do I care,” Lilia said, her tone dripping with disdain.
“Your warnings may sound dire, but they’re nothing more than childish nonsense!”
Jasper’s brow furrowed deeply, his face darkening in response.
His earlier words had been out of genuine concern for Niarak’s economy and, to some extent, an effort to save Lilia.
But this woman, so blindly confident and consumed by paranoia, refused to believe him.
Fine!
I’ll leave it alone!
We’ll see how long it takes before you’re begging for mercy!
Lilia, seeing Jasper’s silence, assumed she had hit the mark. Her lips curled into a smirk as she turned to Rose with a mocking laugh.
“Ms. Sharp, the situation has come to this, and you’re still keeping us in suspense?”
“Where’s your trump card?”
“Bring it out and show us, won’t you?”
Kendal Roy shook his head, sighing. “Ms. Sharp, having courage is commendable, but ignoring reality makes you nothing more than a reckless fool. You’ll become a laughingstock!”
“Submitting is your only choice!”
“Submit?” Rose let out a contemptuous laugh, her eyes cold as frost. She raised her voice, filled with defiance:
“The Sharp family’s creed has always been: better to sing proudly in the storm than live humbly under another’s roof!”
“What you owe me will be repaid a thousandfold!”
“A joke? Fine! Today, I’ll show you all who the real joke is!”
As she finished speaking, Rose’s eyes narrowed, her icy gaze sweeping across the room. She exuded the aura of an empress ascending her throne-majestic and unyielding.
“Time to reveal the trump card!”
Scarlet let out a long breath, watching the tense standoff unfold before her.
The scene she had envisioned days ago was finally about to play out.
Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to hear the dragon’s roar!
After this battle, the Sharp family would be secure for the next century.
Molly couldn’t help but sigh.
Kendal Roy had ultimately chosen to stand against Flynn…
Lilia, however, sneered dismissively, her tone taunting. “Ms. Sharp, I eagerly await your attempt to embarrass me!”
Even Layla, who had remained silent throughout, now turned her gaze toward the hall’s entrance, curious to see who Rose’s trump card might be.
Rose stared directly into Lilia’s eyes and declared loudly:
“Flynn, Ms. Hussain wants to be humiliated. Would you like to grant her wish?”
The room erupted into chaos.
Everyone turned toward the hall’s entrance, expecting some mysterious figure to stride in after Rose’s dramatic introduction.
But to their astonishment, Rose’s so-called trump card was Flynn?
The man who had been sitting in a corner, quietly eating and drinking?
Madeline shook her head.
After learning of Flynn’s capabilities earlier, she had suspected he might be Rose’s ultimate trump card.
Now, with her suspicions confirmed, she felt even more certain that the Sharp Group was doomed.
No matter how capable Flynn was, he couldn’t surpass Layla, that extraordinary force of nature.
Layla was someone even Lysander King Zion respected.
What could Flynn possibly do to win this war?
“I told you so,” Paulina Johnston remarked coldly, crossing her arms.
“Going against Ms. Woods? No matter how much wealth Flynn has, it’ll all turn to ashes!”
Rose had dragged Flynn into the fray after all.
The two of them, hoping to defeat Layla? Laughable-pure delusion!
“Has Ms. Sharp gone mad? After Nathan’s withdrawal, she expects Flynn to play the role of some powerhouse to intimidate us?”
“We all know what that guy’s capable of. Ms. Sharp, stop wasting your time.”
“That guy’s a nobody! Do you really think he can save the Sharp Group? I’d bet my life he can’t!”
“Sure, he might be able to come up with a few billion, but against a war chest of hundreds of billions? He’s barely a ripple in the ocean-completely insignificant!”
Rose’s move was seen by many as nothing more than a desperate bluff.
It was akin to a rebel leader claiming divine powers before an uprising-convincing the gullible to revere him as invincible and deterring enemies with fear.
That seemed to be Rose’s strategy: paint Flynn as a loaded gun on the table, its bullets a mystery, meant to sow doubt and hesitation.
“I thought Ms. Sharp might have some new tricks up her sleeve. Turns out it’s the same old parlor games,” Lilia scoffed, shaking her head in mock pity.
She almost felt sorry for Rose.
In her struggle to save the Sharp Group, Rose had exhausted every possible scheme, clinging to hope in vain.
Even Layla frowned, retreating to a quieter corner.
She had anticipated a formidable opponent, not Flynn-a man with some skills but little else.
What a disappointment.
Were they planning to use force? Threaten that if Layla’s side continued to target the Sharp Group, they’d spend billions hiring assassins?
Ridiculous.
Childish.
If that were the case, Layla might not be able to summon the Greater Sovereign, but finding a few Great Grandmasters wouldn’t be a problem.
Let’s see which assassin would dare make a move!
Rose remained silent, gracefully sipping her red wine amidst the sea of ridicule.
Words were meaningless now.
Reality would silence them.
And soon, it would deliver a stinging slap to Lilia’s face.
“Flynn, didn’t you try to dissuade Ms. Sharp earlier?” Matteo Kaur, stunned by Rose’s declaration, asked Flynn directly.
Flynn chuckled softly, clearing his throat. “Uncle Matteo, hold on. I’ll announce something and be back to drink with you.”
Without waiting for a response, Flynn strode toward the stage.
Jasper Pearce followed closely, carrying a briefcase. He opened his laptop and began typing.
The crowd’s eyes were glued to the stage, eager to see what Flynn was up to.
The laptop connected to the massive screen behind him, displaying a bank account under Rose’s name.
The account balance showed only three billion.
It had originally contained twenty billion, but Rose had spent most of it acquiring two pharmaceutical companies.
Now, just three billion remained.
Flynn, satisfied that everything was in place, picked up the microphone.
He glanced at Lilia, his eyes lingering briefly on her long, slender legs, a faint smirk curling at his lips.
“I told you I’d make you kneel and beg. And I always keep my word.”