On the balcony of the Villa 001 in Eleanor Manor, two adorable little girls with ponytails were playing hide and seek. They teased each other while laughing joyfully.
Suddenly, Fiona stopped as she saw two women at the villa gate. Pointing at them, she said, “Leslie, look! Someone is coming to our house.”
Rarely people dared or could come to Mr. X’s villa, so the girls found it surprising.
“That’s… my mom. Mom! Mom!” Leslie poked her head out and called.
However, they were distant from the gate, and Leslie’s voice was too low. Elise didn’t hear it, but the telepathy between a mother and a daughter made her react.
“Priya, did you hear Leslie’s voice? I heard her calling me,” Elise said, tilting her head.
She didn’t hear her daughter’s voice clearly, though.
Priya was close to Elise privately, so she joked, “Ms. Houry, you must miss your daughter too much. You are hearing things. Besides, it’s Mr. X’s villa. How could Leslie be here?”
“You are right.”
Elise nodded.
Leslie realized her mother couldn’t hear her, so she gave up. “My mom should be here to see my dad. It’s alright. Let’s continue our game. My turn to hide, right?”
“Right.”
The two girls focused on their game and stopped looking at the two women.
On another balcony, Robin was reading War and Peace page by page. He always felt calm and peaceful when reading.
“Excuse me, Mr. Bailey. Mrs. Bailey is here.”
Melody appeared behind him.
Robin lost his calmness and stopped turning the page.
“Would you like to meet her?” Melody asked, bowing her head.
A while later, Robin shook his head. “It’s not the right time now.”
“OK, Mr. Bailey.”
Melody turned away after understanding his meaning.
Later, she received Elise and Priya in the living room. After exchanging a few words, Elise learned Mr. X wasn’t home and left in disappointment.
However, Melody also answered all her questions.
After Elise left, Melody reported to Robin, “Mr. Bailey, Ms. Houry meant to take your side.”
According to what she had learned at college, it was an investment in advance, like a gamble.
If Mr. X destroyed the top three influential families, the Houry family would soar and become prosperous.
“Silly woman.”
Robin chuckled, “Even if she wants the stars, I will get them for her, not to mention such a small city like Stillwater.”
He was surprised that Elise wanted to take his side. They were a couple. She didn’t need to do it.
Melody didn’t remark. Inwardly, she envied Elise, wondering why Elise was so lucky to marry such an outstanding husband.
“What were the three families’ reactions?” Robin asked coldly after putting away his tenderness.
That was what Mr. X liked.
“They stayed calm on the surface. However, the Brighton family’s cash flow is fishy today. Some of their projects are supposed to start in another 30 days, but all their funds have been gathered today,” answered Melody.
“Really?”
Rubbing his chin, Robin said in surprise, “Does Constance Brighton want to have a trade war against me? What’s her purpose? Landview Inc., just me, or the Buosont family?”
On the surface, Robin had only those two companies. He believed Constance probably aimed at Landview.
Shortly after, a Wolf Guard member appeared. Robin gave him a command, and he left with a few men. Nothing happened during the day.
However, at 6 P. M., something happened to shock everyone in Stillwater.
The Brighton Group started attacking Mr. X’s Landview Inc. like crazy.
All the employees of Landview were supposed to go home, but the management team gathered in the office on the top floor. Elise organized an urgent meeting, her face stern.
“Ms. Houry, since an hour ago. The Brighton Group has been suppressing our company. They brought down 14% of our stock price without considering the cost. We’ve lost 120 million dollars. The loss increases each second,” Priya reported after reading a sheet, her face full of cold sweat.
120 million dollars had been lost!
Landview Inc. had only 200 million dollars in total. If it went on, the company would go bankrupt in less than 30 minutes.
The Brighton Group had lost more–almost 200 million dollars. They suffered a loss while attacking Landview. However, The Brighton Group was far wealthier.
As the top family in Stillwater, no one could tell how much money they had.
Probably, 200 million dollars were just a drop in a bucket for them.
“We can’t let this continue. Or we’ll go bankrupt soon. We must fight back instead of waiting to be defeated,” a senior executive said.
“We did fight back, but it didn’t work. The Bright Group is too determined,” Priya answered bitterly.
She didn’t lie. Landview sounded powerful, but it was nothing compared to the Brighton Group. Their fight-back didn’t work.
The Bright Group didn’t care about it at all.
“What should we do then?”
Some senior executives stared at Elise, who gazed at them aloofly.
“Why did I hire you guys?”
Holding her arms, Elise glanced at them coldly.
Some senior executives lowered their heads. They were hired to solve problems instead of asking questions. Elise’s gaze scared them.
“When will the stock market close, Priya?” Elise stared at Priya.
“In another 37 minutes,” the latter answered.
“Time is tight. Once the stock market closed, we couldn’t pass the crisis. Therefore, we must hang on in the following 37 minutes.”
Elise did quick math and gazed at others. “You all, try your best effort to stick to your position in the 37 minutes. I’ll deal with other matters.”
“OK, Ms. Houry.”
The senior executives went back to their departments.
However, they didn’t think Elise could do anything. Even if she was a business talent, she couldn’t win against the Bright family, the most powerful family in Stillwater.