Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Chapter 27 After Joseph’s phone call to Alpha 1, the two most powerful forces in Oplen started to make their moves. Dennis summoned Ernie over and ordered all employees of Gempoint Group to stop work as soon as possible. All the executives rushed to the conference room for an emergency meeting. As the leader of underground forces in Oplen, Ernie took charge of more than half of the city’s entertainment industries. His company, Mysticorps Group, ranked second only to Gempoint Group in the entire region. The company owned theme parks, shopping malls, cinemas, nightclubs, and so on. Similarly, Mysticorps Group staff have also stopped all their existing operations. All members of the senior management team were ordered to rush to Gempoint Group’s headquarters. When the hundreds of executives from both Gempoint Group and Mysticorps Group were all packed in a large conference room, everyone was shocked. These business elites were clueless as to what had happened. All they knew was that their respective bosses, who were not on good terms in the past, jointly held an emergency meeting all of a sudden.

Soon, something even more shocking happened. At the entrance of the conference room, Dennis and Ernie were respectfully following behind a young man. When Alpha 1 appeared, all the executives in the room were shocked once again. An unimaginable thought suddenly emerged on their minds. Did Oplen’s two largest companies merge into one? Who was this person in front of Dennis and Ernie? Alpha 1 sat directly on the main seat of the conference room. Even so, Dennis and Ernie did not seem dissatisfied. Instead, they sat on both sides of Alpha l with great excitement. Suddenly, the conference room, filled with hundreds of people, instantly fell silent. After everyone was seated, Alpha 1 said to Dennis and Ernie, “It doesn’t matter whether you can satisfy me or not. The two of you should know better. I’ll repeat myself once more. On the 15th of next month, we’ll hold a grand wedding in Oplen with a budget of one billion. We’ll spend it all! All the cities within Central Region are eligible to take part, and we will select a thousand new couples. However, these couples must all pass a certain level of requirements. We can’t simply let anyone in. We’ll cover all their weddings expenses, which includes the food and beverages as well. You guys can discuss this within the next hour. The news of this event must spread throughout Oplen, and even the whole Central Region.

Make sure this goes viral! Okay, I’ve done my part here. The rest is up to you...” As soon as Alpha 1 finished speaking, he sat calmly and did not care about anything else. Although he remained silent, he exuded an imposing aura like that of a big boss. In fact, his aura completely overwhelmed Dennis and Ernie. Alpha I was a strong warrior, so he would only yield to one person-Joseph. Outside of Dragon Temple, Alpha I could rule over anyone else... After hearing Alpha l’s instructions, Dennis and Ernie nodded respectfully. Immediately, all the hundreds of executives were stunned by Alpha l’s words. At this time, a bold executive from Gempoint Group suddenly stood up and asked Alpha 1, “May... May I ask a question, sir? I’m actually getting ready to be married next month. Can... Can I participate in the wedding?” Although this executive knew that Alpha 1 definitely came from a strong background, he wanted to hold a grand wedding for his beloved fiancée. “How dare you! What gives you the right to speak now? Get out of here!” Furious, Dennis got up quickly and shouted, which scared the good-looking executive to death.

“Mr. Drake... Sir, I’m sorry, I... I’ll get out now...” The executive was startled by Dennis’ cold gaze, so much so that he wanted to leave immediately. “Wait a minute.” At this moment, Alpha 1 uttered. Terrified, Dennis quickly replied, “I’m sorry, sir. My subordinates are ignorant. Don’t be angry...” Dennis begged Alpha 1 so humbly that the executive was almost scared silly.

However, Alpha I waved his hand. “Haha, it’s okay. This person is good-looking, so it’s fine. Nobody said that our own employees are not allowed to participate in this event, right? If there are benefits, of course, you should give priority to your staff. Mr. Drake, don’t be stingy... Let this man participate, and offer him more resources when the time comes...” Letting out a sigh of relief, Dennis quickly turned to the executive and said, “You should thank Mr. Alpha 1.” Alpha 1 waved his hand and nodded with a smile. Then, the atmosphere in the meeting room became extremely enthusiastic. More than 50 executives of the two companies intended to get married this year. Soon, all plans were listed out. An hour later, official websites of both Gempoint Group and Mysticorps Group stated, “On the 15th of next month, a mysterious president will hold a grand wedding in the Oplen Cathedral, worth one billion! At the same time, up to 1314 couples are invited to participate in the ceremony. Each couple will be sponsored one million, including the wedding accessories, gowns, and so on. These items may also be sponsored by Gempoint Group or Mysticorps Group. The one-billion budget will be entirely used up.” Upon discussion, Dennis and Ernie had extended from 1000 couples to 1314, while they would cover the additional costs. They chose 1314 couples as the number traditionally represented long-lasting love.

Ten minutes after the two announcements were released on the websites, all the billboards in Oplen were also broadcasting the same message. Many well informed individuals have caught wind about the event... Boom... All Oplen residents were completely shocked by this mysterious president’s actions. It was one billion, after all, not to mention that over a thousand other weddings would be fully sponsored up to one million each. People in Shelia could not imagine how grand it would be when the mysterious president got married. One billion was offered to support more than 1000 new couples, which excluded miscellaneous costs incurred on the wedding day itself. This wedding could easily cost more than one billion... A few minutes later, citizens from more than 100 cities in the whole Central Region were also completely dazzled by the news. Indeed, it was a huge project... Later, all the about-to-wed couples in the Central Region, including Oplen, began to sign up with great enthusiasm. They wished to be sponsored one million and hold a grand wedding along with the mysterious president. Which unmarried woman could resist such a temptation? Therefore, the event instantly became a sensation...

At the same time, members of the Mooney family, who were still talking in the hotel room, saw this piece of news. Lily immediately screamed, “My lord, isn’t this a tad too much? A wedding worth billions?” Then, Lily turned her gaze to Paige.

“Haha, Paige. Didn’t your so-called husband say that he would hold a grand wedding for you earlier? Perhaps it’s the same as this one that’s worth billions. How wealth of Joseph, haha...” Paige’s body trembled. She was no fool, so she naturally knew that Lily was mocking her. Earlier, Joseph was talking big in front of her family, yet a mysterious rich man suddenly decided to hold a magnificent wedding in Oplen next month. At the thought of it, she wanted to find a place to hide her embarrassment. As for the mysterious rich man, could it be Joseph? No way. She would never believe such a thing.

Five years ago when she first met Joseph, he was dirt poor, so much so that she was the one who bought him a mobile phone.

In five years, there was no way for him to make billions... Deep down, Paige wished that she was wrong this time. If Joseph were here, he would definitely confront Lily, “That’s right, I’m the one who planned this wedding! Do you have any problem with that?” Unfortunately, he was not there at the time. “Enough! Don’t you think it’s embarrassing enough? Lily, you should keep your mouth shut as well. Paige is your cousin, so can you treat her like family?” Leonard was angry. What happened to Paige in the past made him ashamed. “Dad, I apologize on Paige’s behalf. No matter what, she is a member of our family, so can you please let her return to the company? It’s not easy for her to raise a child now...” Yahir felt sorry for his daughter.

Although he was furious, one could not change the past. What else could he do? As soon as he finished speaking, Tommy said scornfully, “Hehe, Yahir. There is no open position in the company now. Furthermore, there are also many other companies in Oplen. Why does she have to come back? Lily should be more than enough for the job, right?” At this time, Estella could no longer sit idle. Suddenly standing up, she retorted, “Don’t cross the line, Tommy! Dominic hasn’t even said a word yet, so why are you stopping Paige from coming back? Indeed, she made a mistake, but Yahir was right. Regardless of what happened in the past, she is a member of the Mooney family. Fine, Lily has power and influence in the company, but why is Paige not allowed to return? You might as well snatch all Yahir’s shares away.” “Estella, what do you mean by that? Why didn’t you bring up the number of projects I’ve secured over these years?” Lily felt offended. “Enough, both of you! Will you only be satisfied if Leonard suffers a stroke? Is this something to fight over? If Max hadn’t gone to the military, would you have a chance to fight for a position in the company?” Leonard’s eldest son, Dominic Mooney, who had not spoken all this while, uttered. As soon as he spoke, the room completely quieted down. Indeed, amongst the third generation of the Mooneys, neither Paige nor Lily was the most powerful figure. Instead, it was Maxton Mooney, who served as a lieutenant commander in the military. Leonard often cared more about Dominic’s and Maxton’s opinions. After all, the future of the family’s business still relied on Maxton. Money was not sufficient to strive in this society. One would also need power and influence. Otherwise, no matter how wealthy one was, success was not guaranteed. Seeing that no one was talking, Dominic looked at Paige, who was in the middle of the room. “Paige, you are one of us, so it makes sense for you to return. In fact, it’s also possible for you to take on some important positions in the company. Since you have brought shame to our family, you should also contribute. Why not test it out? By the end of your probation period, you will officially become a formal member of the company. What do you think?” Glancing at Yahir, Dominic then asked, “Yahir, what do you think?” Yahir nodded, while Paige bowed her head and tacitly approved. Then, Leonard took a deep breath and said, “Well, other companies have a probation period of at least two months, some even lasting up to more than half a year. In our case, we shall not fix a duration. Paige, I will list down three conditions. Once you fulfill them, you shall pass the probation period regardless of the duration. Firstly, the Porter family in Guplyae owes us two million. Since we have failed to collect this debt for the past three years, you should get this settled. Secondly, our company now has a batch of new products, so you are required to expand three new sales channels. Thirdly, we’ve had some projects that have been difficult to be closed. You may choose one of them for further negotiation.” After Leonard finished speaking, Yahir suddenly had a change of expression. He quickly said, “Dad; aren’t these three conditions too difficult?” Tommy responded, “Yahir, didn’t Estella always talk bad about Lily?

But didn’t Lily satisfy such requirements when she first joined the company as well? Paige is only a couple of months younger than Lily, right? She also graduated from a famous university, didn’t she?” “Tommy! How can you compare them? How long did Paige work in the industry after graduating from college? It did not even last a full year! How can she fulfill these three conditions?” Yahir said anxiously. At this time, Paige looked up at her father. Although Yahir was angry with her, he still felt sorry for her. Similarly, Estella felt the same way. After taking a deep breath, Paige said to Yahir, “Dad, it’s okay. I’ll agree to the conditions. I am responsible for my actions. I will try my best to do what Grandpa said...” Glaring at Paige, Yahir said with a darkened expression, “You know nothing! If those three conditions were so easy to satisfy, they would have been completed long ago! Alas...” Leonard leaned forward as he shifted his gaze from Yahir to Paige. “Paige, your father is right. These three conditions are difficult to meet. Well, you are my granddaughter. If you complete at least one of the three, I will transfer you to a formal position. If you complete two, you will be promoted to a supervisor. If you meet all three conditions, you will be a manager.” After saying that, Leonard looked at Yahir. “Alright. Paige is my granddaughter, after all. Now that I’ve lowered my requirements, do you have any objection?” Yahir was silent. After a long while, he shook his head. “I... I have no objections.”

Glancing at Yahir again, Leonard warned, “Don’t you help Paige with these three conditions. Forget it. If you can help, go ahead.

That’s all for today. I’ll leave now. As for Joseph, you can deal with it yourself. I only have one condition: don’t make the Mooneys a laughing stock in Oplen ever again!” After Leonard finished speaking, he sighed before getting up and leave. Dominic and Tommy also followed suit. However, when Lily passed by Paige, she paused for a moment and said sarcastically, “Paige, if you can’t meet the requirements, you can ask me for help. However, I can only help you with the second condition. I can’t help you with anything else.” “Hehe...” Lily walked away with a smile.

“Hmph. What are you talking about? Look at how arrogant she is. She is exactly the same as her father. She’s only arrogant because of her fiancé, Rory. If it weren’t for his help, she wouldn’t have landed a good project.” After Lily left, Estella spat. Yahir’s face darkened. He said to Estella, “Paige has just come back not long ago. Don’t spout too much nonsense.” Infuriated, Estella continued, “Get out of here! Do you not let me speak anymore? I should have stayed in Usmait City and not be bullied by you here! You have been a coward for your whole life. Now, even our daughter is bullied by others in the family!” Estella added after a pause, “Hmph. Even Lily relies on her fiancé Rory for business purposes. At least she has someone to rely on. Who do we have? You’re unreliable, Yahir. Should we rely on that poor soldier instead? A woman must marry a good man. I think it’s best for Paige to get married to her college classmate Brooks the day after tomorrow. No matter what, he’s an executive in Gempoint Group.” Hearing this, Paige trembled fiercely. With tears in her eyes, she clenched her fists. “Mom! Don’t say such things anymore. I don’t need any help! If I can do it, I will do it; if I can’t, I won’t regret it!” As Paige said this, her tears flowed down... In fact, Paige was reluctant to return to the family’s company, but she did not want to disappoint her father either... With a change in expression, Estella stopped talking... Meanwhile, Paige’s heart was filled with determination. She muttered to herself, “I don’t need to depend on anyone’s help...”