Chapter 86: Raising From The Ashes Pt. 02
"A bird who lost her wings?" Rina repeated Hebel's statement in a questioning tone, as if she wasn't quite sure what Hebel meant despite knowing what he meant.
"What else should I call you?" he jeered, "A jobless bum? A has-been? A washed-up failure?" Hebel continued to list off insults to berate Rina, relishing the opportunity to finally express his true feelings towards her and taking pleasure in doing it.
Despite Hebel's continued verbal assault, Rina simply picked up the tablet she had brought and opened it, paying no heed to his insults.
Afterward, she opened a picture on the tablet and slid it towards Hebel, who was still in the midst of his verbal onslaught. The sudden movement caught his attention, causing him to pause and take a look at what was on the screen.
As Hebel picked up the tablet, his eyes widened in shock as he saw the image displayed on the screen. In an instant, all the pleasure and satisfaction he had been feeling just moments before vanished, replaced by a sudden sense of fear and unease.
As Hebel progressed through the pictures, his apprehension grew with each passing moment. Each subsequent image revealed something that he knew to be true, something that he had kept hidden and did not want anyone else to know about.
With each slide, Hebel's fear and anxiety deepened, reaching a point where he could no longer handle it. He removed his leg from on top of the other, an indication of his discomfort and distress.
...
Hebel POV
"I have been doing exceptionally well for a while now, but this particular moment surpasses all of my previous successes combined." Thought Hebel as he continued to verbally berate Rina
"Look at this bitch's desperateness. I'm berating her and she just takes it like a beaten dog with its tail between its legs. I can't wait to see the look on her face when I tell her I won't be helping her after all her desperate pleading. It's really satisfying to watch her suffer like this"
Hebel's mind was consumed with a feeling of superiority as he observed Rina's apparent desperation and her lack of response to his insults.
But based on what I know about her, she's not the kind of person who would take my insults quietly. It's clear that she's that desperate.
"Wait, why is she picking up her tablet?"
Hebel's thoughts immediately turned to Rina's actions as she picked up the tablet she had brought with her into his office.
Anyway It's not important enough to make me stop berating her, As I'm enjoying it quite a bit.
Hebel couldn't help but wonder, "Why is she sliding the tablet to me? Is there something she wants me to see?" His curiosity got the best of him, causing him to momentarily pause his verbal assault and reach for the tablet to see what Rina had in store for him.
"FUCK" Hebel cursed inwardly as soon as he saw the first picture on the tablet.
"I'm fucked" Hebel thought to himself as he glanced at the second picture.
"We are fucked" Hebel thought to himself as he laid his eyes on the third picture.
"Everyone is fucked" thought Hebel as he saw the fourth picture on the tablet.
....
"Who would have thought that Hebel and a few Rothschilds are cucks?" Rina said in an amused tone, completely different from the desperate tone she had on the phone earlier.
"Where did you get them?" Hebel asked, his hands were trembling with fear.
"You don't have to worry about that. Let's hear you mock me a little more," Rina said mockingly to Hebel, who had just been mocking her a few seconds earlier.
"This is FAKE. This can't be real. You must have fabricated this to trick me, didn't you?" Hebel shouted and asked in denial, desperately searching for any reasonable explanation to the images he saw on the tablet.
Upon hearing Hebel's weak attempt to deny the truth, Rina simply replied, "Keep swiping on the tablet, and you'll see for yourself whether it's real or not."
Upon hearing Rina's confident words, Hebel's fear intensified, but he reluctantly followed her instructions and continued swiping through the pictures on the tablet.
As he continued swiping through the tablet, Hebel's fear grew with each passing image until he came across a video that he remembered recording.
"You like that big dick, huh?" asked the man in the video, while he was fucking Hebel's wife.
"Yes, I like it," said Hebel's wife in a voice filled with ecstasy and orgasmic afterglow.
"Tell it to your husband," said the man in the video, while grabbing Hebel's wife by the throat from the front like a hook and pulling it up, causing her to arch her back and look at the camera or specifically the man behind it.
Then, she said, "I like his big d**k," While maintaining eye contact throughout the moment, following which Hebel's wife fell back down and began shaking from having another orgasm.
Hebel, who was watching the video, couldn't handle it anymore and quickly swiped to the next one on the tablet.
Hebel quickly slid past several more videos of his wife with other men, not wanting to dwell on the videos.
He continued to do so until he came across one that made his heart sink - it was a cuckold orgy involving few members of the Rothschild family and their partners, including their bulls.
Their wives were being lifted and f**ked by other men, while they, the husbands were sitting on chairs across the room, recording and stroking themselves as they seemed to be quite aroused by the scene unfolding in front of them.
There were no more videos on the tablet, but Rina had additional ones that she chose not to reveal.
"What do you want?" Hebel asked, realizing that he couldn't use his excuse of it being fabricated anymore in front of such irrefutable evidence.
"I already told you what I want when you first asked, so I won't repeat it again," Rina said, looking at Hebel with a smile on her face.
"Okay, you have my allegiance. Is that the end?" Hebel said with a tone of reluctance and unwillingness to comply.
"Not like that. Say it with sincerity in your voice, as if you are begging me for it. And do it while you're on your knees," Rina instructed, shifting her sitting position to a more relaxed one and crossing one leg over the other to assert her dominance.
When Hebel heard the words, he almost chose the option to commit suicide rather than obeying Rina's command. However, Rina added to her statement shortly after, seeing his expression.
"When the family head finds out that you're risking tarnishing the Rothschild gene by having your wives fucked by men who are not approved by the family, what do you think he'll do? Personally I don't care about what you do behind closed doors, but I believe the family head will kill your wives and make an example out of you all," Rina threatened in a stern tone.
When Hebel heard this, he finally broke down and went down on his knees, crawling towards Rina.
He loved his wife deeply and knew that the family head, despite being inactive for a few years, would return and take drastic measures to punish him, his wife and the others.
The thought of his wife being brutally killed in front of him to set an example for their actions terrified him.
"I swear on my wife's life that I will give my allegiance to you and never betray you for as long as you keep my secret," Hebel said, putting his head on the floor and speaking in a groveling voice that showed complete submissiveness. He had accepted his defeat and knew that there was no way out of the situation
"Now, that is how you swear your allegiance," Rina said as she placed her foot on Hebel's head while he remained bowed, awaiting her command to lift his head.
"When is the next board meeting?" Rina asked, despite already knowing the answer as Ava had informed her about it after intercepting the news from the private network. She continued to move her leg, squishing Hebel's head beneath her foot.
"There will be a board meeting next month to approve one of your brother's proposals," Hebel said, his head remaining on the ground while being stepped on by Rina.
"Good. Who else was involved in the cuckold orgy and other similar activities?" Rina asked, testing Hebel's loyalty and submissiveness to her.
"It was Yoel, Yoram, Uria,....." Hebel started listing the names of people in the last video he watched. He knew that Rina already knew who they were from just the video footage.
After he mentioned them, he started listing other names of people who had attended other orgies that they had arranged. He didn't want to be the only one who was being threatened.
"Looks like you have really accepted your fate," Rina said, realizing that he had mentioned all the people she knew about and had evidence that they were involved in the orgies. While she knew all of them, she had only shown Hebel one video to test his submissiveness in this specific moment.
When Hebel heard her say that, he let out a sigh of relief for having mentioned all of them. Otherwise, he would have been in trouble for not mentioning them.
Chapter 87: Contemplation & A Talk With Felix
The realization made Hebel even more fearful of Rina than he already was. It meant that Rina likely had even more evidence against him than what she had already shown, and based on his actions, cuckoldry might be the least of his problems if his assumption was true.
'I shouldn't attempt to go against her unless I am confident that I can escape unharmed,' Hebel realized. However, to him this seemed like an impossible task since Rina could have a backup plan in which, if he failed to stop its release, it would send all of the information to anyone she deemed powerful enough to use it against him as leverage or even the family head for worse.
Hebel's assumption was correct, but he was wrong about where the backup data was stored.
Once Ava finished decrypting the data, she immediately sent it to her mother. She had finally found a way to send a large amount of data without raising suspicion by initiating it on the day when the private network was due for an update.
This ensured that no one would be suspicious of the increased electrical usage and other observable parameters out of her control, as they would assume that the network was just using the resources to upgrade itself.
Nova received the data and analyzed Rina and Ava's plan, making some improvements by using her computing power to optimize the plan for each individual based on their personality profile created from the analyzed data.
This ensured that if Rina used the plan, every member she targeted would be threatened in the most effective way possible, using their fears just enough to make them swear their allegiance to her and not choose to go down together.
Rina followed Nova's advice and used the threat of cuckoldry to intimidate Hebel, as Nova had determined that it would be the most effective tactic for him.
Nova's analysis showed that this threat would cause Hebel to fear the unknown and unspecified damaging evidence that Rina possessed but had not revealed yet, and would be more likely to maintain his loyalty without her having to reveal any further evidence.
"Wait for additional instructions regarding the upcoming board meeting," Rina informed Hebel before getting up and heading towards the door to exit the office.
"Of course, I will wait for your instructions, Miss," Hebel responded respectfully, raising his head which had remained bowed since he pledged his allegiance to her.
Rina smiled upon hearing his response, but she didn't turn back to show it to him. Instead, she continued walking towards the door, opened it, and left without glancing back at Hebel even once.
"Let's leave, we're finished here," Rina said to Chloe and Alex, who were waiting for her outside the office.
"Yes miss" Chloe replied obediently, and started walking behind her. Alex also followed them silently, without saying a word.
After getting into the car, Alex began driving them back to Rina's mansion.
"Did the meeting go well?" Chloe enquired about the meeting's success upon noticing Rina's neutral expression, which usually signaled deep contemplation about something.
"It went extremely well, to say the least," Rina answered without giving any further explanation, prompting Chloe to refrain from asking any further questions and allowing Rina to continue her thoughts.
.....
Rina's POV.
"I can't believe it worked, holy shit," Rina thought to herself, but she maintained her calm exterior in front of Chloe, but on the Inside, she was freaking the shit out of herself.
The reason being that despite having Nova's plan since last week, she didn't use it during her talk with Terry that almost resulted in her neck being broken. Instead, she had used the plans she came up with Ava.
But during today's meeting, she had followed Nova's plan precisely, except for a few of her improvisations
Rina's anxiety stemmed not from the success of Nova's plan or the fact that it was a plan created by an AI, but rather from the realization that Aron was the one who had developed the AI with such advanced capabilities.
The way she saw it now, Aron was an otherworldly being who should not be trifled with.
This realization resulted in Rina making a solemn oath to never betray him under any circumstances. This didn't imply that she had planned to betray him before, but rather it heightened her sense of loyalty(?) to him far beyond that of her own family. In fact, she was now prepared to betray her family before even considering betraying Aron.
"What plans does he have to gain by helping me with all of these resources?" Rina was questioning the motives behind Aron's immense support for her. She couldn't help but wonder what he had in mind, as the resources he was providing her with must have been significant. Rina speculated that Aron had to be gaining something equally or even more valuable than what he was investing in her.
She began to think about what she or her family possessed that would justify the enormous resources he was investing, especially given that he had a powerful AI at his disposal.
She concluded that the reason behind Aron's massive investment in her and her family could only be their political power and connections. However, she hesitated to consider money as a factor because she suspected that Aron, or someone on his behalf, was responsible for the person causing chaos in the stock market through anonymous financial firms, earning huge returns for several months. This left only their political power and connections as the possible reasons for Aron's investment.
Coming to that conclusion didn't solve the mystery, but instead raised more questions. What was Aron planning that required their extensive political power or connections?
The focus was on the "extensive" part, as if he needed only a small political connection, he could have gone to smaller families that had them, instead of investing his resources in her.
Rina's mind was flooded with questions, and she couldn't stop wondering what Aron's true intentions were. Why did he need their extensive political power and connections in such a short period of time? If he had enough time, he could have formed his own powerful connections and established a more concentrated political power. His AI was capable of predicting election results and even destroying competitors by releasing reputation-breaking scandals.
Rina's thoughts were spiraling as she pondered the purpose of Aron's investment in her. For every question she answered, more questions arose, and this cycle continued throughout the journey. Her view of Aron was gradually rising to the point where it was becoming absurd.
...…..
"Miss, we have arrived," Chloe interrupted Rina's thought frenzy, informing her that they had arrived at their mansion.
"Thanks," said Rina as she got out of the car and entered her mansion. She went straight to her bedroom to rest, calm down and maybe even rub one, as the overwhelming thoughts and emotions she was experiencing could cause her brain to shut down from excitement and happiness if not properly vented.
...…
France.
As Aron was heading towards école Normale Supérieure University as he had some brain data from there, he received a phone call from Felix.
"Hello," he greeted upon answering the call.
"How are you doing?" asked Felix upon hearing Aron's voice.
"I'm doing good, how about you guys?" Aron asked in response.
"We are doing very well," Felix replied.
"How did the meeting go?" Aron finally asked the question he had been curious about. Nova could have informed him about it, but she had left him to focus on driving, knowing that Felix would update him.
"Well, the meeting could be considered to have gone well," replied Felix.
"Why do I hear a tone that suggests an 'if' is coming?" Aron asked after noticing a hint of uncertainty in Felix's response.
"You're not wrong about that. Here's what happened,...." Felix began recounting everything that had occurred, from their first encounter with the dictator to their departure from the presidential palace.
"What are your thoughts on the proposal?" Aron asked Felix after hearing the entire story.
"I think Adolf is being greedy. After seeing that we are capable of dropping millions just due to him agreeing to the meeting, he probably thinks that we are desperate and will agree to his needs without any opposition," Felix explained, sharing his understanding of dictators' thinking.
Aron asked, "Do you think he will actually cancel the agreement if we refuse his terms?"
"Yes, from the data you sent us, it stated he has a very big ego. Us trying to counteroffer might appear as if we are belittling his help and might result in catastrophic consequences," explained Felix.
"Okay, give me ten minutes to think about it before I return to you with my decision," Aron said.
"Sure," Felix acknowledged and ended the call.
The moment the call ended, Aron immediately pulled over to the side of the road and parked the rental car.
Following that he retrieved the Virtual head gear and moved to the backseat. He put it on and logged in to the virtual world, where he would have 50 minutes to consider his decision, compared to the limited 10 minutes he had in the real world.
Chapter 88: Making A Decision & Arieh Receiving The News
Inside the simulated universe.
Aron quickly turned to Nova and asked for her opinion on how to handle the dictator's demand, saying, "What do you suggest?"
[I don't see any difference in agreeing to the condition or not doing so,] Nova said nonchalantly as she materialized chairs and a table for them to sit on during the remainder of their conversation.
"What do you mean?" Aron asked curiously as he sat on one of the chairs that Nova had materialized for them.
[How long do you think it will take to buy and combine the companies into a unified operation?] Nova asked, as she conjured a tea pot and cups, poured tea into them, and pushed one towards Aron to drink.
"About three months at the earliest," Aron answered after taking a sip of the delicious tea.
Nova took a sip of the tea before asking, [After the completion of the company acquisitions, how long do you think it will take for the revolution to be complete?]
Aron quickly responded, "The earliest would be six months and the latest would be nine months." As he searched for any connection between Nova's question and her opinion that the dictator's demand didn't matter.
"Ahaaa..." Aron exclaimed, finally realizing where Nova was leading him with her cryptic questioning instead of just answering him.
[You seem to have finally grasped the point I was trying to make,] Nova said to Aron with a content smile on her face, feeling proud of her master.(A weird thing nonetheless)
Aron finished his tea and promptly logged off, only to realize that merely a minute had passed in the physical world.
Leaving behind a blushing Nova, looking at Aron's empty cup.
Aron quickly made a call to Felix to inform him of his decision.
"Hello," Felix answered immediately, indicating that he had been waiting for Aron's call.
"Agree to his condition," Aron said straightforwardly without any beating around the bush.
"Yes?" sked Felix in a surprise
"Yes, but under the condition that the payments are done annually in company time, meaning that the annual payments will start counting from the official start of the company's operations after consolidation is complete." He stooped to take a breath.
Then he continued "If they ask why, tell them it will take that long for the company to finally start making stable profits."
"Okay, I will wait a few days before informing them of your decision," Felix said. He didn't ask any further questions as he was sure that Aron, who had even investigated the dictator's personality, had a plan for this too.
"Sure, see you" Aron said goodbye to Felix and ended the call after receiving his acknowledgement.
Following that he immediately started the car and drove towards the university to collect his brain data.
....
As soon as Felix ended the call with Aron, he turned to his team members and informed them of Aron's decision to agree to the dictator's demand.
However, there was a condition attached to it: the payments would be made annually, and the counting would start after the company completed consolidation. The reason given was that this would be the optimal time for the company to start generating stable profits.
Upon hearing Aron's decision, they were surprised that he had agreed to such an absurd condition. However, they understood that they had to follow orders.
"Okay, let's dismiss for now and reconvene for a meeting tomorrow," Felix instructed his team members, signaling the end of the discussion. The members left the meeting room and went about their own ways, heading back to their respective hotel facilities to rest.
After everyone had left, Felix finally stood up and retired to his room to rest. He was feeling exhausted and stressed from the meeting, and sleep was the only thing on his mind.
...…..
Tuesday.
Rina woke up early this morning as she had gone to bed earlier than usual the previous night.
After cleaning herself, she went to her workroom to begin the second day of her raising from the ashes.
[Welcome, Rina] greeted Ava as Rina entered her workroom and sat down in front of her computer.
"Thanks, Ava," Rina replied gratefully.
[Will you start right away or will you wait for a bit before you begin] Ava asked, curious about Rina's plans for the day.
"Yes, I will start immediately. We still have around 15 board members left that we need to threaten and gain their allegiance," Rina replied as she picked up the same tablet she had used the day before.
She didn't have to upload anything onto it as Ava handled all the data transfer of important threat materials.
Following which she left her office at once, After seeing Rina leave her office with the same tablet as yesterday, Chloe knew not to wait for any further orders and followed behind her, together with Alex.
"This time, where are we headed?" Chloe asked, making sure that Alex knew the destination so he could drive them there.
"We are going to several places. First, to Yoel's, then to Yoram's, and after that to Uria's. I will let you know the next ones as we go," Rina instructed Alex on where to drive.
After hearing the destinations, Alex didn't hesitate and immediately started driving Rina to the first location, Yoel's.
Today Rina had planned on first receiving the cuckold orgy team's pledges of allegiance before moving to other board members.
She needs to complete the task of receiving all the board members' allegiance by the end of next week if she wants to have enough time to go over her instructions about what to do at the board meeting.
....
While Rina was on her way to receive Yoel's allegiances.
Nestled deep within the sprawling Rothschild compound, there stood a magnificent mansion that caught the attention of anyone who passed by. It was the envy of all who laid eyes on it, a true marvel of architecture and design.
The mansion was the second largest within the estate, overshadowed only by the infamous family head's personal residence. Its grandeur and opulence were unrivaled, a testament to the wealth and power of the Rothschild family.
The exterior was adorned with intricate carvings and decorative accents, while the interior boasted luxurious furnishings, priceless artwork, and state-of-the-art amenities. The mansion's lush gardens and expansive grounds added to its allure, providing a tranquil oasis within the bustling compound. It was Arieh's mansion, the next family heads mansion
Inside Arieh Rothchild's (Rina's brother) mansion.
"Sir, it seems that your sister is trying to make a comeback to power," Charlotte, Arieh's secretary, reported to him.
"What is she doing now?" Arieh asked Charlotte, wanting more details about Rina's actions.
"Yesterday she went to Hebel and seemed to have begged him for his support," Charlotte gave Arieh more details.
"Did he agree to support her?" Arieh asked, intrigued by the outcome of his sister's begging.
"Unfortunately, the bug we planted had run out of battery during the conversation as he was berating her, but according to our spy's report, he had denied her request shortly after the berating. She seemed to be trying to conceal her emotions as she left his mansion,"
"Okay, that's good. But why am I hearing about this just now, when it happened yesterday?" Hebel asked, curious about the delay in receiving news about his sister's actions.
"As I had informed you last week, Rina fired nearly half of the workers in her house in a fit of anger after being choked by Terry. Among the fired people were our spies too, resulting in us receiving this news only from the side of spies in the house of Hebel," explained Charlotte about what caused the delay.
"So what has my sister done?" Arieh asked Charlotte for further information on Rina's actions after being denied support by Hebel.
"After the meeting, she simply returned home and did not visit any of the other board members' residences,"
"keep me updated on her. It's quite satisfying to see her struggle, even after being defeated multiple times," Arieh said to Charlotte.
"Yes, sir," Charlotte acknowledged the order and left Arieh alone to continue his work.
After Charlotte left him alone in his office, Arieh rubbed his chin, contemplating what his sister could possibly be planning by begging the board members for help, even though she knew they were loyal to him.
Although he had suspected that maybe she had a plan when she fired the workers and was just hiding her act of cleaning the spies, but when he heard that she had gone and begged someone that she knew was extremely loyal to him.
It seems that he had overestimated her, which was nothing but good news to him. Arieh knew that the family head was watching everything unfolding despite his inaction throughout the ordeal of sibling wars for power.
"Just when I thought you couldn't go any lower, you seem to have a knack for exceeding my expectations, dear sister," Arieh muttered to himself before bursting into laughter.
Chapter 89: Phase One (part One) Complete.
Thursday.
Felix had made a conscious decision to postpone taking action until the deadline set by the dictator had nearly expired and only one day remained to make contact with them.
"Hello, Your Excellency," Felix greeted as soon as he was informed that the phone was in Adolf's possession.
"Did you call to inform me that you've accepted my offer?" Adolf cut to the chase, not interested in small talk and wanting to make the most of his time.
"Yes, after discussing the matter, the headquarter decided to accept your proposal," Felix stated.
"Good. Then come tomorrow with the contract so we can sign it," Adolf said, his voice filled with a hint of excitement and joy.
"But the main headquarters has given us some conditions that need to be included in the contract for agreeing to your terms, Your Highness," Felix said, waiting for Adolf's excited voice to subside before adding his own input.
"What are the conditions? Go ahead and state them," Adolf said, but this time his tone held no hint of happiness at all.
"They've requested that the dividends be paid annually, starting from the day when the company officially begins operations after the merger, as a condition for agreeing to your terms," Felix stated, relaying the conditions as requested.
"Why start counting from that day? And why annually instead of quarterly?" Adolf asked in a displeased tone, clearly not happy with the conditions presented.
"According to them, it'll take that long for the company to start generating stable income, thus making it possible for dividends to be paid," Felix explained, trying to shed light on the reasoning behind the headquarters' condition regarding dividend payments.
"Okay, then," the dictator replied after a brief pause, taking a moment to confer with one of his assistants who was also listening in on the call.
"Alright, then. I'll be sending you the contract shortly for your review," Felix replied.
"Send it over. I'll have my legal team review it, and we'll get in touch with you if there are any changes we need to make," Adolf said in a tone that implied he was doing them a favor.
"See you soon, your highness—" Felix began to say, but the call was abruptly ended by Adolf before he could finish his farewell.
...…
Rina Rothschild's mansion.
Rina had finally secured the oath of loyalty from all the members by leveraging evidence of their cuckoldry against them.
This meant that Rina had gained the support of six out of the sixteen board members that had already sworn their allegiance to her.
Today, Rina was officially starting to visit the remaining board members who had not been involved in the cuckoldry bullshit, the normal ones.
"Miss, are you feeling okay?" Chloe asked Rina as they drove towards the mansion of the seventh board member.
"What do you mean by that?"
"What I meant was, are you feeling well? You have been visiting different board members for the entirety of the week and it must be exhausting," Chloe clarified her question.
"Aah, I see what you mean. I'm planning something and I need their help, hence the visit," Rina explained her reasoning without revealing any more details about her plan.
She didn't reveal her plan to Chloe, not because she didn't trust her, but because she knew that the fewer people who knew, the lower the risk of it leaking would be.
After Rina explained her reason for the visit, the rest of the journey continued in silence.
....
Friday.
Felix and his team of three arrived at the palace for the contract signing, and were swiftly escorted to the dictator's office by the security team.
When they arrived, they greeted Adolf and shook hands. However, this time was different. Adolf didn't immediately start talking about the main topic and instead engaged in small talk with Felix, as if he was trying to hide his excitement and anxiety about signing the contract with them.
"Your Excellency, is there anything else you would like to negotiate in the contract?" Felix asked, redirecting the conversation back to the contract.
"Nothing. I'm very satisfied with the conditions, and there's nothing I want to negotiate in it," Adolf replied promptly.
"May we proceed with the signing, Your Excellency, if it is not an inconvenience for you?" Felix asked politely, trying not to appear as if he was rushing the dictator to sign the contract.
"Sure, let's proceed with that," Adolf agreed to Felix's suggestion.
Afterward, they immediately moved to the chairs where two copies of the negotiated contract were sitting on both sides for them to sign and keep one copy each.
After sitting down, Felix discreetly reviewed the contract to ensure that there had been no tampering, without showing any sign of suspicion or distrust towards the dictator and his team, as he did not want to create any tension before the contract was signed.
After ensuring that everything was in order, Felix signed the contract without delay. Aron had given him the authority to do so, and he didn't want to waste any time in getting the deal done.
After Felix finished signing the contract, he exchanged copies with the dictator and Adolf also wrote his signature on it, officially ending the first part of phase one in Aron's plan.
After they finished signing the contracts, they shook hands and each person took a copy of the contract with them.
While they were shaking hands, Adolf turned to Felix and said, "Since we have already signed the contract, I have decided to help expedite your acquisition of the telecommunications companies."
"How will you help us?" Felix asked, curious to know in what way Adolf would assist them with their acquisition.
"Next week, I will send an invitation letter to the owners of the telecommunication companies for a private dinner. I will tell them that I have something important to discuss, and when they attend, you can present your offer to them. If they agree, great. If they don't, then I will invite them to be one of the first people to be accommodated in our soon-to-be-opened Gulag," Adolf said with a creepy smile on his face.
After hearing what Adolf said, Felix forced himself to smile despite feeling uneasy. He replied, "I would be very grateful for your help, your highness."
"It's nothing to worry about. The sooner your company begins operation, the sooner I will receive my dividends. So, rather than saying I'm helping you, I'm just expediting my dividends," Adolf said before smiling.
"That's fine by me," Felix replied, feeling surprised at Adolf's blunt and honest statement.
After the conversation, Felix and his team said their goodbyes and left the palace promptly. They knew they needed to come up with a fair and convincing price for the telecommunication companies. It was important to ensure that the owners would sell willingly, instead of being forced to sell by the dictator. If they were forced, they might agree to sell and then sabotage the company as soon as they escaped the country. The team had a lot of work to do to make sure the acquisition would go smoothly.
...…
Aron could be seen riding a train heading to the Max Planck Institute for Human Development after successfully collecting brain data from the staff at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics.
He had flown from France to Berlin after finishing the brain data collection of the people at CERN and most of France.
As there were only five more stops until his destination, Aron received a phone call from Felix.
As soon as they exchanged greetings, Felix informed Aron about the contract signing and the dictator's plan to help expedite the acquisition of the telecommunication companies. Aron was slightly surprised to hear about the dictator's involvement but was also pleased with the progress.
Aron smiled and commented, "It looks like he's eager to receive his dividends as soon as possible."
"Yeah, it appears that his advisors came up with the plan after I informed them about our condition yesterday," Felix replied
"In any case, the sooner we complete the acquisition, the better off we'll be," Felix remarked.
"Yes, I agree," Felix replied.
"Take care," Aron said, bidding farewell to Felix.
"Alright, take care," Felix replied before they hung up. Aron then proceeded to stand up and move towards the train door, as he had arrived at his destination.
After getting off the train, Aron quickly put his phone on his ear and said, "Inform Alexander that we have completed the first part of phase one of the plan. We need to keep him informed, or else he may start to suspect that we are not moving fast enough to fulfill our end of the bargain."
[I will inform him, sir,] Nova replied, and promptly sent the ordered message to Alexander.
As she was currently monitoring him from his computer's front camera without his knowledge, to ensure he didn't do anything foolish like reporting their deal to anyone.
Chapter 90: The Offer.
A week later, Friday.
Rina had finally finished collecting the oath of loyalty from all the board members, if you don't count her brother and the board chairman who she didn't try to make him swear his allegiance to her as he was the family head and her father.
Another reason was that no matter how she threatened him nothing will come out of it as he usually doesn't interfere with the competition between the family member for the next family head as he considered it the way to weed out the weak competitors for the next family head so nothing good will come from antagonizing him.
Following the completion of turning all the board members loyal to her, he contacted each member individually and gave them instructions on what to do in the upcoming board meeting.
She wasn't going for anything groundbreaking like firing her brother or something, as that would raise suspicion in her brother's mind that she had all the board members on her side due to him having heard about her visit to all of them through the spies in the board members' houses.
She knew that if she used it that way her brother would retaliate in an unexpected way, she wanted to prove herself to the family head so that it would make the family head choose her for her abilities in the company.
...….
Eden.
The atmosphere at the presidential palace was abuzz with activity as a grand celebration was underway, with the attendance of numerous influential personalities from the country. The ambiance was lively and dynamic, with guests mingling and interacting with each other. The air was filled with joy and excitement, as people from different walks of life came together to revel in the festivities.
To enhance the festive spirit, the palace was adorned with exquisite decorations, and the staff were all dressed in their finest attire. The guests were treated to a delightful spread of gourmet cuisine and an array of beverages. The mood was set, and everyone was having a splendid time.
The event was not just an occasion for merrymaking, but also an opportunity for people to network and build new relationships. The presence of several powerful individuals added an air of significance to the celebration, making it an event to remember.
But despite all the festivities there were some people who had attended but were noticeably absent from the crowd, where guests were socializing and networking to form new connections.
The absence of these individuals did not go unnoticed by the attendees, especially since they were all from the same industry - Telecommunication.
Inside one of the meeting rooms located in the presidential palace.
The room was arranged with two rows of seating facing each other, with a long table in the center separating them.
If you knew who they were, you would realize that these individuals were the ones who were missing from the crowd.
As soon as the dictator finished his welcoming speech and officially initiating the ceremony, these individuals were summoned to the meeting under the pretext of having something important to discuss with them
As they waited for the dictator to arrive and begin the discussion, one of them couldn't help but ask, "What do you think he summoned us here for?"
"I'm not sure, but it's likely related to the telecommunication industry or something similar. After all, everyone who's here seems to be from that field," replied the man sitting across from the person who posed the question.
Before they could continue their conversation, the door opened and Adolf walked in. They promptly stood up to show respect. Following behind him was Felix carrying a briefcase.
"have a seat. We have something to discuss," said Adolf, as he took his place at the head of the table.
Felix stood beside Adolf, knowing that he would soon leave so that he could take his own seat.
Once he saw that the telecommunication company owners were attentive, Adolf wasted no time in beginning his speech. He didn't want to waste any time with them, as he had his eyes on a beautiful lady in attendance and planned to bed her by the end of the party.
"Perhaps some of you have already guessed that I have called you here to discuss something related to the telecommunications industry," began the dictator.
Eaglesnov?1,сoМ "Yes, Your Excellency," they all answered in unison.
"Alright, that saves me a lot of time. I have brought my friend Felix here, as he has something important to discuss regarding your companies," Adolf stated, raising his hand and pointing at Felix to introduce him to the group.
Felix simply raised his hand and gave a wave in acknowledgement, choosing not to add anything further as the dictator had already said what he needed to when introducing him.
"I will be leaving shortly, but remember, his words are my words," Adolf said before standing up from his chair and promptly leaving the room. Felix was left behind to continue the conversation on his own.
Adolf's parting words carried weight, making the company owners take Felix seriously and be willing to fulfill any orders he gave, as long as it was within their capabilities and not harmful to them.
After the dictator left, Felix took a seat in the chair previously occupied by Adolf and opened his briefcase, retrieving some folders that he then distributed to the owners of the telecommunication companies.
Upon receiving the folder from Felix, they immediately opened it and started reading its contents.
During this time, Felix remained silent, allowing the telecommunication company owners to read through the contents of the folders.
He didn't want to interrupt their reading or rush them in any way. He knew that the information he provided them with was crucial, and he wanted them to fully comprehend it before any negotiations began.
"You want to buy my company?" asked one of them after finishing perusing the contents on the first folder, without bothering to continue reading the following pages.
"Mine too?"
"Mine too?"
"Mine too?" chimed in the remaining company owners.
They were quite surprised that someone was attempting to buy all of their companies, and even worse, that he was giving them the offer with the backing of the dictator.
"Are you trying to strong-arm us by using the dictator as your backing and forcing us to sell at a lower price?" asked one of them with anger and frustration in his voice.
The man wasn't angry that someone wanted to buy his company, as he was already planning on selling it and leaving the country, since it was no longer profitable. In order to start earning profits, he would have to upgrade the infrastructure of the entire country, which he had no plans of doing. What angered him was the man's attempt to use the dictator to force him to sell it for a low price.
"Before you shout at me, first finish reading the documents in your hands. The price is on the last page, which I'm quite sure none of you have opened to read," Felix replied calmly. Despite them looking at him like a raging bull ready to jump at him at a moment's notice to kick the shit out of him, no matter the consequences.
When they heard him mention that the price was on the last page, they immediately turned to the last page without listening to anything else Felix said, eager to see the offered price.
Once they saw the price that Felix was offering, their demeanor changed and they were more willing to listen to what he had to say. Especially since they were not emotionally attached to their companies and were about to be forced to upgrade their infrastructure to keep up with the fast-changing world of IT.
The amount they were being offered was unbelievable, more than what they would have gotten from selling their companies through normal means. However, as the saying goes, greed is man's greatest enemy.
They immediately composed themselves and exchanged knowing glances, realizing that if they were going to sell, they needed to exploit their situation to get the best possible deal.
"The amount is very small, you need to increase it by about 15 percent. So that we can sell it without any resentment," one of the owners said, trying to negotiate for a higher price.
When Felix saw the group's expression of wanting more money, he made himself comfortable on his chair by putting one leg on top of the other before he spoke slowly and clearly.
"This offer includes a ten percent premium based on your current valuation calculated from profits earned in the past five years. If you had read the contents in the folder correctly, you would have realized that we are the ones helping you out.
Your telecommunication infrastructure is about to become outdated, which will force you to reinvest any money earned in the following years to upgrade it. However, that infrastructure will be outdated again within a few years, resulting in no profit for you in the upcoming decade.
Furthermore, you seem to have forgotten that you will be forced to sell the company to me no matter the price I offer. Offering a ten percent increase was an act of mercy for buying your companies without your consultation.
But since it seems too high for you, I'm rescinding the offer and offering you only a five percent increase. Any further negotiation or haggling will result in me reducing the offer by five percent continuously until you end up paying me.
So, think carefully about what you will say from now on, or you might have to prepare yourselves to become the first visitors of the soon-to-be-opened Gulag.".