City District. Castle Manor!
“Crack!”
With a crisp yet slightly jarring crash, an exquisite teacup—its design tinged with a touch of antiquity—made intimate contact with the marble floor, shattering into a thousand pieces in an instant!
In the main seat of the reception room, the Duke’s chest rose and fell rapidly, his icy expression sending a chill down the spines of everyone present.
Just moments ago, Smith had returned from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, bringing with him devastating news: their attempt to thwart Li Yi had failed.
The other party had successfully seized controlling interest in the New Territories Warehousing Center, and Hong Kong Island’s largest port and warehousing hub had completely changed hands.
More critically, Jardine Matheson—one of the Alliance’s most pivotal members—had, without consulting him, proactively partnered with that young man and was preparing to sell its shares to him.
Once that young man acquired the shares held by Jardine Matheson, their combined stake in the New Territories Warehousing Center would reach a staggering 70% or more. Reclaiming the New Territories Warehouse from them in the future would be virtually impossible!
Faced with this situation, even the Duke—who never let his emotions show—could no longer contain himself.
After his rage subsided, he glared at Powell, the head of the Jardine Matheson Group, and said coldly, “I demand an explanation!”
Powell showed no sign of flinching in the face of the Duke’s fury. Instead, he replied calmly, “Mr. Duke, I have a responsibility to all the Group’s shareholders. I wonder if this explanation will satisfy you?”
“I am most dissatisfied. Everyone in the Alliance is working hard to take down that young man, yet you intend to sell your shares to him. This is a betrayal of the Alliance!” the Jazz said, enunciating each word with deliberate emphasis.
“Betrayal?”
Powell then replied, his voice tinged with anger, “Mr. Jazz, if Jardine Matheson had betrayed the Alliance, would we have invested 2 billion Hong Kong dollars in the previous ‘Golden Interception’ operation? If it weren’t for your misjudgment in that previous operation, which caused the Alliance members to suffer heavy losses, we wouldn’t have been utterly defeated in this battle for shares!”
“Powell, are you accusing me?” Jazz demanded, his tone icy.
“No, I’m simply stating a fact!”
His expression then returned to its previous composure, and he continued, “Moreover, the reason I bundled my shares and sold them to that young man wasn’t entirely for the sake of Jardine Matheson; it was more for the sake of the Alliance!”
The Jazz said nothing, but continued to stare at him coldly, the meaning clear.
“On the surface, this battle for control appears to be Starry Sky targeting our Jardine Matheson, but in reality, it is a counteroffensive by the Chinese-funded conglomerates against us. It is foreseeable that the New Territories Warehouse battle is not the end, but the beginning!”
Powell continued, “According to our intelligence, those Chinese have already united. If things go as expected, they will next launch attacks on our other companies, just as they did with Hang Seng Bank and the New Territories Warehouse!”
“And after suffering a series of major losses, nearly all our companies are facing financial difficulties; we no longer have the strength to stop their attacks!”
The Duke agreed with Powell’s analysis; his expression softened slightly, and he said, “Go on.”
Powell didn’t beat around the bush and immediately continued, “The only way to stop their endless attacks is to drain their funds. As long as they don’t have sufficient financial backing, they naturally won’t launch another attack on our companies!”
Everyone present was a business elite, and they immediately grasped Powell’s meaning.
While Star Company emerged victorious in the battle for control of New Territories Warehouse, they paid a heavy price—particularly in terms of financial resources.
If the Jardine Matheson Group were to sell off all of its remaining shares to the other side at this point, it would further deplete their funds. As one side gains strength while the other weakens, Star Company would naturally be unable to launch another attack against the entire British-owned conglomerate.
Upon hearing this, everyone—including the Duke—fell silent.
Although they all knew that Powell’s true intentions were certainly not that simple, it was undeniable that there was some logic to what he said.
Just then, Powell’s voice rang out again: “Of course, if any of you feel that my decision is detrimental to the Alliance’s interests, as long as you can match Star Company’s offer of 110 Hong Kong dollars per share, we at Jardine Matheson are willing to transfer the 21.8 million shares of New Territories Storage Centre that we hold to you!”
The room fell silent once more!
This was a colossal sum of nearly 2.4 billion Hong Kong dollars. Setting aside whether they could even come up with the funds, even if they could, who would have the audacity to invest that much in New Territories Warehouse right now!
Just a few days ago, New Territories Warehouse’s share price was only around HK$60 per share; now it had nearly doubled.
No wonder the Jardine Matheson Group, despite having lost, was still willing to cooperate with the other party—it turned out the price they were offering was simply too tempting!
Jazz knew he had to make a move. Otherwise, not only would Jardine Matheson lose morale, but it would also undermine others’ confidence in the alliance.
“Powell, proceed with this matter as you see fit. Sign the contract with Starry Company as soon as possible!”
“No problem!” Powell replied.
Jazz paused briefly before speaking again. “Everyone, though I’m reluctant to admit it, there’s no denying that this time we’ve lost—and lost badly!”
“I admit I underestimated our opponent and failed to give them the attention and respect they deserved. But that’s in the past—we won’t give our enemies another chance like this!”
He continued, “I have some good news for you all: I’ve already made contact with the family. They’ll be sending reinforcements soon, and they’ll also be providing us with substantial funding.”
Hearing this, everyone present couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
As core members of the British Capital Group, they all knew just how powerful the family behind the Duke was.
To be honest, relying solely on the Jazz’s own abilities and assets, he would never have become the head of the British Capital Group—there were plenty of others more capable and powerful than him.
However, the reason the Duke ultimately became the head of this massive business alliance was precisely because the family behind him was so incredibly powerful.
If that family were to intervene, a small company like Starry Sky wouldn’t be able to make much of a splash.
“Sir, what should we do now?” Smith asked immediately.
“Unless the Chinese-owned conglomerate takes the initiative to attack us, we should avoid direct conflict with them for now. The top priority is to ensure the survival of our alliance members!”
The Duke continued, “Smith, issue the order to temporarily lift all repressive measures against Star Company and the Green Dragon Society. Halt the media and newspaper campaigns as well!”
“What about the Governor’s Office? Should we halt their operations as well?” Smith asked.
“Stop them. Until our people from the family arrive, we shouldn’t engage in direct conflict with them!” the Duke said, sounding somewhat frustrated.
“Alright. After the meeting, I’ll head over to the Governor’s Office and convey your instructions to the Governor!” Smith said.
“Mm-hmm!”
Hearing this, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief, though a faint sense of bitterness and helplessness lingered in their hearts.
Although the Duke had only said he would temporarily stop pressuring Li Yi and the others, everyone knew they had truly been defeated and had backed down.
Otherwise, given the Jazz’s previous temperament, he wouldn’t be holding back like this!
It was cruel, but that was the reality!