After leaving the castle estate, neither Henry nor his son spoke a word; the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Before coming, they had considered every possible scenario, even anticipating that the Oriental man might humiliate them severely.
But neither of them had anticipated that the other party’s true intention was to collaborate with them—and with such sincerity.
While this was undoubtedly a positive development for their family, it was precisely at a time like this that they couldn’t afford to make a hasty decision—what seemed like a sweet coating might well conceal a deadly poison.
Back in the car, Old Henry finally looked at his son and said, “Sandy, what do you think?”
Sandy didn’t answer his father’s question but asked in return, “Father, are you suggesting I accept his offer?”
Old Henry nodded. “I am. This is a great opportunity, both for the family and for you personally.”
“An opportunity? I’m not so sure!” Sandy said, a hint of worry in his voice.
“Are you worried about the Sassoon family?”
“Well, our Henry family is different from the Sassoon family—they’re a bunch of devils in human form. As a family that built its fortune on robbery, opium trafficking, and human trafficking, they’re no pushovers. After suffering such a major loss this time, they certainly won’t let it go.”
Sandy continued, “If I agree to stay with Sheffield & Co., the Sassoon family will see it as betrayal. When that happens, their revenge might not stop at just Li!”
Old Henry understood exactly what his son meant, and a look of anger flashed across his face.
“In this matter, the Sassoon family are the real traitors. They sold their shares to Lee on the sly without even giving us a heads-up!”
Just thinking about it made Old Henry seethe with anger.
They had pulled out all the stops to save Sheffield Company, even going so far as to have his eldest son leverage his military connections.
But they never expected—never in a million years—that just as they were receiving good news, word came that the Sassoon family had sold their shares to Li Yi at a bargain price.
When Old Henry received that news, he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood…
Hearing this, Sandy fell silent!
Sandy was also furious about the Sassoon family’s betrayal.
As the Empire’s largest steel enterprise, Sheffield United Steel had been reduced to its current state largely due to the “indispensable contributions” of those parasites in the Sassoon family.
They ran the company into the ground, then simply sold off their shares and fled, completely disregarding the fate of others. This wasn’t just “bad”—it was both wicked and shameless, utterly depraved.
“Sandy, there’s something I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet. This Li isn’t just an ordinary businessman; behind him stands that Eastern superpower. The Sassoon family might not dare to go head-to-head with them,” Old Henry said.
“The Eastern Superpower? Is that information accurate?”
“Accurate. I had your brother look into this through some special channels—there’s absolutely no mistake,” Old Henry said.
Sandy said thoughtfully, “So that’s how it is. No wonder we lost so badly in this futures war—it felt like every move we made was anticipated by the other side. It turns out we weren’t up against a single person, but an entire nation’s intelligence apparatus.”
At that moment, Old Henry spoke again: “Sandy, I know your dream is to restore Sheffield’s former glory. Otherwise, with your abilities, you would have gone to the Americas long ago. It’s just a pity that the company was previously controlled by those short-sighted individuals, and many of your ideas and initiatives couldn’t be put into practice.”
“But things are different now. Li’s focus is clearly elsewhere, and he desperately needs a capable person to run the show for him. If you’re willing to be that person, he’ll support you.”
Sandy fell silent once more. He thought back over the past years: although he was nominally the head of the company, the real decision-makers had been the directors appointed by the Sassoon family.
He had been constrained at every turn within the company, and many of his good ideas had failed to gain the board’s support.
Take this futures market crisis, for example. Sandy had sensed the danger early on and wanted to reach a settlement with the protesting workers to resume production as soon as possible.
But those narrow-minded fools on the board all opposed it, refusing to compromise with those poor workers. As a result, someone seized the opportunity to expose the situation, dealing a severe blow to the company’s stock price and reputation.
If the company had resumed production sooner, that Asian man wouldn’t have been able to bring the company down so easily.
“Father, I’ll give this serious thought!”
Seeing his son’s attitude soften, Old Henry pressed his advantage: “We respect your opinion. It looks like you won’t be able to leave tomorrow either. I’ll have someone cancel your flight ticket!”
“Alright!”
Old Henry nodded and signaled the driver to start the car!
Neither father nor son mentioned Li Yi’s warning. To them, the so-called mysterious Eastern prophecy was nothing more than a joke—little did they know…
……
Central Europe. A Mysterious Castle!
At that moment, an unusual meeting was taking place inside the castle.
In the small but somewhat eerie conference room sat a dozen or so people dressed in traditional attire. There were both old and young among them, but they were all men—not a single woman in sight.
Seated at the head of the table, a man in his seventies cast a grim glance at the clan members flanking the conference table.
After a long pause, he spoke in a cold, icy tone: “I’m sure you’re all aware of our disastrous defeat in the London futures market. Not only has our family lost over a billion pounds in capital, but we’ve also lost control of Sheffield Steel. This nearly brought our family’s half-century of strategic布局 across the British Isles crashing down—the losses are catastrophic.”
“According to clan regulations, those responsible for such a severe defeat must face punishment!”
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the conference room grew even more oppressive.
Everyone kept their heads down, not daring to breathe a word!
At that moment, a young man seated at the lower right stood up and said, “Clan Chief, this failure is primarily due to my poor command. I am willing to accept the clan’s punishment!”
“Kursha, although you are my own grandson, in our Shaxuan clan, those who make mistakes must face punishment.”
The elder continued, “Given the immense losses you have caused the clan, I hereby, in my capacity as clan chief, formally strip you of your status as heir to the clan. From this moment on, you are automatically disqualified from competing for the position of clan chief!”
Though the young man was reluctant, he nodded and replied, “Yes!”
“Kumle, as Kurša’s mentor, you failed to protect him, resulting in such significant losses to the family. You too must accept the clan’s punishment!”
The elder continued, “Your punishment is to go to Africa to open up new markets for the clan. You may return only when you have earned back 1 billion pounds for the clan!”
“Yes!”
At that moment, the clan leader, seated at the head of the table, changed the subject and said, “Now that those responsible have been punished, we must also reward those who have contributed. During this business war, some clan members performed exceptionally well—Dawson, for example!”
“Since returning to London from the East, Dolsen has earned 1.5 billion pounds in just two short months. He stepped in repeatedly when Sheffield Company faced crises, and even the final negotiations were concluded with his assistance.”
“Therefore, after deliberation by the family council, it has been decided to award Dowson 10 million pounds in cash. Additionally, the six companies the family owns across the British Isles will be placed under Dowson’s management, and you will receive 10% of the net profits from these companies annually!”
Dawson immediately stood up and said, “Thank you, Clan Chief!”
“This failure in the London market is nothing short of a disgrace for our family. To have control of Sheffield Company so easily snatched away within our own sphere of influence is a profound humiliation. Therefore, we must strike back!” the Patriarch declared loudly.
“Fight back!”
“Fight back…”
Everyone in the conference room rose to their feet and shouted, their voices shaking the heavens, as if they were about to tear the roof off the ancient castle.
But among them all, only Dolsen’s expression remained impassive.
Although he had just received a reward from the family and had brought down the strongest rival on the path to becoming the family heir, his mood remained heavy, devoid of any joy.
After this fierce battle, Dolsen clearly recognized the gap between himself and Li Yi. In terms of investment skills and foresight, he and that man were simply not on the same level.
Now that the clan was clamoring for retaliation, Dolsen silently resolved that he absolutely could not get involved in this mess.
Otherwise, Kursha was the perfect example!
Yet, as is often the case, when you least expect it, things take an unexpected turn.
Just as Dolsen was hesitating over how to extricate himself, the clan leader’s gaze fell upon him…
……..