Chapter 494 Prepare for Compensation and Bankruptcy
Seeing Sharon's flushed cheeks, Seb's gaze darkened.
"Sharon, do you want me to help you with your bath?"
His voice was laced with temptation, but Sharon snapped out of her daze and quickly pushed him away, her eyes filled with resistance as if he were some kind of monster.
"No, I can do it myself."
If she let him help, they wouldn't be out of the bathroom for at least two hours.
Seb's eyes showed a hint of disappointment. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, now go downstairs and keep Demetrius company if you have nothing to do. I'm going to take a bath."
With that, she grabbed her pajamas and hurried into the bathroom as if something was chasing her.
After the bathroom door closed, Seb heard the sound of the lock clicking.
Seb couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head as he turned and left the bedroom.
Downstairs, Demetrius was playing with his toys in the living room. He didn't even look up when he heard Seb's footsteps; he could already distinguish between Seb's and Sharon's footsteps.
Just as Seb reached the sofa, his phone rang.
Seeing it was Paul, he swiped to answer.
"Mr. Smith, there's a problem. The batch of chips Silvercrest Group delivered last month has issues. The Rainbow Group is preparing to sue Silvercrest Group."
Seb's brows furrowed. "What's the problem with the chips?"
"When the Rainbow Group tested the chips in their machines, 90% of the machines malfunctioned for unknown reasons and are now unusable. The Rainbow Group believes it's due to Silvercrest Group's chips. Their customer service manager, Mr. Bob Jimenez, is on his way to our office."
Seb's expression turned serious. "Got it. I'll head to the office immediately. Keep this under wraps; we can't let this leak out."
Regardless of whether the Rainbow Group's machine failures were related to Silvercrest Group's chips, if this news got out now, it would irreparably damage Silvercrest Group's reputation.
"Understood, Mr. Smith. I'll handle it."
Hanging up, Seb turned to Dana. "When Sharon comes down, tell her I went to the office to handle some work. She and Demetrius should go to bed early. I might not be back tonight."
Seeing Seb's serious expression, Dana quickly nodded. "Yes, Mr. Smith, I understand."
Without another word, Seb turned and left quickly.
It took him over half an hour to get to the office. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Paul hurried over.
"Mr. Smith, the Rainbow Group's customer service manager, Mr. Bob Jimenez, is in the meeting room."
Seb nodded. "Got it. Gather the shareholders and core members of the R&D department for a meeting in an hour."
"Understood."
After Paul left, Seb composed himself and walked briskly to the meeting room.
As soon as he opened the door, Bob, turned around and said coldly, "Mr. Smith, our company has already lost over ten million dollars because of Silvercrest Group's chips. How do you plan to resolve this?"
Seb sat down across from him. "Mr. Jimenez, we're very sorry about the damage to your machines. I'll send some core members of our R&D department to investigate the issue. If it turns out that Silvercrest Group's chips are at fault, we will cover all your losses."
Bob sneered. "Mr. Smith, our machines work fine with other chips, but as soon as we use Silvercrest Group's chips, they malfunction and become unusable. Are you trying to deny that your chips are the problem?"
Seb remained calm. "I said we'll investigate. If our chips are the issue, we'll take responsibility. But asking us to admit fault without an investigation is unreasonable."
Bob sneered again. "Fine, Mr. Smith. Since you say so, I have nothing more to say. But I hope you act quickly. Every day this drags on, our company loses millions. The longer it takes, the more Silvercrest Group will have to pay."
With that, Bob turned and left angrily.
Seb's expression turned icy as he called the head of the R&D department, Cedric Darden, to his office.
"Take two people to the Rainbow Group and investigate the cause of their machine failures. Find out if it's due to Silvercrest Group's chips."
"Mr. Smith, it can't be our chips. We've invested so much in their development, and they've been on the market for over three years without any issues. The Rainbow Group's machine failures must be due to something else."
Seb's face remained expressionless. "I want accurate results from the investigation, not your feelings. Go investigate and report back quickly."
"Understood."
After Cedric left, Seb was about to gather his materials for the meeting when Paul rushed in.
"Mr. Smith, bad news. The word about our chips causing the Rainbow Group's machines to fail has spread. Several partners who had pre-ordered chips are now canceling their orders. If these orders are canceled, we'll face losses in the billions."
Seb's expression turned cold. "Have the PR team handle it. I need to go to the meeting."
With that, he headed to the conference room.
The room was already full, but unlike the usual lively atmosphere, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone looked grim.
Seb took his seat at the head of the table, placed his documents down, and began, "You've all heard about the Rainbow Group's machines malfunctioning. They believe it's due to Silvercrest Group's chips. What are your thoughts?"
Everyone exchanged glances, and after a long silence, a shareholder finally spoke up. "Mr. Smith, I don't think the Rainbow Group's machine failures are related to our chips. I checked, and those machines were produced ten years ago. Their performance is already outdated."
"When the Rainbow Group's procurement manager came to buy our chips, I recommended the Nebula 2 series, which is most compatible with their machines. But he insisted on the latest Nebula 5 series. I think their machines failed because they couldn't handle the processing speed of the Nebula 5 series."
This brought some relief to the room, but not much. They still didn't know if the chips were at fault.
If the chips were the problem, they faced not only huge compensation but also potential damage to other partnerships.
The Nebula 5 series had a massive research investment and was still in the red. If there were issues, Silvercrest Group could lose billions.
Seb's expression remained cold. "I've already sent Cedric to investigate. We'll wait for the results."
"For now, we need to prepare for the worst. If the Nebula 5 series is at fault, we must be ready for compensation and possibly... bankruptcy."
"What?"
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Is it that serious?"
"Can't we just compensate them if the chips are faulty?"
"Mr. Smith, aren't you exaggerating?"
Silvercrest Group going bankrupt over a chip issue? Impossible.
Seeing their disbelief, Seb calmly explained, "The news about the Rainbow Group's machines has spread. They can emphasize that the failures happened after using our chips. Several partners are already looking to terminate their contracts."
"If the investigation shows our chips are at fault, we'll lose not just compensation but also our brand reputation."
Metropolis is full of companies eyeing Silvercrest Group. If we show any weakness, they'll pounce.
Regaining trust will be nearly impossible.
After Seb's analysis, everyone fell silent, their faces grim.
"Alright, no need to worry too much. Let's wait for the investigation results. For now, prepare for the worst."
He stood up. "Meeting adjourned."
With that, Seb left the conference room.
Back in his office, Paul knocked and entered.
"Mr. Smith, many of the online rumors about our chips are from Vertex Innovations Group's hired trolls. They're also about to release a new chip."
Seb's eyes turned cold. "Got it. Have the PR team handle it. Send the evidence of Vertex Innovations Group's trolls to Leo and warn him that if they continue to smear us, we'll involve the authorities."
"Understood, Mr. Smith."
After Paul left, Seb returned to his documents.
Meanwhile, at Leo's mansion.
Leo and Daniel sat across from each other, each holding a glass of red wine.
Daniel looked at his phone, smiling smugly at the flood of negative news about Silvercrest Group. "Mr. Wendy, you're impressive. Just a small move and Silvercrest Group is in chaos. Partnering with you was my best decision."
Leo remained expressionless. "Mr. Thomas, you don't plan to just sit back, do you?"
Since their alliance began, Leo had done all the work while Daniel just talked.
Daniel sipped his wine and raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Wendy, don't worry. It's not time for me to act yet. Trust me, I won't let you down."
"You better not. I hate being used."
"Relax, I won't."
As they spoke, a servant brought in a document.
"Mr. Wendy, this is from Silvercrest Group."
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