Chapter 501 They Must Find the Leaker
"Mr. Harris, he has been sent away."
"Thanks." Paul put away his phone, his face unreadable.
Leo had been secretly targeting Silvercrest Group for a while. After getting burned by Alexander, he suddenly wanted to team up with Silvercrest Group, which looked suspicious. It was as if he had "I'm going to scheme against Silvercrest Group" tattooed on his face.
Back in the car, Leo's face was dark.
"Mr. Wendy, I don't think Mr. Smith is gonna work with Vertex Innovations Group... Maybe we should find Mr. Thomas?"
Zack had already figured Seb wouldn't meet with Leo, and now it was confirmed.
Even though Alexander had tricked them, Vertex Innovations Group's losses were still manageable. No need to rush into a deal with Seb.
Leo shot him a cold look. "What do you know?"
Zack flinched at his icy stare and looked down, not daring to say more.
"If Seb won't meet with me, then go talk to the other shareholders of Silvercrest Group. I don't believe they're all loyal to him."
Zack nodded. "Got it."
"Let's head back to the office."
Meanwhile, in Seb's office on the top floor of Silvercrest Group...
Sharon had just set the table and called Seb over for dinner.
"I'll be there after I finish this email. You and Demetrius go ahead and eat."
Hearing this, Sharon didn't push further. She let Demetrius take out his picture book from his backpack and start reading, while she quietly browsed a shopping app.
About ten minutes later, Seb finally got up and sat down next to Sharon.
"I told you to start without me. Why'd you wait?"
Sharon served him a bowl of soup and said, "Demetrius and I already ate at home. The food I brought is just for you."
Seb took a sip of the soup, and the delicious flavor spread across his palate.
He raised an eyebrow. "Did you make this soup today?"
The soup was noticeably different from what he usually had.
Sharon nodded. "Yeah, I cooked the dishes too. Try them and see if you like them. If you do, I can make them for you every day."
Seb shook his head. "No need. That'd be too tiring for you. I can have Paul order food for me."
"Alright."
After finishing the soup, Seb looked at Sharon. "Did Leo bother you downstairs earlier?"
"He just stopped me to say some nonsense. Don't worry, I can handle it."
"Okay. If he bothers you again, call me."
"Got it. Now, eat your dinner."
After dinner, Seb played with Demetrius for a while before Sharon took him home.
Leo had just returned to the office when Daniel arrived.
"Mr. Wendy, I've been running around spreading rumors about Silvercrest Group's Nebula 5 having issues, exhausting myself. And you? You went to Aidamore and got played!"
Daniel looked at him coldly, his eyes full of mockery.
He had thought Leo was capable of taking on Silvercrest Group, but after the trip to Aidamore, Leo had gained nothing. It was a complete loss.
Leo remained calm. "Mr. Thomas, hold your horses. I still have an ace up my sleeve. Silvercrest Group won't be arrogant for long."
Daniel narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Leo's words.
After a moment of silence, Daniel asked, "Mr. Wendy, what ace?"
"It's not convenient to disclose the specifics to you, Mr. Thomas. I'm sure you understand."
Their relationship was one of mutual exploitation, so naturally, they wouldn't reveal their trump cards to each other easily.
Seeing Leo's calm demeanor, Daniel smiled slightly. "Alright, I won't press further. I came here today mainly to discuss our next steps against Silvercrest Group."
"Just follow my instructions, Mr. Thomas. I'll handle the rest."
"Mr. Wendy, don't you trust me?"
"It's not about trust. I just don't want to cause unnecessary trouble. If there's nothing else, please leave."
With that, Leo picked up the documents on his desk, clearly intending to end the conversation.
Daniel sneered. "I'll be waiting for your good news, Mr. Wendy!"
He turned and left.
In the following days, Sharon avoided having lunch with Seb to not disturb him.
On Friday afternoon, Silvercrest Group's tech team finally discovered that the widespread damage to the Rainbow Group's machines occurred because they couldn't keep up with the processing speed of the Nebula 5 chips.
However, the Rainbow Group refused to acknowledge that Silvercrest Group had informed them about the incompatibility and recommended the Nebula 2 chips instead. The two sides were at an impasse.
During the meeting, several shareholders were furious, slamming the table.
"The Rainbow Group is shameless. When I talked business with their procurement manager, it was in private. There's no recording or surveillance to prove I mentioned the incompatibility."
Another shareholder sneered. "It's clear the Rainbow Group wants Silvercrest Group to take the fall and cover their losses. They'll insist it's our chip's fault."
"People are jumping on the bandwagon, spreading rumors about Nebula 5 having issues. The company's stock price has dropped significantly. If we don't fix this soon, the impact will get worse."
Everyone was talking at once, but Seb, sitting at the head of the table, remained silent with a stern expression.
After they finished, Seb spoke. "The Rainbow Group is preparing to sue. Have the legal department ready for a counter-suit. Also, the PR department must control the online narrative. This lawsuit with the Rainbow Group will be a long process. Accelerate the development of Nebula6 and aim for an early release."
He paused before continuing. "Additionally, send someone to approach the Rainbow Group's management. They should be somewhat aware that the issue lies with their machines. See if we can get any useful information for Silvercrest Group."
The room fell silent. Seb looked around and asked, "Any other questions?"
"Mr. Smith, I have a question."
Seb looked at the speaking shareholder, his expression cold. "Go ahead."
"You previously signed a contract with the Forbes Group to co-invest in electric vehicles. This is a significant expense for Silvercrest Group, and with the chip issue unresolved, I think this project could worsen our situation."
Seb replied, "The Forbes Group is a top company in Aidamore. Partnering with them can stabilize our business relationships. Since the news of our collaboration, several former partners have shown interest in renewing contracts. In just the past two days, we've had over ten inquiries.
"Moreover, electric vehicles are the future. Entering the market now gives us an advantage."
The shareholder was about to speak when the conference room door opened, and Paul hurried in.
He whispered something to Seb, whose expression changed. Seb immediately stood up. "The meeting is adjourned."
He left quickly, leaving the shareholders puzzled.
They soon learned why Seb had left in such a hurry.
Vertex Innovations Group had just announced their latest chip, named Galaxy. The performance Leo described at the press conference was almost identical to Silvercrest Group's Nebula 6, which was still in the final testing phase.
After watching Leo's press conference, Seb's face darkened.
"Mr. Smith, Vertex Innovations Group's Galaxy is clearly targeting our Nebula6. I suspect someone leaked our data. Otherwise, Galaxy couldn't match Nebula 6's performance so closely."
"Bring the head of R&D, Jerry Nelson, to me."
On his way, Jerry already knew why Seb wanted to see him.
As soon as he entered the office, he said, "Mr. Smith, I'm already investigating the R&D team. I'll know within three hours if anyone leaked Nebula 6's data."
"No need to investigate. Someone definitely leaked it. Your job is to find out who."
Jerry nodded. "Alright, I'll find the culprit as soon as possible."
"Go. I want results within twenty-four hours."
The office fell silent again. Seb took a deep breath and tried to focus on his documents, but he couldn't.
Hundreds of billions had been invested in Nebula 6. If they couldn't find the leaker, it would be a total loss.
Thinking of this, Seb put down the documents and called Paul into the office.
"Have Falcon drop everything and investigate all Silvercrest Group employees involved with Nebula 6, including their families and friends. I want to know if anyone has received large sums of money or acquired property recently. You have three days."
Paul nodded. "Understood. I'll get on it right away."
Meanwhile, Vertex Innovations Group's Galaxy announcement had caused their stock price to soar. The press conference was a huge success.
During the Q&A session, a reporter asked, "Mr. Wendy, if I remember correctly, Vertex Innovations Group only started developing chips three years ago. How did you manage to create such an advanced chip in such a short time?"
Leo smiled at the reporter. "First, we have an excellent R&D team. Our team members are graduates from top international universities. Their dedication and innovative spirit have been crucial. They've worked tirelessly, day and night, for three years to achieve this success.
"So, the launch of this chip is thanks to every member of Vertex Innovations Group's R&D team. I'd like to take this opportunity to say, your hard work has paid off. Vertex Innovations Group is fortunate to have you."