Chapter 506 I Will Always Stand by Your Side
The room fell into a heavy silence as everyone's faces turned grim.
After a moment, Seb broke the silence. "Alright, go back and get your work in order. I'll have the legal team file a lawsuit against Vertex Innovations Group for stealing our core secrets. But lawsuits take time, and Silvercrest Group might not be able to wait that long."
Vertex Innovations Group could drag this out, leading to a lose-lose situation for both companies, ultimately benefiting their competitors.
Seeing no one else speak up, Seb said sternly, "If there are no objections, this meeting is adjourned."
He stood up and left the room.
Back in his office, it wasn't long before Paul knocked and entered.
"Mr. Smith, Vertex Innovations Group just contacted me. Leo wants to meet with you."
Seb's expression darkened. After a long pause, he said, "Tell him to come to my office at 2 PM."
At 2 PM sharp, Leo arrived at Seb's office.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Smith."
Leo's face bore a smile, but his eyes held a hint of mockery and arrogance.
Seb looked at him impassively. "Mr. Wendy, what do you want?"
Leo sat down across from him, speaking in a calm tone. "Mr. Smith, I wanted to discuss Silvercrest Group's lawsuit against Vertex Innovations Group."
"There's nothing to discuss. Vertex Innovations Group stole Silvercrest Group's core data. Silvercrest Group suing Vertex Innovations Group is perfectly justified."
"All this will do is hurt both Silvercrest Group and Vertex Innovations Group. I wanted to see if we could find a middle ground."
Seb let out a cold laugh. After stealing all of Silvercrest Group's core secrets, now he wanted to talk about a solution?
"A lose-lose situation is better than Silvercrest Group going bankrupt without a fight. Mr. Wendy, I don't think we have anything to discuss. You can leave now."
If he had known Leo was coming to spout such shameless nonsense, he wouldn't have agreed to the meeting.
Seeing Seb's stern expression and lack of willingness to negotiate, Leo sighed. "Mr. Smith, are you sure you don't want to cooperate with Vertex Innovations Group?"
Seb turned to Paul and said coldly, "Paul, show him out."
A shadow crossed Leo's face, and his fist clenched on the table.
"Seb, you'll regret this!"
He had intended to give Seb a chance, but since Seb insisted on suing Vertex Innovations Group, there was no need to hold back.
Leaving Silvercrest Group, Leo had just gotten into his car when he received a call from Raymond's ex-wife, Marlowe Grey.
Leaning back in his seat, Leo answered indifferently, "Ms. Grey, what is it?"
"Mr. Wendy, you promised Raymond wouldn't get into trouble. Now he's been taken by the police. He knows everything. Don't you think you should get him out?"
Leo chuckled lightly. "Ms. Grey, you said it yourself. He knows everything. Do you think a living person can keep secrets better than a dead one?"
The other end of the line went silent, and only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard.
After a long pause, Marlowe's voice came through. "Mr. Wendy, Raymond is my husband and the father of my child."
"He's done enough for you. Do you think I don't want to get him out? Do you think Silvercrest Group will give us that chance? Sacrificing him or sacrificing your whole family, you decide. Call me when you've made up your mind."
He hung up the phone.
Silvercrest Group was just struggling in its death throes. Soon, it would declare bankruptcy, and Seb would become an ordinary person.
Then, dealing with Seb would be as easy as a snap of his fingers.
Soon, rumors of Silvercrest Group's impending bankruptcy spread internally.
At first, few believed it, but as the day went on, more people started to worry, especially Silvercrest Group employees and business partners.
Many partners called Seb to ask if the bankruptcy rumors were true.
But no matter how many calls they made, there was no answer. Their anxiety grew, and they began to believe the rumors.
Soon, partners started terminating their contracts with Silvercrest Group.
In less than three days, almost all partnerships were dissolved.
Meanwhile, the police reported that Raymond had committed suicide in custody.
His death didn't change much. Seb had already handed over evidence of Raymond and Vertex Innovations Group stealing Silvercrest Group's core data to the police. Now, they just had to wait for the court date.
On Friday, Seb had the finance department pay the employees' salaries and severance, and held the final shareholders' meeting to announce the company's bankruptcy on Monday.
The conference room was packed, but eerily silent.
No one had ever imagined Silvercrest Group would suddenly go bankrupt, their life's work vanishing in an instant.
After a long silence, a shareholder finally spoke. "Mr. Smith, is bankruptcy our only option?"
Seb looked at him, expressionless. "Yes. Go to finance and divide the remaining funds according to your shares. Prepare for bankruptcy."
The shareholders' faces were pale, but they knew it was hopeless.
All the company's core secrets had been leaked. Vertex Innovations Group knew their every move. Even if they didn't declare bankruptcy, they'd be targeted until they did.
"It's all because of Raymond. I heard he committed suicide out of guilt. He ruined us! Even dying a hundred times wouldn't be enough!"
"Exactly. I used to think he was a decent guy. Now I see his kindness was just an act to steal our data!"
"It's too late now. He's dead. We can't exactly dig him up and punish him."
If they could, many in the room would probably do it to vent their anger.
Seb stood up. "There's nothing more to discuss. Prepare for bankruptcy. Meeting adjourned."
The shareholders knew it was over. They had mostly come to terms with it over the past few days. They got up and left.
Back in his office, Seb stood by the window, staring into the distance, his face unreadable.
After a while, there was a knock on the door, and Sharon walked in.
She went to Seb's side and gently took his hand.
"Don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll be by your side."
Her gentle voice calmed Seb's restless heart.
He turned to her, speaking softly. "I'm lucky to have you and Demetrius. As long as the three of us are together, nothing else matters."
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