Chapter 48 I Am in Charge
As Noah was driving, Lisa said, "It seems like I'm getting promoted again, honey. The company entrusted me with a major project today."
"What project is it?" Noah asked curiously.
"The investment and renovation of the Oceanbridge City slums!" Lisa said, "It's a multi-billion dollar project. I never expected the company to give me such an important project. When I received the notification, I was dumbfounded."
Lisa recalled the scene at that time. "I thought to myself, I'm just an accountant, I don't know anything. Why did the company give e such an important project? Evelyn was also puzzled. Why did the Noah Capital Board make this decision?"
"The company wants you to do it, so they obviously value you. Just do it with confidence," Noah smiled.
"Well, but this is a big project. It involves a lot of stakeholders, various developers, material suppliers, and government agencies. When it comes to land requisition and compensation, there might even be bloodshed. I'm really afraid I won't be able to handle it." Lisa was hesitant.
"Don't worry, the upper management at Noah Capital is not foolish. They will definitely handle a big project like this carefully. If you have any problems, just report it to upper management," Noah smiled slightly.
"Okay!" Lisa felt encouraged by Noah and immediately became motivated, her big eyes shining.
"If I do well in this project, in less than two or three years, or maybe even this year, I’ll be able earn the down payment for a house. We can move to a new place then!" Lisa said excitedly.
"Yeah, go for it!" Noah smiled.
Before long, they arrived in Daniel's yard. As usual, Larry's family had already arrived, and their BMW 320 was parked outside the house.
"Oh, you’re always late!" When Sarah saw Noah, she started to find fault with him. "You're late even though you've bought a car. I don't think you really care about my dad."
Noah was not in the mood to argue, so he sat down with Lisa. Soon the food was on the table, and the family started eating.
"I heard from Dad that you were disrespectful to him the other day, Noah," Sarah said coldly.
"Dad told me about the situation. Although Dad was at fault for hitting someone with the car on Pioneer Parkway, you shouldn't have laid a hand on him," Sarah explained.
"I didn't lay a hand on him, Sarah" Noah clarified. "Dad was trying to leave when things were escalating.
"It was just a minor incident. He just ran a red light and hitting someone. It could have been resolved with money, but if Dad left, it would turn into a hit-and-run, which is a criminal offense!" Noah retorted.
"Hmph, I don't care!" Sarah sneered. "All I know is that you laid a hand on Dad. Why didn't you try to persuade him instead of resorting to violence? Do you even understand the concept of respecting your elders?"
Noah was helpless. If he could have convinced Daniel to stay, he wouldn't have stopped him. Besides, Noah had only held onto Daniel. No real harm had been done, and Noah had good intentions.
"Noah, I'm not criticizing you," Larry said as he took a bite of food. "Daniel made a mistake, but it would have been better if you tried to persuade him instead of using force. Using violence is really not justifiable."
Daniel sat at the head of the table, expressionless, silently observing the scene, showing no intention of speaking.
"Alright. I’m sorry, Daniel," Noah apologized. As a son-in-law, he didn't need to be stubborn. Being stubborn was disrespectful and lacked filial piety. It was better to admit his mistake and give Daniel a way out.
"I promise that this will never happen again," Noah added.
"That’s good to know." Daniel looked at Noah coldly. "Don’t do this again."
"Okay, Daniel," Noah nodded. Daniel changed the topic. "I just read the news about the government planning the redevelopment of the slums in Oceanbridge City. That's a big opportunity! Larry, you're in the construction business, do you have any connections to the slum redevelopment?"
"Not at the moment." Larry shook his head helplessly. "You only saw the news, but you don't know that the government has already entrusted the slum redevelopment project to Noah Capital. I estimate that the announcement will be made in a few days."
"What is Noah Capital?" Daniel asked, puzzled.
"It's a global investment company, and it's huge. They rarely get involved in government projects, so I don't know why they suddenly shifted their focus recently," Larry wondered.
"The news of Noah Capital winning the bid has already spread in our industry."
He continued, "These past few days, many developers and material suppliers have been in talks with Noah Capital, wanting a share of the pie. But Noah Capital's attitude is unclear. They say that these matters are all decided by the CEO."
"My boss has also been going to Noah Capital these past few days, but the results have been fruitless," Larry sighed softly.
"It's hard to say if we'll be able to get a piece of this pie," he said.
For this multi-billion-dollar project, Noah Capital was a giant and a barrier. You could only benefit from it with Noah Capital's approval.
"Well, your should do your best," Daniel sighed as well. "I thought this slum transformation would be an opportunity for you. It could be a chance for you to rise to the top and truly become successful!"
"It would be a great opportunity, but at the moment, I can't get involved at all," Larry said helplessly.
"Don't be disheartened, honey!" Sarah comforted, "Even if you don't get this opportunity, you're still better than Noah, who’s just drifting through life!"
"Stop comparing everything to Noah, Sarah!" Daniel's brows furrowed. "Look ahead. Are you comparing yourself to him for your own comfort? Will you have a bright future? You should compare yourself to ambitious individuals instead!"
"Sorry, Dad, you're right," Sarah quickly responded.
"Um, Dad, I am the person in charge of the slum transformation." Lisa hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
As soon as she said that, the room fell silent.
After a while, Daniel spoke up again.
"Just eat your meal, Lisa. If you have nothing relevant to say, then keep quiet!"
"It's true, dad. I really am the overall person in charge of the slum transformation," Lisa said.
"Just you?" Sarah sneered at Lisa. "Lisa, can you stop bragging? Pinnacle Wealth Management is almost bankrupt. How could you be the person in charge?"
"I didn't say anything about you. It's a bit presumptuous for you to say that," Larry also chimed in.
"The person in charge of slum transformation should have at least ten years of experience in construction work, dealing with materials, labor, potential bloodshed from relocation compensations and such. Only someone with experience can take on this role," Larry pointed out.
"You're just an accountant. How could you possibly become the person in charge? Not to mention, Pinnacle Wealth Management is like a tiny ant to Noah Capital. They have nothing to do with them at all. How could you possibly become the person in charge?"
"Larry makes a valid point." Daniel nodded and glared at Lisa. "Lisa, I never thought you would learn to brag. Did Noah teach you that?"
