Chapter 455 Caleb Appears
Edward was preparing for a showdown, but things were far from peaceful on Mugden's side.
Today was the day of the important cooperation meeting between the Wellington Group and Mythorica's Journey Group. Patrick and the group's executive had arrived early at the conference room to prepare. In such an important setting, Edward was the only one absent.
The Wellington Group's reputation had plummeted sharply because of Tiffany, even reaching foreign media.
The stock price had also been falling for three consecutive days.
As a top-tier conglomerate, the Wellington Group's domestic projects might not be affected, but the same couldn't be said for its international ventures.
At this critical juncture, Hameen's Taylor family, Mugden's Alexander family, and even the Clark family were likely to take advantage and carve up the Wellington Group's market share abroad!
Right now, it was time for Edward, as the CEO, to hold down the fort and stabilize the situation.
But he was nowhere to be seen, which was simply unbelievable!
At this moment, Patrick sat at the head of the conference room table, his face dark, exuding an intimidating chill.
The shareholders below were murmuring among themselves.
"At this point, Mr. Edward Wellington isn't coming, is he?"
"Can't be. Mr. Edward Wellington has never missed a meeting in all these years."
"That was the old Mr. Edward Wellington. It's hard to say now."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Now, Mr. Edward Wellington is all about dating Ms. Taylor. How could he have the mind to work?"
A burst of snickering followed.
"But seriously, the group is already in a mess, and our reputation is bad. If Edward doesn't show up for such an important project, won't Journey Group think we're neglecting them? How can we negotiate the cooperation then?"
The gossip reached Patrick's ears. His hand on the table slowly clenched into a fist, and his brows furrowed even tighter.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
Patrick looked down with a grim face and was momentarily stunned.
The caller was his eldest son, Caleb.
Seeing that there were less than five minutes left before the remote video conference, Patrick didn't have time to talk and turned his phone face down.
The meeting officially began.
No one had high hopes for this negotiation.
After all, even the group's CEO, Edward, hadn't shown up in person. Who would want to cooperate with such an insincere group?
At this moment, the screen lit up, and the video connection was established.
Since Edward became CEO, he had handled all the meetings and projects, with Patrick only attending for appearances. As chairman, Patrick had gradually stepped back, leaving the stage to the younger generation.
So now, he couldn't help but feel nervous, leaning slightly forward, ready for anything.
A second later, the screen displayed an image.
On the screen were Journey Group's chairman, Gavin Wilson, and his eldest son, Sawyer Wilson, who was the CEO. Sitting beside them was a man unfamiliar to the shareholders present.
"Who is he?"
"No idea, but don't you think he looks a bit like the chairman?"
"Now that you mention it, he does."
Patrick's shoulders shook, and he stared in shock!
It was Caleb!
How could he be with Gavin?
They seemed unaware that the video had connected, as Caleb was still chatting and laughing with Gavin and Sawyer, looking quite familiar with them.
"Caleb, you..."
Patrick was still bewildered, and all the speeches he had prepared were now in disarray.
At this moment, Caleb was the first to react. He looked at the screen and waved gracefully at Patrick, "Dad, long time no see."
Everyone was puzzled.
Could it be that this elegant and noble man was Patrick's eldest son, Caleb, who hadn't been seen in the country for over a decade?
At this moment, Gavin also smiled at Patrick, "Mr. Wellington, I think we can have an in-depth discussion about the cooperation."
The meeting had just ended when Tyler brought the news to Byron.
"Mr. Wellington, we've reached a strategic cooperation with Journey Group."
"So smoothly?"
Byron was quite surprised, but he was pleased with the big deal. "Then have him fly to Mythorica today to meet Gavin and sign the contract, to avoid any delays!"
"It's already signed, on the spot."
"So quickly?" Byron was astonished, "We have no private connections with Journey Group, and as far as I know, several domestic companies are vying to cooperate with them, offering very attractive terms. Why would they so readily cooperate with us?"
Tyler's eyes flickered, and he lowered his voice, "The contract was signed on the spot in Mythorica by Mr. Caleb Wellington and Mr. Wilson. And this cooperation wasn't negotiated by Mr. Patrick Wellington but by Mr. Caleb Wellington."
Byron's pupils contracted, and his face fell.
"At today's meeting, Mr. Caleb Wellington suddenly appeared, sitting with Mr. Gavin Wilson and Mr. Sawyer Wilson, catching everyone off guard."
"Not to mention Mr. Patrick Wellington, even you wouldn't have expected that Mr. Caleb Wellington, who has been recuperating in Mythorica and staying away from worldly affairs, would be so close to the Wilson family."
Tyler's words were loaded with meaning, and Byron fully understood what he was implying.
"Tyler, do you think Caleb might suddenly return to Mugden?"
Tyler pressed his lips together, unsure of what to say.
"Where's Edward? Why hasn't he been seen these days? Not attending group meetings either?"
Byron's tone was irritable, his thick brows furrowed. "His company is about to be taken over, and he has no sense of urgency? Does he think being CEO means he can rest easy? How can he be so naive!"
"Mr. Wellington is not in the country right now; he's gone abroad."
"What? Where did he go?"
Tyler was helpless, "I don't know where he went, and I haven't found out. But I contacted May privately, and she said Mr. Wellington is probably handling something for Ms. Taylor."
"And it's something very important, something he had to do."
Byron was momentarily stunned, then sighed lightly, his anger dissipating a bit.
In Edward's eyes, anything related to Evelyn, no matter how small, was a big deal.
How could he not understand? Back in the day, Byron had pampered Lisa the same way, willing to give up his position as heir just to be with her.
But the process was tough.
"Tyler, Edward's future path won't be easy either."
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