Chapter 358 Long Time, No See
(Revised)
The nextfollowing day.
, Martin and, Carter, along with Alan, and Nathan, set off on time to the agreed location departed punctually for their meeting.
InDuring the cardrive, Alan updated everyonebriefed the team on the key figures involved.
"The lead on the situation.
"The man spearheading the Koch Group's internet company projectventure here in the StatesCountry M is Jeremy Koch, the thirdyoungest grandson of The Koch Group's the current CEO.
The, Shane Koch Group's CEO, Kenneth Koch, . Shane, who is over seventy with, has two sons and a daughter.
Thirty years ago, Justin Koch, the his eldest son, Justin, and his Justin's wife diedperished in a tragic car accidentcrash, leaving behind a boy and a girl.two young children. Kenneth Shane took it upon himself to raise his grandchildrenthem as his own all these years.
"Riley Koch, Justin's son, Jeremy's and Shane's eldest grandson, Jayden Koch, currently holds the position of serves as the Executive Vice President at Theof the Koch Group. Though just the EVPDespite his title, he effectively runs the company as if he were the Presidentoversees the company's operations.
Jeremy's second"Shane's younger son, Jason Koch, is the quintessential , known for his playboy, notorious for his indolence lifestyle and lack of education.
His academic achievements, contrasts sharply with his wife, Brooke, on the other hand, is quite competent. After years of hard work, she's climbed her way up to who is the Director of Logistics.
, having worked her way up through dedication and skill. They have two sons.
"The eoldestr, Sebastian Koch, proved his mettle by making , made a name for himself in the legal world at just field by twenty-five, due to a high-profile case, and becamegained international fame as an internationally renowned attorney by twenty-seven.
The younger son, Jeremy — the man in charge Jeremy, who is leading our current project, mirrors his father's carefree and uneducated demeanor. His handling of this project — is a chip off the old block: careless and uneducated just like his fathercould make or break his chances for the Koch Group's leadership, though Sebastian has no interest in the business, making Riley the likely successor.
From planning to launching, he's managed this project single-handedly.
"If he messes this up, he'll be completely out of the running for Tthe Koch Group's presidency, and Sebastian isn't interested in the business world. The presidency of Tthe Koch Group is rightfully Jayden'sRiley's to claim."
Nathan sighed,. "Truly, a deep and storied family dynasty."
Alan chuckledadded, "And that's just Jeremy's immediate descendants. Don't get me started on thethe tip of the iceberg. Shane's extended family! If you count all the relatives and connections, it could fill up could populate a small town."
Nathan was flabbergasted, "…?!"taken aback by the vastness of the family tree.
Seeing his astonishment, Alan laughed and said, "And here's the real kicker! Jeremy. Shane has a daughter who vanished without a trace over twenty years ago."
Everyone stared at him eagerly, waiting for more.
"Jeremy. Shane has been searching for her all these years, with no leads. But about six months ago, while the daughter remained missing, he found his granddaughter."
"His granddaughter?" someone echoedrepeated.
Alan nodded, "Jeremy adores her to bits"Yes, and she's the apple of Shane's eye—anything she wants, she gets. Jayden, Sebastian, Jeremy - they're all Her cousins are incredibly fond of their cousinher as well."
Nathan voiced his skepticism,. "Are we certain she's really his granddaughter? Could someone be posing as her?"
Alan gave him a pointed lookresponded, "In such a prominent family like this, faking lineage is hardly an option., verifying heritage isn't taken lightly. Our boss uses DNA tests to verify blood relations; Tthe Koch family wouldn't be any less thorough.—"
Before he could finish, aA piercing glare cut across the room.
Alan immediately clammed up, zipping his lips into silence.
Nathan shot him a glance that screamed "serves you right" before saying, with a knowing look, suggested, "So, by your logic, are we saying that winning over gaining the favor of this granddaughter, Jeremy, is basically like nailing the could be key to securing our project?"
A chilling hush settled over the The compartment in an instantwas suddenly enveloped in silence.
Martin scoffed at the thought,. "I never underestimate women, andnor am I also have no interestinterested in projects that require buttering up a lady to win. Blendingrely on ingratiating ourselves with a woman to succeed. Mixing business with pleasure isn't sustainablea viable strategy—such victories are fleeting, justmerely a flash in the pan."
The group nodded in profound agreement, decidingchoosing to dropmove on from the subjecttopic and proceeded to go overfocus on the key points for the upcoming collaborationmeeting.
They were slated to meet Their appointment was set at the Roma Hotel, upspecifically in the VIP suite on the second floor.
The driver dropped Upon arrival, Martin and his party team were dropped off at the entrance, and then drove offthe driver headed to park in the underground car parkparking.
The four men gatheredregrouped at the elevator.
After about a minutebrief wait, the bell dingedchimed, and the elevator doors slid openopened to reveal a solitary woman inside.
Inside stood a lone woman.
Draped inShe wore a light blue knit top paired withand a white skirt, the form-fitting outfit showcased that accentuated her shapely figure. Her flowinghair, curly hairand voluminous, was swept upgathered into a bun, casually resting at the back of her head, with a few rebellious strands slipping loose and cascading behind her slender neck, evoking the wild beauty of a blooming poppy—unrestrained and enchanting.
Martin's gaze collided unexpectedly with hers, his body tensing subtly as his brow furrowed slightly, washed over by a sense of familiarity.
The woman offered a polite smile and stepped outescaping gracefully, brushing past Martin. Whether by accident or design, her shoulder gently grazed his arm along her neck, reminiscent of a wild poppy—vibrant and captivating.
A delicate and refined fragrance wafted to his nostrils.
Martin's eyes met hers unexpectedly, his posture tensing and his brow furrowing from a fleeting sense of recognition.
The frown deepenedwoman smiled politely as she exited, her shoulder lightly brushing against Martin's arm, leaving behind a subtle, sophisticated scent.
Martinhe pulled out a , visibly disconcerted, hastily wiped the area with a handkerchief with distaste and wiped where she had touched.
Nathan couldn't help but marvel, "Man, thatexclaimed, "That woman is stunningwas breathtaking. I've seen my fair share of many beauties, but she's something else."
Alan and Carter watched as her figure vanished from sight, their brows knitting together in unisondisappear, both puzzled.
Alan murmured, morewhispered, half to himself, "Is it just me, or doesDid she seem familiar? Do I know her to anyone else?"
Carter looked at him, surprised, "You feltnoticed that too?"
Alan nodded vigorously.
Carter turned to Martin, "said, taken aback. "What about you, Boss,? dDid you get that feelingfeel a sense of familiarity as well?"
Martin, who preferred not to discusstypically reserved about discussing other women, didn't respond to his question, and said with a blank expressionremained silent on the matter and stated indifferently, "Let's go insideproceed. It's almost time."
Together, they stepped intoThey entered the elevator.
together. The faint scentsubtle fragrance of athe woman's perfume lingeredstill hung in the elevator.
It wasair, pleasant and refreshing.
Butyet unappreciated by Martin didn't care for it, covering, who covered his nose with his hand.
Thankfully, their meetingdestination was quickly reached on the second floor, so the elevator ride was mercifully short.. Stepping out, Martin took a deep breathinhaled deeply, as if he'd been reborn, greedily inhaling the fresh aircleansing himself of the encounter.
For thise negotiation, Martin broughtMartin's team consisted of four people.
Three attended from Themembers, while three represented the Koch Group.
Leading them was Jeremy, accompanying him were led the Koch delegation, flanked by two senior figures from The Koch Group,members, both trusted aides of his mother Brooke's trusted subordinates sentBrooke, there to offer their support him.
After exchanging introductions, they got down to business.
delved into the discussion. The Koch Group seemed less than enthusiastic aboutGroup's stance on the partnership was cautious, proposing some rather onerousstringent terms as a challenge to test Martin.
"We, the JiOur family, must holdown sixty percent of the shares, maintaining absoluteensuring our complete control ofover the company. We will overseeWe'll direct technological developmentinnovation, market research, and product launches," Jeremy stated, setting forthdeclared, outlining their conditionsdemands.
At that, expressions changed all around Martin's team.
team's reaction, the atmosphere shifted palpably. Martin himself, , typically a bastion of calm, felt a surge of irritation darken his features, a menacing edge shadowing his usually composed, could feel anger seething in his dark, deep-set eyes, a hint of menace appearing at his brows expression.
They could have worked with tough terms, believing there was room to negotiate.
But this? This condition smothered the very notion of partnership in its cradle.
Only fools would agree to such terms.
The proposition might have been negotiable under less rigid terms, offering a glimmer of hope for fruitful discussion. However, the conditions laid out threatened to strangle the concept of collaboration before it could even take root. Only the naive would entertain such demands.
With a derisive chuckle, Martin retorted with a scornful laughresponded, "Jeremy, it seemsappears you're not here in good faithwith genuine intentions to negotiate. That conditionSuch a stipulation is simply unacceptableoutright unreasonable. If there's room for compromiseflexibility on your end, we can continue. If not, there's proceed. Otherwise, we have nothing morefurther to discuss."
If notit weren't for Patricia...
Patricia's sake... He wouldn't be sitting here at all.
He had no interest ineven be entertaining this discussion. The prospect of a deal with the Ji familyKoch Group held no allure for him.
Jeremy arrogantly replied, unfazed and smug, countered, "These are our termsstipulations. If you're okay with them, let's signthey're agreeable to you, we can finalize the contractagreement. If not, we'll find someone else. Plentylook elsewhere. There's no shortage of fish in partners keen on collaborating with the sea eager to work with the Ji familyKoch Group."
BeforePreviously, when they approached him withhad proposed a propositionpartnership, he had rejecteddismissed it without hesitation.
outright. Now they want to partnersought collaboration?
It's not that easy.
Not so simple. He was determined to put themresolute in their place, to make it clear that it wasn'tsetting the Ji family who needed this partnership, but ratherrecord straight, ensuring they understood it was the Langley Group who should be seeking them outthat needed the Koch family, not the other way around.
A pallor overtook Martin's face turned ashen, and he rose abruptly.
"If you're not here to seriouslyas he stood up decisively. "If genuine partnership isn't your aim, then by all means, pursue a partnership, then go ahead and chase after those countless fish'plenty of fish' you mentioned!"," he declared.
Without looking backstated firmly. With that, he strode towardmade for the door without a backward glance.
Jeremy lounged back, his leg casually thrown over the other, a look of detached arrogance in his eyes as if he didn't have a care in the world.
Jeremy reclined, exuding a nonchalant arrogance, seemingly indifferent to the proceedings.
Carter, Alan, and Don Ho roseNathan, taking their cue from their seats, ready to leave as well.
Just as Martin approached, prepared to depart. As Martin neared the exit, the doorway,door to the private room's door suddenly room swung open abruptly from the outside.
The woman fromthey had encountered in the elevator earlier stood there in the doorway, shock written all over, surprise etched across her face, her eyes wide with astonishment as she stared at Martin in disbelief.locked gazes with Martin. "Hold on, aren't you the same person from the elevator earlier?"
"Wait, weren't you the guy from outside the elevator earlier?"
Chapter359
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