Chapter 11 The Endless Debate

• Watching as each member of the Weiss family stood there like timid turtles and dared not utter a word, Wallace became infuriated.
• These people used to strut around like proud peacocks before him every day, always trying to show off how exceptional and outstanding they were.
• But as soon as he encountered a problem, within just a few months, their performances fell apart.
• Since the damage had already been done, it was time for damage control. However, they all remained silent like useless lumps of mud.
• “Ah, forget about it. Sky, why don't you explain why you thought about reclaiming the shares earlier?”
• Everyone's eyes were simultaneously drawn to Skylar, their hearts filled with a mix of admiration, jealousy, and resentment. The complexity of their emotions was more than words could express.
• “I'm sure everyone here is well aware of what kind of people the Burton family are. Currently, they hold thirty percent of the Weiss family's shares. This is an extremely precarious situation. They hold thirty percent of the shares, which makes it impossible for the board of directors to make any decisions without their involvement. They can take advantage of these conveniences to meddle in our decisions and even casually reveal business secrets that can cause enormous damage to the Weiss family!”
• “Surely not, after all, the Burton family are also shareholders. If our business suffers, the Burton family will have to bear the losses too.”
• The one speaking was Finnegan, who among all the children in the Weiss family, held the greatest ambitions.
• He was keen on taking over Wallace's position, so he was always on his toes, seeking ways to please and curry favor with Wallace to prove how exceptional he was.
• Regrettably, all his efforts were torn to shreds by Skylar's sudden intervention. He was now seething with anger toward Skylar.
• Wallace was extremely displeased with the actions of Finnegan.
• “Come on, you're not a kid anymore, yet you're still so shortsighted! Sky, give him a good lesson. Let him know why!”
• “Grandpa Wallace, this doesn't seem right. After all, Mr. Finnegan is my elder...”
• Skylar's response was rather unexpected by everyone. They perceived Skylar, a young man of his age, to be young and energetic.
• When Wallace gave him such an opportunity to express himself, they thought he would certainly seize it without hesitation and voice his thoughts, leaving Finnegan in an awkward position.
• Who would have known that Skylar was so humble? This slightly altered the crowd's hostile attitudes toward him, but only by a very small margin.
• “No worries, feel free to speak your mind. That's how our Weiss family meetings are conducted. I am quite democratic! Being older doesn't necessarily equate to being wiser, and being young doesn't automatically mean immaturity!”
• Seeing that he had Wallace's support, Skylar confidently nodded.
• “The Burton family has already taken so many of our shares, do you all really think that a mere thirty percent of shares will be enough to satisfy their greed? I believe the Burton family will certainly scheme against us in secret and continuously suppress our stock prices. They will find ways to covertly acquire shares of the Weiss family through other means. In the end, they will absorb the Weiss family's assets! If I were Gordon, I would definitely do it this way!”
• Upon hearing that, Finnegan and the others realized that what Skylar had said was a highly probable event.
• After all, it was no secret that the Burton family wanted to absorb all of the Weiss family's assets.
• “The pressing matter at hand is to promptly sever the equity ties with the Burton family! This is akin to a person diagnosed with cancer who decides to have the tumor removed while it is still small. Although this will drain some of their vitality, it can potentially save their life. After all the dilly-dallying, by the time the tumor grows to a certain extent, it will be too late to reverse the damage!”
• At that moment, Skylar's expression was grave and his tone was heavy. The Weiss family members were all lost in thought.
• “But the issue is our capital chain is stretched incredibly thin right now. We simply don't have enough funds to buy back these shares.”
• The speaker was Jolynn, Bianca's first aunt. She was the chief financial officer of the Weiss family.
• She held considerable influence within the Weiss family and was known to handle matters fairly. Besides, she never took sides and always followed Wallace's lead.
• Everyone's gaze once again focused on Skylar, yet he responded with a calm demeanor, “I think Gordon's proposal to exchange the equity of Platinum Real Estate and Platinum Home Appliances for thirty percent of the Weiss family's shares is worth considering!”
• “B*stard, do you even realize what you're babbling about? I've had it with you for a while now. Are you in cahoots with Gordon?”
• The man who was currently slamming the table in a fit of rage was none other than Aaron, the third son of Wallace.
• This man was barely over forty, with little to no skills but a notoriously volatile temper. No one in the Weiss family believed he could take over the family's business in the future.
• He was simply Wallace's son, who had three percent of the shares in the Weiss Group. That was why Finnegan was continuously trying to win him over. The two of them were in cahoots and very close.
• Josephine, the youngest daughter of the Weiss family, who had remained silent all along, finally spoke.
• “Aaron is right. This is simply absurd. If you aren't aware of our family's situation, then you shouldn't make assumptions. The Weiss family has invested billions into Platinum Real Estate, with more than a dozen buildings under construction. In the coming years, these properties are expected to generate substantial revenue for us. You're actually considering giving all this stuff to the Burton family? That's just plain crazy!”
• At that moment, Finnegan also stepped forward and pretended to be the good guy.
• “Sky is not familiar with our situation, so it's understandable if he says something wrong...” His implication was crystal clear: If you don't know about the Weiss family's situation, then don't spout nonsense!
• Facing the crowd's interrogation, Skylar showed no signs of panic. He calmly picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip, then turned his gaze toward Bianca and gave her a nod.
• Bianca picked up a flash drive and operated it on the laptop in front of her. Shortly after, a series of charts appeared on the large screen in the meeting room.
• This was from earlier today when Skylar came to see her. They had spent several hours together to create it.
• This was a chart that displayed the operational status of about a dozen real estate properties being developed by Platinum Real Estate. It included information such as the time they were put on the market and the necessary funding among other data.
• “Ladies and gentlemen, take a look at Platinum Real Estate. Currently, we have over a dozen properties under construction. Every year, the Weiss family needs to invest billions into it. However, the soonest any of these properties will be completed and ready for sale is at least a year from now. Even if all the units in these buildings are sold out, they will only bring in a revenue of a few billion. With the country currently cooling down the real estate market and reducing leverage, banks won't simply lend us such a large amount of money. Therefore, we must pull funds from various sources, even resorting to borrowing to fill this financial gap! Do you think the Weiss family currently has the capacity to invest tens of billions into real estate projects every year?”
• The conference room fell into silence. The charts were clearly laid out, making everything easy to understand at a glance!