Chapter 593 Invitation from the Economic Forum
- Splash! Four-Eyes finally snapped. His mind felt like it blew apart. “Don, I was just following orders from the Gu family. I’m only doing my job. I’m not the one trying to acquire Frost Group.” All that swagger he had was gone. Marcus Crawley didn’t care. He lifted his hand. Before he even spoke, Four-Eyes dropped to his knees, banging his head on the floor over and over, shouting, “Don, please don’t hit me. Violence won’t fix this. Besides me, the Gu family has over a dozen economists steering Frost Group. I’m just the advance scout. Their plan is to make Frost Group vanish within three days.” Zara Frost watched, tears stinging her eyes. Every time she was most helpless, this man showed up like some god dropping from the sky. No matter who the enemy was, no matter their plan, he always stood on her side. But she was terrified Marcus would blow this up even more. She rushed in, grabbed his hand, and said, “Don’t make a scene. This deal is voluntary. I’m willing to sell Frost Group right now.” The second she finished, Marcus turned and looked at her. “Shut up.” One line. Zara went speechless. Marcus raised his hand toward Four-Eyes. “What other tricks do you have?” Trembling, Four-Eyes lifted his head. “Don, I really don’t know the rest. But I do know Frost Group’s been shorted from the inside. Lots of our top execs were poached by the Gu family. At bargain prices, too.” “If they don’t leave, what choice do they have? Once the Gu family steps out of the shadows, no one can compete.” “Even if their future is worse than Frost Group’s, they’ll still go.” The short guy beside him chimed in, “Yeah, that’s how it is. If we piss off the Gu family, our future’s toast.” Marcus shot him a hard glare. “Did I say you could talk?” The short guy dropped back to his knees. “N-No…” Marcus turned to Four-Eyes again. “Go back and tell the Gu family this: I’m shielding Frost Group. If they want to topple Frost Group, they’ll need to work for it. This cheap stuff won’t cut it.” Four-Eyes stared at Marcus, stunned. Wild. Crazy-wild. He’d been around the Gu family for years and had never seen anyone talk like this. It was like the Gu family didn’t even exist to him. Four-Eyes didn’t argue. He nodded fast. “Don, I’ll deliver the message. I’ll take my leave!” He fled Frost Group like a refugee. So this was the man who ruined Young Master Gu? Terrifying. Good thing Young Master Gu hadn’t woken up yet; otherwise, he’d be living a nightmare every day. After Four-Eyes left, the short guy stood up, trying to sneak off too. He apologized as he inched away, “Ms. Frost, Don, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m begging you, forgive me. Let me go.” Marcus said coldly, “I’ll spare your life, but you’re not walking out unscathed.” With a crack, the short guy felt something inside him snap. He looked down—one foot wouldn’t lift at all. He bolted out, headed straight for the hospital. In the office, Zara didn’t feel safe just because Marcus had shown up. She scowled. “Why are you here?” “You hurt Gu Jianchen. They’ll never let you go.” “Leave. Right now.” “I’ll get you some money, some supplies. You need to—” Before she finished, she realized he had sprawled on the couch, lighting a cigarette like he hadn’t a care in the world. Marcus said coolly, “I’m not leaving. I told you, I’m shielding Frost Group.” Zara’s face went even darker. “First, the Gu family’s Golden Fire Cavalry—you can’t beat them. Second, you can’t handle their business tactics.” Marcus wasn’t afraid of trouble. In his world, there was no one he couldn’t handle. He raised a brow. “Oh? They’re that scary? How scary, exactly?” Zara took a long breath. “The Gu family already reached out to everyone under our umbrella, telling them not to work with Frost Group. These are partners we’ve had for years. One word from the Gu family, and we’re toast.” “Also, they’re shorting our stock. Don’t think they’re just coming after us. If the overall trend follows their lead, they can short us into the ground and walk away with everything we have.” “So tell me—what do we use to fight that?” Marcus blinked, then let out a slow sigh. It did sound serious. But in this state, these local capital sharks were ruthless, sure, yet still miles behind the ones overseas. Think the Rothschilds, think the big families out there. Those folks really could block out the sky with one hand. And still—they bowed their heads to him. “If those investors want to leave, let them.” “If the execs want to go, let them.” “If we’re gold, we’ll shine wherever we land, right?” he said, steady and firm. Zara froze, at a loss for words. It’s not that easy. If it were, Riverton wouldn’t be in chaos just because the Gu family stepped into the light. “Forget it. I’m done.” She turned away, not wanting to engage him. Business isn’t war. Honestly, it’s way more complicated. War might kill bodies. Business cuts hearts. With a heavy sigh, Zara picked up her coffee and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. She looked down at the bustling Frost Group campus, and her heart went cold. She felt like this prosperity might soon have nothing to do with her. One last look. Just one more. Right as her soft pink lips touched the coffee cup, Marcus’s hand slid in again. “Can you not?” Zara snapped. “You already blew up one mess. Can’t I have a minute?” Before she could finish, she saw an envelope in front of her. It was beautiful, with a stamped seal. On the seal was a single character: State. A state-level document. Zara’s eyes lit up at once. Those were rare in Mandoria, and only held top-secret content. Why was he giving her this now? “What is it?” she asked, curious. Marcus smiled. “Open it. It’s something that’ll make everyone who walked away from Frost Group regret it.” Zara hesitated, then broke the seal. Inside, a single line: Invitation Letter. Invitation to Ms. Zara Frost to attend the upcoming conference. Host: Asia-Pacific Economic Forum. For a moment, her face went blank with shock.