Chapter 15 Important Number

• Casper was just about to say no, but he suddenly changed his mind. "Okay, just hold the birthday party at the villa."
• "What about the present, then?"
• "You arrange for it. The bigger the commotion, the better."
• Tyler was a little surprised. It seemed that Casper still loved Sasha, or he wouldn't have taken so much trouble to have everything arranged. "Yes, Mr. Langston."
• …
• Meanwhile, at the Hartwell Corporation, Natalie silently listened to Alexis' report in the president's office.
• Founded singlehandedly by her mother 20 years ago, W Technology was the predecessor of Hartwell Corporation. However, since Logan took over the company, it had been running at a loss due to mismanagement. Still, W Technology once devoted itself to the research and development of new energy. The core technology had gradually matured and began to generate revenues. As long as the core technology was there, the company would be able to turn things around after the follow-up research, development, and marketing if it managed to raise capital.
• "… Currently, the company is developing an alternative fuel vehicle, the core technology of which—"
• Before Alexis could finish his speech, his cell phone rang. "Excuse me, but let me answer the phone call first," he said.
• A few minutes later, Alexis came in with a pale face. "Bad news, Natalie! I just learned that not only did Logan—that *sshole—embezzle the company's funds and leave behind a pile of debts, but he even sold the company's core technology!"
• The other few senior executives blanched as well.
• "How could Logan have the nerve to do that?! The core technology for new energy is a public property of the company!"
• "The issue right now isn't to discuss whether he had the nerve or not, but to find ways to solve the problem with the core technology. Otherwise, our current projects will have to be shelved. Not only will the early investment go down the drain, but we'll not be able to make a breakthrough in later research and development!"
• …
• Even if Natalie didn't know how to do business, she knew that a company with no core technology would be knocked out very soon.
• Alexis said, "Natalie, this company was founded singlehandedly by your mother. It's the fruit of her painstaking work. You can't give up at the critical moment right now." He was worried that Natalie would walk away at such a time. After all, she wasn't the company's actual owner yet.
• The few other senior executives agreed.
• Natalie fell silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, Mr. Weissman, but I'm a bit confused right now. All of this is so unexpected that I can't make any decisions at the moment. What about this? Just give me a few days to think about it first. That being said, I really don't know much about doing business. Do you guys have any good suggestions before I make the decision?" The company was the fruit of her mother's painstaking work, and it was also the only probable means to feed her and her children after her divorce. However, with the company's current situation, not only would she not be able to feed herself, but she might also end up being saddled with debts. For a time, she had a hard time making decisions.
• The few senior executives looked at each other.
• Alexis' eyes flickered, but he wasn't in a hurry to speak.
• One of the senior executives said with a sigh, "If the company's core technology is still there, as long as we're able to secure a bank loan to keep the company afloat, we'll be able to solve the current pressing issue when the new product is successfully developed and marketed. But now that we've even lost the core technology, even if we manage to raise capital, we may not be able to continue developing the product."
• "That's right. Without the core technology, it's useless no matter how much money the company has. And besides, the clients we've previously invited for closed testing are after the core technology. If we lose the core technology, they may not be willing to participate in the internal testing, let alone the follow-up promotional campaign…"
• "It's too cruel of Logan—that son of a b*tch—to do this!"
• …
• Seeing that it was about the right time, Alexis finally said, "Actually, it's not like we don't have a way to solve this issue."
• Natalie asked, "Mr. Weissman, do you have a solution?"
• Alexis nodded. "The company's core technology has been patented long ago. Natalie, the patent had a clause stating that the transfer of the core technology will only be legally enforceable with your signature, and not even Logan knows this. As long as we can prove that this clause exists, we'll be able to announce that the core technology sold by Logan is ineffective. But…"
• Natalie asked, "But what?"
• Alexis heaved a sigh, saying, "The document containing this clause is in the safe in the president's office. We've tried it, but we couldn't open the safe, which opens with a password. Think carefully about it, Natalie. Did your mother leave behind any important numbers? As long as we can open the safe and get the documents inside, we'll be able to turn things around and take back the core technology."
• Important numbers?