“Mr. Wadrick, thank you very much for your dedication to the group. There’s no need for concern. Perhaps soone forgot to inform you, but the changes to the contract were approved by us.”
The voice was gentle and calm, devoid of anger. Even through the phone, one could picture the kind, elderly man speaking.
So people have that ability—when you speak with them, their image naturally forms in your mind.
“Why wasn’t I inford? No one has told anything so far…” Wadrick’s tone grew irritated. A major contract change, and he, the president of the group, hadn’t been told?
“I need an explanation, Mr. Chairman.”
A new voice suddenly interjected, “Watch your tone, Wadrick. Decisions concerning subsidiaries don’t necessarily need to be reported to you.”
Wadrick was the president of the group, responsible for its daily operations. Major decisions from subsidiary companies were reported to him in written form during scheduled weekly briefings.
That’s why the man on stage could carry the title of subsidiary president. His proposal had already passed the board’s vote, creating a sequence issue—reporting afterward rather than before.
Even though it looked similar on paper, it ant Wadrick would only learn about the contract a week later, while the vote had already taken place. That information gap gave them ti to act—create a fait accompli.
By the ti Wadrick found out, it was already too late to change anything—like now.
“Mr. Wadrick ant well. We don’t need to bla him. In fact, I think we should encourage such behavior.”
“It’s unity that makes us rrick. We must stay united.”
“Let explain, Mr. Wadrick. In addition to the main contract, we also signed a morandum and supplental clauses…”
In the past few days, soone submitted a proposal to the board—this person was the president of a small company within the consortium.
A consortium, simply put, is a coalition of people controlling large amounts of capital. It doesn’t belong to one person but to a group.
Where there are people, there is hierarchy—so hold power, others don’t. But within the group, communication is never an issue.
The proposal raised a concern: What if Soren eventually tears up the contract?
Everyone knew that Soren’s intention in signing this massive deal wasn’t really to get the thermal generator units ahead of schedule—it was to sabotage Lynch.
Lynch wanted a strong start in the Allia region, which didn’t align with Gephra’s interests. That’s why Governor Sedel arranged for Soren to strike at the heart of the Federation and cut Lynch off.
If they succeeded, they’d have achieved their true goal—crippling Lynch’s debut in Allia.
As for acquiring the most advanced generators—that wasn’t Gephra’s top priority. Their current tech wasn’t much behind the Federation’s anyway. They could simply build more plants to fill their power gap and boost their dostic industries.
They even agreed to strict confidentiality clauses that made dismantling the equipnt impossible—this made the board uneasy.
The concern was realistic enough that the board summoned the proposer for an ergency eting and worked out counterasures.
Besides minor changes, the most significant revision was the penalty clause. The breach penalty was raised to 900 million. This was agreed upon after the board chairman spoke with key congressional figures.
If a debt dispute arose between Federation and Gephra entities, the U.S. governnt would pressure Gephra in support of rrick, as part of national interest.
In other words, with congressional backing, rrick could enforce the penalty clause using state power if Soren defaulted.
After urgent backroom negotiations, a supplental morandum and clauses were added. These weren’t part of the main contract but legally binding.
Soren’s side didn’t object—breach penalties go both ways. If they violated the deal, they’d pay. If the Federation side defaulted, sa thing.
The $600 million contract would be executed in phases over 3–5 years.
The morandum also stated that if more advanced tech beca available during the term, the order would automatically upgrade to the latest version at market-adjusted prices.
This beca a new, more comprehensive contract that offered more detailed obligations and protections. Neither side had objections.
“…That’s the situation. We believe this version better protects our interests. I trust you won’t oppose it now that you know.”
The gentle voice stopped. Wadrick fell into deep thought. If he hadn’t spoken with Lynch, hadn’t known what Lynch planned, he too might have thought the changes reasonable.
With congressional support and governnt backing, it looked like a safe deal. And Governor Sedel wouldn’t default lightly.
That made the $600 million deal solid. The tech updates were a natural progression in the board’s view.
“Mr. Chairman, have you considered—we might end up being the ones in breach?” Wadrick still made one last attempt.
Laughter erupted through the phone—derisive, mocking, so people even laughing until they cried.
“Mr. President, I must say your imagination is… vivid. You should be writing screenplays.”
“Wadrick, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.”
“You’ve changed my view of you—I never knew you were so humorous.”
They were mocking him, dismissing the scenario as ridiculous.
The chairman also laughed, though his voice was gentler, befitting his image: wise, cultured, and kind.
“Mr. Wadrick, thank you for your caution. Forgive my arrogance, but I’ll say this—no one can defeat us. No one!”
“I believe your concerns, though prudent, are simply impossible.”
The most composed voice had just spoken the most arrogant words. But he had earned the right. If it weren’t for his talk with Lynch, Wadrick wouldn’t believe such a scenario either.
Seeing he could no longer persuade anyone, Wadrick sighed. “Very well. I hope it’s just my paranoia. Sorry for disturbing everyone over a personal concern.”
“It’s alright, Mr. Wadrick. We’re glad you called. It shows we’re always united…”
After hanging up, Wadrick stared at the phone for a long ti, then shook his head. He needed to calm down.
The deal between the rrick Consortium and Soren sent shockwaves through the Federation. The most imdiate reaction was a surge in the stock prices of all publicly listed companies associated with the rrick Consortium, each rising by varying degrees that sa day.
This was the consortium’s secondary objective—to stimulate the financial market with positive news and boost the net worth of every shareholder.
For the mbers of the board, this ant that in just one day, their personal assets had increased by several to over ten percent.
Don’t underestimate a few or even ten-plus percent—when the base number is large enough, that’s a staggering amount.
anwhile, in a house in the hillside villa district of Eminence, Lynch was enjoying a fine veal steak while watching news coverage on TV.
“According to our reporter, the Danlemore Research Center under the rrick Consortium has taken a clear global lead in thermal power generation and heat conduction technology…”
Li, seated nearby, couldn’t help but glance at Lynch. “Mr. Lynch, are we really going to short Danlemore’s stock?”
Lynch smiled and nodded. He set down his knife and fork, dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin, and instead of answering the question, changed the subject.
“I heard your firm has started operating?”
Li had been with Lynch for so ti now, and Lynch had kept his promise—giving him the chance to start his own business.
Li founded a financial brokerage firm, with Lynch investing so capital and taking a stake.
The firm operated like most in Eminence but on a more upscale level. In addition to standard financial services, it also ventured into real industries.
In just a year, Li had built his own business, and the thought of it brought a broad smile to his face.
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