Empire of Shadows

Changes in the company's equity structure should, in theory, be notified to the board of directors in advance, but it's also possible not to, depending on certain clauses.

The president was stunned for a moment, his expression gradually turning cold. "I understand," he said, and hung up the phone.

Two percent isn't a small number. If calculated based on the normal stock price, two percent would be around twenty-five million.

The vice president doesn't have that much money to buy those shares.

Even with the stock price now halved, it's still more than ten million.

Basically, all shareholders would not sell their shares, at least not now when the stock price is clearly undervalued.

From what he knows of the vice president, he doesn't have the courage or ability to buy these shares at the original price at this time.

And there are only a handful of shareholders who can transfer two percent of the shares at once.

The entire Ligee Group has approximately a thousand shareholders.

Let alone two percent, even two ten-thousandths isn't a small amount for many people.

There are only a few people who can come up with these shares, including the chairman of the board who just passed away.

He sat and stared blankly for a while, then dialed the phone number of the chairman's manor, but no one answered.

He could only call the vice president, wanting to talk to him, but no one answered either.

This gave him a bad feeling in his heart. He rubbed his face, trying to calm himself down.

Sometimes people aren't unintelligent, it's just that habits and past experiences prevent them from thinking in a certain direction.

In the president's eyes, the vice president is wholeheartedly working for the company. The small group within the board of directors had already discussed the outcome, which was to allow the vice president to continue increasing his shareholding.

On the one hand, increasing shareholding would make the vice president's funds tight, so he would cherish his current job even more.

After signing the shareholding increase agreement with the company, he would be required not to reduce his holdings or transfer them within three or five years, and he would need to abide by the share non-outflow agreement.

This also means that as long as he increases his holdings, then whether he's sincere or not, he must do his best to safeguard the company's interests.

If the company operates well, his stock appreciates, he makes money, and his work can also bring him substantial income.

If he doesn't work hard and the company's profits decrease, dividends decrease, his salary decreases, he may face many bills that he can't pay.

Even if he's not truly loyal to the company, as long as he's loyal to the money in his hands, then he must contribute to the company.

As for not wanting to increase the company's stock holdings?

Then it's too simple, just tell him to get lost. You don't even want to stand with us, so why should we continue to let you occupy this high position?

The vice president has been increasing his stock holdings. He also found out that the vice president mortgaged his shares to the bank and exchanged them for some funds to purchase real estate, luxury cars, yachts, and other things, so the president, and even the board of directors, are particularly reassured about him.

If the company is good, then everyone will be good.

If the company is bad, then everyone will be unlucky. They have no reason not to trust the vice president.

And this trust, even a trace of looking down upon and contempt hidden in arrogance, has never made him think that there would be a problem with the vice president.

But now, he calmed down and seriously thought about it, and he discovered some strange things.

But to say that it's completely strange obviously doesn't quite make sense, because he definitely needs to spend money to increase his shareholding outside the agreement, which shows that he still values the company very much, but why…

He needs to talk to the vice president face to face.

He picked up the phone and dialed the company's front desk number, "If the vice president comes to the company, have him come directly to my office."

He sat in his chair, his eyes unfocused, as if he were staring at something that people couldn't see, lost in thought.

At this time, the vice president was attending a small gathering.

"This is our chairman of the board…"

"This is the company's chief legal counsel…"

"This is…"

Mr. Berman was introducing the senior management of Bairide Company to the vice president.

In fact, without him introducing them, the vice president could basically recognize all of these people.

They had met at the annual agricultural conferences, or had seen these people's profiles.

As industry leaders, Ligee Group would not underestimate what was once a part of itself—Bairide and Nongda.

They also had to study the management of these companies, and even study their social networks, so that they could respond in a timely manner when necessary.

Just as he knew these people, the people introduced by Mr. Berman also knew him.

"This is the first time we have met in an informal setting, Mr. Vice President!"

The chairman of the Bairide board of directors is also an old man. He has a hooked nose and high cheekbones, which can give people a very mean and rigid feeling.

When he smiles, the wrinkles on his face are as stiff and deep as if they were chopped out with an axe, making it difficult to associate this old man with kindness.

But now he is smiling, smiling very gently, because this will be the first huge development opportunity for Bairide after it becomes independent from Ligee Group.

The vice president seemed a little embarrassed, but he hid all these embarrassments in his heart, and then socialized with these people.

"The reason I called you over this time is that Mr. Lance made a suggestion when I was communicating with him."

The vice president looked at Lance next to him, somewhat puzzled. He hadn't heard the other party say this.

But he still nodded politely and said, "Please speak."

"We plan to let you hold five ten-thousandths of the company's shares."

The vice president was stunned for a moment. He was a little surprised and uncertain, "I… I don't know, it's too sudden."

"Will there be a risk of unfair competition?"

He didn't quite understand this, but the legal counsel understood. He shook his head and said, "It's not that you personally hold it, but that you hold this part of the shares through other means."

"So it won't trigger any risks!"

Mr. Berman said with a smile, "After this matter is over, Bairide will definitely usher in a process of rapid development and growth."

"Now it may only be worth three million, but after a while, it may be worth six or seven million, or even more!"

Once Ligee Group is hit hard again, Bairide will be able to take advantage of the "prescience" opportunity to gain more benefits and advantages from commercial competition.

The market share increases, the company's revenue increases, and naturally the stock price will also increase accordingly.

In fact, Mr. Berman and the others also started to hold Ligee Group's company stock through some indirect means.

After the former chairman of the board died, he also left 3.7% of the shares. Now 2% is in the hands of the vice president, and of the remaining 1.7%, the old lady left 0.1%, and her children each left 0.3%.

The extra 1% has already signed a transfer agreement, but it has not yet been reported to the company.

Obviously, they want to tie the vice president to their chariot as well.

Seeing that he was still hesitating, Mr. Berman said with a smile, "This is crucial for us to deepen our friendship!"

In the end, the vice president was still unable to refuse Mr. Berman's request. He knew very well that this 0.5% stake was actually a "ticket" and a "handle."

If he wants to enter this circle, he must pay more.

The obedience brought about by fear will diminish with the decline of fear. Only the binding of interests can keep him loyal!

The next morning, when the vice president arrived at the company, the front desk told him that the president wanted him to come over.

The vice president returned to his office, put away his briefcase and other things, and then pushed open the door to the president's office.

He showed a look of vigor, and his emotions and expressions were very much in place.

In big companies, there are actually many unwritten rules that no one will tell you, such as if a person wants to get promoted and gain importance, they must show that they are full of energy.

On one side is a lazy ghost who is lifeless and can't even lift his eyelids, as if his body is growing on the chair.

On the other side is a vibrant and energetic person, as if his body is full of energy.

When there is an opportunity to be promoted, all leaders will choose the vibrant person.

This is the workplace, it's work, it's society.

No one will take care of your little temper, but instead will make you take care of other people's emotions and thoughts.

The lower the position, the more people need to be taken care of.

If you think fate is unfair to you, it's just because your position is too low, and it has nothing to do with fate.

"I heard them say you were looking for me?"

After entering the door, the vice president closed the door casually, walked to the desk, and sat opposite the president.

The president nodded and asked very directly, "When did it start?"

The vice president didn't react for a moment. This question was very abrupt and made no sense. He shook his head and asked curiously, "When did what start?"

"I mean, when did you start betraying the company's interests?"

The smile on the vice president's face gradually solidified, revealing a look of surprise and uncertainty, "Why would you think that?"

The president picked up a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Holding a lighter in one hand and shielding the wind that shouldn't exist in the room with the other, "The lamp can illuminate a very far place, but it just can't illuminate the things under the base."

"You are hiding under the base."

In fact, the president now very much hopes that the vice president can defend himself, because defending himself means that things haven't gotten as bad as he thought, to the point of being irreparable.

However, the vice president didn't argue, only remained silent, which made the president's heart sink continuously.

The calmer the vice president appeared now, the deeper his involvement, so deep that arguing was meaningless.

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"Did you take his wife's shares?" the president asked.

The vice president nodded, "I took two percent."

"Where did your money come from?"

"I didn't know you had so much money!"

The president asked this to guard against the possibility of the vice president embezzling company funds, but this possibility was unlikely because such a large sum of money couldn't be transferred through the finance department without his signature.

The vice president's expression was a little strange, "I took out a loan."

The president was still a little incredulous, "She transferred the shares to you so easily?"

He had met the chairman's wife and knew that beneath this woman's outstanding appearance was an independent personality and soul!

She had her own circles and energy, and her own ideas, not a purely domestic woman.

If the vice president didn't use some means, he couldn't have obtained these shares so easily.

The vice president stared at him, "You want to know?"

The president nodded, "If you're willing to tell me."

In his eyes, the expression and gaze of this person who had cooperated with him for several years were constantly changing, struggling, hesitating, uncertain, a little uneasy, some regret, and some ruthlessness.

Finally, it turned into calmness.

"It's actually quite complicated, and it's hard to explain in a short time. How about we find a place to have a drink tonight?"

"We can talk while we drink."

The president looked through his schedule and nodded, "Okay, should we go to your place or mine?"

Such private content definitely couldn't be discussed in those bars or clubs, as there were too many people and it might be spread by someone. They needed to go to a more private place.

Both the president and the vice president had extra residences in the city. Sometimes when they worked late and didn't want to run back home, they would live in apartments near the company.

Apartment prices in the city center of Xinjin City were not cheap, whether renting or buying, they were very expensive, several tens of thousands for one, and larger ones cost hundreds of thousands.

The vice president's eyes flickered slightly, "Go to your place, I'll bring a friend over."

The president agreed.

After the vice president left, both of them immersed themselves in their work, so engrossed that when the president leaned back in his chair to relax, the setting sun was already shining in through the window.

The red and gorgeous light carried some of the tragic atmosphere of the sun about to set. It was like a hero who had fought in the sky all day, finally heading towards twilight and ending.

Full of sorrow.

He looked at the sunlight, which was no longer dazzling and like a round red fireball, and sighed softly.

At 6:45 in the evening, he packed up and came to the parking lot with his briefcase. The vice president was already there.

"I'll pick up a friend first, and we'll go straight there later."

The president nodded, stepped on the accelerator, and left the parking lot. He needed to go back and prepare.

And the vice president picked up Lance on the way and came to the outside of the president's apartment together.

"He already suspects me... no, saying suspects is too light, he's already sure that I'm selling them out."

The car had already stopped, and his hand holding the steering wheel kept adjusting its position, looking a little restless.

"Someone has to go first, as long as that person isn't you!"

"Let's go, let's go up."

When the door opened, the president was still wearing an apron with a carrot pattern, "I just made some food, we can have a drink later."

The vice president nodded and Lance came in. He didn't introduce Lance directly, and the president didn't take the initiative to ask. He felt that he would know who this person was later.

This was one of the few times that the vice president had contact with the president outside of work, which also made him realize that the president was completely different in life and at work.

While introducing his cooking methods, he placed the food on the table, a total of four dishes.

Among them, the largest portion was the fried beef cubes. The pink and tender beef cubes looked extremely tender, obviously already cooked, but gave people a feeling of melting in the mouth.

He took off his apron, opened a bottle of whiskey, and the three of them sat down at the dining table.

"For the sumptuous dinner, let's have a drink first."

The three raised their glasses and took a small sip.

After drinking a little wine, even though Lance hadn't felt the alcohol taking effect, the vice president seemed to have already entered a state.

"Where should I start?"

"Let's start with... Steven's death..."

He said a lot, telling everything he knew, developing all the things that had happened to the present in detail, which made the president fall into a shocking silence!

He held his glass and forgot to drink, and it took a long time before he remembered to take a sip.

"I... I don't know what to say, it's too shocking for me. It seems I was wrong."

He thought that the vice president might have been standing on their opposite side a long time ago, but he didn't expect that he was only "bought" recently.

It wasn't even considered buying. Under the threat of death, anyone would probably make the same choice as him. The president himself might do the same.

He took a big sip of wine, and the alcohol stimulated him with more desire to speak.

"Now that you've told me this, aren't you afraid that I'll destroy your plan after I know the truth?"

The vice president didn't speak, stood up, "I'm going to the bathroom."

Only Lance was left in the dining room.

While eating dinner, Lance said, "It's a very good dinner, even better than some of the chefs in those famous restaurants."

The president laughed loudly when he heard this, "I know you're flattering me, but I like your flattery."

He paused, "What are you planning to do next?"

Lance swallowed the food in his mouth slowly and deliberately. He picked up a napkin and wiped the grease from his lips, "Your gambling agreement with those independent investors, you will fail."

"This will instantly pierce the confidence of all shareholders and investors, and at the same time completely drain the company's working capital."

The president nodded constantly when he heard this, and also added his own point of view, "It is indeed a good way. After the company has no working capital, all the problems will suddenly emerge. Besides going bankrupt, you can only lie on the chopping board and be cut by you."

"Whether to dismember it or other methods, it's all up to you."

"But, sir, there is one thing I don't understand."

"That is, the stock of the Liji Group has already begun to rise, and we are expected to complete this gambling agreement on January 15th."

"Even if we don't complete it. We need to pay more funds to redeem this part of the shares, but our losses are still within the acceptable range!"

"Wouldn't your plan fail?"