Veron was in a bad mood today. He only had an hour sleep last night and his head was starting to ache. He forced a smile out of his mouth as he nodded at Mr. Rossi’s words, pretending that he was listening to him.

  "Please come in." Mr. Rossi led them to a conference room and told them that Lily Facci- Qin was on her way with a few executives and shareholders that would join them for the presentation. Another smile left his mouth as he told him that he understood.

  "Are you alright?" Veronica asked, her brows furrowed as she stared at her brother’s face.

  "Really?" he countered, irritation apparent in his eyes. Was that even a valid question? His loss last night was still haunting him. It might even take him a few days before he would recover from that loss. "Prepare the presentation." He ordered. "We need to make a good impression."

  Veronica nodded in response. The fact that their father actually trusted them to show the executives these reports was such a big deal. They needed to nail this presentation. Not long after they arrived another assistant came inside followed by a few executives.

  A jovial atmosphere was instantly established as they started introducing themselves.

  "President Zhou is already on her way."

  "Zhou?" Veron asked as the memories of the man and woman who were watching them came into his mind.

  "Yes. She just got married to another tycoon in Hong Kong a few months back." The executive across him answered.

  Veron nodded in response. The world might be small but it was just way too coincidental if the people that they met last night were President Zhou and her husband. He is aware that sometimes, looks could be very deceiving however, the coincidence was just too much to handle.

  Just how unlucky was he if……

  The sound of the door being opened interrupted his stupor. Both Veron and Veronica turned their heads towards the door only to widen their eyes in shock. The mouths went agape, eyes so wide they could feel it threatening to jump out of their sockets.

  It was Yang Mi followed by Qin Yuanfeng then…… then…… Lily!

  This— Veron felt his throat turned so dry, his throat tightened as he froze for a few seconds. How could he be this unlucky? Veron wanted to curse but even his brain felt numb. It felt like his brain had just decided to stop working on its own.

  "Hey!" Veronica was the first to recover, she elbowed her frozen brother as she smiled towards Lily’s direction. Just like her brother, she too was surprised however, she managed to calm herself. They can’t act like clowns in front of everyone.

  "Good Morning," Veronica managed to get the words out of her mouth before she introduced herself and her brother. The knowing smile that Lily gave them immediately told her that she knew who they were, she remembered them. The possibility that Lily already knew their identity since she saw them last night was also undeniable.

  After a few seconds, Veron finally managed to say something. This immediately sent some relief inside Veronica. The presentation quickly started. It wasn’t really much as Lily and the other’s already had this data with them. This meeting was supposed to establish a favorable impression from Lily. After all, their father was retiring soon, Veron and his other sons were already trying to upstage each other looking for investors to support them for the CEO position.

  However, once Lily buys the majority of the shares of the company, this arrangement will change. They were sure that Lily will have her people take over the company and the sons of Leon Corneel will be left to manage the field work, production, mining and other jobs that involve management.

  Of course, this was not a problem. They knew that this was only temporary. Moreover, Lily could easily appoint one of the brothers to act as COO or maybe even the representative of the company and for other executive positions.

  After Veron’s presentation, some executives immediately started asking questions— simple ones. These people were obviously in favor with buying the company as the profits were already guaranteed. Seeing this, Veron kindly answered all the questions as much as he could as he waited for Lily or Qin Yuanfeng to ask one.

  This did not happen.

  Lily and Qin Yuanfeng sat there listening and nodding as he continued to answer the questions from other people. Why was Lily not asking questions? Veron immediately wondered what kind of game Lily was playing at.

  Was she angry about last night? But that was pretty illogical, wasn’t it?

  After all, they won. Why would Lily feel anger towards them? Moreover, Veron and Veronica didn’t even engage into any conversation with Lily and her husband. Questions started popping out in Veron’s mind. He could not deny that Lily’s silence was even more intimidating than all of the executives combined.

  He cleared his throat, and stared at Lily’s face. "President Zhou…… may I know if you have any questions regarding the reports sent by us for the acquisition?" He asked.

  "Mr. Corneel." Lily smiled and her eyes sparkled. "These reports are the same reports that your father gave us last month." She said as her gaze darted towards Veronica before shifting it back to Veron. "Suffice to say, we are already very familiar with these things."

  "That— "

  "After an acquisition, we will have access to your books. We might decide to cut or add some budget for the purpose of integration of the two companies. New people will be hired, some will be fired. I’m sure this has caused a lot of stress in your end?" This type of buy out does not necessarily mean that Lily and the whole Facci Group will change the whole Corneel Oils and Co. In fact, the aim is only to grow its financial portfolio while letting the Corneels operate exactly as it did before. However, the employees do not know this.

  Being a leader in a multinational company does not only mean satisfying the shareholders with profits. It also means creating the right environment for its employees to work in.

  Seeing everyone stare at her, Lily smiled at Veron. "I want assurance Mr. Corneel. I want the plans that you have to ensure that the productivity of your employees will stay the same even after the acquisition. We all want profits and I want you to assure me that your company will continue to produce the same results even under the pressure of a new management."

  Veron stared at Lily, his face devoid of any expression. He sighed inwardly.

  ’So this is Lily Facci- Qin,’ he thought inwardly……

  Proofreader: Dragon777