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Foresight.
If I could ever wish for a superpower, it'll be foresight. Why? You ask. I think we both know the answer is self explanatory.
If I had foresight as a superpower, I'd be able to see everything I need for the future and adequately prepare for it.
Right now, I agree I had a degree of foresight but I've learnt to question when everything is going too well and right now? It definitely was.
The universe wasn't going to just wait around for to assemble the avengers, was it? The worst attacks always co when you feel safe. Which is why I stay alert all the ti. It would still co but at least, I would be ready for it and not be caught off guard.
Which was why I'd made this move. I could have done this back at Crownsborough but the negotiations had gone on for far longer than I'd anticipated. It didn't matter though. All's well that ends well.
And this brings us to where I am. I walked into the conference room and everyone stood in respect. That was sothing I'd had the last few months to get used to. People standing when I enter the room.
The conference room had that energy that ca from when sothing exciting was about to happen. And it definitely was. On one side of the long table sat my team from Imperium Holdings. They sat with the pride people from big companies always had.
On the other side of the table, Elsa Klarsson's people from WireFra Solutions sat, looking like they were born ready to seal the deal. Or maybe that was my imagination talking. I waved for them to sit and they all did but Elsa remained standing. She gave a nod and a professional smile, looking like the Scandinavian powerhouse that she was.
I stood at the head of the table, surveying the room with a small, satisfied smile. It was ti to add another weapon to my arsenal in the battle for Apex.
"Good afternoon, everyone." I said with a confident smile. "Let's get started, shall we?"
At my cue, the ceremony began with a brief introduction by my legal advisor, a formality that everyone in the room barely listened to. If it had been Lincoln, I'm sure they'd have paid more attention but Lincoln had a lot of work of his own to do. Besides, Imperium needed lawyers of its own. Or maybe I needed to acquire the Lincoln and Wesley Law Group too. It shouldn't be that hard.
As the lawyer spoke, everyone had their attention on the stack of papers in front of and Elsa.
With the signing of this docunt, I'd be buying a 40% stake in WireFra Solutions, enough to integrate their unparalleled data analytics into my empire while allowing Elsa the autonomy to continue running the company her way.
Like I'd previously said, I needed Elsa at my side for future battles.
Elsa glanced at as the legal advisor wrapped up, a hint of amusent in her eyes. "Shall we, Mr. Voss?"
"After you, Ms. Klarsson." I replied, sliding the pen toward her.
She took it with a graceful nod, signing her na with a flourish. Then it was my turn. The room seed to hold its breath as I picked up the pen and signed the dotted line.
"Congratulations," Elsa said, offering a handshake. "WireFra is officially part of Imperium Holdings."
There was a ripple of applause as our teams exchanged smiles and murmurs of approval. Caras flashed, capturing the mont as with every deal important enough.
And then, the celebrations began. Before long, I found myself holding up a glass of champagne.
I turned to my team. "Let's raise a toast to a fruitful new era of ambition, resilience and vision." I smiled at the gathered people, unable to stop the wave of imposter syndro that hit .
I hadn't done this. The system had. Without it, I'd still be stuck back at square one, unable to climb anywhere just as I'd been in my previous life.
But I exhaled, shaking off the feeling. Even though the system had helped , I would not be where I am today if I hadn't made the right decisions and seduced the right people.
My efforts have brought here, not just the system.
I raised the glass higher in acknowledgent of myself.
"Here's to breaking limits and turning every challenge into an opportunity. May we never settle, always strive and rember that success is the result of relentless pursuit and unshakable belief."
I smiled at the people in front of . "To the journey and to those who make it worthwhile. Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
We all drank and the celebrations continued. Personnel from the two companies mixed and conversation flowed.
Elsa and I mingled but before long, we knew it was ti to leave. This might be an important deal but that didn't an the work had stopped. There was still a lot to be done.
"Shall we?" I asked, nodding toward the door.
"Of course." She agreed and after a few more minutes of pleasantries, we slipped out of the conference room.
In a few minutes, we were inside my hotel suite, not having to travel too far.
Elsa sat and I went to get us a bottle of wine, pouring two glasses at the table. I sat opposite her and exhaled, taking a sip of my glass.
I smiled at her. "We're now officially tied together. This is just the beginning. I trust WireFra is ready to deliver on its end of the bargain?"
Elsa placed her glass of wine at the table and smirked faintly at . "You'll have your data, Nico. In fact, we've already begun."
I raised a brow but I shouldn't have been surprised. She did have the habit of being proactive. "Go on."
13:46
Each node was marked with percentages indicating loyalty, leverage points and even potential vulnerabilities.
"Impressive." I said, nodding to myself. "How accurate is this?"
"Very." Elsa replied confidently. "Our algorithms have been analyzing everything. Apex's filings, social dia interactions, even obscure references in trade journals. What you're looking at is as close to a real-ti map of Jasmine's power structure as you can get."
I nodded, scrolling through the data. "Who's the biggest threat?"
"Preston Keating." She said, pointing to one of the larger nodes. "He's one of Jasmine's staunchest allies on the board. Old money, traditionalist and fiercely loyal to Clarisse Newton's vision for Apex."
I frowned. "So, how do we deal with him?"
"Keating's loyalty isn't absolute." Elsa said. "He's heavily invested in comrcial real estate, which, as you know, has been struggling lately. If Imperium or Cooper Real Estate were to offer a partnership or bailout…"
I smiled. "He might start seeing things our way."
"Exactly." Elsa said, leaning back with a satisfied expression. "But he's not the only person we need to worry about."
She swiped the screen again, zooming out to reveal the full web. "Just like you told after eting Nancy Draconi, many of these connections are fragile. Most of her supporters are more loyal to her mother than to her."
"That's good." I grinned. "It ans we don't have to destroy Jasmine outright. We just need to offer her allies a better future. A way to create a more impressive… legacy."
Elsa nodded. "Now here's where things get interesting. While we've been studying the way things are, Jasmine has been making moves of her own."
"She's working on a deal with Harrington & Co, one of the oldest banking families in New York. If she secures their backing, it could strengthen her position significantly."
"Then we'll make sure that doesn't happen." I said. "Who else should I be watching?"
"Helena Watts." Elsa said, pulling up another node. "She's a major investor with a strong focus on philanthropy. If we can position Jenny as the leader who'll prioritize Apex's social impact…"
"She could swing her vote." I finished. "Especially if we tie it to Alia Ward's work with Ward Impact Ventures. It's the perfect alignnt."
"Precisely." Elsa said, her eyes gleaming with the excitent of the hunt. "If you can find a way to take care of these three things," she tapped the screen of the tablet and the image changed, "you'll make Jenny neck and neck with Jasmine."
My brows rose, seeing what was on the screen.
By having Keaton on my side, I also get a portion of these traditionalists with him. By stopping the deal with Harrington & Co, I remove the trust of a few board mbers. And by getting Helena Watts, I get a significant portion of the company's stake on my side.
I turned to Elsa with a grin. "Here's the plan."
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