Charles Smith sat in the study at Zenthar, his fingers holding a pen that ca to an abrupt halt on the docunt, spreading a blot of ink like the sullen expression on his face at that mont.
The desk was scattered with the Carter Clan Group’s equity statistics, a dizzying array of numbers, but the most striking was the line at the end marked "The Smith Family holds 48%".
He tapped the desk with his fingertips, muttering a low curse.
He had clearly negotiated the stock transfer with Carlos, assuming he could swallow Carter Clan in one go, but forgot that over the years, a few big capitalists had quietly seized shares in Carter Clan.
He had only purchased 48%, just shy of absolute control, stuck frustratingly at an impasse.
With a "bang," the door was pushed open.
Adam Willow walked in, his light gray suit accentuating his tall fra, a gentle smile on his face, though there was a calculating glint in his eyes. He placed a share certificate in front of Charles Smith, speaking leisurely, "Secretary-General Sutton, sorry to keep you waiting."
Charles glanced up at him, impatience lacing his tone, "Mr. Willow, you seem to have gotten the news quickly, knowing I’m troubled over Carter Clan’s shares."
"Secretary-General’s move to take over Carter Clan is big news, the circle is buzzing about it." Adam Willow pulled a chair and sat down, leaning slightly forward, "I have 15% shares in Carter Clan, you have 48%, my 15%, together that’s 63%—enough for us to completely control Carter Clan’s voice. What do you think?"
"15%?" The pen in Charles’s hand stopped, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes, quickly replaced by sarcasm. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, scrutinizing Adam Willow, "Mr. Willow, you sure know how to take advantage. If I’m not mistaken, you stood your ground thanks to the Parker Family’s resources, then turned around and kicked the Parker Family aside. Henry Parker is still under investigation by the authorities, right? This reputation of a heartless man, do you care at all, Mr. Willow?"
Adam’s smile faded slightly, but he didn’t get angry. He took a sip of the cold tea on the table, "Secretary-General Sutton, why waste words? We’re adults, we only look at pros and cons, not affection." His tone shifted, eyes suddenly sharp, "Besides, what’s between and the Parker Family compared to you, Secretary-General Sutton?"
Charles’s face darkened instantly, "What do you an?"
"Nothing much." Adam set down his teacup, his voice full of mockery, "I just heard the Governor has been in a coma for so long, not because the dicine’s effects haven’t dissipated, but because soone deliberately used dication to drag it out, waiting for his organs to fail, cleaning everything up. Secretary-General Sutton, you exploit the Governor and then want him dead, we’re all the sa, let’s not call each other dirty."
"Shut up!" Charles pounded the desk suddenly, the pen rolling to the floor in a fit of anger, "Adam Willow, say one more word and this cooperation is off!"
Adam raised an eyebrow, not pushing him further, simply pointing to the share certificate, "Cooperation is cooperation, the benefits I want must be clearly written in the contract. As for other matters, I’m not interested in ddling."
Charles took a deep breath, suppressing his fury, picked up the pen, and quickly skimd through the contract terms. Once he confird they were correct, he signed his na and pushed the contract to Adam Willow, "Sign and leave, I don’t want you in my sight."
Adam signed with a smile, just stood up when Butler Adler rushed in, hair a bit ssed, face anxious, "Secretary-General! Sothing’s wrong! Madam...madam suddenly felt unwell and fainted!"
"What?" Charles shot to his feet, the chair scraping the floor with a piercing sound. He strode to Butler Adler, urgency in his voice, "What happened? She was fine when I left this morning! Go call a doctor now!"
"I called, I called!" Butler Adler was so anxious he stomped his feet, "The doctor just checked her, said Madam has been under long-term stress, her health’s already collapsed, and now...now there’s nothing dicine can do!"
"Nothing dicine can do?" Charles’s steps halted, heart sinking heavily. He wasn’t especially filial to Mrs. Smith, but she was The Smith Family’s backbone. Right now, he hadn’t secured his position as Governor; he still relied on The Smith Family’s connections and resources. Mrs. Smith absolutely couldn’t fall!
"Impossible!" Charles gritted his teeth, his tone firm, " I don’t care what thod, what doctor you find; you must cure Madam! If anything happens to her, none of you will have an easy ti!"
Butler Adler was almost in tears, standing there helplessly. Seeing this, Adam took a step forward, calmly speaking, "Secretary-General Sutton, I studied dicine abroad in my early years, maybe I can take a look at Madam. Perhaps I can find so clues."
With no other options, Charles could only take a chance, motioning for Adam Willow, "Then make it quick! If you can’t cure Madam, don’t expect to receive any dividends from Carter Clan’s 15% shares!"
Adam followed Butler Adler to Mrs. Smith’s bedroom, erging half an hour later with a sowhat grave expression. Charles imdiately approached him, "How is she? Can Madam be saved?"
"Madam’s condition is due to long-term overwork and harboring too many worries, her health is at its limit." Adam shook his head, "I can only temporarily stabilize her condition. To fully cure her would be difficult. Her constitution is too poor, ordinary dicine won’t work; it needs slow recuperation, but ti... might not be in her favor."
Charles’s face grew darker, he rushed back to the study, took a wooden box from the safe, and opened it to reveal a yellowed prescription—one he had swindled from Henry Parker back then, rumored to have helped the Parker Family nurse many people to great effect.
He handed the prescription to Adam Willow, a hint of urgency in his voice, "Look at this prescription, can you prepare dicine for Madam according to it? It’s a Parker Family prescription, it should work."
Adam studied the prescription for a long while, finally shaking his head with a wry smile, "Secretary-General Sutton, I studied Western dicine; I know nothing of Chinese dicine. Most of the prescription is Chinese herbs, the dosage and compatibility have stipulations. If I randomly prepare the dicine, it might harm Madam instead. Perhaps...the prescription’s original owner knows how to use it."
"Original owner?" Charles’s gaze dimd, "That old lady from the Parker Family is long dead, Henry Parker himself couldn’t even figure out this prescription; where am I supposed to find the original owner?"
As the two were at a loss, Butler Adler suddenly spoke up, a note of hope in his voice, "Secretary-General, Madam, I...I know soone from the Sterling Research Institute! Dr. Sterling is an internationally renowned miracle worker specializing in rare diseases; perhaps he can understand this prescription and heal Madam!"
"Dr. Sterling?" Adam Willow’s head snapped up, his eyes brightening instantly. Though he had long abandoned dicine for business, his dream of dicine never died, and Dr. Sterling was his idol back when he studied dicine, hailed as a ’god’ in the dical world, though the man’s whereabouts were secretive and rarely did he see patients; eting him was a near impossibility.
He quickly looked at Charles, urgency in his tone, "Secretary-General Sutton, if Dr. Sterling can indeed co, it wouldn’t just heal Madam; it would be imnsely beneficial to you! Think about it, Dr. Sterling is notoriously hard to engage. If you can bring him here, it would showcase your competence and gain support from various sectors, benefiting your gubernatorial campaign in every way!"
Charles’s eyes lit up, instantly grasping the key points. He’d been troubled about creating montum for civic votes, and Dr. Sterling’s arrival was the perfect buzz. Plus, he could leverage Dr. Sterling’s na to publicize the Governor’s condition—announcing Dr. Sterling would personally diagnose and the Governor would soon recover, naturally quieting those questioning voices.
"Great!" Charles decided on the spot, "Butler Adler, imdiately contact those at the Sterling Research Institute. Spare no expense; bring Dr. Sterling here! Also, announce that Dr. Sterling has been invited not only to treat Madam but also to diagnose the Governor, who will soon wake to preside over affairs!"
The news sent shockwaves through Zylos. Everyone buzzed about Dr. Sterling’s arrival, spurring hope for the Governor’s recovery, and quietly boosting Charles’s support rate.
anwhile, in an apartnt on the suburban edge of Zylos, Emily Parker stood in front of a mirror, adjusting her outfit. She had donned a loose black trench coat, put on a long, brown curly wig, wide sunglasses covering most of her face, her nose and chin wrapped in a dical mask, revealing only a pair of calm yet determined eyes—no one would recognize her as Emily Parker, the person Charles loathed.
She picked up the dical box on the table, which contained not only dicinal treatnts but also the latest information delivered by Oliver Ross’s connections at Zenthar. Fingers gently caressing the box’s edges, Emily silently vowed, "Mom, Uncle Mason, this ti I won’t let you down."
Then, she stepped out, rging into the crowd on the street, heading toward Zenthar.
At that mont, the entrance to Zenthar was already crowded with reporters and officials "welcoming" the arrival. Charles, dressed in a crisp dark suit, stood at the fore, wearing a perfectly asured smile, occasionally exchanging words with the officials beside him, exuding confidence. Everyone awaited Dr. Sterling’s arrival, unaware of the figure in a black trench coat, sunglasses, and mask quietly blending in with the staff, slipping through Zenthar’s doors.
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