The trending topics on the phone screen were like red-hot irons, each one branding itself into Adam Willow’s eyes.
His hand holding the phone involuntarily began to tremble slightly.
"Carter Automotive engineers resign en masse," "ST Motors announces termination of strategic cooperation with Carter Automotive," "COCO Brand statent: withdrawing all counters from Carter Clan’s stores," "Over ten shareholders of the Carter Clan jointly issue a letter opposing the appointnt of new chairman Adam Willow."
"What’s going on here?"
Adam Willow’s voice was extrely low, his face dark and gloomy.
Just last night, all departnts of the Carter Clan were running smoothly, even the matter of The Smith Family selling equity was progressing well.
"I don’t know either!"
Linda White’s voice was also full of anxiety. "Just now, these news stories suddenly popped up without any warning!"
She took a deep breath before daring to speak the worse news. "After these news stories ca out, Tempest Capital and Blackstone Capital imdiately took the lead in dumping Carter Clan’s stocks. Within just two hours, the stock price dropped by 10%.
If this panic selling continues, by tomorrow...
By then, the little assets we have for collateral and loans won’t be able to hold.
Linda’s voice grew quieter as she spoke. Both she and Adam Willow knew that to reclaim the remaining equity of the Carter Clan from The Smith Family, they not only took out loans from three banks but also resorted to underground money lenders.
Now with the stock price plumting, the tight string in Adam Willow’s heart could snap at any mont.
"Chairman Willow! What is your response to the news of Carter Automotive engineers resigning en masse?"
"There are reports that you conspired with forr Secretary General Charles Smith to manipulate the financial market. Is there any truth to this?"
"There’s also a rumor that your fiancée Sophie’s father used his power for personal gain to pave the way for you, helping you acquire business projects cheaply. How do you explain that?"
"With Carter Clan’s stock price plumting and international capital shorting it continuously, what solutions do you have to reverse the current predicant?"
The journalists’ questions surged like a tide, with microphones almost poking into Adam Willow’s face.
He could only feel a throbbing in his temples, his mind a chaotic ss, unable to recall even a single carefully prepared official statent.
Only when his bodyguards surrounded him, forming a human wall, did he stumble forward, almost fleeing the press conference venue.
The office door slamd shut with a bang, isolating the noise behind him. Adam Willow tugged at his tie.
He cursed, yanking the tie off and throwing it on the desk, then grabbed the whiskey from the drawer, unscrewing the cap and guzzling it.
The liquor burned his throat, making him cough twice, but it didn’t suppress the agitation and panic in his chest.
This was all too coincidental, almost as if soone had long set the stage, just waiting for him to step into the role of chairman, only to drag him into an abyss.
"No, I can’t lose."
Adam Willow clenched his fist, cold sweat dripping down his temples, soaking his shirt collar, his voice carrying a barely noticeable tremor.
He knew too well that once the stock price collapsed, the bank’s debt collection, the vicious nature of money lenders, and the investigation from the authorities could drag him into a deep abyss of no return.
"Adam, hold steady first. We surely have other ways!" Linda’s eyes flashed with a sudden glimr of hope. "Right! I have an idea. There’s soone who can definitely save us!"
Her words lit up the gloom in Adam Willow’s heart like a beam of light; he looked up sharply, hope rekindled in his eyes. "Who?"
"Dr. Sterling."
Linda lowered her voice.
"Dr. Sterling?"
Adam Willow’s brows instantly furrowed, the light in his eyes dimming again.
"He’s a titan in the dical world, capable of treating incurable diseases, but the Carter Clan’s current problem is the plumting stock price, which he can’t help with."
"He can!"
Linda stepped forward, her tone urgent. "Have you forgotten? A few years ago, the Governor suddenly fell ill and beca a vegetative state. It was he who, before our eyes, awakened the person.
And not long ago, it was Old Master Carter, lying motionless for years, who woke up because of the dicine from the Sterling Research Institute!"
She stared into Adam’s eyes. "In fact, a few years ago, I investigated. Dr. Sterling’s institute has been secretly developing a new drug. That drug can regenerate necrotic brain cells. Just think about it, what does this an? It’s a breakthrough that could rewrite the history of human dicine!"
"If this drug can truly be developed successfully, its market value is simply imasurable!"
Adam Willow’s voice carried excitent. "If he’s willing to give the production rights of the new drug to the Carter Clan, then the Carter Clan... no, it would be the future Willows, not just number one in Zylos? We could directly beco a global top-tier super biopharmaceutical company!"
The words exploded like thunder in Adam Willow’s mind.
He abruptly stood up from his chair, the previous panic completely gone, even his breathing becoming rapid.
He seed to have grabbed onto a life-saving straw, no, a golden key that would allow him to soar to great heights!
"But why would Dr. Sterling help us?"
Adam Willow’s eyes were now filled with hesitation. "If only I hadn’t given up on studying dicine back then and really beca his student, perhaps there would be so connection..."
He hadn’t finished the sentence before he scoffed at himself, full of self-mockery. Talking about this now was already useless.
"I have a way."
Linda’s tone concealed a fierce resolve. "Doesn’t he have a student? As long as we control the person, there’s no fear he won’t agree."
Adam Willow’s eyes sharpened instantly, understanding Linda’s aning. Prisnet’s thods of forcing people, they were already well-practiced.
"You’re talking about Abigail Long?" Adam Willow recalled the recruitnt a few years ago, where Dr. Sterling had only ever accepted one disciple, who was now the deputy director of Eastern Hospital, with quite a reputation.
"That’s her."
Linda nodded. "It’s just the Eastern Hospital. Get so people to keep an eye on her, find an opportunity to ’invite’ her over, and she won’t be able to hold out."
Adam Willow didn’t hesitate any longer: "Alright, let’s do it. Have people act imdiately. Abigail Long must be brought over tonight!"
The people lurking in the shadows quietly surrounded Eastern Hospital, waiting for Abigail Long to get off work, ready to act at any mont.
But they didn’t know that Abigail Long was not in her hospital office at the mont and was completely unaware of what was about to happen.
Abigail Long saw the news headline on her phone, "Dr. Sterling visits Zylos, successfully treats the Governor," and was quite surprised.
Lately, with severe cases piling up one after another at Eastern Hospital, she had been so busy that she hadn’t even touched the ground and only knew about such a significant event from browsing the news.
"The teacher is actually in Zylos..."
Although she carried the title of "Dr. Sterling’s only student," over the years, she had always been receiving his lectures over the screen and passing around research materials, having only seen a few blurry old photos of the teacher, never once eting him in person.
She was just fretting when suddenly an email arrived in her inbox. It was from her teacher, inviting her to lunch at noon!
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