Whispers of Wealth: The Mysterious Son-in-law

Ch-6 : The mysterious shareholder

The next morning, Cassie had just gotten out of the shower when her phone screen lit up with an incoming call from an unknown number.

She glanced tentatively at the number before picking up the call, and she was greeted by a pleasant female voice.

Cassie only hummed in response when the person confirmed her identity and quietly listened in a subtle shock for the remaining duration.

Mark was out in the kitchen, preparing breakfast when she walked out of the room after disconnecting the call.

He noticed that she seemed to be in a daze, as she was looking forward without her eyes focusing on anything in front of her.

Prompting her gently, he spoke while placing their plates on the dining table;

“You alright, Cass?”

Cassie’s eyes flicked to his face, finally registering his presence, and she nodded before speaking up;

“Yeah, I just… I just got a call from someone named Claudia from Clarke Communications.”

Mark immediately understood that they must have reached out to her regarding the funding, but he pretended to be surprised, nudging her to go on.

“Really?”

She continued without lifting her head, while tossing her food around the plate,

“She- she said that Mr. Harrison Clarke wants to meet with me. But how could it be? I didn’t even reach out to him, and today, out of the blue, I got a call from his office?”

Her frown deepened, and Mark spoke up,

“But isn’t it a good thing that they contacted you themselves? Mr. Clarke must have heard about the Blue Mountains Group after yesterday’s announcement from Lady Mariella?”

She nodded with hesitation,

“I suppose… that could be a thing. But Mark…”

She lifted her gaze while continuing,

“I am so nervous to meet him! What if it’s something else, what if he thinks I am not capable enough to secure funds for the company?

You know what, I wasn't even able to believe it at first! What if it is really too good to be true?”

“I suppose then, the only thing you can do now is to show up and give it your best, isn’t it?”

Mark said with a faint smile, and went on,

“I’m confident in your abilities in heading a business, and it is about time you should be, too.

You should walk into the Clarke Communications head office with your head held high and brief Mr. Clarke on how you plan to use his funds for the company, until he himself asks you to take his money!”

Cassie chuckled in spite of herself, as he said with a serious note,

“My wife is a very good business-woman, and it’s high time that people at the Blue Mountains Group see it with their own eyes.”

Cassie watched him with a complex mental state.

She had tried so hard to drive him away from herself yesterday, and he had even left the farmhouse without informing her.

Even after they had returned to their own apartment last night, they hadn’t spoken a word, as she wanted to sort out her thoughts first, and he wanted to give her some space.

But his words had really made her feel like she could handle this meeting successfully, and before she left the kitchen to go and change, she couldn’t help but express the gratitude from her heart;

“Mark, thank you for encouraging me today.”

________

Cassie found herself standing in front of the Clarke Communications head office at 9:45, exactly fifteen minutes before her scheduled meeting with the richest businessman in the city.

She checked out her reflection in the glass doorway.

She was dressed in a beige silk blouse and formal straight pants. Her blonde hair was styled into a french roll, and she tucked a few stray strands behind her ear before taking a deep breath and stepping into the foyer.

The receptionist stood up as soon as she saw Cassie walking towards her desk, and preemptively asked,

“Miss Holmes?”

Cassie smiled and greeted her, as the receptionist escorted her to Mr Clarke’s office.

Harrison Clarke’s behavior towards her was unexpectedly accommodating, and he seemed to be quite impressed with her plans for bringing the company out of its sinking trajectory.

Eventually, he broke the news to her;

“Miss Holmes, I think our investment will be in good hands with someone like you. I’m glad to tell you that one of our shareholders has offered the Blue Mountains Group a sum of 500 million dollars."

Cassie was tempted to pinch herself to make sure that this wasn’t just a dream, and managed to speak up after a few seconds,

“Thank you, Mr. Clarke, thank you so much. But may I ask you the name of this shareholder, if you don’t mind?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Holmes, but I cannot disclose this information.”

He added with an enigmatic smile,

“But be rest assured, you will know about him soon enough.”

________

Andrew was waiting for his college friend at the upscale cafe, checking his phone every five minutes.

As soon as the server arrived with the drinks he had ordered, his friend also entered the cafe and headed over to his table.

“Hey, Drew! Long time no see, man!”

Andrew also shook hands with him as he smiled,

“Hey, Connor!”

After a few minutes of chatting, they got down to business.

Connor drew out a cheque and pushed it along the table towards Andrew, while saying.

“Here is the 100 million, as promised. You are at liberty to use it for your company, or however you like…”

Andrew’s eyes bulged as he practically jumped towards the cheque, but Connor placed his palm on top of it.

Andrew looked up with a confused expression, only to find a dry smile on his face.

Connor explained with a lazy drawl, “I want something in return, however.”

Andrew managed to cover up his irritation with a smile, saying,

“Of course, brother. Anything you say, we are old friends, after all.”

He took a sip of his coffee before speaking,

“I want something precious in return for my money. I want you to make Cassie agree to divorce her husband and marry me instead.”

Andrew was relieved on hearing this and his fake smile turned somewhat genuine,

“That’s it? It won’t be too difficult to make Cassie leave her trashy husband. I will surely make my sister marry you, if it means I will become the Managing Director.”

He added under his breath while lifting his coffee mug, “For my legacy, I am ready to do anything.”