Chapter 308: Screwing Over Justin Hale (Part 4)

Chapter 308: Chapter 308: Screwing Over Justin Hale (Part 4)

This failure was a first for Justin Hale. Hailed as an ever-victorious general of the business world, this was his Waterloo.

After his triumphant moment, Chester Sykes immediately returned to his company. Although he had just put on an imposing and domineering display at the press conference, dealing a heavy blow to Hale Corporation and Kyle Warren, it didn’t mean the situation at Keystone Technologies had improved.

Keystone Technologies was now only half its former size. All research and development had to be redone. Abandoning software to start from scratch with electronic products was no easy task.

But for Chester Sykes, this was a completely new beginning. The new manager was young but highly skilled, and the administrative issues within the company were being cleared up one by one. The most important thing now was R&D. This was the start of Keystone Technologies’ rebirth. He was determined to win this turnaround battle. He would complete the plan within two months and successfully launch the company’s first product after its change in direction.

At that moment, Seraphina Sterling was in her room changing clothes. She had already heard from Chester Sykes about Justin Hale’s failure. This was her first victory. She didn’t celebrate, because there would be many more victories to come.

With school about to start, she decided to go out and buy some necessities.

When Seraphina Sterling came downstairs, she was surprised to see Owen Sterling at home with a guest in the living room. Although it was a weekend, Owen Sterling was a workaholic who was almost never home, even on his days off. She’d heard he was working on a major project and no longer had weekends off, so seeing him at home today was unexpected.

Faye Sterling had been gone for nearly a week. Over that week, Owen Sterling’s expression had grown uglier and his spirits had flagged. Seraphina knew the Quinn Family must have made their move. He was starting to crumble under the pressure. Otherwise, how could a man who was always so energetic be this dejected? Worried about his daughter on one hand and the company on the other, and coupled with his own incompetence, he was naturally in agony.

What Seraphina Sterling didn’t know was that after Owen Sterling took over the company, he had proposed a new project: to build the most luxurious shopping center in all of Apex, right here in Aethelgard. The Sterling Family had gotten its start in mall management and already owned many high-end shopping centers, so his proposal was initially rejected by the major shareholders. However, Owen Sterling was adamant. After three months of contentious debate, the project was finally approved.

Even so, there were still many dissenting voices within the company. The project had been extremely difficult to implement from the very beginning. Now, it was finally nearing completion. All that was left was for the tenants to move in, especially the international luxury brands, but they had run into a massive obstacle.

The suppliers had suddenly raised their prices—all of them, from top domestic brands to international luxury goods. The Sterling Family’s other malls started having problems one after another, leading to cash flow issues that made it impossible to fund the opening of what was to be the largest shopping center in Apex. Owen Sterling had turned his attention to the banks.

The Sterling Group had always worked with several banks and maintained good relationships, but this time, their loan applications were being blocked. Owen Sterling didn’t even have to think to know who was behind it. No one had that kind of power except the Quinn Family. At that moment, Owen Sterling wanted to wring Faye Sterling’s neck. If she hadn’t offended Martin Quinn, he wouldn’t be in such a predicament.

Unable to get a loan from established banks, Owen Sterling had no choice but to turn to private banks, which had led to this very meeting.

Seraphina Sterling had planned to head straight out the door after coming downstairs, but as she passed the living room, Owen Sterling called out to her. "Seraphina, this is President Fenton. Come and say hello."