Chapter 430 Attractive Conditions


    The whole room suddenly became silent. Several thoughts ran through the minds of both men. While


    Shawn was thinking of the offer, Jacob was waiting earnestly for his response. What would happen


    next totally depended on fate.


    "What?" Shawn''s face lightened up. His eyes beamed with excitement. But soon, he calmed down.


    ''Hmm. This man wouldn''t back down, would he? I can''t seem to figure his intentions.


    Could he be trusted? Dammit! His expression is unreadable!'' Shawn was racking his brain. He was


    trying to weigh which was more important between the Shi Group and Jacob. No matter how hard he


    pondered, he just couldn''t conclude.


    For a long time, no one had separated Jacob and the Shi Group from each other. Since he was the


    CEO, his name was synonymous with that of thepany. No one ever imagined that the two would


    be enemies someday. This was the major reason why the yers in the business circle were


    shocked and angry with Jacob for resigning.


    However, Shawn didn''t bother himself about whether the man had betrayed the Shi Group. He just saw


    him as a capable man. So, he didn''t think that Jacob would make any unreasonable decisions.


    Honestly, Shawn held him in high esteem. But he didn''t show it.


    "Do you think I will give up my partnership with the Shi Group just for you? I must say that''s hrious!


    To be honest with you, I think you are a capable man. I have heard of your previous achievements as a


    CEO. And I have to say that I was quite impressed. But I don''t mix my personal sentiments with


    business."


    Narrowing his eyes, Shawn stared at him as he grinned mischievously. He wanted to see the hesitation


    and disappointment in Jacob''s eyes. But unfortunately, he saw nothing. He still couldn''t read his


    expression.


    So, Shawn became more determined. He was hell-bent on discouraging this man.


    "One more thing. I don''t think the Shi Group would prosper under Jonathan''s leadership. As you know,


    the business has continued to plunge downwards since he assumed that position. Although I feel bad


    that my father''s years of hard work would be ruined in the hands of my greedy cousin, he already made


    me a sess by raising me. I''m the man that I am today because of the efforts of my old man."


    Jacob spoke with a serious expression on his face. Whenever something concerned Michael, he never


    joked with it.


    His recent actions didn''t mean that he was going to abandon Michael''s legacy. Far from it. Jacob just


    wanted to survive. And to survive he had to make drastic decisions.


    "No pain, no gain. I absolutely understand. I can''t deny the fact that all you have said is very


    reasonable. Actually, when Jonathan became the CEO, he raised the charge of our partnership. I want


    thispany to spread its reach as regards intepany partnership. But in Jonathan''s mind, the Ho


    Group cannot cooperate with any other establishment."


    Shawn wasn''tining. He was just saying the truth. Recently, that topic had been giving him


    headaches. He really wanted to take hispany to the next level. But several obstacles were in his


    way. His hands were practically tied because of his partnership with the Shi Group.


    Therefore, when he heard that Jacob came to visit him, he agreed to meet him without hesitation. He


    had thought that perhaps, the former CEO would discuss something that would help him out of the


    situation.


    As a matter of fact, Shawn wanted to get some useful information that he would use against Jonathan.


    He had reasoned knowing his enemy''s weakness would go a long way in defeating him.


    But what he got was too shocking. Jacob wanted him to abandon the Shi Grouppletely. And then,


    join him in his newpany. ''This man wants me to abandon a hugepany and join a small


    company that isn''t even ranked as one of the most sessful businesses.'' Shawn had the notion that


    Jacob''s newpany could be likened to a bubble. And a bubble couldn''t even withstand the gentlest


    touch.


    "Well..." Shawn was lost in thought. It seemed that there was no need to argue with Jacob.


    The next second, he burst outughing. But this time, theughter wasn''t making a mockery of Jacob


    like the first.


    "You are impable. A true talent. As I listened to your words, I felt hesitant. But they are still not


    enough to convince me to partner with you."


    Shawn smiled at him. At that moment, his attitude towards him improved. His expression was no longer


    as serious as before.


    "Please trust me. This is a good deal. If you agree to cooperate with me, we can split the profits thirty-


    seventy. I take thirty percent and you take seventy percent. What do you think?" After thinking for a


    while, Jacob threw out another bait. He had reasoned that his potential partner would find it hard to


    refuse such a huge profit.


    However, this was already a huge concession for Jacob. The profit percentage he proposed seemed


    foolish, but he had to take the risk. If Shawn still refused to cooperate, there was nothing more he could


    do. He would have to find another partner.


    "Well, it seems you came well-prepared for this meeting. You keep dropping juicy baits at every turn.


    Thispany only got thirty percent profits from the Shi Group. But you are offering something way


    more than that. I must say that it is attractive."


    Shawn''s eyes glinted as he said this. This showed that he was quite impressed with the offer. If he


    epted Jacob''s proposal, thepany''s performance would reach a whole new level. In fact, the


    business would skyrocket straight to the top, if the n was achieved.


    ''My goodness! This offer is quite enticing. I can''t even begin to imagine how sessful the Ho Group


    would be if this nes to fruition, '' Shawn pondered. Of course, he wanted to agree. As he


    continued to think, Jacob stared at his face. It was at that moment that he noticed the change in


    Shawn''s expression.


    But the man smiled and didn''t say anything. Although he was tempted, that wasn''t his concern at the


    moment. What Shawn was most concerned about was the safety of thepany. He was worried that


    the business would be in danger if he agreed to this proposal.


    Deep in his mind, he wondered if the risk was worth it or not. Honestly, Shawn trusted Jacob. At least,


    more than how he trusted his other acquaintances.


    When Jacob had announced that he was quitting from the Shi Group, those who were partners with the


    company were astonished. In fact, there was an uproar in the business circle. And a lot of people


    gossiped about him. Shawn was the only one that cared about him. At that time, he tried to look at


    things from Jacob''s perspective. He didn''t just jump into conclusion like the others.


    Being the biggest cooperative partner wasn''t just child''s y. And Jacob understood this very well.


    Now that he wanted to start his own business, he knew that it wouldn''t be an easy journey.


    After all, everything in this world was very difficult at the beginning. And he was only taking the first


    step. Jacob noticed his hesitation. This gave him some hope that he was making headway.


    As a professional, Jacob knew that he shouldn''t be so confident that Shawn would just give up his


    cooperation with the Shi Group just because of the few words that he said. He understood that


    convincing someone in the business world was far more than that.


    Nevertheless, it wasn''t impossible. Jacob nced at the businessman in front of him. At that instance,


    he decided to let him solve this puzzle by himself.


    "I must say that I''m interested in the conditions you have offered. But I want you to understand that I


    can''t just make this important decision because of your promise. It''s not as simple as it seems. I still


    have to inform the senior executives of thepany about this. And you know that this industry is still


    developing. One cannot correctly predict how things would turn. The future is still very bleak."


    Shawn''s serious expression didn''t change. But Jacob could see that he was tempted by his offer.


    Usually in the business world, opportunities and challenges coexisted. For Shawn, this offer wasn''t just


    an opportunity, but also a challenge. Concluding on which is greater than the other was difficult. Even


    though the profit was enticing, the negative aspect seemed unavoidable.


    Jacob stood up and bowed. With a smile on his face, he said, "I understand, Mr. Shawn. Thank you for


    sparing time out of your busy schedule. I''ll take my leave now. But I would be waiting for your


    response."


    Shawn simply nodded. He was satisfied with his attitude. "Take care."


    Jacob confidently walked out of the office.


    He wasn''t feeling down because of the current situation. On the contrary, he walked with his head up


    high. As he left the premises, Jacob assured himself that everything wasn''t over yet.


    The following week, Jacob met with many potential business partners every day. He tried to convince


    them into partnering with him. The experience wasn''t entirely a pleasing one. Not everyone gave him a


    listening ear like Shawn did. Sometimes, they even behaved rudely and threw him out of their offices.


    Indeed, Jacob faced a lot of humiliation.


    Although the situation was sad and humiliating, it was the natural thing for a lobbyist. A person seeking


    assistance would always meet horrible people. Jacob was unhappy with this. Such cases seemed to be


    dragging him back because his time was wasted.


    In the past, Jacob had never been mistreated. No one in the business circle had ever spoken rudely to


    him. But now, he had to face this embarrassing situation and endure it. It was a bitter pill to swallow but


    he didn''t have any choice.


    When he was at home, he never told Sara about the embarrassment he faced during the day. Jacob


    always narrated the urrences jokingly.


    Actually, he didn''t want Sara to worry her pretty head over what he was experiencing. Jacob felt that he


    was already burdening her with too much. After all, this was his cross. So, he had to carry it on his own.


    Moreover, Jacob didn''t want to see Sara go through so much pain because of him. He knew that she


    would try to help him in any way that she could. Also, he was trying not to seem like a weakling who


    couldn''t handle his own problems. So, involving Sara was unnecessary.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    During the weekend, Jacoby on the sofa in the living room tiredly. After lobbying for a whole week, it


    wasn''t a surprise that he was exhausted.


    So, he decided to stay back at home and regain his energy. Most importantly, Jacob wanted to re-


    strategize. He had to think of new ways on how to solve this problem of coboration. Although there


    was no such thing as a perfectpany, he didn''t want his beloved woman to face serious troubles.


    He concluded that he had to settle this before she found out.


    Meanwhile, he was still waiting to hear from the Ho Group. They hadn''t called him since hisst


    meeting with Shawn. As he thought about this, Jacob stood up and fetched a bottle of red wine from


    the cab. Shaking the ss in his hand, he stared nkly at the space in front of him with dull eyes.


    But when he looked at the red liquid in the ss, Jacob suddenly felt rxed. The pressure in his heart


    was swept away. Also, the atmosphere didn''t seem as tense as before.