Chapter 151: The Hale-Viv Conglomerate
With Gordon Luiz and his son escorted into federal custody, the high-stakes spectacle orchestrated by Luca had reached its peak.
The atmosphere in the plaza remained thick with tension.
The remaining minority shareholders stood frozen in place, exchanging uneasy glances without saying a word.
Who could have imagined that the founder and chairman of a multibillion-dollar empire would be brought down so quickly?
For decades, Gordon had been regarded as an immovable pillar of New Orleans and the entire Southern Gulf business world.
Now, before the eyes of every executive present, he had been led away in handcuffs.
The man responsible for it all...
Was Luca.
A young man who looked barely out of his twenties, yet possessed a background no one could comprehend and the terrifying ability to execute his plans with ruthless precision.
Luca turned back toward the crowd, wearing a warm smile that felt as pleasant as spring sunshine.
"A minor interruption, everyone."
"I trust it hasn’t spoiled your afternoon."
His voice was calm and courteous, almost impossible to dislike.
Ironically...
That gentle smile frightened everyone far more than an angry glare ever could.
They now understood one thing with absolute certainty.
The young man standing before them wasn’t some pampered heir.
He was a hunter.
Someone capable of destroying an opponent before they even realized they were in danger.
If Luca could hear what they were thinking, he would probably laugh.
’A predator?’
’Please.’
’I’m just a law-abiding citizen devoted to justice and corporate integrity.’
After all, out of concern for Gordon and Dexter’s legal journey, he’d even hired Patrick Halloway, the formidable managing partner of Apex Legal Group, to oversee their legal proceedings.
How thoughtful of him.
"Although President Luiz can no longer attend today’s meeting..."
Luca casually checked his watch.
"...business doesn’t stop because one person is absent."
"It’s exactly two o’clock."
"Shall we begin?"
---
Inside the executive boardroom...
Luca naturally took the chairman’s seat at the head of the long mahogany table.
Once everyone settled down, silence blanketed the room.
Every eye was fixed on him.
He slowly rose to his feet.
The warmth disappeared from his expression, replaced by calm authority.
"I came here today for two reasons."
"The first has already been accomplished."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The second is considerably simpler."
"Our conglomerate will undergo an immediate rebranding."
"Effective today..."
"...The Luiz Conglomerate will officially become the Hale-Viv Conglomerate."
"Our Public Relations Division will announce the change across all major media platforms and financial exchanges before today’s market closes."
"Our design department will prepare a new corporate identity and company seal for approval by tomorrow morning."
He glanced around the room.
"That concludes my structural directives."
"As for today’s operational agenda..."
He turned toward the woman seated nearby.
"Secretary Cecelia."
"I’ll leave the remainder of the meeting in your capable hands."
"Proceed according to standard protocol."
"Understood, Chairman."
Cecelia stood gracefully and immediately took control of the meeting.
Under her organized guidance, every agenda item flowed efficiently.
Financial reports...
Operational reviews...
Regional updates...
Everything progressed with remarkable precision.
Even Vivienne participated seriously in several discussions.
Only Luca gradually found himself growing...
Sleepy.
He leaned back comfortably in his chair while presentation after presentation continued.
A moment later...
Something lightly brushed against his palm beneath the table.
He looked down.
Vivienne was secretly tickling his hand.
He immediately sat up straighter.
At that moment, another realization struck him.
’Finding a chief executive proxy might not be as difficult as I thought.’
His gaze drifted toward Cecelia, who stood confidently at the front of the room directing the discussion.
She was composed.
Elegant.
Decisive.
Most importantly...
She already understood every corner of the company’s internal operations.
’She’s excellent...’
Just then...
The faint scent of fresh roses drifted toward him.
Vivienne leaned closer, her voice soft enough that only he could hear.
"Secretary Cecelia seems rather impressive."
Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
"Wouldn’t you agree, my darling?"
Luca nearly spilled his tea.
"Ahem..."
He cleared his throat with complete seriousness.
"Her professional ability is certainly outstanding."
"Mmm."
Vivienne nodded thoughtfully.
"I think so too."
"She’s elegant."
"Beautiful."
"Speaks well."
"And she’s clearly very capable."
She smiled innocently.
"I’m almost tempted to adopt her as another executive sister."
Luca blinked.
"...There’s probably no need to go that far."
"Oh?"
She looked at him sideways.
"So you disagree?"
"Of course not."
"So you agree?"
Luca answered with the most sincere expression imaginable.
"How could I possibly be that kind of opportunistic man?"
"Hmph."
"That’s better."
Satisfied for the moment, she turned her attention back toward the presentation screen.
A second later...
Luca quietly leaned toward her ear.
His voice dropped to an almost inaudible whisper.
"I just think my opinion alone doesn’t matter."
"I’m certainly not the type to force anything."
He smiled shamelessly.
"But..."
"If she happened to accept an invitation for dinner so we could discuss corporate strategy..."
"And if we gradually built mutual trust..."
"Perhaps she’d eventually accept a permanent executive position."
Vivienne froze.
Then slowly turned to stare at him.
"You..."
Her beautiful eyes narrowed dangerously.
Were they not in the middle of a board meeting...
She would have pinched him immediately.
Instead...
She took a deep breath, forced herself to stay composed, and simply looked away.
For now.
Meanwhile...
Luca casually sent Captain Rico a text beneath the table.
[Run a complete background investigation on Secretary Cecelia.]
No matter how talented someone appeared...
He never entrusted real authority without first knowing exactly who they were.
---
Two hours later...
The meeting finally concluded.
Luca stretched comfortably before turning toward George.
"George."
"I have a question."
"Does Vanderbilt currently have any active shipping contracts with the Day family here in New Orleans?"
George thought for several seconds before shaking his head apologetically.
"I’m afraid I don’t know."
"Regional cargo manifests aren’t handled directly at my level."
Alice nodded as well.
"The same applies to me."
Luca smiled knowingly.
That made sense.
Someone overseeing a global maritime empire wouldn’t concern himself with individual regional shipping clients.
George looked at him curiously.
"Is there an issue with this branch of the Day family?"
"There is."
Luca’s tone became noticeably calmer.
"In that case..."
"I’d like Vanderbilt Global Maritime Group to immediately terminate every existing logistics agreement with the New Orleans Day family."
He continued without hesitation.
"Going forward..."
"Any shipping company that chooses to cooperate with them should be regarded as directly opposing Vanderbilt."
"Blacklist them."
"No access to any of our ports."
George and Alice exchanged subtle glances.
The order itself wasn’t difficult.
What amused them...
Was how casually Luca had delivered it.
It sounded remarkably similar to two children arguing on a playground.
’If you play with him...’
’Then I won’t play with you anymore.’
George couldn’t help smiling.
Alice quickly lowered her head to hide her laughter.
Their chairman could impose worldwide commercial sanctions...
Yet somehow make it sound adorably simple.
Still...
George immediately became serious.
"Alice."
"Issue the directive."
"Immediately."
"Any regional manager who fails to enforce it will be removed from their position."
"Understood."
---
Before leaving the executive suite, Luca stopped Cecelia.
Not far away, Vivienne watched with quiet amusement.
"Chairman."
"Is there anything you need?"
Cecelia bowed respectfully.
Truthfully...
She was extremely nervous.
As Gordon’s former executive secretary, she worried the new chairman might view her as part of the previous administration.
If that happened...
Her career would end today.
Fortunately...
Luca’s first question immediately eased her fears.
"Tell me."
"How many of Gordon’s relatives still occupy important positions inside the company?"
"The Luiz family itself isn’t particularly large."
She answered without hesitation.
"But Lady Francine arranged for dozens of her own relatives to receive comfortable executive positions throughout the company."
"I see."
Luca nodded once.
"Can you remove every one of those parasites by tomorrow morning?"
"Absolutely."
Her answer came instantly.
She understood exactly what this meant.
This wasn’t merely an assignment.
It was a test.
Succeed...
And she’d earn the chairman’s trust.
Fail...
And her dismissal would likely arrive before lunchtime.
She wasn’t about to waste an opportunity like this.
Luca smiled with satisfaction.
"Excellent."
"Secretary Cecelia..."
"You’ve just secured your future."