Chapter 346: It’s that time of the year again.
Miles looked at Joshua calmly.
"So, Mr. Ainsley."
"How can I help you?"
Joshua drew a slow breath before answering.
"I’ll be frank, Mr. Sterling."
"I need your help."
"One company has been relentlessly targeting our business."
"They’re attacking us from every possible direction."
He lowered his eyes for a moment.
"Our family has been in this industry for generations. We built relationships over decades. We believed those connections would stand with us when we needed them."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"But when trouble came..."
"Everyone turned their backs on us."
"Every single one."
"They all refused to help."
He clenched his fists.
"I have no other choice but to come to you."
"Please..."
"Help us save our family’s legacy."
"We are willing to offer favorable business terms."
"Anything you ask."
Miles rested his elbows lightly on the desk.
"Anything?"
"It sounds much more serious than I expected."
His expression became thoughtful.
"Tell me."
"Which company is causing all this?"
Joshua answered without hesitation.
"Miller Corporation."
The moment those words left his mouth...
Miles slowly raised his eyes.
"Miller Corporation..."
He leaned back in his chair.
"They rely heavily on foreign investment."
"They’re famous for hostile takeovers."
His brows furrowed.
"But they’re an iron and steel company."
"So why are they suddenly interested in the wine business?"
Joshua let out a helpless sigh.
"It started because of a personal feud."
"The chairman of Miller Corporation, Orville Miller, visited one of our clubs."
"He harassed one of our female employees."
"By coincidence..."
"My father was there that night."
"He demanded that Orville apologize."
Joshua’s expression darkened.
"But Orville refused."
"When his bodyguards got involved..."
"The situation turned physical."
"The police arrived."
"My father permanently banned him from every Ainsley club."
He looked down.
"None of us imagined..."
"That decision would become such a calamity."
"He started targeting our company."
"Our overseas clients gradually disappeared."
"Our contracts were quietly canceled."
He paused before continuing.
"This year..."
"The twenty year lease on our vineyard expired."
"We decided to purchase the land permanently."
"We had already prepared everything."
"But somehow..."
"The government rejected our application."
"And the land was sold to Miller Corporation instead."
Silence filled the office.
Joshua’s voice became heavier.
"For a winery..."
"Losing its primary vineyard is catastrophic."
"It takes four or five years before newly planted vines become commercially productive."
"Our production will collapse."
"Our business may simply cease to exist."
Miles’ fingers slowly tightened.
"That damned old man..."
"Orville..."
"Still as arrogant as ever."
Joshua looked surprised.
"You know him?"
Miles nodded slowly.
"I have some unfinished business with him."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"It seems..."
"He still hasn’t learned his lesson."
June quietly observed the conversation, curiosity visible in her eyes.
Joshua continued.
"Because we lost the vineyard..."
"Our investors have started pulling out."
"And recently..."
"We received reliable information."
"They’re approaching our shareholders."
Miles answered almost immediately.
"Classic hostile takeover tactics."
Joshua nodded.
"Exactly."
"He has powerful international backing."
"Most companies are afraid of offending him."
"No one is willing to stand with us."
"If we lose our shareholders..."
"Our family’s legacy will belong to foreign corporations."
He looked directly into Miles’ eyes.
"Please."
"Help us."
Miles remained silent for several moments.
He carefully studied Joshua.
There was exhaustion on the man’s face.
Dark circles under his eyes.
Shoulders weighed down by responsibility.
A man who had fought desperately for his family’s company.
Then...
Miles looked toward Rose.
She sat quietly beside her brother.
Her cheerful personality had disappeared.
Only worry remained in her eyes.
Miles finally spoke.
"Tell me honestly, Mr. Ainsley."
"What exactly do you want from me?"
Joshua answered immediately.
"Orville intends to sell the vineyard."
"But only to our foreign competitors."
"When we approached him..."
"He said he’d sell it to us."
Joshua smiled bitterly.
"At three times its market value."
"We simply cannot afford it."
"If we spend that much..."
"Our operations will stop for years."
"But if we don’t buy it back..."
"Our shareholders will leave."
He lowered his head.
"We’re trapped."
"Our investors are withdrawing."
"The banks rejected every loan application."
"No one is willing to help."
"Orville is determined to destroy us."
He bowed deeply even while remaining seated.
"We ask only one thing."
"Please help us acquire the vineyard."
"We’ll repay every cent."
"With interest."
"Please..."
"Mr. Sterling."
Miles immediately stood up.
"Mr. Ainsley."
"You’re older than I am."
"Please..."
"Raise your head."
Joshua slowly straightened himself.
Miles turned toward Rose.
"Tell me something."
Rose looked up.
Miles smiled gently.
"Was your father wrong..."
"For standing up to protect his female employee?"
Rose answered without even thinking.
"No."
"He wasn’t."
"What Dad did was right."
"And..."
"I fully support him."
Her voice gradually became softer.
"But..."
"We’re going to lose everything."
She looked at Miles hopefully.
"Please help us."
Miles nodded.
"As Rose said..."
"Your father did the right thing."
He looked back at Joshua.
"Buying the vineyard for three times its value..."
"Would mean surrendering."
"And it would disrespect everything your father stood for."
Joshua sighed.
"I appreciate that you understand."
"But..."
"We truly don’t have another choice."
A faint smile slowly appeared on Miles’ face.
"No."
"Orville will have no choice."
Joshua frowned.
"What do you mean, Mr. Sterling?"
Miles walked toward the large window behind his desk.
Rain continued falling over Star Harbor.
He looked outside before calmly speaking.
"He’ll return your vineyard."
"For free."
Joshua stared blankly.
Rose’s eyes widened.
"For..."
"Free?"
Miles turned around.
Confidence radiated from his expression.
"Don’t worry, Mr. Ainsley."
"As long as I’m involved..."
"You won’t lose a single shareholder."
"You’ll gain better investors."
"And within one week..."
"Your vineyard will be back where it belongs."
Rose almost jumped from her chair.
"Really?"
Miles smiled.
"I promise."
Relief instantly spread across her face.
"Thank you so much, Miles."
Joshua slowly stood.
The tension that had burdened him since entering the office seemed to disappear.
"Hearing those words..."
"Has finally put my mind at ease."
He bowed respectfully.
"But..."
"Nothing comes without a price."
"Please tell me."
"What can we do in return?"
Miles waved his hand.
"I’m helping a friend."
Joshua hesitated.
"But..."
Miles smiled.
"Consider that you owe me one favor."
Joshua nodded firmly.
"Then I give you my word."
"If our family can ever help you in the future..."
"We won’t hesitate."
Miles smiled.
"Oh."
"One more thing."
"Did you speak to Celina about this?"
Rose slowly shook her head.
"I didn’t."
"I don’t want that filthy old man targeting her too."
"She’s already working incredibly hard in her own company and establishing her own reputation."
Miles nodded with approval.
"You made the right decision."
He walked back toward them.
"Don’t worry."
"I’ll handle Orville."
"You two can return home without carrying this burden anymore."
Joshua took another respectful bow.
"Thank you..."
"Mr. Sterling."
"You’ve given our family hope again."
....
The office gradually became quiet again after Rose and Joshua left.
The door closed softly behind them.
June gathered the empty tea cups while Miles remained standing beside the floor to ceiling window.
Rain continued to fall over Star Harbor.
Dark clouds covered most of the sky, making the city appear quieter than usual.
June looked toward him.
"Boss."
"Do you have some history with Miller Corporation?"
Miles gave a faint smile without taking his eyes off the rain.
"I do."
He folded his arms.
"Orville Miller isn’t just a successful businessman."
"He is an information seller."
June paused.
"An information seller?"
Miles nodded.
"Someone who trades information for money."
"You could call him a spy."
"But unlike intelligence agencies..."
"He doesn’t work for any government."
"He only works for whoever pays the highest price."
June frowned.
"So if someone has enough money..."
"They become his client."
Miles smiled coldly.
"His client."
"Never his friend."
"If someone offers him more money tomorrow..."
"He’ll sell today’s client without hesitation."
"To him..."
"Loyalty has a price."
"And principles have none."
June slowly understood.
"What a dangerous person."
Miles nodded.
"He has survived this long because he knows exactly how to play both sides."
June looked curious.
"Does Graveyard know about him?"
Miles chuckled.
"Even the Agency knows."
June blinked.
"They do?"
"Then why is he still active?"
Miles finally turned around.
"Years ago, I exposed part of his operation to the government."
"But before we could move..."
"The Agency stepped in."
June raised an eyebrow.
"They protected him?"
"In a way."
Miles walked back toward his desk.
"They realized someone like Orville could become useful."
"So instead of eliminating him..."
"They started feeding him carefully crafted misinformation."
June smiled.
"So Orville believes he’s selling valuable intelligence..."
"When in reality..."
"He’s spreading fake information created by the Agency."
Miles nodded.
"Exactly."
"A classic intelligence tactic."
"They turned an information broker into an unwilling weapon."
June could not help laughing.
"Poor Orville."
"He probably still thinks he’s the smartest man in the room."
Miles’ expression remained calm.
"But that’s enough."
He looked outside once again.
"We cannot allow foreign interests to manipulate the people of our country from the shadows."
"The game ends here."
June straightened herself.
"What are you planning to do?"
Miles remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke calmly.
"Contact Charles."
"I want a complete report on every major shareholder of Ainsley Spirit Company."
June already understood.
"And after that?"
Miles smiled faintly.
"You know exactly what to do."
June returned the smile.
"Understood, Boss."
"I’ll make sure none of those shareholders even considers selling their stakes."
"Miller Corporation won’t have a chance to launch a hostile takeover."
Miles gave a satisfied nod.
His eyes drifted back toward the rain outside.
"Weeds..."
"...should always be removed before they choke the entire field."
The office once again fell into silence.
Only the sound of rain echoed beyond the glass.
...
Norway
Inside a heavily secured soundproof conference room...
Only two people were present.
The atmosphere was calm, yet unusually heavy.
The elderly Grandmaster sat quietly with both hands resting on his cane.
Across from him sat Thea.
The Grandmaster broke the silence first.
"So..."
"They’re finally moving."
"The other plan they prepared decades ago."
Thea’s expression immediately turned serious.
"I still believe it’s too early."
"If The WEB begins executing that plan now..."
"We won’t have enough time to stop it."
"We’re not ready."
The old man slowly nodded.
"I understand your concern."
"But remember..."
"It took The WEB decades to prepare this."
"They won’t move recklessly."
"If they begin..."
"They’ll move slowly."
"So slowly..."
"That by the time the world notices..."
"It may already be too late."
Thea lowered her eyes, thinking carefully.
After a long pause, she looked back at him.
"Can I ask you something?"
The Grandmaster smiled faintly.
"You may."
"Do you..."
"Have some connection with Bjørn?"
A mysterious smile appeared on the old man’s face.
"Do you really believe..."
"Bjørn is the true leader of The WEB?"
Thea froze.
"He isn’t?"
Her voice carried genuine surprise.
"I’ve been undercover for years."
"I’ve risked everything."
"And I still don’t know who the real leader of The WEB is?"
The Grandmaster chuckled quietly.
"Bjørn trusted no one."
"Not even the daughter he chose himself."
"He only trusted..."
"Himself."
Thea sighed.
"Then why make me curious..."
"If you’re not going to tell me?"
The old man looked at her with calm eyes.
"For a spy..."
"Knowing too much can be just as dangerous as knowing too little."
Thea leaned back with a helpless smile.
"You always answer questions without actually answering them."
The Grandmaster laughed softly.
"Perhaps."
She looked at him again.
"Then why did you ask me to come here personally?"
Without another word...
The Grandmaster reached into his coat.
He placed a sealed envelope on the table.
Thea picked it up.
She opened it carefully.
Her eyes narrowed.
"This..."
"An invitation?"
The Grandmaster nodded.
"Yes."
"It’s that time of the year again."
"I want you to attend."
"There is a piece of information there."
"A very important one."
"You must secure it."
"The remaining details are inside the envelope."
Thea carefully folded the invitation and returned it to the envelope.
"I understand."
She stood up.
"I’ll complete the mission."
The Grandmaster looked at her for a long moment before smiling.
"Take care, Thea."
Thea returned the smile.
"I will."